Brew Tip: Steaming on the Saeco Odea Giro sans Panarello

Added to the majority of smaller single boiler semi-automatic and superautomatic espresso machines on the market, a panarello has the benefit of incorporating both air and steam into the milk during the frothing process, enabling even the most green home barista to produce a nice, frothy milk for lattes and cappuccinos. And while it's true that it does enhance a machine's frothing functionality -- especially when you're working with a smaller boiler or a thermoblock -- the ability to control the end product is very limited: If you're not looking to produce a dry cappuccino, the foam can sometimes be a bit too, well, frothy. For those that want to employ some actual stretching-the-milk skill to their drink creation on the Odea Giro, we thought we'd experiment with removing the panarello to see how well it works out. Sometimes, wands without the panarello end up being too short and, therefore, make the process even more difficult. Watch as Gail demonstrates this simple mod and shows how well it performs in this demonstration video.