I've had a Lelit PL041 for about a month, and I'm getting decent microfoam, but not great. I think it's mostly because I can't get the milk to whirl well during the latter half of the steaming process. The Lelit wand is very short and doesn't angle like other machines. Can anyone recommend a way to get a better whirling action on this machine? (FYI, I've ditched the froth assist attachment)
I took the froth assister off, so now it's just a one-hole tip. They currently don't make any extender for the Lelit, as far as I know. There seems to be some pitchers that have come up slightly on the center of the bottom to create a better flow. Not sure if anyone has used one or not around here.
Unstopableforce Senior Member Joined: 17 Jan 2009 Posts: 66 Location: North Vancouver, BC Expertise: Pro Barista
Espresso: Via Venezia Grinder: Burr Grinder Roaster: Poppery II
Posted Mon Oct 5, 2009, 11:15am Subject: Re: Trouble getting milk to whirl
Not sure how powerful the Lelit is for the Steamwand but one trick I use on my Via Venizia is to let it run for about 30 seconds so that it has to start boiling right away to get back to pressure. I give it ~10 seconds to catch up and then I start using it. It basically gives me the power I need to move the milk in my pitcher.
That and I do angle my pitcher about 45 degrees as well so that I can get a good whirling.
Posted Mon Oct 5, 2009, 7:33pm Subject: Re: Trouble getting milk to whirl
Im assuming you're temp surfing for steaming?
If not, then by the time you need to start incorporating, the steam power is likely close to being completely Ka-Put.
However, if you are temp surfing...
For my Gaggia classic, I only use a 12oz pitcher, because the wand doesn't have the length I would like for anything bigger. Anyway...
You dont HAVE to whirlpool the milk to make great microfoam. It IS the most popular/most suggested way. But, there is another way to incorporate the milk, which I found work well with my gaggia classic, due to the shorter wand without full, 360 degree articulation.
First, obviously, Temp surf the boiler for steam.
Stretch the milk how you normally would, until 80-100 degrees F
Then, for incorporation, instead of getting the milk to spin, put the wand to one side of the pitcher, pointing almost straight down, but angled ever so slightly. The motion your going for, is to get the milk to fold over itself in the pitcher. Let me try to explain this better.
Normally, after adding air to the milk, you slightly sink the wand, and let the milk spin around the pitcher to incorporate the foam into the milk. This technique does the same exact thing, but without whirlpooling the milk. The angle of the wand, for the whole process, is slightly different, and works well with a small pitcher/short wand.
For the whole process, instead of the wand at a ~45degree angle, try a 15 degree angle from the counter. Say you have the wand on the right side of the pitcher, at your ~15 degree angle. The pitcher should be level to the counter. Stretch. When the milk is 80-100F, slightly dip the wand, and tilt the pitcher to the right. the "left" side of the pitcher goes up, the right side down. What you want to happen, is for the steam wand to push the milk down the side of the pitcher, across the bottom, and up the other side, which then causes it to fall back into the steams direction. It's still "whirlpooling" the milk, just in a different fashion.
I realize its not very easy to describe exactly how to texture milk using only text, and since I don't have a working video camera.. I made a very crude sketch, using Microsoft "Paint". Its not exactly an elegant drawing, but it gets my point across. I can't upload it, but I put it in my Photobucket album.
godofgwar Junior Member Joined: 26 Aug 2009 Posts: 27 Location: San Francisco Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Le'lit PL041 Grinder: Le'lit PL53
Posted Tue Oct 13, 2009, 9:04am Subject: Re: Trouble getting milk to whirl
Love the sketch! I'm going to give that method a try. With the Lelit's short wand, seems like it should do the trick, or help at the very least. The machine has lots of steam power, so the issue is getting it all moving in the pitcher. Thanks for the advice.
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