Finally, I found the CoffeeGeek Milk Frothing Guide. I'll admit it made me remeniscent of my Quill Cutting Guide. Pictures and long explanations and all.
So I finally learned to start with the wand deep, turn it up to full, and then just surf the surface, no plunging, just that soft cha-cha-cha from the turmoil of the milk itself. I ended up, even with my little Mr. Coffee pump machine, with glossy, smooth, pourable foam and made gorgeous patterns in the darkness of the espresso. It was silky and smooth and made the espresso taste that much better.
Speaking of which, I'm not THAT happy with the Vivace blend. I'll admit that it doesn't help that the proprietor pretty much said that great espresso can't be made at altitude. I liked straight Brazilian Cerrado better, and Sweet Maria's Italian blend is still pretty good, and the Donkey blend satisfies those afternoon cravings quite nicely without keeping me awake at night. Mmmm... variety.
