It sounds like you have all the right stuff, with a Rocky grinder and good coffee. A few other things to double check is that your tamp pressure is good (30 lbs, you can test on a bathroom scale) and that your machine is adequately warmed up. I would say 20-30 minutes should do it. You can always run water through it a few times until the light goes on to get it warmed up faster.

I think focusing on espresso first is probably a good way to go. That way you can ensure you have the taste down and are consistent in your shots. One problem with working on the milk is that in the beginning it will take you 5 minutes or more to go through the process and your shots will be pretty stale. It might be better to just enjoy them immediately. These days, I can make a latte start to finish (minus warm up of course) in about 2 1/2 minutes, but it was much slower for me starting out.

I think the key is to not give up. When I had my lessons, the instructor said that a typical busy barista will make 120 drinks a day, so they get a lot of practice. We probably made 20 drinks in one night as we were learning. I only make 1-2 a day, maybe a few extra when friends are over, so it takes years before you have as much experience as a typical barista does in just one week. It took me a few weeks after the lessons before I was getting a decent microfoam.

Matt

Great to see you are still on here to help! Thank you for the quick response. Being new to espresso can be lonely. Ha. JK.

I’m using the Rancilio Rocky doserless grinder. Have it in position 7 right now. I think it might be coming out a little bit too quick still and getting just over 2oz in about 25 seconds.

I’m using brand new coffee from one of the best local cafes in San Francisco (Philz). I even asked them what coffee I should be using at home. Asked me a few questions and gave me the coffee they thought I would like the best. Medium roast, pretty smooth, so on…

I got a pretty nice/heavy tamp as well.

I’m not giving up. not even close : ) Going to try your method tonight and see how it goes. I’ll keep you updated.

One other thing I thought of today would be to spend some time not worrying about the milk part of this. Just focusing time on getting the espresso right, with the right crema, right amount/time so on… once I nail this down, then move to just focusing on steaming milk and getting the right foam. Maybe doing these indipendintly will allow me to focus a bit more and make sure each is “good” before doing both at the same time.

Interested to hear your thoughts on that approach.

Thanks again Matt!

I am still posting here, although not very frequently. Glad you found the post. I have a few questions for you. What kind of coffee and grinder do you use? One key I’ve found to good creamy espresso is you need fresh coffee. Try one of the local roasters in your area.

The grinder is very important as well, it needs to be consistent and able to get a fine enough grind to have a 20-25 second pull. My older burr grinder didn’t have enough settings to dial in the grind to get right at 22 seconds. I also upgraded to a nicer tamp, the one that came with the machine didn’t cover the entire portafilter, so I found a bigger one helped with consistency. But definitely the grinder and coffee are most important.

In terms of getting good microfoam, my biggest improvement was getting lessons from a local barista. No kidding, it was a birthday gift. It was a lot of fun, I got to bring three friends, use a professional machine, and it was worth the time, in my opinion. You could check with local coffee shops for lessons. If you happen to be in Chicago, try Ipsento.

Let me know how it goes tonight. Don’t give up on a good latte!

Matt

Not sure if you are still posting here or not but figured I would see if you can help a new Rancilio Silvia owner out. I literally just got the machine 3 days ago. I’ve watched every video and read everything possible on the web. Just having a hard time getting used to the machine, getting a good pull, and making good micro foam.

So my question is this. How long should the learning curve be here? I typically can learn these types of things quickly. Should I give it 1 week, 2 weeks, a month?? I’m not asking for perfection, but just some level of consistency in making a great latte.

I’m going to try your method tonight. Can’t wait!

Thanks so much for your help and time.

Scott

Not sure it’s helpful to anyone, but I formatted Matt’s instructions onto a single 8.5×11 for easy printing. Should make for a nice reference to throw in a kitchen drawer and grab when needed. http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2374782/making_the_perfect_latte_mattwright.pdf