Tvv1n2ur80 Senior Member Joined: 2 Oct 2011 Posts: 12 Location: Seattle Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Bezzera Bz07 Grinder: Baratza Vario Roaster: Black Cat Espresso
Posted Sun Oct 2, 2011, 7:21pm Subject: Rancilio Silvia Steam Wand Problem?
Hi I am having problems with my new V3, when I am frothing milk I can't seem to get that subtle ch ch ch sound. Instead, I get a huge blast that creates very loud slurping and gurgling noises regardless of where I place the steam wand (slightly below surface, even lower, etc..) . I make sure to bleed the steam wand of any water before hand but cannot get fully dry steam (some residual water always comes out) no matter how long I bleed. Seems the steam is blasting a hole into the milk (perhaps with a mix of water). As a result I end up injecting tonnes of air into the milk (see picture below)...Any suggestions?
Hi I am having problems with my new V3, when I am frothing milk I can't seem to get that subtle ch ch ch sound. Instead, I get a huge blast that creates very loud slurping and gurgling noises regardless of where I place the steam wand (slightly below surface, even lower, etc..) . I make sure to bleed the steam wand of any water before hand but cannot get fully dry steam (some residual water always comes out) no matter how long I bleed. Seems the steam is blasting a hole into the milk (perhaps with a mix of water). As a result I end up injecting tonnes of air into the milk (see picture below)...Any suggestions?
It's hard to determine here if it's truly wet steam or not. How much water builds up if you blast the steam into an empty pitcher? Some water buildup is normal (it's steam after all), but a lot is bad. If it is wet, are you sure the machine is perfectly level? There's no "autofill probe" to be badly calibrated on a Silvia, so the biggest issues with wet steam I can think of would involve the boiler being tilted, or maybe a faulty thermostat that's not letting it reach high enough temp.
It could be technique still as well. How long did it take to get the milk up to temperature? How much milk did you steam in what size pitcher?
Hmm I steam 60z. of milk in a 12oz. rattle pitcher. When I bleed it there is still a small amount of water in the empty pitcher (probably normal). I noticed that if I turn the steam knob ever so slightly it would not gurgle and blast the milk apart, but then I don't get a whirlpool during the ch ch ch phase.
Are you doing your steam prep so as to keep the heating element turn on throughout the entire frothing process? If not, your steam temperature rapidly drops as steam is released from the wand. Kind of like burning the candle at both ends, and "cool" steam is wet steam.
I usually wait until the light says its ready to steam, initially bursts my milk all over the place and then it dies off. I've been trying to time how long it takes for the steam button to go off so that I can temperature surf the steam and get the heater on the whole time. So far its about 2-3 minutes after I brew my shot and depress the steam button. Anyone got more accurate figures for a V3?
Tvv1n2ur80 Senior Member Joined: 2 Oct 2011 Posts: 12 Location: Seattle Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Bezzera Bz07 Grinder: Baratza Vario Roaster: Black Cat Espresso
Posted Sat Oct 8, 2011, 8:21pm Subject: Re: Rancilio Silvia Steam Wand Problem?
wow im going to study that video haha thanks so much! Update; Hmm... I just tried to mimic you with my V3. When i turn my steamknob all the way the milk boils up and splashes everywhere and I hear loud slurps and gurgling instead of the ch ch ch sound. its very hard to surf because the surface of the milk because at full force the surface is turbulating and making huge epic waves. Is my pitcher too small? I am using a 12oz. rattleware pitcher half full. Are you using 20oz?
Have you tried moving your pitcher a little higher, so the wand sinks a little further in? It might be too high above the surface which would cause splashing.
ok I did it! not the best rosetta pour but I got the microfoam part done understood now: http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/1659/img2011101000093.jpg For my V3 I found that during the stretching phase the steam power should not be turned on full blast, as this would disrupt the surface of the milk and make surfing very hard. I bled the steam wand a minute thirty after brewing for about 15 seconds and begun steaming 2minutes after brewing. After the stretching phase (to 100) I sunk my wand in and then turn the steam to full blast and slowly sunk it lower and lower. During this whole process my wand was completely vertical and right in the middle of the pitcher. Worked okay for me =P Thanks for all your help
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