any baristas recomend certain steam tips?
i just switched jobs. at my last gig, I worked on mistrals and probably made the best latte art i ever have. Now I'm back to a place with a marzocco fb80 and a synesso, and My art isn't quite as good. any think a steam tip switch might help?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Brady on
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My 2 cents...
Trick custom tips can be a crutch. The stock tips on those machines are quite adequate. With a little work, you should be able to get awesome milk with them.
There are lots of us out there making great milk with far worse.
If you learn how to get good milk on the stock tips you'll be a better barista for it.
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Permalink Reply by johnny Norton on
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Yeah. Ive always only used stock tips. perhaps it's a change in milk brand thats throwing me off a bit...
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That could be. Also maybe the steam boiler pressure is set higher on the new machines? Different type of pitchers?
Good luck figuring it out.
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Permalink Reply by Kim Sammons on
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Hi Johnny
I had a similar problem with my staff after changing machines. I definitely makes a difference what arm and tip you use - we changed ours for better ones and it did make a difference. It not as good as the old machine so a little more work is involved but you do get there in the end. hehe. Also, does your new place use a different kind of milk?
Thanks
Kim xx
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Permalink Reply by Joona Suominen on
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If memory serves me right the Mistral had a same (or at least very similar) steamtip that is in more common la Marzoccos. Come to think of it, It'd be strange if it was any other since it is a La Marzocco after all . The steamwand did move around differently tho.
With no proper reasoning I prefer the La Marzocco steamtip. I'd follow the brady's advice on checking the boiler pressure and give it a few weeks to get used to the workings of the new machine.
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can anyone tell me where to find info on chaning the boiler pressure for the steamwand of a synesso?
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Permalink Reply by Laura Campbell on
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Bell jugs are different to steam with than straight-sided- and latte art is harder to pour with them, and requires a somewhat different technique. If it's a difference in jugs it's just like anything milk-related- practice, practice, practice! I've seen (and made) fantastic milk with both types of jug (we use bell at work but I use straight at home) however it took me a while to get my head around the bell jug.
I've never had much experience with non-stock wand tips, although my dad and his employees (at his welding inspection business haha) made a custom wand tip that apparently made better milk. I think often it comes down to technique rather than the tip- there's a understandable period of time when switching machines when your milk's not so great while you get your head around the machine's steaming pressure, tip etc. Try different things, see what works best before giving up the ghost. But if latte art's your main objective and you're using bell jugs you might want to skip the hassle and get new straight-sided jugs. Rosettas look more like wheat from an (open mouthed) bell jug, you need a spouted jug to pour a classic rosetta.
Good luck!
Rocket said:I have to ask about the pitchers. Are they different at this new place? Brady might be onto something there. I had trouble a few years back when I started at a different cafe. I just happened to have my own pitcher that I brought from home. After a couple months, every barista preferred my pitcher to the house's. I am sitting here trying to remember the difference and I think the house pitchers had a fat bell at the bottom, the spout was wide, and the walls were straight up and down. My pitcher has a continuous, subtle taper from mouth to base, and the spout is narrow (I still cant make art with a wide mouth pitcher)
Other than that, I say practice practice practice. You may just have to trudge your way through this problem
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Permalink Reply by Dustin DeMers on
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I might be able to help here, i just moved across the country and the place im working at now uses a different brand of milk(of course). The skim milk is nearly impossible to do latte art with. Im not kidding here within maybe 1 to 2 seconds it has separated completely and sometimes in literally comes out in chunks. Ive never seen anything like it before. And ya of course different pitchers take some getting used to, but if your in the same boat i am there is almost no getting around it. (a rosetta with skim comes out looking like a trilobite fossil)
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Our trim milk here in NZ does the same in my experience- which makes it real pig to work with. You have to time your extraction to finish at exactly the same time as you finish steaming milk and pour straight away but even then it can separate while you're pouring. My old manager used to add some hot water (a very little bit) and swirl to get the foam to reintegrate, but the other option with milk like that is to add a dash of cold regular milk before you steam. I presume it's something to do with the proteins in the milk, but often you can get latte art-able milk with 99% trim and 1% fat. Trim milk drives me crazy for this reason!
Dustin DeMers said:I might be able to help here, i just moved across the country and the place im working at now uses a different brand of milk(of course). The skim milk is nearly impossible to do latte art with. Im not kidding here within maybe 1 to 2 seconds it has separated completely and sometimes in literally comes out in chunks. Ive never seen anything like it before. And ya of course different pitchers take some getting used to, but if your in the same boat i am there is almost no getting around it. (a rosetta with skim comes out looking like a trilobite fossil)
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Permalink Reply by Ross on
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There are some LM steam tips with 2mm holes. I managed to score a couple on a old Linea I rebuilt. By far the best latte art Ive produced.
I used them on the Synesso at Culture. When I left Culture I took them with me though......
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Permalink Reply by olivier dutil on
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Any one try the knyf serie for espresso part? http://www.espressoparts.com/EP_TX_VORTEX
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Johnny, If you increase the steam boiler temps on the Synesso, you will see a corresponding increase in steam pressure.
In a closed vessel temp & pressure have a linear relationship. ie-if you increase steam boiler temp by 10%, the steam pressure will also increase by 10%.
johnny Norton said:can anyone tell me where to find info on chaning the boiler pressure for the steamwand of a synesso?
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