Cool thread,
I have a DeLonghi EC702 15-Bar-Pump Espresso Maker,
Welcome!
Quick questions for you masters of espresso:
I have a Pannarello wand on my machine (I think that is the name, see amz link)
1) How many would recommend to get a thermometer, I just remove now based on how hot is under the milk SS pitcher.
I am not a huge fan of white coffee, but I'll try to answer. I'm all about data and repeatable processes, and a thermometer is cheap (you may have one in your kitchen already, used for grilling meat or baking), so, at first, why not? Or, perhaps you have been frothing for many years and no longer need a thermometer. If you use a metal frothing pitcher, the general rule is to stop frothing when the pitcher gets uncomfortable in your hand. Milk scalds, as I recall, at 180 and starts to taste bad (proteins are breaking down) at 160. Be careful!
2) I don't drink reg milk, but when my fam comes visit they use cows milk, so which one is better to get properly frothed, 2%, fat free, or regular? I found the 2% wasn't giving me the best frothing when they came a few months back and was wondering if reg would be better. I use almond milk for my frothing and turns great and has better consistency for latte art, etc than the 2%. Is this an issue due to it being a Pannarello wand? The milk rolls and everything.
I have never tried to froth almond milk, so I can't help you there.
There are furious debates in some coffee forums about which type of milk is best. The real answer, I think, is: froth what you like. I had a wand like yours on a Gaggia machine once. It has little air holes in it that make frothing easier (not automatic, as some claim, just easier).
Whole milk will be more creamy tasting, but also has more calories, obviously.
Skim (non fat) milk is less creamy tasting, but has fewer calories, and is the better choice if you like a lot of foam.
A lot of people think 2% is a nice compromise between calories, amount of foam, and taste.
Here is a video I recalled seeing a while back. It's actually not that helpful, it's just cool to see all of the different types of milk lined up together.
Kurwenal, my friend, I am truly sorry to learn that your sense of taste (and smell) - and thus, your ability to enjoy a cup of ristretto - have been profoundly affected as a result of your treatment; this is a consequence that I would never have expected, or known about but for this thread. Actually, I am shocked
this is a serious form of deprivation.
However, I do think that the agonisingly beautiful picture of the (exquisite, desirable) La Marzocco machine should perhaps, compensate, a little - maybe just a little - for this. This ranks - almost - as a form of sadism, to offer further such temptation to me
..
Heh heh. I have been holding off on pictures so as not to promote temptation on the thread. So, here's a reason to dislike the GS/3: it is awfully, awfully heavy.
Thank you for your kinds words. The recovery overall goes well and I find my current ability to drink only one ristretto each morning more of a curiosity than an annoyance. As with so many things, time will tell. The year 2014, more than anything else, has been a lesson in what matters and what does not matter. Despite my love of and fascination for the bean, it sits comfortably on the "does not matter" side of life.
I have a similar ongoing reaction to wine. The wine cellar sits, unused. But, like an old friend, it will wait, patiently, for my return.
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PS: where's friend mobilehatthi been? Do you suppose he switched over to Diet Coke?
