Customer Reviews

Bialetti Cappuccino and Latte Set

5 star:		(99)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I could not resist trying this method of making espresso. You know you can spend alot trying to get a decent product and I have not been disappointed with the practically inexpensive Bialetti. The first attempt was successful and that told me this was for me....the bonus milk frother made more froth that an old steamer frother I used to have. There are a few tricks with the frother(1% milk by itself not so good but add some half and half to the milk and voile'). The milk mixture needs to be heated enough to coat the back of a spoon, pump it quickly and serve. Regarding the espresso maker itself....just don't add any more water than to that line..and oh don't open the lid to look at it until it is done or you will get sputter onto your stove top. To know when the espresso is done just listen you will know when it is done....very quick and yummm.

The Bialetti coffee set does exactly what it should - Makes perfect espresso or lattes and is as hassle free as coffee making can be. Buy some good espresso coffe like Lavazza or illy,fill up the lower resorvoir with water, put milk in the frother, put on stove and presto. A better cup of coffee than you get at any Starbucks, a fraction of the price and no long lines to deal with.

I made lattes the beary first day I got this and LOVED it. I think I ordered one as a gift for my friend almost immediately after finishing my drink. She loves it as much as I do:) We both wanted a stovetop milk frother and after doing some research, I went ahead and got this lovely set by Bialetti. I wanted to be sure it was awesome before getting it for my friend;p I believe we both used it at our Thanksgiving dinners and everyone loved the drinks too.

In about 7-8 minutes of turning on the stove and the espresso is done. The challenge for me was making the drink hot enough. This meant that I would have to heat up the milk several minutes (on a medium setting because I was afraid of burning the milk) prior to making the espresso. Another trick is to keep the cups hot with hot water before making the drinks. I read somewhere that a french press can be used to froth milk but I wouldn't risk doing it in glass with metal mesh. There are a few other frothers I have seen with this type of construction. This Bialetti frother pot is nonstick and not only is the mesh in a plastic disk, it actually has a double disk, which I think really adds to the frothing. I've done a lot of looking around at various milk frothers in various stores and no other frother has a double disk pump. If you add sugar to the latte, it's best to add it to the espresso before the milk or else it'll just sit on top of the foam. I love hazelnut so I bought a flavoring syrup (which I stir in with the espresso before adding the milk) and it's AWESOME. I also like to add a little cocoa powder on top;)

I'm a pretty "average" coffee drinker; I'm not so into it that I'm going to be roasting my own beans anytime soon. On the other hand, I've also had my share of watered down and bitter tasting sludge water once in a while from national chains as well and I can appreciate a good cup of coffee.

This little device seems like a good middle ground. Not so steep in price that you feel like you need to be a coffee snob to really appreciate it, and yet it produces an above average cup of cappuccino. You can certainly spend a lot more on a coffee preparation device, but there's no guarantee that you're going to get results that really justify the extra cost.

Compared to some devices I've used in the past, I would list the key pros of this one as:

1. Very easy to clean. The frothing cup has a non-stick coating and it's easy to rinse out. The percolator is pretty easy to assemble/disassemble once it's cool. All the parts are easy to remove and rinse clean. The coffee grinds are very easy to remove as well (one of my main concerns).

2. The frothing cup works GREAT. I was a bit tepid to try it out with some organic skim milk, but it worked out great! I set about 3/4 cup of milk over very low heat until I saw a bit of steam coming off the cup and put the plunger over it and within 10-15 pumps, I had a nice, thick, frothy mixture (even with skim milk!).

3. Paired with some Illy coffee, the coffee came out very, very well. Perhaps the best coffee I've had in quite a while. No bitterness and, to my surprise, even with the fine grind of the beans, the coffee was pretty much free of grinds.

4. To my surprise, I was able to get a bit of crema! Yes, it's possible even with this relatively cheap device (there are a few videos on Youtube demonstrating this).

A few things held this combo back from being a 5 star product:

1. The directions are TERRIBLE. No suggestions on the amount of grinds to use (yes, to some degree, this is really dependent on your personal taste, but at least give me a baseline!). There's also no suggestion on the grind to use either (I ended up using a fine grind Illy). There's no measuring cup and at least on mine, there were no water level markers on the inside of the percolator. I ended up filling it about 3/4 of the way to the valve. As for grinds, I ended up using a bit more than 2 tablespoons and it seemed to work out well for me.

2. Unless you're standing next to the thing the whole time, there's really no way of telling when it's done; you really have to kind of stand there and watch it. With enough usage, I assume that you'll get the time down, but it would be nice if had some mechanism to alert you when it's done.

3. At least on my gas stove, it takes a while to heat up. Compared to a drip machine or other electric percolators I've used in the past, this device does take a bit more time since you can't really use high heat on your stove (unless you have an electric one). Since the base is rather small, you have to use it over a smaller burner and even then, you may have to use a rather low heat setting. All of this means that it takes a while for it to heat up. While this might contribute to a better tasting coffee, it also means more time.

All in all, I think it was well worth the $40 some dollars I paid for it. It's a great weekend companion; it's very satisfying to wake up on a lazy Sunday morning and make a cup of cappuccino for the wife and I and sit back and relax, without having to get dressed and rush out into the cold winter air. It's probably not ideal for every day use as it is a bit more time consuming and there is a bit more cleanup involved compared to a paper filter drip machine. But then again, if your working life is busy and hectic, it might be just the thing you need to slow down for a moment and enjoy a hot cup of cappuccino!

I received by Bialetti expresso maker and milk frother yesterday and was anxious to try it for breakfast this morning. I followed directions as they were printed and my epresso, even with just whole bean breakfast coffee that I ground, was delightfully pleasant. Now for the milk frother. I made a second pot of expresso this time excited about making cappuchino. The directions said to heat the milk and when hot find a flat surface, place the top on and shake. Well that's what I did and was really disappointed in the results-- very little foam. I tried a second time , using half and half and PUMPING not SHAKING the frother(which is what the directions intended to mean) WOW! I got a huge amount of foam to pour onto my expresso. It was just fantastic and if I closed my eyes I had memories of sipping cappuchino in an outdoor cafe on the Piazza Navona. What a great treat for a small investment.

I love buying Starbucks lattes, but I don't like spending 5 bucks for a cup of coffee, so I decided I wanted to buy an espresso machine. However, all of the "real" espresso machines, whether they are pump or steam driven, are super expensive. The ones that were reasonable priced had either bad or inconsistent reviews. With one exception: The bialetti moka express had amazing reviews and was a really great price. So after a lot of investigation, I opted for the Bialetti Cappuccino and Latte Set. I made my first latte today, and here's what I have to say:

1. It's easy to use. Follow the directions on the coffee tin to figure out how much to use. In order to make one drink for myself, I used one heaping tablespoon of Illy espresso and 5 oz of water. Put the water in the bottom, the coffee (not pressed) in the filter part, screwed it on and set on the stove (medium heat). Wait until it stops gurgling, and the coffee is done.

2. The milk frother is great. Start heating it up before you begin making the coffee because it takes a while to warm the milk. Once its done, take it off the burner, place the lid on, and pump it a few times. The milk was thick and frothy.

3. I poured the "espresso" in the cup, added the milk, and voila! Sure, it's not "true" espresso because there is no crema, but to me it tastes just as good as Starbucks and was a fraction of the cost of an espresso machine. I'm sure I'll be saving money in no time. I plan to buy some vanilla syrup and enjoy many lattes, capuccinos, and steamers.

4. To clean, wait until the pot cools, then rinse everything out with water and dry by hand.

I reccomend this set to anyone who wants to make lattes at home. I am very happy with my purchase.

I got this for Christmas. The day after, I made my first latte. It turned out great. The directions were clear, the espresso maker and foamer are easy to use. (Though the foamer directions say 'shake' but I think they mean 'pump' because that's what worked. Poor translation from Italian, perhaps?)

I got 3 good sized lattes out of one batch. I could probably have made 4 smaller ones. I've printed out a few latte recipes and look forward to trying them.

I wanted this set because most of the cappuccino machines in my price range did not get consistently good reviews. This set is a great price, simple to use and has few breakable parts.

I'm very happy with it.

Pining away from my beloved lost espresso maker from 7 years ago, I tentatively put this one on my wish list, hoping that it could do justice to my fond memories of the lost love.
It surpassed my expectations! The espresso is thick and chocolaty, and the froth is dreamy and creamy.
It took me a few times to perfect it, as the instructions were quite poorly translated (see previous reviews). C'mon people, don't you know an English-speaking person who can proof-read before you send your instructions out internationally???
Anyway, you will not be disappointed. I indeed kept peeking while the espresso was brewing to see if it was done. Have confidence: when it is done, the boiling sound emanating from the bottom stops. You don't have to peek, just listen.
As for the creamer, you do need to warm up the milk first a bit, and you really should use half-and-half to get the cream. Otherwise, you get some cream on top and liquid on the bottom. Also, once you pump the milk, let it settle for about 30 seconds before opening it, because the foam settles and condenses.
Mocha Idea: melt 3-4 tablespoons of chocolate in the microwave at medium power for about 2 minutes or until the chocolate gets a bit melty and shiny. Pour the hot espresso on top and stir until chocolate dissolves. Add froth. For an added touch, sprinkle some cocoa mix on top.
¡Disfrute de!

I am always skeptical of reading reviews from those who immediately use the product and write a review, so I waited a few months to give my review. I have made my daily cappuccino with this set and must say they are the best I have ever made.

I intentionally purchased this set because it included the Latte maker (frother). I've use many other coffee/cappuccino makers and grew tired of the frother being an emotional time bomb...that usually never went off. This hand frother works perfectly and you can control the amount of froth. I even used it to make homemade cream for my daughters hot cocoa!! Since I'm very particular about my cappuccinos, I heat the milk up first (I use vanilla soy milk for added flavor and soy protein :). I just pour the milk in a glass cup and microwave before pouring it in the frother. Sure, it takes an extra 90 seconds to heat and an extra glass to wash...but like I've said...perfect froth!! It's well worth the extra 90 seconds.

As for the cappuccino maker. You must follow the directions percisely, especially the cleaning part. I've read a reveiw where their maker exploded on the stove. I think this is because they did not turn the little piston/screw on the side of the maker EVERY time cleaned. You must turn it each time to make sure there is no mineral buildup that may jam it. This is essential...if it is not cleaned and it gets jammed from minerals, your coffee "could" explode. What this piston does is it releases the pressure from the maker in case the pressure is too high. You may never need it, but if you do, it's a matter of simple release or exploding. Depending on what type of water you have where you live (hard or soft) is how much mineral deposits you may see on your coffee maker.

It's been about 3 months since I've purchased this and I've used it daily. I plan on purchasing a larger size, but am still VERY glad I purchased this size first...the latte frother was well worth it. My friends are amazed when they come over and I make them a perfect cup of cappuccino!!

The weak link in this system is the operator. It can make *great* espresso and stiff frothed milk (even skim) but "timing is everything." At first I enjoyed the process -- kinda like the Japanese Tea Ceremony. But when you just want a latte to open your eyes while you're mutitasking, getting ready for work, a more automatic system is much better for me. I can't fault the system for my weaknesses, and it is *much* better than the $30 throw-away Mr. Coffee chinese made machines. Overall I like it and haven't thought about replacing it. When I finally melt the aluminum parts or burn the teflon off the frother, I'll probably buy a capsule espresso system.
If you're retired I'd give this 5 stars; if you're working, 3 stars.