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  • Silvia - steaming milk

    Hi Everyone,

    I know this has been covered many times.  But I just thought I would share an experience I have just had in the hope that it may help someone.

    I have had my Silva for about 10 months and have been extremely happy with it.  My usual process for steaming milk is:

    1. Hit the steam switch after making espresso
    2. Get milk jug ready etc.
    3. Bleed wand when PID shows light is about to go off (dont let it go out).

    This method has worked OK for the last ten months.  The only thing is that after a few seconds of steaming it seems to cough and splutter what I assume is water and it is very hard to get a bubble free texture.  

    I was watching some vids online and reading some posts here in the hope that I could solve this problem and I saw a video where someone bled the wand just after flicking on the steam switch.  I have tried this and I am happy to say I am getting the best milk that I have ever gotten.

    My new process is.

    1. flick the steam switch
    2. almost immediatly bleed the wand until the stream of water becomes steam
    3. get milk jug etc.
    4. watch the PID and do another small bleed just before the light would go out (dont let it go out)

    This has improved the milk texture out of site and my wife has also adopted this approach.  

    I hope this post is not too trivial that it might help someone.

    Cheers.

    BB

  • #2
    Re: Silvia - steaming milk

    Hi Bambam, your routine is the same as mine. After pulling the shot I turn on steam switch and flush out the steam lines. I then pour milk into jug and by then wait until it is up to around 135-140C, I then purge the wand until dry steam is coming out and then texture the milk. I got the dual PID that controls the steam as well and it keeps it at a constant temp and even rises while steaming.
    No information is too trivial, it will always help someone!!

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    • #3
      Re: Silvia - steaming milk

      Thanks greenman,

      Yeah I am spewing I have been doing it the other way for so long really. Its amazing that it makes such a difference because I was still purging the lines, just when it has come up to temp and not before.

      BB

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      • #4
        Re: Silvia - steaming milk

        BamBam

        You could also try this, but probably much of a muchness:

        1. Hit Steam Switch after brewing [or 5 sec prior to end of shot]
        2. Wait for temp to rise to 120C
        3. Bleed wand......will splutter at first, stop at dry steam.
        4. Start to steam milk at 130-135C [Boiler light should still be on]

        This works well for me and seems to be the fasted method.

        If your quick and organised, you can knockout the puck, rinse the PF [using kitchen tap] and wipe around the group between the end of the shot and the temp hitting 120C

        Youll need the milk ready prior to step 3 as the temp rise following the bleed up to 130C is very fast.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Silvia - steaming milk

          I did something like this on mine recently but more by coincidence than design. I did the first purge around 125 I think it was, certainly not as violent as purging it later. The drop in pressure means the temperature rise slows down, and the stock thermostats tick off more like 141 on the PID rather than 146. I suspect you actually get more steam pressure this way because by slowing / stopping the temperature ramp midway through the heating cycle, the thermocouple has time to catch up with whats happening inside the boiler, and then once the heating starts again the thermocouple starts to lag so by the time its up to the normal pressure the thermocouple is several degrees behind. Thus by the time it turns off youre actually getting more like 153C in the boiler, which translates to higher boiler pressure and more steaming power. If you like, youre surfing the hysteresis curve. The tradeoff is that it takes longer to get up to temperature.

          Greg

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          • #6
            Re: Silvia - steaming milk

            Well glad we agree on the technique Reubster! ;D

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Silvia - steaming milk

              You could also try this, but probably much of a muchness as well, at the end of the day...

              1. Hit Steam Switch after brewing [stand on one leg and face east for exactly 4.75 seconds before end of shot]
              2. Wait for temp to rise to 120C [stand on the other leg - do not face west]
              3: etc etc

              Sorry every one... My wife would unplug it and have it on the footpath for clean up day...

              The first issue is for the wife is knowing when the shot should finish..

              I am stuck between tweaking and userbility for the family..

              Thus a semi auto with out, one or two pids is my future.. And boy am I becoming confused with all the options...


              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Silvia - steaming milk

                Hi Guys,

                Just gave this a go at 120. It worked very well and I think i will stick to this method as i also like doing a quick cleanup as it approaches 120. I am not sure there is a huge difference to what I was doing but there seems to be a bit less water in the jug after the bleed for some reason. BTW I usually start steaming at more like 141 on my PID. it doesnt seem to tick off until about 148-149 and usually sits on about 138-140 the whole time i am steaming.

                Cheers.

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