In article >,
Richard Periut > wrote:

> Steam is not invisible; what comes out of a steam locomotive? Steam and
> vapor are interchangeable.

At the point that you see it, it's not steam. The white cloud is steam
that has cooled and condensed. At best, even if you say that steam and
water vapor are interchangeable, then both are invisible and the white
cloud that you see still isn't steam. As the quote from Argonne National
Laboratory stated: "Water vapor (steam) is colorless, and the gas that
is IMMEDIATELY outside of the kettle spout. The "cloud" or mist is water
vapor that has condensed into liquid. It often takes on a foggy
appearance." So, what you're seeing coming out of your espresso machine
still isn't steam: it's a cloud of *liquid* water.


> Main Entry: 1steam
> Pronunciation: 'stEm
> Function: noun
> Etymology: Middle English stem, from Old English stEam; akin to Dutch
> stoom steam
> 1 : a vapor arising from a heated substance
> 2 a : the invisible vapor into which water is converted when heated to
> the boiling point b : the mist formed by the condensation on cooling of
> water vapor
> 3 a : water vapor kept under pressure so as to supply energy for
> heating, cooking, or mechanical work; also : the power so generated b :
> active force : POWER, MOMENTUM <got there under his own steam> <sales
> began to pick up steam>; also : normal force <at full steam> c : pent-up
> emotional tension <needed to let off a little steam>
> 4 a : STEAMER 2a b : travel by or a trip in a steamer

Dictionaries list usage, not necessarily PROPER usage. Remember that
quote from Jesse Sheidlower (North American Editor of the
Oxford English Dictionary) that I posted? "Dictionaries, in general, do
not dictate usage: they reflect the usage that exists in the language."
People often call the white stuff coming out of locomotives "steam."
That doesn't mean that it *is* steam. People also call the white mist
that comes out of their mouths on a cold day, "steam." It isn't.

Besides, at best it's semantics. The underlying issue was: what was
coming out of your espresso machine. It wasn't water raised above the
boiling point.


> If you go back and read my post, you'll see I stated very hot water and
> steam. Usually the two go hand in hand. The Gaggia that I have is a 300
> buck machine. It produces quality expresso with a thick velvety crema.
> And as I told the op, I have observed what comes out of even more
> expensive commercial machines, and I see the same thing when I don't
> have any coffee in the output plate; very hot water and steam. BTW, my
> Gaggia has a relay and a pump.

I wasn't disputing the hot water part, just the steam. If your machine's
emitting steam into the portafilter, I think Gaggia would want to know
about that. Steam SHOULD come through the steam wand, not the
showerhead. And steam and hot water don't go hand in hand when the water
isn't hot enough to become steam.

Go over to alt.coffee and ask people there about making espresso with
steam. There are people there who sell and repair espresso machines;
they'll tell you (as they've reiterated time and time again) that steam
does not pass through the ground coffee.

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