# Gaggia Cukika Plus milk frothing



## nekromantik (Nov 13, 2011)

Hi people!

Am new here and new to coffee machines and just bought a brand new Cubika Plus for £50!

I know this is a basic machine and not as good as the Classic but for £50 you cant go wrong.

I will be buying a Porlex Hand Grinder to go with this as I cant spend more then £50 on a grinder. I know I would need to as its more important then the machine but as I not spent much on the machine I dont mind if I dont get the best out of it.

Now onto my question,

Currently I got the steam wand with the plastic cover attached and when I try to froth the milk it always makes it all bubbles and makes the milk rise up. Any tips on how to make microform instead of bubbles?

Some people say take the sleeve off but then the tip is too short so will make it hard.


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## MartinB (May 8, 2011)

The Rancilio Silvia steam wand may well be able to fit your machine... A lot better than the standard item.


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## nekromantik (Nov 13, 2011)

Yeah I been reading about that but all the posts are about the Classic and not Cubika/Cubika Plus. Cant really afford to buy it and then if it wont work I cant return it.

Any other advice?

Would a longer wand make a difference?

Also I know you open the knob after pressing steam button to get rid of water but I find I have to leave it on for like 20-30 secs and then the steam comes out and the red light goes off. Is it a good idea to keep pressing brew while steaming and while the steam light is on?


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## jimbow (Oct 13, 2011)

You could try swapping the standard plastic panarello for one with a longer inner plastic bit (technical term  ).

http://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=4401


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## Eyedee (Sep 13, 2010)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Gaggia-Coffee-Machine-Spare-Parts-Pannerello-Steam-Wand-/160462444984?pt=Coffee_Machines_Makers&hash=item255c4e99b8

this is the longer steam wand, it works on my Gaggia baby.

Ian


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## nekromantik (Nov 13, 2011)

thanks









I will be making 2 mods, de pressurize portafilter, get a Porlex grinder and get longer wand.

Does that sound like good idea?


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## jimbow (Oct 13, 2011)

You should definitely notice the difference from each of those.


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## nekromantik (Nov 13, 2011)

I bought the longer wand but im still bad at frothing milk.

The frothy layer at the top is light and goes away after one or two sips. ha ha

Got meself a porlex grinder and de-pressureized the portafilter. Been using starbucks beans so not that great but should have some fresh beans from hasbean soon as I placed me order for them last night.


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## DaveS (Oct 26, 2011)

nekromantik said:


> Also I know you open the knob after pressing steam button to get rid of water but I find I have to leave it on for like 20-30 secs and then the steam comes out and the red light goes off. Is it a good idea to keep pressing brew while steaming and while the steam light is on?


You have pretty much the same setup as me, except I have a Saeco Aroma (i think it's damn near the same or identical machine though?). For frothing with this, you need to trick it to steam with force and continually. What you are doing (leave it steaming until light goes off) is correct. However, at this exact point (light has gone off), you need to close the knob and wait for 10 seconds and then immediately start steaming. Keep surfing the surface of the milk until you've increased the milk volume by 1/3rd then let more steam pressure out and plunge the wand to get the milk rolling with (bit of technique needed here...) Keep going until the texture of the milk has changed as it should suddenly take on a creamy texture if it's blended well...


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## nekromantik (Nov 13, 2011)

DaveS said:


> You have pretty much the same setup as me, except I have a Saeco Aroma (i think it's damn near the same or identical machine though?). For frothing with this, you need to trick it to steam with force and continually. What you are doing (leave it steaming until light goes off) is correct. However, at this exact point (light has gone off), you need to close the knob and wait for 10 seconds and then immediately start steaming. Keep surfing the surface of the milk until you've increased the milk volume by 1/3rd then let more steam pressure out and plunge the wand to get the milk rolling with (bit of technique needed here...) Keep going until the texture of the milk has changed as it should suddenly take on a creamy texture if it's blended well...


ok thanks

I got the longer steam wand that I got off ebay so now the tip is a lot bigger. Do I keep it just above the surface until the volume is increase and then dip it in all the way just above the bottom of the jug?


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## DaveS (Oct 26, 2011)

nekromantik said:


> ok thanks
> 
> I got the longer steam wand that I got off ebay so now the tip is a lot bigger. Do I keep it just above the surface until the volume is increase and then dip it in all the way just above the bottom of the jug?


Pretty much. Initally you'll be just touching the milk to create the foam. Since these machines are not too powerful it takes a while to do...







After, I don't think you need to dip the wand in too far though (maybe only 2 cm) I find tilting the jug generally helps. The action to get the milk rolling / swirling is important as this is then blending in the foam you've created. It seems to come with practice as to the sweet point though!


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## nekromantik (Nov 13, 2011)

yeah kinda wish I waited as about a month after I bought it the Gaggia Espresso Pure was £50 more only!

it has a 3 way valve and has higher wattage.


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## jimbow (Oct 13, 2011)

I wouldn't feel too disappointed - I think only the Classic and some models within the Baby range actually have 3 way solenoid valves. The only real differences I can see between the Cubika Plus and the Espresso Pure are the power of the boiler heating (950W vs 1100W) and the portafilter.


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## nekromantik (Nov 13, 2011)

jimbow said:


> I wouldn't feel too disappointed - I think only the Classic and some models within the Baby range actually have 3 way solenoid valves. The only real differences I can see between the Cubika Plus and the Espresso Pure are the power of the boiler heating (950W vs 1100W) and the portafilter.


ah right

The baby was around £80 more on offer.


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