Lately, I've been having pretty good success, quality-wise, microfoaming with my Gaggia Factory. Been following much of the recommended technique, learned here and elsewhere - fill with cold milk to just below the bottom of the spout (roughly 2/5 full), start with the tip just below the surface, create a swirl always keeping the tip below the surface, stretching the milk and gradually working the tip down to the bottom of the pitcher. What I've been finding, though, is that no matter how I tweak the technique, although I (pretty much always) end up with a good quality microfoam throughout the top 3/4 or so of the final volume, the bottom 1/4 or so of the final volume never seems to really froth at all and always remains liquid (despite my gradually working the tip down to the pitcher bottom before stopping - stopping time usually being dictated by the pitcher being full to the brim with microfoam). I get the same result regardless of whether I'm using my 10oz or 20oz pitcher (both straight-sided) - and I seem to get the same result even when starting with less milk (allowing greater room for expansion and presumably "more tip time" toward the bottom). I get best results when I start with the pitcher freshly removed from the freezer before adding the milk - but that "non-foaming" liquid retainage at the bottom of the pitcher is pretty much always costant at about that same 1/4 of the final volume. Is this normal or do any of you get microfoam "down lower" - closer to the bottom of the pitcher? Thanks.

Edit: Oh, and I do bleed the wand before steaming.

I have similar experiences in always getting hot milk at the bottom of the pitcher, although I am not using Gaggia but Rancilio Silvia v3 which has a 3 hole steam tip. I am not an expert in this but from my experiences with Silvia and the previous Saeco Aroma, it seems the steam power, milk temperature (I pour milk into pitcher and put in the freezer for about 10 min to make sure it is very cold), pitcher shape (i now use straight walled which has much better results than bell shaped), milk fat content all counts in the quality of the microfoam you make

Maybe you can post a video for other experienced users to see what's wrong with your milk frothing process.

Have you tried using less milk?

In my experience it shouldn't be necessary to lower the tip all the way to the bottom of the pitcher. I start with the tip just under the surface and suck in air until the milk starts to feel warm to the touch, then lower the tip just a couple of millimeters below the surface. The tip should be just barely below the surface, just deep enough to prevent it from sucking in any more air. Hold it at a position where it creates a strong whirlpool action in the milk and keep it there until the pitcher is too hot to touch, then quickly turn off the steam. Tap and swirl a few times, and you should have 100% microfoam in the pitcher.

If the bottom is all liquid and no foam, then you probably didn't get the whirlpool action necessary to incorporate the milk and foam together. Ideally, there should be no separation between the liquid and the foam.

Of course, every machine is different, and I haven't tried frothing on a Gaggia Factory/La Pavoni. I hear those machines can be challenging to froth with. On my Gaggia Coffee with Silvia wand, the technique above works well, but it may be less effective on your machine.

TimEggers wrote:Have you tried using less milk?

Yes - I've tried less milk and it doesn't seem to help. A bit less milk still leaves about the same proportion of liquid at the bottom. Further reducing the milk just seems to negatively impact the ability to produce proper microfoam "on top". The problem is probably as Eli suggests - improper whirlpool action. Maybe I should try one of those Espro Toroid pitchers, especially as proper frothing on the Gaggia Factory/La Pavoni is generally considered somewhat challenging anyhow...

In the meantime, at least the quality of the microfoam "on top" is fine.

I agree with Eli.

If you are asking specifically about your machine, I do not have experience with it. If you are asking about milk in general that's a different story.

When properly textured the milk's consistency will be uniform from the surface to the very bottom of the pitcher. There are varying degrees of overall viscosity but it is very much like they say, it should be like latex paint. Paint is not thicker at the top of the bucket and watery on the bottom, it is uniform throughout.

If you are starting with a pitcher that is only 2/5 full and are stopping when it runs over the side, or just before, I would guess the milk is being stretched way too much. I'm not very "mathy" but I think that's a 150% increase in total volume and you should be shooting more for 20% to 30% increase in total volume. I usually start with about 4.5 oz in a 10oz pitcher and end up with 6oz by volume when finished.

What does it sound like when you steam the milk, and what happens when you pour it?

When I texture milk the tip of the wand never gets to the bottom of the pitcher. I would guess at its lowest it is around middle. If I drop it all the way to the bottom I do not get enough movement on the surface to fully incorporate the volume of the pitcher.