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Problem with new Rancilio Silvia 2009 3 hole steam tip

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  • Problem with new Rancilio Silvia 2009 3 hole steam tip

    Hi there,

    Is there anyone using Rancilio Silvia v3 here? I got mine a month ago and had problems in frothing milk with its 3 hole steam wand. Changing from a bell shaped pitcher to a straight walled one does help but still got hot milk at the bottom. I find it difficult to position the wand correctly since the steam comes out in 3 different directions. So what I got is only a withered rosetta like this (too much liquid milk).

    Any suggestions are much appreciated.

    Thanks!



  • #2
    Re: Problem with new Rancilio Silvia 2009 3 hole steam tip

    change it back (to a one hole, old silvia tip) or practice

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Problem with new Rancilio Silvia 2009 3 hole steam tip

      Yeah thats what I intend to do but the old silvia tip wont fit the v3 wand. It seems the market doesnt have the tip yet. If you know any website selling the tip, appreciate if you can let me know.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Problem with new Rancilio Silvia 2009 3 hole steam tip

        Have you tried this method
        See post #1 for the written instructions and view a video on post #30

        http://coffeesnobs.com.au/YaBB.pl?num=1220959662

        KK

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Problem with new Rancilio Silvia 2009 3 hole steam tip

          Thanks KK! I am using Rancilio Silvia v3 with 3 hole. Actually I saw a similar technique on Home Barista and tried it this morning with a 600ml pitcher, but only got stiff foam on top and hot milk at bottom. Maybe I should use a smaller pitcher and try it out again tomorrow.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Problem with new Rancilio Silvia 2009 3 hole steam tip

            Are you getting the whirlpool when steaming?

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Problem with new Rancilio Silvia 2009 3 hole steam tip

              Originally posted by 5F574F5D494E494F3C0 link=1245030008/4#4 date=1245651938
              Thanks KK! I am using Rancilio Silvia v3 with 3 hole. Actually I saw a similar technique on Home Barista and tried it this morning with a 600ml pitcher, but only got stiff foam on top and hot milk at bottom. Maybe I should use a smaller pitcher and try it out again tomorrow.
              Try it again with a 300 ml jug once that is mastered then you can move up to a larger vessel

              Practice is your friend
              KK

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Problem with new Rancilio Silvia 2009 3 hole steam tip

                This morning I tried using a 300ml pitcher and got a very nice layer of microfoam, which is very smooth and never achieved before. But the bottom is hot milk. I already put the milk in the freezer for a while. After aerating and putting the wand in the middle for about 10 sec, I moved it to the spout until the pitcher gets real hot. Did I miss anything?

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Problem with new Rancilio Silvia 2009 3 hole steam tip



                  Originally posted by 454D554753545355260 link=1245030008/7#7 date=1245727784
                  I already put the milk in the freezer for a while
                  I use my milk straight out of the fridge

                  Originally posted by 454D554753545355260 link=1245030008/7#7 date=1245727784
                  But the bottom is hot milk
                  It should be hot milk but very mildly aerated.

                  More steam time will make the the already foamed milk harden and bubble as the hot milk on the bottom migrates up adding itself to the foam mass

                  KK




                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Problem with new Rancilio Silvia 2009 3 hole steam tip

                    I have to say, I struggled with the 3 holes tip for a while as well.  What I did that improve my milk texturing skills are....

                    :: Preparing the steam ::

                    1) Turn the steam switch on...wait for it to go off, then purge until the steam is dry.

                    After purging, (not sure if this applies to everyone but this is the case for me) my 09 Silvia runs out of steam very quickly.  Notice how weak the steam is at this point comparing to when you start purging..

                    2) Flick on and off the brew switch (DO NOT turn off steam switch at this point)!  Do this until the boiler light turns on again.
                     - This will do two things, fill up the boiler, and produces more steam!!

                    3) Wait until the boiler light goes off (some say start steaming while the light is on)... purge a bit more just to make sure the steam arm is clear of water.

                    (If you’re getting weak steam, then the above process is very important!!)


                    :: Milk texturing ::

                    1) Notice the direction of the 3 holes...  You want to adjust the steam wand in a way that, two of the holes are facing forward in the direction you want the milk to swirl...otherwise, the milk momentum will be weak and it will be hard to get the swirl going (no swirl = no micro foam)... You can experiment with this, I did noticed varying differences when changing the holes direction.

                    2) Same as in KKs guide, use 90 degree wand, up right jug.  Aim the wand to one side of the Jug.  Turn steam knob to full power.

                    3) After few seconds (2-4), when turbulence is forming. Tilt the Jug forward (away from you), giving it small angle.  You want the steam to be pushing towards the bottom of the jug where there is less milk.  (the steam tip is near the top of the Jug or about half way).
                    - You should be introducing air/bubble at this point... and dont worry if you see some big bubbles.
                    - Note: the milk is starting to swirl faster and faster

                    4) Once you have got enough foam (for cappuccino/latte), you MUST SINK the wand deep into the milk.  This is how you can get the micro foam.  
                    - I for a while did not sink the wand and got what you described “hot milk at the bottom”.

                    5) Clean the steam wand thoroughly!  You can now Tap and swirl your Jug to get rid of any remaining bubbles… Ta Daaaa…


                    - Important points to note

                    * Must wait for the machine to produce enough steam…
                    * Must get the swirl going…
                    * Must Sink the wand…

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Problem with new Rancilio Silvia 2009 3 hole steam tip

                      SPL.G, what sort of time frame is this process taking? i have no experience with the 09 model, just curious, are you producing better microfoam now than you have with a one hole?
                      as i said meaning no offense, just wondering

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Problem with new Rancilio Silvia 2009 3 hole steam tip

                        The only time Ive used the 08 Silvia was when I did the training with Di Bartoli.  For me, it felt much easier with the one hole than with the three holes.  With the process I described, I can get as good micro foam as when I did during the course.  Time to boil two rounds of steam + texturing the milk is around 3 minutes.  Not that ideal but, I have no choice


                        Id be interested in hearing how other 09 Silvia owner tackle this issue.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Problem with new Rancilio Silvia 2009 3 hole steam tip

                          Thanks SPL.G for sharing your experiences. Some of the points do make sense to me, like moving the wand close to pitcher wall to "block" one hole and make the steam outburst more manageable. But I never think sinking the wand is important since there are a lot of articles out there saying just to put the steam tip a bit beneath the milk surface.

                          In any case, I will give it a try tomorrow. By how deep the wand should be sunk into the milk?

                          As a side note, I am also using Silvia v3 and find the steam very powerful. I am not sure if this differs machine to machine. Before frothing, I usually bleed the wand twice and still find there is a lot of steam coming out. For inexperienced user, the powerful steam can be a problem as we cannot take our time to texture the milk. Things just happen so fast that like within 45 sec the milk becomes so hot the frothing process has to stop no matter we get microfoam or not. With single hole tip, this process takes longer which makes it easier to spend enough time to first stretching and then texturing.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Problem with new Rancilio Silvia 2009 3 hole steam tip

                            Do sink the tip just so it stops drawing in air from the surface once the temperature of the milk reaches 30° to 40°C.

                            If the tip is removable you can thread some stainless or copper wire through the holes to reduce the volume of steam and increase its velocity to make the stretching easier.

                            And...45 seconds!! 45 seconds is forever. My VBM Piccolo steams the milk I use in about 5 seconds, my Diadema is a bit slower--it takes about 7. You have TONS of time.

                            Greg

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                            • #15
                              Re: Problem with new Rancilio Silvia 2009 3 hole steam tip

                              My milk frothing process takes about 30 seconds...  (for one cup).

                              Greg is right, sink the tip to stop drawing more air, so sink it just enough so you don’t introduce any more air but make sure the milk doesnt scream, you will know once you hear that sound... This also fine tune the bubbles you have into micro foam.

                              For the steam power... are you getting the same amount of steam as when you started bleeding say... 10-20 seconds after turning the steam on full power?  I believe the 3 holes consume three times more steam as it did with the one hole.  Theoretically the steam should run out three times faster.. The wand size is also roughly 2-3 times bigger than the old wand in diameter size to support the amount of steam required by the three holes.  So I guess this explains why the steam ran out so quickly for me..  (I cannot steam the milk back to back without re-boiling for more steam)

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