Customer Reviews

Back to Basics CM300BR Cocoa-Latte Hot Drink Maker, Brushed Silver

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have had this product for 4 years now and use it at least once a week. I am a medical student and use it to froth hot chocolate or milk while I am studying. My favorite feature of this frother is that it will keep your beverage hot for as long as you need it to, and automatically refroth every 30 mins or so. This means that I can set it up at the beginning of a study session and my hot beverage refills are waiting for me every time I need a study break. I am an ex-coffee shop employee, and while the frothed milk is not quite as good as steamed milk, the convenience of having a machine to automatically froth and heat the milk for me when I don't have time to steam milk is well worth it.

This machine is great for company as well. Because of my coffee shop training my friends always expect cafe style beverages when they come by to visit. I run this machine simultaneously with my coffee machine, and espresso machine so that I can make any beverage my guests request quickly without getting stuck behind the steaming wand for the whole evening.

My best advice for keeping this machine functioning well is to make sure your guests know not to submerge the server (top part) in water (the base of the blending basin contains the heating apparatus).

After 4 years of consistent use my machine has started to slow down a little and I am currently purchasing a replacement so that I am ready to switch the machines out the second the first one gives out.

This is a great product! It mixes the milk (or water) with the coco mix so smoothly that it is like it was pre-mixed in the factory. It really does get it to the perfect temperature. Not too hot to burn your tongue or mouth, but not too cold to taste like chocolate milk. It is very fast, about three minutes. And it is very easy to clean. There is nothing bad about it at all! You can even make coffee with this machine. Simply pour in water, and instant coffee mix turn it on and whala, it is warm and mixed in minutes! Best product I have ever purchased! I would recomend anyone who wants to simplify the process of making ANY hot beverage. And if you have trouble stiring the milk/water and the coco/coffee powder togeather, well it is your lucky day becasue it comes out very smooth and blended. And for hot coco if you like it frothy, there is a special function that is easy to use to make it nice and frothy. And if plain style is your thing. Well leave the feature off and it is as non frothy as possible. It also saves time by mixing and heating at the same time in less than four minutes. If you like hot coco, coffee, or any other warm drink here is your product. And with the affordable price it is not that hard to get.

The only reason that I didn't give it a 5 is because it can be a hassle to clean. Whenever I use something that melts it always gets stuck to the bottom of the container. Besides that it's great

Though I only use this machine to make hot chocolate in the office, I found it to be a great machine. Like other reviews, the only issue is in the cleaning of the heating element at the bottom of the pitcher. It can be difficult to clean.

I purchased one of these offline, when looking for a new blender, and it wasn't until I got it home that I realized I had bought a smoothie-maker/food processor, as well! I was completely absorbed in comparing the blender capabilities against industry leaders like Osterman & Vita-Mix (which, coincidentally, did not rank at the top in Best Buy's magazine ratings - apparently the round bowl shape reduces its blending abilities).

Anyway, what a bargain! OMG, it was everything I wanted in a blender. My girlfriend at the time had a Vita-Mix, and after I chewed up its *hollow* pusher stick, I noticed an advantage to mine: B2B uses a solid-plastic pusher stick, so even if you do something dumb like using it with the lid off & the motor on (Hey, I said it was dumb! Don't look at me like that!), you won't totally ruin the stick - just make it ugly.

Downside - I grew so enamored of my blender's abilities, I decided it was invincible, and that's when I discovered a Vita-Mix advantage: VM has an overload sensor, that shuts down the motor when it overheats. I burned my darling little B2B blender motor up, trying to blend the overly-thick ingredients in a smoothie (before I added the liquids).

Again, if you don't do something STUPID with your blender, this one is well-made, and should really deliver a lot of bang for your buck.

Let's hope I am smarter with my next one!

You can read my review under discussions of this item.
They now are using a different seller for this product
who has re-worded the description in a more honest way,
although it does not tell you that it doesn't MAKE coffee or any
other drinks, it just heats and\or mixes them.

This is why I trust Amazon.
They corrected the lies by having a new distributer and I'm
awaiting my A to Z refund.