We have 3 guests online





Lost Password?
No account yet? Register

Whole Latte Love!

What's New?

EspressoTec.Com


Baratza Inc.

Baratza.com - Creators of the Virtuoso!

Transcend Coffee

Home
Welcome to the CoffeeCrew forum for registered users. - feel free to make yourself at home. This forum is dedicated to coffee and espresso based issues.

Forum spammers, link referrers, link placement, scam artists, confidence artists, crooks and obvious commercial shilling is discouraged. Violation of this one simple rule will result in you and your immediate geographical region being banned from the site so do not post ads or links to your site here unless approved by me! Violators of this one simple rule will find their firm, employer, and your pitiful self invoiced $1000 per violation of this simple rule. Enjoy!

The coffeecrew guestbook and forum has been alive for more than 10 years! Please consider it your one-stop resource for finding out about all things coffee, espresso, specialty coffee and all associated gear and equipment.

We welcome long posts - there is no word limit in fact. Keep in mind that you can only type for 15 to 20 minutes in the forum-post submit window (session timeout)- so consider composing your posts or responses in a text editor - then cut and paste! Thank you and enjoy the forums!

CoffeeCrew.com Discussion Forum and Guestbook  


Boardwalk :: Forum List Espresso in General Espresso School
pcinkpen
User

Coffee Lover
Posts: 4
graphgraph
Karma: 1  
Oscar doesn't like the milk... - 2008/10/13 09:29 So, after researching and such I decided to jump head long into the espresso world with a Nuova Simonelli Oscar.

After a few weeks and a few more litres of milk I still can't even come close to foam - of any sort. I'm using a small pitcher. So I go back to Colin's review and notice that he said that it was futile to use a small pitcher.

My question is: Is it really futile? I hope so. Anyone else have trouble with this machine? I understand that I am a rookie but I've done everything I know to get this thing to foam. I've never watched so much youtube...

I hear that one guy mod'ed the steam wand and welded two of the 4 hole shut...I'll wait for someone else to chime in before I do the nasty to the machine.

Cheers,
  | | Forum posting/replies are available to registered users.
colin
Admin

Admin
Posts: 772
graph
Karma: 19  
Re:Oscar doesn't like the milk... - 2008/10/13 12:07 Actually - you are right. There is no such thing as a stainless steel milk jug that is too small. I have seen barista's putting 6 ounces of milk OR Less into an 8 ounce steel carafe.

In years and years of observing the pro's and pretending to be one, I have found that there is nothing more challenging than getting the milk right.

Here is one link that might help -

Foaming milk is one of the most difficult things to master - do not be too hard on yourself. Colin is the Senior editor and creator of the CoffeeCrew.Com Website
  | | Forum posting/replies are available to registered users.
tsquared
User

Coffee Lover
Posts: 3
graphgraph
Karma: 0  
Re:Oscar doesn't like the milk... - 2008/10/16 19:46 pcinkpen--I too experienced the same frustration when I first got my Oscar about a year ago. I couldn't get any foam before the temp went too high. I searched around a bit on different forums and found a solution, easier and less permanent than welding. Take your steam head off your wand and jam a couple of the round type toothpicks into the holes, breaking them off. This leaves you with 2 functioning holes and gives you more time before the milk hits 125 to 130. Think of them as the barista version of training wheels. After a few weeks with the toothpicks I was cleaning my machine and decided to ditch the toothpicks and have never looked back. After a year I am still totally happy with this machine--it's not too fussy and gives you great coffee.
Let us know how you do.
I ordered a couple of grouphead gaskets from espressotec and plan to do a thorough cleaning and gasket replacement this weekend. This is the first part I've had to replace since getting the machine 2nd hand.
Did you buy yours new?
T2
  | | Forum posting/replies are available to registered users.
colin
Admin

Admin
Posts: 772
graph
Karma: 19  
Re:Oscar doesn't like the milk... - 2008/10/19 12:20 The other thing about milk:

make sure it is 2% and no more!

make sure the milk is cold!

Practice! Colin is the Senior editor and creator of the CoffeeCrew.Com Website
  | | Forum posting/replies are available to registered users.
pcinkpen
User

Coffee Lover
Posts: 4
graphgraph
Karma: 1  
Re:Oscar doesn't like the milk... - 2008/10/23 10:43 So, I've been side tracked by my grinder issues. I'll leave the milk until a get a larger pitcher and then maybe try the tooth pick idea. Sounds like it would be a good form of training wheels.
I got the unit new.

The milk is always 2% Colin.
  | | Forum posting/replies are available to registered users.
pcinkpen
User

Coffee Lover
Posts: 4
graphgraph
Karma: 1  
Re:Oscar doesn't like the milk... - 2008/10/26 11:09 So I've gone through a few more litres of milk. Still no luck.

I've tried a few different arrangements of the tooth pick solution and it make a noticeable difference in the time to get to heat. But I still can't get the thing to make anything but hot milk.

Could it be that the stream is too hot?
I thought that I'd enlist another rookie to try the thing out and he couldn't do much better.

Any advice would be great.
Any one on this forum from Halifax and want to come over and school me on the ways of foam??

frustrated,
  | | Forum posting/replies are available to registered users.
colin
Admin

Admin
Posts: 772
graph
Karma: 19  
Re:Oscar doesn't like the milk... - 2008/10/26 12:52 Halifax?! You are in Halifax!?

Wow. I love Halifax and Halifax coffee...

Steve-e-reno's...

You have a great machine - we need to work this out. Colin is the Senior editor and creator of the CoffeeCrew.Com Website
  | | Forum posting/replies are available to registered users.
glenn
Admin

Admin
Posts: 1
graphgraph
Karma: 1  
Re:Oscar doesn't like the milk... - 2008/10/28 10:12 no foam?

usually beginners would have too much foam
perhaps you have too much power at your command - harder to learn

you might try grazing the surface with the tip of the wand the whole time and try injecting as much air as possible - it HAS to work!

skim milk will always make loads of bubbles, however I would try it as a last resort.

steam at least 10 oz of milk which should just be at the level where the bottom of the spout meets the main body of a 20 oz frothing jug.
  | | Forum posting/replies are available to registered users.
Boardwalk :: Forum List Espresso in General Espresso School

Joomlaboard Forum Component 1.1.2 Stable
Two Shoes M-Factory
How is the current economic crisis effecting your coffee habits?
 
Powered by Joomlaboard

EspressoTop50.com