As many of you have probably noticed, the plastic frothing wand that comes with Gaggia machines creates horrible foam (for the most part). I certainly can't dismiss the fact that it may be a lack of skill on my part, but whenever I would put the wand into the cold milk, I would (very soon) get a bunch of unwanted hard and bubbly foam on the top, and it seemed like there was nothing I could do about this.

The remedy: remove the plastic wand! This has been suggested by some here or at CG, and it worked like a charm. I no longer get instantly bad foam at the top and can actually control the steaming. While I'm still not getting perfect microfoam, its quite a bit more flowy (EDIT: smaller, smoother bubbles, but bubbles nonetheless) than the stuff I had before. Note that I am removing the plastic sleeve that works like an extension, not the plastic tip that attaches to the metal wand coming from the machine. I have not yet tried using the metal tip only, and I'm not sure it will be long enough to work. Also, with my 20oz pitcher, I am forced to make two lattes worth of milk so it is high enough for the tip to reach.

Are there any mods people could suggest to make the plastic tip work even better (short of replacing it with a Silvia steaming wand as shown here)? I have noticed this thread as well, but I thought I'd vouch for how much better the no-wand setup has been. Please post your experiences.

aindfan wrote:Also, with my 20oz pitcher, I am forced to make two lattes worth of milk so it is high enough for the tip to reach.

Dumb question: Why not get a smaller pitcher? My favorite is a 12 ounce straight sided pitcher and it works great.

I started with one but replaced it with the 20oz. With the very quick hard foam showing up the pitcher was overflowing too quickly. Unfortunately I did not realize this fix before switching it out, so I'll deal with what I've got before dropping another $15 bucks (in case I do go for the Silvia wand mod or anything else that won't end up needing a smaller pitcher). Either way, I can deal with making two drinks at once as I hate (read: can't get the tamp right and the machine seems to choke) using the single shot basket. The PF came with the two-spout plastic attachment.

Please take pity on me with the replies, you're dealing with a newbie here (read: I got the machine about 2 weeks ago and slowly learning to make the most of it and the free pre-ground Lavazza I got from WLL, making milk-based drinks became necessary now that the pre-ground coffee is getting old, but I have a hand-grinder for the next time I have beans).

EDIT: When I say pity, I really mean that I'm very open to finding out what I've done wrong so far and would like to improve my foam as much as possible.

as HB said, get a smaller pitcher first...im using 500ml and its still too big, achieving microfoam is easy though...you need to have super cold milk and the pitcher as well, after you pull your shot, switch on the steaming button and wait for cca 20sec (i usually start steaming after i hear the pump). its crucial to start before the green light goes on! then stretch your milk to whatever temp you like and switch off the steam for 5-10 sec to get as much power for the following whirlpool motion...works like magic
...if you get bored by this, order the Rancilio Silvia steam wand and exchange it.

hint: as everyone else here will suggest, get some grinder and fresh beans...

If you pull off the black plastic nozzle you'll see a red gasket.

I've found lowering the red gasket to the middle notch (then replacing the black nozzle) enables the machine to make a nice microfoam if one 'surfs' the top of the liquid.

Sorry to revive this old thread, but I stumbled upon it from a google search... and I have to say, moving the rubber ring to the middle of the nozzle made a HUGE difference... much easier than just having the nozzle.

Thanks again to everyone for their help throughout my espresso discovery adventures!