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Cant stretch the milk - VBM users - help!!!!!

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  • smokeydeck
    replied
    Re: Cant stretch the milk - VBM users - help!!!!!

    Originally posted by slowcoffee link=1219716863/20#20 date=1220491088
    KK - you are a GENIUS and Ill be forever in your debt!  :-*

    Attempt No.1 - a little bit average, somewhat thrown by the amount of activity happening in the jug - thought it was going to coat the walls!  Made quite a nice hot choc with it though.

    Attempt No.2 - cracked it!!!!!!  Fantastic micro-foam, so quickly poured a double shot to do it justice!

    Attempt No.3 - not required, well perhaps some fine-tuning/confidence building in the hours/days to come!

    If I had a pool room, the Levetta would be heading straight for it! ;D

    Yippeeee!
    Slowcoffee.

    Ill second that...astonished at the steaming power of the levetta compared with the old saeco vv. By 2nd attempt with this method I had great texture.

    sd

    Leave a comment:


  • Thundergod
    replied
    Re: Cant stretch the milk - VBM users - help!!!!!

    This morning I decided to sleep in for 30 minutes so was running behind my usual schedule.

    Id finished making my morning coffee and was about to Backflush when the timer did the same to me as I was about to flick the lever.

    Funny thing was that for a non digital timer it was pretty spot on.
    Id tried to set it to turn off at 8am (after Ive normally left for work) and it went off at 7:59 and a bit.

    Leave a comment:


  • itsme5k
    replied
    Re: Cant stretch the milk - VBM users - help!!!!!

    Thats a good one Mark, I get the same thing when making multiple coffees and the tank runs out and I dont notice it... I just wonder why the milk wont foam till I see the boiler on under .5bar.  

    Leave a comment:


  • ml27
    replied
    Re: Cant stretch the milk - VBM users - help!!!!!

    Yes please - just to see if were doing it the same way. Ive found that I need to inject air (the ch ch ch) for a few seconds, perhaps 4 or 5, to get enough foam.

    Was having another go last night for hot chocs, and was wondering why it suddenly didnt seem to be working out like it used to - suddenly couldnt get any rolling action no matter what I tried!

    Glanced at the steam pressure dial - zero! What the? Then I noticed that the machine was off - the timer switch had turned the machine off just before I started steaming... ;D

    Mark

    Leave a comment:


  • Koffee_Kosmo
    replied
    Re: Cant stretch the milk - VBM users - help!!!!!

    Go forth and tell all
    The easy method of stretching milk with steam

    I should do a video and post it on You Tube

    KK

    Leave a comment:


  • slowcoffee
    replied
    Re: Cant stretch the milk - VBM users - help!!!!!

    KK - you are a GENIUS and Ill be forever in your debt! :-*

    Attempt No.1 - a little bit average, somewhat thrown by the amount of activity happening in the jug - thought it was going to coat the walls! Made quite a nice hot choc with it though.

    Attempt No.2 - cracked it!!!!!! Fantastic micro-foam, so quickly poured a double shot to do it justice!

    Attempt No.3 - not required, well perhaps some fine-tuning/confidence building in the hours/days to come!

    If I had a pool room, the Levetta would be heading straight for it! ;D

    Yippeeee!
    Slowcoffee.

    Leave a comment:


  • slowcoffee
    replied
    Re: Cant stretch the milk - VBM users - help!!!!!

    ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
    ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
    ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
    ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

    slowcoffee - too busy drinking my first latte to type!

    Leave a comment:


  • slowcoffee
    replied
    Re: Cant stretch the milk - VBM users - help!!!!!

    Hi All, have been away for the past few days and only just logged back on this morning. Cant believe all the new posts - thanks so much for all the new tips to try! Im heading off to the kitchen straight away to give KKs method a whirl (well not quite a whirl, but you know what I mean! ;D)

    Will let you know the outcome later today. The pressure is on - quite literally!

    Cheers,
    slowcoffee

    Leave a comment:


  • Koffee_Kosmo
    replied
    Re: Cant stretch the milk - VBM users - help!!!!!

    Ive tried this three times now and you know what, its working! No monkeys!

    Moving the jug to one side so the wand hits the side really gets the rolling action going.. And yeah, it does work much better (and faster) with steam on full.

    Much happier with my efforts now, its inspired me to do more practice!

    Mark
    Well I am happy if you are happy ml27
    Glad to be of service
    I wonder how slowcoffee is getting along ?

    KK

    Leave a comment:


  • ml27
    replied
    Re: Cant stretch the milk - VBM users - help!!!!!

    Originally posted by Koffee Kosmo link=1219716863/0#8 date=1220276852
    Hey slowcoffee
    I have a 4 hole tip and there is a technique to it
    So please follow these steps

    Purge water from steam wand
    Use a loose hand not stiff
    At first use 300 ml jug and fill to just under the lower part of pour spout
    Place wand just under milk in the middle of jug at 90 deg (no angle) and only give it air in the first second no more
    Important - turn on steam to "full"
    Allow steam to do the work when milk starts to foam keep wand 90 deg but move jug to one side until the steam wand hits the side of jug
    This all happens in about 10 seconds and before you know it you have micro-foam

    It will work in 3 tries or less or I’ll be a monkey’s uncle

    KK
    Ive tried this three times now and you know what, its working! No monkeys! ;D

    Moving the jug to one side so the wand hits the side really gets the rolling action going.. And yeah, it does work much better (and faster) with steam on full.

    Much happier with my efforts now, its inspired me to do more practice!

    Mark

    Leave a comment:


  • JetBlack_Espresso
    replied
    Re: Cant stretch the milk - VBM users - help!!!!!

    Originally posted by slowcoffee link=1219716863/0#0 date=1219716863
    Having an absolute shocker trying to get the (almost 2wk old) VBM Levetta to stretch the milk! > :-?

    Ive read through as many threads on CS as I can find relating to the subject as well as the machine, practised lots and enjoyed way too many hot chocolates as a result!  Not such a bad thing if I wasnt desperate for a latte! ;D

    Just dont know what else to try!  This was one thing that the old Sunbeam machine used to do well, so extremely frustrated by the fact that the new improved machine is giving me so much strife.

    Any thoughts on what I could be doing wrong?  I know its still early days, however thought it would be easier than this! :-?

    Thanks,
    slowcoffee
    Hi Slowcoffee,

    Have a look at the following link on Espresso Companies website - it is a good guide to getting the best milk and also bringing your Levetta back down to temperature after steaming.

    http://www.espressocompany.com.au/do...deSteaming.pdf

    Good luck.
    Deb

    Leave a comment:


  • Sammus
    replied
    Re: Cant stretch the milk - VBM users - help!!!!!

    the OP already has a 2 hole tip - Im assuming on the Levetta it is the same as on my domobar super. I too graduated from a silvia (as Randy G did) and the DS took some getting used to. Im not sure about the sunbeam, but the silvia was definitely a whirlpool machine. As soon as I got used to not trying to whirlpool my frothing improved markedly.

    The holes on the VBMs tip are at a more shallow (horizontal) angle than most, but Ive grown to like it. If you get the wand at the right depth (ie open wand with tip submersed, then lower the jug till get the right sound) and position, there is no blowing the milk out of the jug as people seem to think. I crank it to full power at the top of its cycle and theres no way any milk is being blown around. OK well sometimes there is, but moving the tip to touch the side of the jug stops this instantly, and it only tends to happen once the milk is stretched and the jug is more than half full.

    Leave a comment:


  • javabeen
    replied
    Re: Cant stretch the milk - VBM users - help!!!!!

    As Ive mentioned before, get the 2 hole tip from Coffeeparts. It makes texturing small quantities of milk much easier. It slows things down a little and the holes are at the correct angle to get the tumbling action. It works equally well in 600ml jugs.

    I stick the wand in the middle of the jug, find the sweet spot for the stretching sound, turn the steam on full and stretch for about 5-10 secs and then sink the wand. Another 5-10 secs later and there you have it, great textured milk.

    The holes on the original 2 and 4 hole tips on the VBMs are both at crazy angles that blow the milk across the surface of the jug instead of down and through the milk in the jug. Almost horizontal instead of 15-25ish degrees.

    Javabeen.

    Leave a comment:


  • Koffee_Kosmo
    replied
    Re: Cant stretch the milk - VBM users - help!!!!!

    If anyone is in Brisbane, maybe we could have a get together
    Hey PhilMac
    I am in Brisbane inner south
    PM me if you like to get together I am available during the day

    Believe me when I say turn steam to full it is a most important part of the process

    KK

    Leave a comment:


  • PhilMac
    replied
    Re: Cant stretch the milk - VBM users - help!!!!!

    Quote from Randy The whirlpool will not happen. The motion of the two hole makes the milk move vertically and not horizontally in  swirling whirlpool.
    This is why I have plugged one of the holes with a round toothpick, it seems to make the mixing (and makes a whirlpool) easier, and of course is reversible.

    Quote from Koffee Kosmo Important - turn on steam to "full"
    Not too sure about this, in my experience the Levetta will blow the milk out of the jug. Possibly this is because of the single hole, but I seem to recall doing this when trying with the two holes. I turn it on about a quarter of a turn (I think)

    I have also followed Chriss (Talk Coffee) advice about bending the wand. I have bent it forward and to the left, so that when I hold the jug (slightly off the level) the wand it sits at an angle nicely down the spout of the jug.

    Quote from RandyAdditionally, stop sooner than you think.
    Although I think I have been getting good foam (almost the consistency of melting icecream) I think I have been going too far -  I might have too much air as my attempts at art usually all end up floating on top looking like the ubiquitous apple >

    If anyone is in Brisbane, maybe we could have a get together

    Cheers

    Leave a comment:

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