# Trouble with transition to Rancillo steam wand on Gaggia Classic



## bdt (Sep 13, 2011)

OK, I completed the mod from the standard steam wand on the Gaggia classic last week... easy enough.

Noticed immediately the apparent increase in power and thought, "This'll do the trick" but to be honest have actually been less satisfied with the results from the new wand than the old Gaggia one with black plastic thingy on it.

If I had any problem with the old wand it was that it produced too much thick, cappucino style foam and I'd have to spoon it off before pouring to reveal plenty of nice silky microfoam underneath.

With the Rancillo one though, it's heating the milk much more quickly and I'm getting very little foam on top but the milk underneath is more like the consistency of, well... milk. I've also noticed it's a hell of alot noisier than the standard wand - as mentioned by another poster before. Am sure it's fitted correctly but how much should I be changing my technique to get a better result?

Any thints/tips from more experienced users out there?


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## synthet1k (Dec 17, 2011)

Few tips on this video you might want to have a look at. I think your technique would have to be tweaked slightly with you now having what they call a proper steamer on your Gaggia. They show you the results using both, hope it helps in some way.


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## bdt (Sep 13, 2011)

Cheers. Very helpful video. Explained why I was getting too much foam with the Gaggia wand too.

One disadvantage of the Rancillo seems to be the angle it points at as, of course, her commercial machine gave her far more control over what angle she steams at but I was able to take the machine to the edge of the worktop and tilt the steamer back far enough to create a good vortex.


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## synthet1k (Dec 17, 2011)

Glad it helped. As she says an as I've been told by many people...practice practice practice when it comes to getting it right every time.


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## jimbow (Oct 13, 2011)

You can practice with water with a tiny drop of washing up liquid if you find you are getting through too much milk. Try searching on YouTube for Scott Rao Latte art - another useful video with lots of tips.


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