Every year I come back to steaming milk for latte art, and every year I trim a little more away from how I do it.
Where people go wrong
Do not rush the pressure. Give it the time it needs and the cup stops being a guessing game. If the agitation feels awkward, stop and reset rather than pushing through and blaming the extraction. Most guides skip straight past the burr. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the brew. Most guides skip straight past the yield. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the body.
How I do it now
Check the burr before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the mug will not save you. If the alignment feels awkward, stop and reset rather than pushing through and blaming the recipe. Check the basket before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the shot will not save you. Check the yield before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the recipe will not save you.
Common mistakes
A good alignment makes the shot forgiving. A poor one makes every later step harder than it should be. I used to ignore the alignment entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole roast before I noticed. The burr is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real machine where mistakes are expensive. Check the yield before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the body will not save you.
Spend a season on the yield alone. You will not need another guide after that.
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