# Single Hole Steam wand tip on Cherub =



## thomss (May 9, 2011)

Silky smoooooooth microfoam!!!

Just received my Single Hole tip from Francino and I am absolutely over the moon after having months of split and not very consistent milk in my flat whites I'm back on track with silky smooth, glossy, shiny milk again, so pour oh so nicely again...

I'm so happy I could make another! - But already had 4 today









The 2 hole and 4 hole as many hours as I played and practised in all kinds of ways just didn't' give me the results which I got instantly today with the single tip when steaming small amounts of milk in my motta pitcher, and it's not much slower!

Thomas.


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## l3radduz (Jun 25, 2012)

Glad to hear that Thomas. where did you order it from? I was looking to get a two hole tip, Was it any improvement over the four hole tip?

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2


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## thomss (May 9, 2011)

I got it direct from Francino mate, yeah for me the 4 hole tip is an absolute animal and just blasts milk all over the place when steaming small amounts. The 2 hole tip is better but after a good few months with it I was still getting random results with it and you had to be really REALLY accurate with the placing of it within the milk where the single tip just worked for me straight away I made 10 flat whites today in total (not all for me) and each one the milk stretched perfectly, integrated nicely and had a lovely glossy shine with no visible bubbles - just what I wanted from the very beginning!!!

The relief of this is absolutely massive as having such random results with the other tips was starting to put me on a bit of a downer with my machine - but not now, I am back in love again with nmy Cherub


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## l3radduz (Jun 25, 2012)

Yea i'm finding it the same as i only really drink small quantities of milk in coffee. I tend to avoid using it for milk based drinks at the moment which is a bit of a bummer. Thanks for that I will give them a call and might just get the single hole tip instead and save any hassle.


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## thomss (May 9, 2011)

Yeah had some great flat whites today too


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## jimbow (Oct 13, 2011)

Glad to hear that Thomms.

Micro foam with more holes is possible but can be unforgiving. It took me a long time to get to grips with the 4 hole tip and I can share some lessons I learnt along the way:

- The milk heats really quickly so the window for stretching (incorporating air) is small. Cooling the pitcher in the fridge/freezer can buy some more time. Also, larger volumes take longer to heat and so have a larger window for stretching. The technique is the same regardless so once you are comfortable you should be able to apply the same techniques with smaller quantities and condensed timeframes.

- Make sure you have enough milk in your pitcher. For a Motta jug you will need to fill it to just below the base of the spout as a minimum. In a 350ml jug this equates to ~170ml. You do not need to use all that milk for a single drink but if you try steaming less you will not get the right sort of foam.

- Angle the wand so that it is fairly vertical (about 15 degrees)

- Start with the tip buried really deeply within the milk before opening the steam valve. The steam is so powerful that if it is anywhere near the surface for the initial burst of steam then really large bubbles will be introduced.

- As soon as the steam valve is open, quickly lower the jug so the tip is just below the surface of the milk and start stretching the milk. You should hear a ch-ch-ch sound. Gradually lower the jug as the milk expands to keep the tip in the same position relative to the surface of the milk.

- Don't even try using a thermometer - it simply cannot keep pace with the speed at which the milk heats. Instead go by feel with your hand on the side of the jug. Once the jug no longer feels cool to the touch i.e. body temperature, then stop stretching and raise the jug slightly so that the tip is slightly lower in the milk. Now it is time to texture the milk and make sure the microfoam is incorporated into the milk. As soon as the jug feels almost too hot to touch, then immediately plunge the tip deep into the milk and shut off the steam valve.


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## shrink (Nov 12, 2012)

Good post above.. Struggling myself with steaming technique.


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## fatboyslim (Sep 29, 2011)

I hardly ever drink milk drinks so don't practice my foaming that often but over christmas I've made so many flat whites and lattes that actually my steaming with the 4 hole tip has got pretty good.

Main solution is to use* a bigger milk jug* but still only a small quantity of milk. Milk has more area to roll.

As far as stretching, that just requires technique. I try to fully turn steam knob with left hand then quickly drop that hand to side of milk jug.

Need to keep practicing to be honest but I just don't want milk in my espresso.


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