pjv wrote:ok dude, i see the problem.

you have to take that damn white rubber film off your drip tray cover. i don't know how you could think that you could make microfoam with that condom on your drip tray.

Facepalm. I didn't even take the "Laser Film" off of the top of the machine. When I first took the Silvia out of the box, I thought that the film on the top should come off, but couldn't easily get it off. Now I'm doing it right, both protective films from the top of the machine and the drip tray are off.

I did notice that the attempt we recorded was better than usual, but maybe you're right about the pouring.

I'm going to mess around with it some more, but thank you guys for all the help to get me on to the right track.

P.S. PJV, I am purging the wand after I take the milk out, thanks for the tip though.

To clarify, even with perfect microfoam, doesn't it separate into liquid/foam after a little bit after pouring when viewed through a glass cup?

newmanium wrote:To clarify, even with perfect microfoam, doesn't it separate into liquid/foam after a little bit after pouring when viewed through a glass cup?

I've read that if you let the foamed milk sit for about 30 seconds, the foam will separate from the milk. However, my first pictures in the clear glass were poured immediately.

I'm starting to get the milk foaming pretty well now - one key thing is to pour a little bit out before I pour the milk into the cappuccino. Thank you guys for all the help! Now I have to work on perfecting the espresso.

Hi, I am new to this forum but have similar issues creating microfoam on my new Silvia V3 with the single hole tip. I don't have problems introducing air into the milk but when I start to roll the milk at 80-100 degrees F by plunging the tip deeper into the milk (around 1/2 to 3/4 inch deep) at the side of the pitcher; instead of breaking the air bubbles more foam is produced at the top of the milk! I have no idea why this is happening. Usually I stretch the milk with the knob half open and fully open it in the rolling phase.

I would appreciate any advice or clues on why this is happening and/or how I can fix this problem. Thanks!

Hey Atina,

I've actually gotten much better at making microfoam, which proves that it's just due to practice. You can see that I started this thread because I didn't know what I was doing. At the bottom of my post is a picture of one of my more recent cappuccinos. So hang in there, it'll get easier. Disclaimer: I'm far from perfect.

When I'm stretching the milk (the first phase) I keep the wand angled next to the spout of the pitcher but have the tip a little towards the center. I make sure that only the tip is in so that I can hear that chirping sound. Once I get to about 80 degrees F I move the tip and the wand closer to the spout of the pitcher (it's not quite completely parallel to the side of the pitcher, but moreso than before) and I put it in about the same depth about as you do. Just move the wand around a bit until you see the milk swirling pretty fast. Don't be afraid to change the position of the wand over time. If you hear chirping, your wand isn't deep enough.

Also the point of the second phase, when you put the wand deeper into the milk, isn't to break up the bubbles but to mix it around with the rest of the milk so that the foam is evenly distributed in the liquid. I keep my steam knob fully open the whole time. I've read that you won't get good foam unless you have the full power of the steam going into the milk.

Lastly unless you have a PID, make sure you're temperature surfing the steam wand as well as when you brew. Time how long it usually takes from the time you press the steam button until the light goes off. You want to start foaming the milk right before that light goes off in order to get the most steam out of the Silvia.

I hope this helps.

Thanks for your advice Jason:) I'm sorry for my delayed response but I didn't realise someone had replied to my post. Your latte art is looking great! I hope I can do that someday.

Hi Jason and co,
I bought a Rancilio Silvia about 2 months ago and I have been trying endlessly to get consistent microfoam for latte art. I tried many different variables, with varying degrees of success. I can generally get good microfoam with large pitchers of milk but my small pitcher-microfoam usually ends up poorly mixed (the foam and milk layers separate very quickly, despite 20-30s of "polishing"). My latest hypothesis will sound strange, but I think it might work. Keeping all things the same, make sure you spin the milk in an anti-clockwise direction (towards you out of the spout), NOT clockwise. This probably depends on the angle and size/shape of your pitcher. For me, a clockwise spin results in an "bumpy" spin-cycle, which leads to bubbly foam that is not textured well for latte art. Clockwise spinning tends to lead to a smoother spin-cycle, resulting in smooth paint-like foam. I'm sure there are complex fluid dynamics at work here. Anyway - if I can confirm this with some more testing I might post a video comparing the two techniques. In the meantime, perhaps other Silvia owners might report on the direction they use and whether they found that this makes a difference to the quality of their latte microfoam.
Cheers,
Ben