Hey guys, so I've had the machine since wednesday and I'm really struggling at steaming. Are there any tips out there on how to steam milk using the livietta? The steaming power is serious on this one! I use a motta 12 oz pitcher and a half full pitcher takes a few seconds to steam! It's either i don't get enough foam, too much foam, or there are too much big bubbles.

There are tons of instructional videos on youtube on how to steam milk.

Why not try a few videos first..

Good luck.

Here's two videos that may help:
This one is especially good for conserving milk:
From Newbie Introduction to Espresso - Latte Art and Learning latte art with steamed soapy water. You should use at least 6 ounces of milk and pay attention to the sound (Lem elaborates on this point in the video above).

I'm not sure the answers so far are really addressing John's issue. It sounds like he knows how to steam milk and that he's looking for tips with this specific machine.

John,
I think what causes the steaming quirks with this machine is the pressure. My Livetta's steam boiler clicks the heater off at 1.1bar and back on at 0.9bar. While I'm not qualified to say if that's a big swing or not, I do see the difference in steaming speed. Typically, I start my steaming right when the boiler light clicks on. This is when the pressure is at 0.9bar and gives me the most time to work the milk.

You can always try the old standby. Change the steam tip to one with fewer holes or jam a toothpick in one or two of the steam wand holes to slow it down. In the end, you will get the hang of it, it just takes practice. I find that pulling shots on different machines is much easier than learning to steam on different machines especially when you have a big difference in capacity between machines.

jsolanzo wrote:The steaming power is serious on this one!

As Alastair also mentioned, it sounds like the PSTAT may be set too high. I've turned mine down to cycle on and off around 0.9 bar - 1.1 bar, and that even results in boiler pressure that makes for powerful steaming.

Also, if the boiler is too full, the steam will be wet, and you'll get spurts of scalding water... definitely not good for steaming!

Just curious: what vintage is your machine (mainly, is it a new or older model)?

RAS wrote:Just curious: what vintage is your machine (mainly, is it a new or older model)?

John has an '81, but the boiler is most likely from a newer model. Details in this thread

I have a '90 Maximatic and I only fill the boiler till the sight glass is 3/4 full. Any more than 3/4 up the sight glass and the steam is wet and uneven. For me it seems to work best holding the wand at very little angle and just deeper than typical or else there seems to be too much agitation and air.

Good luck.