One of the key cheats, for steaming /frothing milk, with any Gaggia Classic old or new is to turn on the steam switch and wait 20-25 seconds … purge the water out of the steam wand and start steaming and texturing your milk. This 20-25 second delay is what brings the boiler up to and near the proper steaming temperature, without allowing the internal boiler thermostat to shut the heating elements in the boiler. You want the temperature ascending from 190 degrees on up past 212 (i.e. boiling) and a bit past that before the boiler shuts down the heating elements and you lose steam power. If you turn the steam switch on and wait until the red indicator comes on, you will not have enough time to properly steam and texture your milk.
I watched a bunch of videos on how to steam milk, and kept failing to get any foam (it came out like plain hot milk...as if I'd microwaved it lol)... BUT I succeeded on the FIRST try after watching your video. Thank you! (I used the two-hole tip that came with the machine.)
Thanks for this video, it came at the perfect time. Also using the Gaggia Classic and I'm about 2 months into my home coffee journey, and I'm still as fustrated as ever with my milk frothing. I've tried things like different jugs, different amounts of milk, different angles of the steam wand, varying times for the "hissing" phase.. and I still don't get any sort of consistency where I get a glossy, wet paint like finish to my milk every single time. It's so fustrating, because I only have 1 coffee a day, and if I mess up the latte art (which I usuaully do), I don't really want to pull another shot and steam more milk (wastage). One thing that I stupidly did at the start, was I only turned my steam power to 25% instead of full blasting it. I figured because my milk was heating up too quickly, reducing steam power would allow more time and prolong the "stretching" phase. Anyway, since I have realised I need to turn it on to 100% straight away, I can see the whirlpool effect is quite a bit more stronger. With the hissing phase, I've noticed that 4-5 seconds of initial hissing, my milk is quite thin and the latte art that I pour is very fluid and runny, doesn't hold it's shape on the surface of the coffee. Today, I tried to aerate for longer, so around 15 seconds of initial hissing, and I had too much foam so when I poured my art, it came out as a big blob on the surface. I guess the sweet spot I should try next is ~10 seconds of hissing, but noticed your hissing phase is alot longer (like 20 seconds). I think I do need to get a thermostat to take the guessing game out of it, I hear people say you should only aerate up to the point the milk is 30 degrees celcius, then stop aerating and start stretching. Would you say the 1-hole steam wand tip is a must do on these Gaggias?
I completely get your frustration, it was the same way for me. At times, I even tried to drink more than two cups a day just so I could play with the milk steaming. Definitely take a lot of practice and trying different things to find what works for you. I think the aerating time is longer for me because of the single hole tip. When I did the video comparing the single hole vs. two holes, it did take me longer to steam on the single hole. Honestly, it might be why I like it because it's slower but I have more control over it. It feels like a more subtle, controlled way of adding air if that makes sense. I think a lot of people might not agree to changing to the single hole tip, but I do personally prefer it over the two holes one.
I see this quite a lot, that people steam much longer than I do. Both the stretching and the combining. I also use a GCP and the milk (which starts out cold) gets to body temp and then too hot to touch way quicker, which for me makes it quite hard to get it right before I have to stop or I'll burn it. This was especially noticable in the budget machine comparison video James Hoffman did a while ago, where he said it took him about 45 seconds, because the pressure let off, so he had to go longer. With mine the pressure also drops off somewhat early, but if I go for 45 seconds, the milk is boiling. Like, it's not like it stops heating when the steam pressure drops off, does it? Anyway, I've had the PID sitting at home for a few weeks as I'm too lazy to install it, I figured once I have that installed the process will be more controlled nonetheless.
If you are having trouble going by the feel of the jug, you can always purchase a thermometer and put it in your milk pitcher. I believe that the ideal latte temperature is 160 Fahrenheit. It will take a lot of guessing game out of your milk steaming. PID will definitely helped with the whole process. Its quite a PITA to install PID but its definitely worth it!
Like many others, milk steaming has been the most frustrating aspect of using the Gaggia classic pro. I've nailed down pulling my shots but when it comes to frothing it's been a pain... i get slightly better results with dairy but with oat milk, forget it.
YES! Even now, there's good and bad days when it comes to milk steaming with GCP but I would say keep practicing it until you can do oat milk. I know you can do it! :)
@@QTHomeCafe I have had this machine since December 2023 and have had both good and bad days with steaming milk. But, and I kid you not, for the past few months I really haven't been able to nail it. I'm considering a PID install but if I can't do that I'm just going to keep watching this video. I really am running into the issue of my milk heating up way too quick and not being able to spin it for that long. Thanks for the great content.
Very helpful video. I too have been frustrated with the steaming process on this machine. I find a lot of times I just get hot milk with just a layer of foam on top when I don't focus on texturing (making sure there is a good vortex going after I have aerated). Your video helped me understand how far to place the tip into the milk and what a good texturing will look like. Also, I took a home barista class at a local school and they had commercial grade machines, which were so much easier to use and very fast. It has been difficult to transfer that experience to this machine as the steaming capability is so weak. I don't even bother to try steaming more than about 5oz of milk at a time. Maybe when I buy my next machine it will be a double boiler and hopefully that will help. For now I will just keep learning on this one. Thanks for the great videos!
Congrats. Thank you for this video. I bought gaggia classic pro this year. So my gaggia little bit different from yours. When i try to steam milk, the texture was ok but i only 1 or 2 times did latte art well. Continue to try :)
@@QTHomeCafe This is my first espresso machine and i didn’t install PID. I only get naked portafilter. We like the machine. I need so much practise and patience 👍🏼 By the way i am using this steam trick too.
I swear I get such great foam when I practice with some cold water and a drop of dish soap, but once I switch to milk I mess it up every time lol. Getting better though. I just found your channel recently and just recently got into a Gaggia Classic Pro, and I've been enjoying watching your content with it!
Hello! If I were to choose between the 2, I would choose Sette 270. It had a very low retention and grind very well. Eureka mignon is not bad either but Sette 270 is slightly better. I would say whatever you can get for a cheaper price. They are both great grinders!
Hi Q! Thanks for the narration. Another awesome video. It’s funny, some of my favorite YT creators never appear on camera. As a very curious person, I am always wondering what they look like! But those creators seem to have the most instructive videos with fantastic detailed views of exactly what I want to see. With your “over the shoulder” or from above views, I’m curious how the camera is positioned and stabilized. Thanks again for sharing your process! Dave
Thank you so so much for being so kind and supportive. We are using a tripod and a chair to help us to get the angles that we want. We have learned a lot by just filming these videos.
Thank you for the video 🪴 I struggle to get a whirlpool with the Gaggia. You do very nice latte art, but you seem to not be having an actual whirl pool in the video (tornado, etc.). How important is it getting the exact motion of circling milk?
Yes, I bought this PID from Shades of Coffee but you can also buy them from Auber instruments. It takes us couple of hours to do it. It was quite tricky and in a very tight space but it was very worth it.
@@QTHomeCafe you’re welcome! I also have a coffee series on my RUclips channel. It would be great if you could subscribe as well and maybe we could do a collaboration video sometime?
Thank you for your video! I'm still struggling with the milk steaming. My milk foam looks nice, silky and shiny as it should be from the top but when I pour it into the cup, it is quite thin and watery and I end up with no frothing texture - not to speak of latte art ! Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?
Thank you for your kind words! Did you start high and finish low? It could also be that you need a little more air in your milk if it comes out watery.
How much milk do you use ? My largest problem is when I start to steam a milk, after about 20 sec it has became too hot. Do you have any idea what's the problem? I see you steam a milk about 1 minute. I have the same machine, but I don't have a one since hole tip.
Hey there, I usually do around 8oz of milk for my latte. The single hole steam wand definitely does take longer but just a bit. I did a video comparing the two and you can see how much longer. I’m wondering if maybe you submerge the steam wand too much so the milk gets heat up fast without adding in much air. How’s the milk texture? Is it very hot and watery?
@@QTHomeCafe yes it was too hot and watery but now I learned how to hold a jug and it just came better. However I didn’t find the perfect balance yet. Now I hesitated to order a single hole tip.
I’m glad to hear! It does take some practice to find the right angle and steam it to the right texture. As far as the single hole tip, it’s not that necessary. Not like you can’t get the right milk texture without it. I personally prefer it because it gives me better control… it feels like a slower process so perfect for beginner like me back then🙂 maybe you can give it some time practicing on the two holes before ordering the single hole tip
For the scale, we are using timemore blackmirror. There should be a link underneath the video description. The scale is really really nice but it’s a little bit too thick. There’s a smaller version now.
One of the key cheats, for steaming /frothing milk, with any Gaggia Classic old or new is to turn on the steam switch and wait 20-25 seconds … purge the water out of the steam wand and start steaming and texturing your milk. This 20-25 second delay is what brings the boiler up to and near the proper steaming temperature, without allowing the internal boiler thermostat to shut the heating elements in the boiler. You want the temperature ascending from 190 degrees on up past 212 (i.e. boiling) and a bit past that before the boiler shuts down the heating elements and you lose steam power. If you turn the steam switch on and wait until the red indicator comes on, you will not have enough time to properly steam and texture your milk.
Thank you for sharing this! That's a great tip!
I watched a bunch of videos on how to steam milk, and kept failing to get any foam (it came out like plain hot milk...as if I'd microwaved it lol)... BUT I succeeded on the FIRST try after watching your video. Thank you! (I used the two-hole tip that came with the machine.)
Thanks for this video, it came at the perfect time. Also using the Gaggia Classic and I'm about 2 months into my home coffee journey, and I'm still as fustrated as ever with my milk frothing. I've tried things like different jugs, different amounts of milk, different angles of the steam wand, varying times for the "hissing" phase.. and I still don't get any sort of consistency where I get a glossy, wet paint like finish to my milk every single time. It's so fustrating, because I only have 1 coffee a day, and if I mess up the latte art (which I usuaully do), I don't really want to pull another shot and steam more milk (wastage).
One thing that I stupidly did at the start, was I only turned my steam power to 25% instead of full blasting it. I figured because my milk was heating up too quickly, reducing steam power would allow more time and prolong the "stretching" phase. Anyway, since I have realised I need to turn it on to 100% straight away, I can see the whirlpool effect is quite a bit more stronger.
With the hissing phase, I've noticed that 4-5 seconds of initial hissing, my milk is quite thin and the latte art that I pour is very fluid and runny, doesn't hold it's shape on the surface of the coffee. Today, I tried to aerate for longer, so around 15 seconds of initial hissing, and I had too much foam so when I poured my art, it came out as a big blob on the surface. I guess the sweet spot I should try next is ~10 seconds of hissing, but noticed your hissing phase is alot longer (like 20 seconds).
I think I do need to get a thermostat to take the guessing game out of it, I hear people say you should only aerate up to the point the milk is 30 degrees celcius, then stop aerating and start stretching.
Would you say the 1-hole steam wand tip is a must do on these Gaggias?
I completely get your frustration, it was the same way for me. At times, I even tried to drink more than two cups a day just so I could play with the milk steaming. Definitely take a lot of practice and trying different things to find what works for you. I think the aerating time is longer for me because of the single hole tip. When I did the video comparing the single hole vs. two holes, it did take me longer to steam on the single hole. Honestly, it might be why I like it because it's slower but I have more control over it. It feels like a more subtle, controlled way of adding air if that makes sense.
I think a lot of people might not agree to changing to the single hole tip, but I do personally prefer it over the two holes one.
I see this quite a lot, that people steam much longer than I do. Both the stretching and the combining.
I also use a GCP and the milk (which starts out cold) gets to body temp and then too hot to touch way quicker, which for me makes it quite hard to get it right before I have to stop or I'll burn it.
This was especially noticable in the budget machine comparison video James Hoffman did a while ago, where he said it took him about 45 seconds, because the pressure let off, so he had to go longer.
With mine the pressure also drops off somewhat early, but if I go for 45 seconds, the milk is boiling. Like, it's not like it stops heating when the steam pressure drops off, does it?
Anyway, I've had the PID sitting at home for a few weeks as I'm too lazy to install it, I figured once I have that installed the process will be more controlled nonetheless.
If you are having trouble going by the feel of the jug, you can always purchase a thermometer and put it in your milk pitcher. I believe that the ideal latte temperature is 160 Fahrenheit. It will take a lot of guessing game out of your milk steaming.
PID will definitely helped with the whole process. Its quite a PITA to install PID but its definitely worth it!
Like many others, milk steaming has been the most frustrating aspect of using the Gaggia classic pro. I've nailed down pulling my shots but when it comes to frothing it's been a pain... i get slightly better results with dairy but with oat milk, forget it.
YES! Even now, there's good and bad days when it comes to milk steaming with GCP but I would say keep practicing it until you can do oat milk. I know you can do it! :)
@@QTHomeCafe I have had this machine since December 2023 and have had both good and bad days with steaming milk. But, and I kid you not, for the past few months I really haven't been able to nail it. I'm considering a PID install but if I can't do that I'm just going to keep watching this video.
I really am running into the issue of my milk heating up way too quick and not being able to spin it for that long. Thanks for the great content.
Very helpful video. I too have been frustrated with the steaming process on this machine. I find a lot of times I just get hot milk with just a layer of foam on top when I don't focus on texturing (making sure there is a good vortex going after I have aerated). Your video helped me understand how far to place the tip into the milk and what a good texturing will look like. Also, I took a home barista class at a local school and they had commercial grade machines, which were so much easier to use and very fast. It has been difficult to transfer that experience to this machine as the steaming capability is so weak. I don't even bother to try steaming more than about 5oz of milk at a time. Maybe when I buy my next machine it will be a double boiler and hopefully that will help. For now I will just keep learning on this one. Thanks for the great videos!
Congrats. Thank you for this video. I bought gaggia classic pro this year. So my gaggia little bit different from yours. When i try to steam milk, the texture was ok but i only 1 or 2 times did latte art well. Continue to try :)
Thanks for stopping by! How do you like your Gaggia so far? Latte art and milk frothing takes a lot of practices! Keep practicing! it's a lot of fun!
@@QTHomeCafe This is my first espresso machine and i didn’t install PID. I only get naked portafilter. We like the machine. I need so much practise and patience 👍🏼 By the way i am using this steam trick too.
I swear I get such great foam when I practice with some cold water and a drop of dish soap, but once I switch to milk I mess it up every time lol. Getting better though. I just found your channel recently and just recently got into a Gaggia Classic Pro, and I've been enjoying watching your content with it!
I practiced with soapy water too and it was really different than milk! Thank you so much for stopping by and said hi!
You guys are the best in tutorial 💓 Keep up the good work ❤❤❤
It' s good. How much milk do you use?
Hi. If you given a chance to choose baratza sette & eureka mignon, which one will be your choice? Why?
Hello! If I were to choose between the 2, I would choose Sette 270. It had a very low retention and grind very well. Eureka mignon is not bad either but Sette 270 is slightly better. I would say whatever you can get for a cheaper price. They are both great grinders!
Hi Q! Thanks for the narration. Another awesome video. It’s funny, some of my favorite YT creators never appear on camera. As a very curious person, I am always wondering what they look like! But those creators seem to have the most instructive videos with fantastic detailed views of exactly what I want to see. With your “over the shoulder” or from above views, I’m curious how the camera is positioned and stabilized. Thanks again for sharing your process!
Dave
Thank you so so much for being so kind and supportive. We are using a tripod and a chair to help us to get the angles that we want. We have learned a lot by just filming these videos.
Thank you for the video 🪴
I struggle to get a whirlpool with the Gaggia. You do very nice latte art, but you seem to not be having an actual whirl pool in the video (tornado, etc.). How important is it getting the exact motion of circling milk?
Hi! Great video! Are you using the Shades of coffee PID? How long did it take to install the PID?
Yes, I bought this PID from Shades of Coffee but you can also buy them from Auber instruments. It takes us couple of hours to do it. It was quite tricky and in a very tight space but it was very worth it.
I wish there was a way to program the gaggia to turn on the heating element when you start steaming until you stop steaming.
I like the voice over, good job!
Thank you!😃
@@QTHomeCafe you’re welcome! I also have a coffee series on my RUclips channel. It would be great if you could subscribe as well and maybe we could do a collaboration video sometime?
Ah how cool! Thanks for letting us know, we’ll check it out.
@@QTHomeCafe thank you very much 👍😊 happy holidays 🥳
What basket are you using, 18g ? single or double. Thanks
Great video! One question: do you turn the steaming knob all the way? Thanks.
Thank you! And yes, I do turn it all the way. I do recommend turning it all the way in order to get the steam power and proper steaming :)
@@QTHomeCafe Thank you!
@@QTHomeCafe I really appreciate that you engage with us viewers by responding to our comments and questions.Thank you!
You’re very welcome! Might not be as fast in answering but I do try to if I can. Glad to help!
Thank you for your video! I'm still struggling with the milk steaming. My milk foam looks nice, silky and shiny as it should be from the top but when I pour it into the cup, it is quite thin and watery and I end up with no frothing texture - not to speak of latte art ! Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?
Thank you for your kind words! Did you start high and finish low? It could also be that you need a little more air in your milk if it comes out watery.
Hello!
Are you using “The one steam tip”?
Hey there! Yes, I am. I like it better and have been using for some time now😊
What size of dosing funnel are you using now? 58 or 58.5?
Hi, sorry for the super late delay. This is the matow dosing funnel and I think it’s a 58. We have it listed in our video.
How much milk do you use ? My largest problem is when I start to steam a milk, after about 20 sec it has became too hot. Do you have any idea what's the problem? I see you steam a milk about 1 minute.
I have the same machine, but I don't have a one since hole tip.
Hey there, I usually do around 8oz of milk for my latte. The single hole steam wand definitely does take longer but just a bit. I did a video comparing the two and you can see how much longer. I’m wondering if maybe you submerge the steam wand too much so the milk gets heat up fast without adding in much air. How’s the milk texture? Is it very hot and watery?
@@QTHomeCafe yes it was too hot and watery but now I learned how to hold a jug and it just came better. However I didn’t find the perfect balance yet. Now I hesitated to order a single hole tip.
I’m glad to hear! It does take some practice to find the right angle and steam it to the right texture. As far as the single hole tip, it’s not that necessary. Not like you can’t get the right milk texture without it. I personally prefer it because it gives me better control… it feels like a slower process so perfect for beginner like me back then🙂 maybe you can give it some time practicing on the two holes before ordering the single hole tip
What scale do you use?
For the scale, we are using timemore blackmirror. There should be a link underneath the video description. The scale is really really nice but it’s a little bit too thick. There’s a smaller version now.
Thanks for your reply. I realised the link afterwards. I ordered the scale and it has arrived already. 😁
Not a problem! How do you like the scale so far and did you get the slim version or the regular version?
What pid did you get?
I got the PID kit from Shades of Coffee. Here's the link if you need: www.shadesofcoffee.co.uk/gaggia-classic-pro2019-pid-kit---132din-single-display
Im in the US though.
We are as well😄But we like products from Mr.Shades so
@@QTHomeCafe how long did it take to ship?
I don’t remember exactly but honestly wasn’t that long for something coming from outside US :) about a week I’d say