All My Tips

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Endo

All My Tips

Post by Endo »

Here are all my tips. Lined up from most powerful (left) to least (right). The thing on the bottom is the 8mm top 10mm adapter for the odd shaped 2 hole tips.

My favourite is still the stock 0.9mm 4 hole (3rd from right)

Even with all these tips, I still have trouble getting all the bubbles out of my microfoam. Although I can steam well enough to make Latte art, it turns quickly to macro bubbles rather than lasting a long time (velvety and smooth) like on my other machines. Not sure if I'll ever resolve that. Such is life.
Steam Tips
Steam Tips
tips.jpg (29.78 KiB) Viewed 17221 times
Weska

Re: All My Tips

Post by Weska »

Gee, Endo, I've only tried two tips (can't even identify which, but one is slower than the stock one on my direct-from-Italy unit). Neither one makes a huge difference, although I've stuck with the slower one because I don't need to be quite as attentive.

If your foam is not keeping its micro-bubbles, that sounds like another factor is at work. Possibly milk quality, freshness, fat content. I've never found that meticulous chilling helped much. Or maybe you are not clearing your steam nozzle with a short blast until it runs with dry steam? That would add water (not much, and steaming always adds water, but still...). Maybe try a variety of vessels in place of the official steaming pitcher, maybe small cups, huge mugs, glasses and the like until you find something to yield a clue.

Really evanescent microfoam must have a cause of some kind because it's ordinarily pretty durable.
Endo

Re: All My Tips

Post by Endo »

I'm using mostly the stock 4 hole tip now. t took me a while to adapt my technique to the power, but I'm OK with the microfoam quality I'm getting.

The main problem I'm having now is with the short life of the microfoam. It starts out smooth but big bubbles soon rise to the surface, quickly destroying the art.

Not sure of the cause, but it seems to be originating from the espresso shot rather than the foam. I'm still investigating.
oton

Re: All My Tips

Post by oton »

Endo wrote:The main problem I'm having now is with the short life of the microfoam. It starts out smooth but big bubbles soon rise to the surface, quickly destroying the art.
But with other machines does not happen the same?
Endo

Re: All My Tips

Post by Endo »

I'm not saying what is causing it. It may be the milk. I'm going to switch to a different brand with higher fat content and see if it changes things.
Richard

Re: All My Tips

Post by Richard »

Endo wrote:The main problem I'm having now is with the short life of the microfoam. It starts out smooth but big bubbles soon rise to the surface, quickly destroying the art.
Are you using the carbonated milk again? :)
italyhound

Re: All My Tips

Post by italyhound »

I had the best results with the 2 hole tip but even with the adapter I had terrible leakage problems at the attachment site. Too bad - my art has never recovered. There must be a reason for that.
Niko

Re: All My Tips

Post by Niko »

There is a reason, Evan.
...drink more coffee! :lol:

My favorite tip is the .9mm 4-hole (for small quantities) and the larger badness for the jug sized portions. Not sure what my collection of tips is up to (too scary to find out) but it certainly isn't like Endo's.
Endo

Re: All My Tips

Post by Endo »

I'll need to update the photo to add the new new burn 4 hole tip! :lol:

I've come to pretty much came the same conclusion as Niko: 4 hole, 0.9mm tip is best. I sometimes switch to the big 3 hole, 1.2mm tip for larger quantities, but the pressure drops off rather fast on the smaller Mini boiler. Blocking one hole on the 4 hole 0.9mm tip was best for the Mini (too bad CC doesn't sell one).

Also, my best results to date are using this method (unchanged for the last 4 months):

6 oz of 2% or 3.25% milk in a 12 oz pitcher. Tip straight down in the center of the pitcher. Stretch for a little less than 10 seconds, then sink the tip 1/2 way below the surface and roll for another 10 seconds.

Most of my earlier bubbles seem to have come from one particular espresso blend I was using (overly fresh I guess). Still, the quality of Vivaldi microfoam is not quite as good (not as creamy) as on other machines I've tried. But it is probably the fastest! :shock:
JmanEspresso

Re: All My Tips

Post by JmanEspresso »

I have to respectfully disagree, Endo.

The quality of microfoam I'm getting, is out of this world. Dense, yet light. Creamy, Rich, smooth.. not to mention, textbook, every single time.

Compared to my Anita... No contest. The Vivaldi walks all and up down Anita in the milk steaming department.(And Im someone who really liked the Anita..for what it was)

Now, it IS entirely possible that the Vivaldi Mini doesn't put out the same quality steam as the Vivaldi II... And I won't say yay or nay, because It's been a long time since I used the Mini, and it was only for a couple shots and some milk.

But, I will say, that I love the steaming power of the VII.. and the results I get are outstanding. AND, they're easily obtained. Making MF is childs play.

For most of what Im making, milk wise.. Using the S5 Arm*, with the smaller 4-hole tip.. the .9mm I guess, is perfect. Its plenty fast for a machiatto or 5oz capp. When Ive have friends/Family over, I get out the larger holed, 4hole tip. They both work great, when matched with proper milk sizes. The morning after a dinner party I just hosted, I forgot I had the large 4hole tip on, and I went to make a Machi. For the first time ever, I threw milk all over myself, and the room. I put about 4oz in the pitcher, and in less then 2seconds, I had a half-ounce in the pitcher, and an Andy Warhol replica in my dining room.

*I keep wanting to put the shorter steam arm on the machine, because it will tuck under the machine properly. . . as you guys Im sure are aware of, the S5 arm is long, so it doesn't "tuck away" without being in the way(for me). But then when I grab the shorter arm, I look at it.. ask myself what the hell I was thinking, and put it back in the drawer. Same thing happens when I get the urge to try to No-Burn arm. I despised that arm on my Anita.. Wet steam.. Anita couldn't keep up with 2holer.. It was on and off the machine in a couple days.

Anyone like the No-Burn arm MORE then the S5 arm on the Vivaldi?(with whatever is your tip of choice)
JohnB

Re: All My Tips

Post by JohnB »

Jeff - The tip that was on the S5 arm when you bought the machine is the custom 1.25 tip I made. I keep reading about a 1.2mm tip in steaming posts but the S1v2 came with a 1.3mm tip which actually has 1.5mm holes. Did you swap the custom tip for the .9mm (actually 1mm) tip?
Endo

Re: All My Tips

Post by Endo »

JmanEspresso wrote:The quality of microfoam I'm getting, is out of this world. Dense, yet light.
You can't have both dense and light (unless you're talking about Paris Hilton). :drunken:

If you're satisfied with the Vivaldi foam, that's all that really matters. My experience has been the Mini Vivaldi delivers fast but rather airy microfoam. It lacks the velvety, creaminess I've experience on other machines (any Elektra owners here can comment if they like). I expect this is simply a consequence of the fast steaming on the Vivaldi. Can't have both I guess.

I believe the steaming problems on the Anita are a consequence of the bad 2 hole tip. (I get exactly the same steam quality with the Vivaldi no-burn 2 hole tip as I did on my Anita). Chris Coffee now sells a custom made 4 hole tip for the Anita that matches the Vivaldi exactly. I got it coming in next week so I'll let you know how it goes.
JmanEspresso

Re: All My Tips

Post by JmanEspresso »

John,

Yes, Currently, Im using the smallest of the three, as im mostly making Machiatto's and small capps. When Im making two drinks at a time, I put on the custom tip you made, or sometimes the big one. The smallest allows me those few extra seconds, which helps a lot with only 3-4oz of milk.
Richard

Re: All My Tips

Post by Richard »

JmanEspresso wrote:*I keep wanting to put the shorter steam arm on the machine, because it will tuck under the machine properly. . . as you guys Im sure are aware of, the S5 arm is long, so it doesn't "tuck away" without being in the way(for me).
I've never had any trouble tucking the S5 arm away on the Vivaldi. True that it tucks in only one position, but it does tuck.
JmanEspresso

Re: All My Tips

Post by JmanEspresso »

Oh I know, it does tuck away, but I find it in the way, for me. I usually leave it off the side, not over the drip tray.
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