Rancilio Silvia 3 Steaming Functionality

[DarkJediTL]

I was courious on the size of frothing pitcher you used. I just got a Silvia from you a couple weeks ago and bought a 12 oz pitcher and to me it seems like with the smaller pitcher I am limited on how much I can turn up the steam.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@DarkJediTL We generally use 20 oz pitchers in all our demonstrations, unless we're demonstrating a specific pitcher, etc. - Kat

[potofgravy]

A couple questions.

Sometimes I find the steam is too powerful or something and I spray milk everywhere. What am I doing wrong? Also, what reason is there to do the milk first and then the shot? Some guides say one way, others say the other way. Is it really just a preference or is there an actual better way?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@potofgravy These can have really powerful steam, you just gotta learn to control it :) We recommend steam then brew so that you're actively refilling your boiler and not letting your shots sit too long before combining with milk - Kat

[traidoco]

Do you steam the milk first and then pull the shot or vice versa? Great videos btw!

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@traidoco Yes, steam, temp surf (to bring the temp to brew temp) and then pull your shots - Kat

[korkiley]

Here is another problem: after I shut off the steam, it takes several seconds for the steam to completely stop and this seems to generate bubbles. Is this normal? I try to minimize this by leaving the wand buried deep for a few seconds after shutting off.

I also suggest purging into the holes in the grate. Empty the drip pan first and it will be much less messy than purging into an open cup!

[korkiley]

This is in response to the user that complained about a screaming sound when frothing. I'm thinking that it might be from the wand getting really hot and boiling the milk from contact. I find that I need quite a long purge to get rid of all the moisture in the wand which which can really heat up the wand tip. I'm starting to experiment with putting the tip briefly in some cold water to cool it before putting it in the milk. Any comments?

[kingzeta]

Hey Gail, a couple of questions:

1) Is that milk heated before you start the steaming, if so how hot?

2) Any preference on milk type, always whole milk?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@kingzeta Nope - start with very cold milk and a chilled pitcher; the best results we've had across the board has been with 2% milk. - Kat

[TheBauermv]

Kat - Your advice has been to steam first and then brew but don't quite understand why steaming first is necessary. Can you clarify?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@TheBauermv Silvia's boiler does not actively refill itself so steaming, temp surfing and then brewing will ensure that the boiler is always full and therefore you won't burn out the element. This is the most common repair that we get and is not covered by the warranty - Kat

[TheBauermv]

Another question, sorry. When you do your temperature surfing and brew 30 seconds after the light goes off, how long will the machine stay at brewing temperature? Is there a window you've got to look out for?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@TheBauermv Once you brew, you'll be pulling in cool water so it will need to heat back up to brew temperature again, then you can brew again if you're doing successive shots. If you let it sit after that it will be managing temp using the bi metal thermostat and you'll again have the 20 degree differential to worry about, so would need to do a quick surf to get it back down again - Kat

[TheBauermv]

Well, I meaning before you brew and have hit that 30 second countdown, will it stay at brewing temperature for while to give you time to get ready to insert the portafilter or does the portafilter have to be in at the 30 second mark and you'll have to start brewing immediately?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@TheBauermv The 30 second count is a rule of thumb and each machine will be slightly different, so best for you to measure water out of the brew head to determine the window for your specific machine. - Kat

[TheBauermv]

OK - it's quite a learning process. Thanks Kat.

[DnQuijote]

Hi, I've had the silvia 3 practically since it came out. I'm ready to move to the next step up. I would really like to learn some of the latte art just to impress house guests. Drink lots of cappuccino and machiattos. Which machine would you recomend to move up to, without breaking the bank?

Thanks,

Victor

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@DnQuijote Well, you're looking at getting into a Hx machine if you're upgrading...or you could look at the Breville Dual Boiler - great milk quality. The Nuova Simonelli Oscar is a great option, too, for commercial grade and excellent cup quality, while not in the sexiest of cases :) - Kat

[ersia87]

I hear you're talking about the three different versions of the Rancilio SIlvia. I guess those three has replaced one another, so there is only the version 3 in stores at the moment. Am I right? I mean so I will not have too look into the difference and choose between one of them? The v.3 is the only one that's there and that's thee one to get?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@ersia87 Yep - version 3 is the only one available as new these days. - Kat

[twoeyedpebble]

Hi Guys. I've just got hold of a silvia and rocky and after dialing the grind had got some pretty decent-tasting shots. The milk is still a bit of a fail though, I only seem to get foam on top. I'm only steaming a small amount of milk for one drink, which nearly jumps out the pitcher when I turn on the steam! Any other tips? I wonder if I'm being too agressive and don't need to open up the steam all the way?? Thanks!

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@twoeyedpebble You could try only opening it half way to see how it goes; also, milk quantity definitely plays a part so if you're trying to do too little, it will warm up too quickly for you to properly integrate milk/foam. Other than that, it just takes practice practice practice -- this is one of the harder machines to get good results on, but it is achievable with some time. - Kat

[Voltagia2]

That milk is still well over stretched........

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@Voltagia2 Maybe for latte art but not for most other preps - Kat

[jokfly]

watching your videos is like me in college... in a good way.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@jokfly thank you I think :D - Kat

[swarsny]

I've had some trouble recently while frothing milk. After about 15-20 seconds the milk would start to scream to the extent that the noise was nearly deafening. Any idea on what could cause this? The noise comes from the milk itself, I can blow steam out of the wand alone with no problem or noise

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@swarsny Hmmm...well, pretty sure the milk isn't screaming ;) It sounds like the noise that happens when you're exposing too much of the steam tip above the milk, not riding the surface of it enough. I'd switch up my technique a bit to experiment with how you're holding the pitcher, etc. - Kat

[studiopublica]

@swarsny We have had the same issue with our Rancilio Silva and found the answer was to let the boiler come to the top of the cycle (light goes out on front) before surfing the milk and it should work perfectly.

[greyviewproductions]

@swarsny the milk must be in a lot of pain hahaha

[snedie69er]

Which would you girls recommend, Rancilio Silvia or Gagia Classic?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@snedie69er I'd go with the Silvia; at present, better build quality, warranty and repair support for the life of the machine. - Kat

[peterhinton]

Awesome guys. Thank you. Loving your YouTube contributions. Keep them coming.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@peterhinton Great - glad you are finding them useful :) - Kat

[elbandito57]

My sister and I both have the Rancilio Silvia V2. But when she steams the milk hers seems to reach optimal temperature a lot faster than what mine does. I have dez-cal'd my machine but it just seems that hers simply has more power. Any ideas why this could be? Thanks

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@elbandito57 Our techs say it's one of the following: Steam thermostat or element are having issues (but you'd probably see the element also interfere with brewing), if you haven't been descaling regularly, then it could be there's a lot of calcium build up in there that cannot be addressed through a standard descale and the boiler needs to be taken apart, or you're not steaming and then brewing, so your boiler is never totally full. These are our best guesses, without seeing the machine :) -Kat

[kickchick1974]

I need help from the SCG!!!! Please help me... I have owned a V3 Silvia/Rocky set up since February. Can't for the life of me figure out how to get microfoam... it seems that every attempt I am winding up with separated milk, despite following your instructions to the letter. I keep the milk moving at all times. Also, I noticed the hoses to the water container inside the machine only reach about the halfway point of the container - does this sound right to you? Thanks in advance :o)

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@kickchick1974 Re: Hoses - one of them is an exhaust, so should not go in the water, the other one should go down into the reservoir as far as possible, without hitting the bottom. Re: Steaming - all I can say is practice! I know it's frustrating, but it takes a lot of practice to get microfoam on the Rancilio because the steam is so wet. Try using 2% milk (if you're not) as that seems to perform best on that machine. - Kat

[ideogon]

I noticed that you barely turn the knob to get it started, presumably to avoid large bubbles. Then you crank it just a little more? I have the V2 and have been experimenting between slightly cranking the knob and going all the way, yet I'm having difficulties either way. Can you give me some insight?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@ideogon On the V2, I'd crank it all the way -- you have a smaller steam manifold and the steam is a little wetter than on the V3, so I would open up the flow as much as possible to get enough power. Achieving microfoam on the Rancilio takes a lot of practice/skill because of the smaller boiler, but it can be done. - Kat

[markpianoman]

Gail / Kat, I keep a cup of water at my Silvia so that I can purge the steam wand without shooting water all over the place....just a tip! Mark

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@markpianoman And a good one! :D - Kat

[Tarinazo]

Hello, i just got a V2 Silvia with a clogged vibe pump (fixed that), it took me by surprise that it takes some 15-20 minutes to fully warm up, for a moment there i thought the T'stat was out but no, it brews fine... problem now is it takes forever to reach steaming temperature and i can barely reach 140 degrees.

You think i got a bad steam T'stat?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@Tarinazo Hmmm...not sure, really, seems like a tech should take a look at it to determine why it's not heating up to steam temp. The warm up time for shots sounds right for this machine, but if it's not getting to steam temp, then you should have someone crack it open and take a look at it. - Kat

[92benjy]

Thinks I'm defiantly going to get this machine would you suggest brew after the milk or before,and by any chance does anyone know if this website is safe - coffeeitalia co,uk - they are offering a silvia and rocky grinder with the dispenser for £556 with £7.50 postage just a bit suspicious atm.this is my 18th b-day present so gotta make sure.instead of a car too.ha thanks

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@92benjy We suggest steaming -> temperature surfing -> brewing for best results and ensuring you're refreshing the water in the boiler often enough to maintain temperature/pressure. - Kat

[vasiasm]

thanks for the video ,it is very helpfull.

[goofercat]

Thanks Kat & Gail!

thanks for answering my request.

very instructional!!

you gave me some good tips (resting the wand on the cup) now some homework - which is the best /tastiest homework i think i ever had :)

[kenw30]

3 hole tip or not, still much better than the ones with the froth aider attachment , nevertheless, good job ladies , keep em comin'

[Agathorn]

Nice microfoam Gail! I know many cant handle the new 3 hole tip on the Silvia.

Perhaps worth mentioning is that if you are gonna foam larger quantities of milk it´s a good idea to start foaming right before the boiler gets into temperature (before the light turns out, I believe on the silvia?). Helps me a lot on my even weaker Gaggia (10 cc boiler). That keeps the steam pressure longer!

[ronnysizematters]

She says this silvia has a one hole tip doesnt she?

My buddy has a 3 hole tip silvia, I wonder if that's to blame for mediocre foam ;).

One advise is to start the steaming process before the steamer light goes out, that way you have a slight lower power at the start but max power towards the end of the steaming.

Well, that's the theory ;).

kinda scray thought that Raniclio switched back to one hole tips.

I wonder do you rly 1st steam the milk and then pull the shots?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

I believe they switched back because the power wasn't as good on 110V in the US as it was on the 220V in Europe. We definitely recommend steaming, temperature surfing and brewing in order to make sure you're refreshing the water in the boiler often enough. - Kat

[mikeyscots1]

@SeattleCoffeeGear Can I ask...what milk do you think is best for microfoam? Full fat milk ?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

I have gotten great results with all different types -- non-fat is rough, but the other versions (with some fat) are workable. Also get good results with soy milk that doesn't have additives (oils, etc.) in it...rice is rough. If you care about non-dairy milks ;) - Kat

[mikey65up]

Kat..thank you very much indeed for your reply. I am trying very hard to get foam good enough for latte art. I noticed that I get better, but not perfect, results using half fat milk, than using full fat. I use the same method as in Gails video which I timed at 50 seconds surfing the froth and then a final 15 seconds with the wand deper in the milk. I keep reading that full fat is better for this? What do you think?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

I have also gotten great results with the lower fat milk, but it's going to be, in part, the machine you're using, the boiler size/power. I would stick with the lighter milk because these smaller boilers have wetter steam and so full fat may make the milk too heavy to get a good froth on it. I'm no chemist, but that kind of makes semi-reasonable sense to me ;) - Kat

[mikeyscots1]

Kat....that makes perfect sense...can I ask..when I start steaming..do I switch the steam wand on full power?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

Yes - bleed it first to get as much condensation out as possible and then put it in the milk & open the valve all the way. You don't have a lot of steam power to work with, so don't inhibit it. IMHO of course. :) - Kat

[mikey65up]

Kat, am afraid I dont know what IMHO means..I'm Scottish you see :-D although I have been to Seattle !

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

Ha, sorry. It's internet speak 'in my humble opinion' :)

[mikeyscots1]

@SeattleCoffeeGear Can I finally ask Kat, ,, it looks like the pitcher is held pretty straight and not at an angle, but the wand is at an angle going into the milk and only slightly off centre...would that be right? Im trying to do exactly as its being done in the video but am not getting the same results!

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

You want to angle the pitcher and/or wand so that you're getting rolling movement, circulating around the pitcher. How you achieve this is going to be based on your own personal ergonomic preferences, so just experiment -- it's not exactly how you hold it, but how you achieve that clockwise swirl that's important. - Kat