Newbie to HX needs some milk steaming advice - Page 2

#11: Post by **Sideshow** » July 6th, 2016, 12:36 pm

You can try not opening the steam valve all the way, maybe 3/4 of the way so you get a little less steam. That would buy you more time.

July 6th, 2016, 10:35 pm

bluesman wrote:This may be the source of your difficulty. The sound shouldn't change until you make it change (which you do by submerging the tip). I open the steam knob with the tip well below the milk's surface, immediately dropping the pitcher until the tip is well positioned near the surface as evidenced by the soft hiss. I maintain that soft hiss (described by many as the sound of tearing paper) by slowly lowering the pitcher as the volume expands. The decision to stop making foam and plunge the tip is made when you've created enough foam, which is usually when you've stretched the volume of milk in the pitcher by about 30%. I don't understand a recommendation to double the volume - the foam will be too thick and the milk will probably be overheated.

I find a thermometer in the milk to be of no help to me - it just gets in the way. I hold the pitcher cupped in my left palm, so I can feel the temperature rising. I'm usually done stretching / foaming when the pitcher gets warm in my hand, and I then plunge / roll for texturizing until it's almost too hot to hold. It seems to me that letting the milk get too hot reduces the microfoam, so I stop steaming with the pitcher very warm but still in my palm - it'll get a bit hotter over the next few seconds anyway. That's just heat transfer to the metal - the milk does not get any hotter once you shut off the steam.

Oscar's definitely a strong steamer, and I had to learn to position the tip much quicker than was necessary with my Lelit Anna (a great steamer for a single boiler machine, but it only has a one hole tip). But once you learn to open Oscar's steam knob with the tip below the surface and drop the pitcher to foaming position within a second or two, you'll be fine.

Great description, I really appreciate you time writing it! I don't use a thermometer either, but I checked the temperature at the end of the cycle. However, the Oscar II does not have a steam valve, so it is not possible to hold the pitcher, feel the warmth and keep the steam lever halfway to control the steam, which is obviously noth the best option to learn to steam with it.

Sideshow wrote:You can try not opening the steam valve all the way, maybe 3/4 of the way so you get a little less steam. That would buy you more time.

I am trying with the steam lever the Oscar II comes with... it is really not the strongest selling point for this one as it is, full on, or off. You can kind of get it halfway but it is difficult, more if you are used to check the warmth by hand. In any case, this thing is hot as hell. Opening the lever 1/10th of already heats the milk in 15-20 seconds (which is better!).

#13: Post by **bluesman** » July 7th, 2016, 11:15 am

andreugv1 wrote:the Oscar II does not have a steam valve, so it is not possible to hold the pitcher, feel the warmth and keep the steam lever halfway to control the steam, which is obviously noth the best option to learn to steam with it.

I wasn't the one who suggested partial opening of the steam valve. I don't see any point at all to doing that - full steam from the stock 4 hole tip works quite well. I also stopped putting my pitchers in the freezer or refrigerator when I discovered that better technique produced better foam. Once I got more consistent, I tried a pitcher straight out of the cabinet and found that it was fine.

BTW, your Oscar does have a steam valve. It's controlled by the steam lever, which is functionally an on-off switch. The steam knob on Oscar I is variable. But there's less than half a turn between off and fully on, and I see no benefit at all to trying to "set" it between the two. I leave it just counterclockwise from the point at which steam completely stops and twist it clockwise half a turn when steaming. It's functionally no more than an on-off switch.

#14: Post by **Beezer** » July 7th, 2016, 1:49 pm

You may want to post a video so we can see what you're doing. Sometimes even the smallest details can make a big difference to the result, especially when it comes to steaming milk and pouring art.

You should also watch the videos on milk steaming and latte art posted on Verve's web site, if you haven't already. They're some of the best "how to" videos I've seen.

http://vervecoffee.com/pages/videos

#15: Post by **cannonfodder** » July 7th, 2016, 2:57 pm

Turn down your boiler pressure. I run my Elektra at 1 bar of pressure on the boiler. What is your machine set at?

July 7th, 2016, 10:02 pm

Well, today I managed to get a lot of foam, sadly to dense, so I had to spoon it, but I guess it is getting closer! I had the tip almost out of the surface and a huge angle.

Thank you all, your insights had been great. Maybe I will try to post a video soon about the steaming process so you can advise.

July 7th, 2016, 10:04 pm

cannonfodder wrote:Turn down your boiler pressure. I run my Elektra at 1 bar of pressure on the boiler. What is your machine set at?

Absolutely no clue. But I don't want to start messing around with the machine. At least not yet. I saw that they really need an OPV, so that's something I will look into soon, but I will wait for the warranty to run off before installing it (that is, if I keep getting nice shots like I am right now).

#18: Post by **bluesman** » July 8th, 2016, 6:48 am

andreugv1 wrote:Well, today I managed to get a lot of foam, sadly to dense, so I had to spoon it, but I guess it is getting closer! I had the tip almost out of the surface and a huge angle.

I suspect that you're now doing it right and simply waited too long to submerge the tip. Too much air is what makes it too thick, in my experience. When the level is up about a third (or less) from the fill, you've stretched enough.

#19: Post by **TheJavaCup77** » July 8th, 2016, 7:26 am

Just set up the tip position to get the strongest smoothest whirlpool possible and expose ever so slightly to get the most gentle aeration then sink it down only enough to stop the suction sounds once you feel like you've got enough air in.. stop at the right temperature 55-65c..

#20: Post by **fishll** » July 10th, 2016, 11:32 pm

It sounds like your focusing too much on stretching the milk and not enough on getting the entire mass to spin. As many have stated put the tip of the wand just below the surface, have the jug tilted a bit and turn on the steam. Slowly lower/raise the jug to get the tearing sound and make sure the liquid is spinning rapidly in a whirlpool. When the milk reaches body temp, using your palm as a thermometer, slightly raise the jug to sink the wand and continue to spin the milk until its hot.
As others have stated watch some videos, if your milk isn't spinning then it won't mix.