Why Your Rocket Steam Wand is NOT Frothing Well? Here’s How to Fix It

Do you know why your rocket steam wand isn’t frothing well? 

The other day I was making a cappuccino and realised there was a problem with the rocket steam wand; luckily, I managed to froth and make enough foam for my cappuccino but I could see that the problem was still there. For this reason, I went online and did research and found some interesting things that are worth sharing with you. Stick around, in this article I go over all the possible reasons why your rocket steam ISN’T working properly and share a bunch of tips along the way.

Let’s dive in.

Why is your rocket steam wand not frothing? 

One of the main reasons that your steam wand isn’t frothing is that isn’t drawing in enough air. It’s vital to turn the wand on and let it force steam out for a few seconds until it’s hot enough and ready for frothing. Once it’s hot enough for you (and still on), submerge it under the milk to froth.

7 reasons why your steam isn’t frothing 

Let’s go over 5 reasons why your steam isn’t frothing properly. 

1. The wand is in too deep

First off, ensure that the wand is fully submerged, otherwise, you’ll be spilling milk all over the place. 

It’s also important to not let the wand touch the bottom of your jug; it forces the wand to work harder to froth your milk. Ideally, you need to keep the wand 1-2 inches higher from the bottom of the jug to allow the wand to froth the milk properly.

Another tip is to hold the jug at around 45°, this helps the wand to froth the milk more evenly and make smooth frothed milk full of tiny bubbles that really elevate your coffee.

2. Make sure the wand is fully open

This is a simple thing to remember but it’s key to frothing milk.

Simply open the wand and let hot steam come out for about 5 seconds. This way, you allow the wand to reach the right temperature which is 65°C (140°F) to froth milk the right way. It also helps your wand to remove milk residue that might have been stuck in it and clog it. A great rule of thumb is to hold a napkin or cloth and try to touch the wand (only holding the napkin or cloth) for milliseconds (avoid injuries at any cost, the touch should be very very quick) and see if the wand is hot and ready for frothing).

It’s also important to mention that each coffee machine brand is built differently, meaning that you need to experiment a little bit and see how long it takes for your wand to be ready for frothing. For example, it might be a bit longer than 5 seconds (but DON’T touch the wand longer than a millisecond and DON’T touch it without holding a cloth or napkin).

3. Use enough milk for frothing

It’s key to use enough milk for frothing.

But how much is enough milk for frothing? 

A great rule of thumb is to fill 1/3 of your wand with milk. This way you make it easy for the wand to have enough milk to froth and give smooth frothed milk you can use for your cappuccino, latte or macchiato. 

Stick to this rule, especially if you’re a beginner. After practising frothing regularly, you’ll be able to know exactly how much milk you need each time for frothing. 

4. Avoid resuing frothed milk         

Some do it cause they might have frothed more milk than was needed last time. 

In general, it’s wise to avoid it because your wand will start making loud noises and what happens to the milk is its proteins break down, meaning that if you add it to your espresso, the odds are that it will spoil its taste. 

It’s key to always use fresh and preferably cold milk (kept in the fridge) for better results. 

5. Always clean your wand after frothing       

This a simple tip that many coffee lovers often overlook.

I can’t stretch the importance of cleaning your wand each time you froth. Because milk is rich in protein and magnesium, milk residue is quickly built up on the inside and as a result, the wand will struggle to froth milk. 

The best thing to do is use a swab (you can buy it online) to clean the inside and remove the milk residue. Also, use a wet cloth to clean the surface of the wand. If you don’t clean its surface, burnt milk stuck on it might spoil the taste of your next coffee. 

If you want to clean the wand thoroughly, you can always disassemble, dismantle all the parts and put them in a container with hot water and white vinegar for a couple of hours. Then you can wash them with washing-up liquid, let them dry properly and put them back on your espresso machine.     

6. Low pressure  

This can happen for different reasons.

One of the reasons is the water level. If you have forgotten to add water to the tank, put some more before frothing. As you might have guessed you need water in the tank for brewing and also for frothing since the wand brings out steam. 

Another reason might be the pressure valve might be turned down so it doesn’t allow your wand to work to its full capacity. 

To change the pressure level of your wand, go and check the manual booklet that typically comes with every espresso machine. It will show you how to make the changes needed step by step. 

7. Make sure the pump is working properly

This can be another reason why you can’t froth proper good milk.

What’s the role of the pump in an espresso machine?

Practically, what a pump does is help the water sitting in the tank move into where the coffee grounds are to brew coffee. Obviously, if this part of your espresso machine isn’t working properly, the wand will malfunction. 

If you’re unsure how to check if the pump of your machine is working fine, hire a specialist to test it and found out.                                                         

Let’s wrap it up 

Do you know now why your rocket steam isn’t frothing? I’m convinced, after reading this article you can’t wait to brew espresso and froth milk for a nice cappuccino or latte. Go ahead and treat yourself, your family, and your friends. Have a read about whether you can froth soy milk.

FAQ

Do you have a burning question on the topic? Let’s go over some of the most common ones.

How do you clean a steam wand rocket?

Cleaning your wand is very important. I go into detail further up on how to clean it in order to froth better.

How do you clean a clogged steam wand?

The best way to clean a clogged steam wand is to disassemble the wand and put it in hot water for some time. This way you’ll be able to clean the wand and remove all the milk residue.

Should you purge the steam wand?

By purging the steam you make sure that residual water blocked inside the wand doesn’t end up in the milk as it might spoil the taste of your coffee. After you’re done with steaming turn the wand on to let the water in it come out.