Europiccola Senior Member Joined: 31 Mar 2005 Posts: 18 Location: ? Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: La Pavoni Europiccola Grinder: Rocky Vac Pot: Bodum Roaster: I wish...
Posted Sun Dec 4, 2005, 8:52am Subject: La Pavoni and Latte Art?
Hi
I ve been wondering for some time now, if it is possible to do any latte art with my La Pavoni. I can steam the milk ok, but cant get any shapes etc. Got any tips to get me going?
JYuriev Senior Member Joined: 29 Oct 2010 Posts: 56 Location: USA Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: La Pavoni Europiccola Grinder: La Pavoni ZIP, Gaggia MDF Vac Pot: Hario 3 Cup Drip: Bonmac Pour Over, Aeropress Roaster: Behmor
Posted Wed Aug 10, 2011, 10:38am Subject: Re: La Pavoni and Latte Art?
The single hole tip helps greatly, however it's still not the easiest machine to steam milk on.
One just has to practice proper steaming (making sure to swirl the milk from the side of the pitcher). I find that a smaller pitcher (I would never use above 12 oz) is best for this machine. It simply can't handle a 20oz pitcher all that well.
The attachment is about what I can consistently get on my Pavoni.
TonyVan Senior Member Joined: 24 May 2010 Posts: 269 Location: Pacific Northwest Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: GS/3, La Pavoni Grinder: Macap M7K, Rocky Drip: Kone
Posted Fri Aug 19, 2011, 9:31pm Subject: Re: La Pavoni and Latte Art?
The attachment is about what I can consistently get on my Pavoni.
That's really nice, JYuriev!
My own experience over my 35 years with the La Pavoni is in synch with your take. Getting good micro-foam from the LP takes a good deal of practice and sound technique (see the great resources on this site).
Regarding the original question again, there are a couple other factors I'd mention.
First, experiment with different milk brands as well as types. It's pretty remarkable how one brand of 2% can give beautiful results and the next one down the shelf will just sit there totally lifeless and flat. Different brands also heat up best to different temperatures. A local favorite of Portland baristas, for example, is the "Sunshine" brand, which provides optimal sweetness at only about 145* and loses it's integrity not much above 150* - this is about 5* lower than most typical milks, and if you get the temperature too high the proteins coagulate and your foam collapses. Another characteristic to watch is how the milk is pasteurized. I don't recall seeing this discussed, but in my experience, ultra-pasteurized milk works better than pasteurized and provides better micro-foam in a LP.
Second, consider why the LP is challenged a little: it just doesn't have a ton of steam power, and that means that it doesn't provide a lot of the sheer violence necessary to create bubbles and then break them up further in the steaming process. So don't be afraid to get a little help and use one of those little hand-held battery frothers AT THE SAME TIME as you are steaming the milk. This combination takes a little practice too, but the swirling action of the frother angled under the surface creates the whirlpool effect and folds the top foam back underneath where the steam from the wand can rework it. This will give you a silky result and no "dish soap" layer of big dry bubbles on top. And since you really DID use real steam, you can serve the results with head head and integrity held high, which you can't do if you used the tube-type frothing attachment. (You may want to check out BonJour, which makes a decent hand-held for example - I've had better luck with ones that provide a milk-shake style wavy disk at the end as opposed to a little wire donut, but either type will work.)
My experience also was that the stock steam tip worked as well as the after-market alternatives. La Pavoni has been at this a long, long time and I've learned that they usually get it right. I got ok results from an after-market single-hole tip too, but I went back to the LP original four-hole tip which worked better for me, especially in conjunction with the little battery frother-helper.
So good luck - you can absolutely get great microfoam, which in the La Pavoni world is like earning your PhD.
nicolella Senior Member Joined: 2 Jun 2008 Posts: 1 Location: Saratoga, NY Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: La Pavoni Romantica
Posted Fri Jan 13, 2012, 8:28am Subject: Re: La Pavoni and Latte Art?
I have owned a La Pavoni for about 12 years...it's the professional model with the larger tank. I have always had a problem producing a decent micro foam and usually resort to using the automatic thingy that was included with the machine. I recently tried blocking two of the three holes in the wand tip with toothpicks (I usually use 2/3's 1% milk mixed with a third of 1/2 &1/2) and I can honestly say that I am now producing an amazing foam....in about half the time it used to take to acheive a so so foam. I was thinking of purchasing the "one hole" wand tip that is available from some of the on-line shops but I am not going to mess with success.....
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