Customer Reviews

Bialetti Hot Chocolate Maker & Milk Frother

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Love Bialetti's new Hot Chocolate Maker!

I'm a big hot chocolate fan, and would have to say the best cocoa experience of my life was in Spain. The hot chocolate was much creamier and richer than anything I've tried here in the US. Not having a lot of time to stand over the stove and whisk milk and chocolate together, the time was right for me to get an electric Hot Chocolate Maker.

The benefits of this machine are that it can make just enough for myself or, when there's a crowd it make up to 32 ozs. You set the dial/timer to adjust how long you'd like to heat the cocoa (less time for smaller amounts, more for larger) and bam it's done. I really like that I don't need to stand over and watch the machine until its ready.

You can use regular cocoa powder mix or chocolate shavings/chips with this machine - I highly recommend using the real deal. I've been using some Ghiradelli Drinking Chocolate which makes a more intense chocolate drink.

Overall the Bialetti Hot Chocolate Maker was easy to use, easy to clean and gave great results.

I've been using this machine practically everyday (sometimes twice a day) for the last month. I use it mainly to make chai lattes in the mornings (to save money from going to SBucks). At night I sometimes use it for hot cocoa. The frother really does a great job and I get my lattes hot and steamed to perfection. I only gave it four stars because one day my latte ended up all over my counter and I still cannot figure out why (no cracks or anything). So I don't know if it was a malfunction or maybe the lid popped up for a few seconds when I wasn't looking. Bottom line: I would buy this exact machine again in a heart beat. At the price of my grande chai latte from SBucks (3.85), the machine has already paid for itself in the first month of use!

Update 08/2010
Well I had to reduce the rating from 4 to 3 stars as I had to stop using this machine about two months ago due to a number of things:
*Inside mechanism stopped spinning and would take two or three (or more) tries of me taking the pitcher off the stand and re-spinning the timer for it to turn on.
*When it would work, I would have to run it twice on the max amount of time to get my chai latte's hot enough
*Started to stain/smell of rotten milk despite continued soakings and washings (never put in dishwasher)
*Leaked a black tar-ish goo from the top of the base--maybe due to melting; I don't know.

I'm not sure if I would buy another one. This one was great at first and then went downhill after much use.

I recently got home from spending a good amount of time in Europe. I absolutely LOVE their drinking chocolate (I don't drink coffee) and decided to get a machine so I can still enjoy it here in the States.
I spent a lot of time reviewing many different machines from $25 to $150. The lower end machines' reviews were poor more often than not ending with problems after 1-2 months. The higher end machines seemed to be just as good as this one. I decided on this machine and LOVE it! The mixing function actually leaves a little froth at the end of the cycle so I haven't needed to use the frother yet. It was trail and error with timing for the first few cups but after that I get a perfect drinking cocoa every time!
The machine is high quality construction and components. The heating mechanism is really even and accurate. The mixing mechanism is really efficient. All of these things together make for an incredible machine.
I am really amazed and pleased. I have already recommended this machine to some other friends who love hot cocoa as much as I do. The price might seem a little bit steep but for me it is worth every penny! Hope this helps........

I've only had this for a month, but so far it is excellent. I love getting to try different variations of hot chocolate and milk "steamers". Just pour in the ingredients, turn the knob, walk away.

The shaved chocolate is by far the best; been using Trader Joe's Belgian dark chocolate. It melts completely and tastes so good. Also good for whipping up cold drinks, like malted milk, etc.

Great for making a quick cup in the morning, and the top is easy to clean (not immersible though).

I bought this for Xmas. Here are my observations after a few days of use:

PROS: Makes great hot chocolate - hot, creamy, frothy and does it quickly. This is an attractive appliance.

CONS: When making more than 2 cups at a time, the swirling frothing chocolate milk eventually swirls right out of the top of the carafe, making a mess - even though the lid is closed; so now I keep it to 2 or fewer cups at a time. As others have observed, the knob is bit harder to grip than you might first expect but I have not found that to be a big deal.

It's not perfect, but if you know its limits, you'll love the results.

Bialetti's Hot Chocolate Maker and Milk Foamer, 99$US.

PROS; Does EXACTLY what it say it does! In 2 minutes flat, this amazing machine will turn 4-6 oz of milk and 2-4 tblspns of Chocolate into a thick, heavily foamed, piping hot mixture of pure delight!

CONS; The machine has numerous design flaws, and must be treated with care and attention. The lid hinge appears to be permanently attached to the top of the device and gives one the feeling that it could break at any time. The top of the machine where the mixing gets done is made of plastic instead of glass (which would have been a nicer choice in my opinion), and gives one the feeling that it could very easily break and most certainly scratch unless handled with care. The main control knob can be extremely difficult to turn, especially with wet hands.

I knew NOTHING about drinking chocolate until a few months ago. I live in the North Eastern US, and we have been getting hammered with snow late in the season, and for some reason, out of nowhere, I developed a craving for hot Cocoa, went and picked up some Swiss Miss or some such from my grocery store. After sampling the watery mixture, I decided to see if Amazon had listings for a more gourmet version of the beverage, and after literally hours of reading, discovered that there was a wonderful drink out there, far superior to pre-packaged cocoa mixes called DRINKING CHOCOLATE! After hours of comparing the machines, the mixes, and reviews, I decided to buy this machine. I am extremely pleased with my purchase.

That being said, I must tell you that even more important than the machine, is the proper choice of chocolate. I purchased the Ghirardelli Chocolate Gift Set with Drinking Chocolate and Ceramic Mugs along with the machine, and it proved to be an very good choice. The mugs are demitasse sized, and the chocolate was exquisite. I was lucky in my choice, because having burned through the 12 ozs of the Ghirardellit product, I decided to follow some recommendations I saw online, and was sadly disappointed in my next Drinking Chocolate purchase, HOWEVER, this is the JOY of this machine; With some reading, you can enter into a world of MANY choices of chocolate, and proceed to find your own favorite, KNOWING it has been prepared PERFECTLY by this machine.

I have to go into some of the problems with the machine, because in some respects and for the price charged, the design flaws are almost ridiculous. I noticed the number one complaint with the machine is that it overflows and splashes out. I have to put this down to American users making HUGE batches of product in the machine, instead of the tiny serving sizes a properly made drinking chocolate demand. I noticed immediately that the mixer is graduated up to 32 ozs and this is only about half way up the side. Given the fury with which this machine mixes the beverage, I can easily someone, not using the machine for the purpose it was intended, making 2-3 American size servings of hot cocoa and ending up with an overflow. TO BE CLEAR; This machine can easily make a wonderful mug of hot cocoa, however, since it was designed to make DRINKING CHOCOLATE, a beverage containing large amounts of calories and fat, and intended to be consumed in small amounts, the user needs to be careful and above all, aware of the differences in beverage type.

I was very happy that the Ghirardelli Chocolate Gift Set with Drinking Chocolate and Ceramic Mugs that I purchased with the machine kind of informed me as to what an appropriate serving size is.

My experience with the machine has taught me VERY quickly that this machine DEMANDS great care in its use. Be prepared to deal with a lot of noise, vibration, and having to handle and clean the machine like you are handling a baby.

Having said all this, I must confess that when I got the machine, unpacked it, plugged it in and attached the top to the base, put in the agitator, added my milk and my fancy chocolate, turned the impossible knob to "2 minutes" and got over the amazing amount of fury that is immediately unleashed, I was HOOKED. The bottom of the top of the machine is coated in teflon, and the bottom of the top actually contains the heating element. The bottom part contains the motor and the power supply. What happens is the chocolate is melted almost instantly, and the rest of the mixing cycle is spent whipping the mixture. I found with some experimentation in proportions, I was able to produce a foam that was almost like a mousse without ever using the milk foamer attachment (which I have yet to use).

The long and the short of this all is, if you want to take a step into a wonderful realm of the most amazing hot beverage you may ever have in your life, do a little reading, be prepared to pamper the machine, pony up the 100$ + appx 25$ for a high quality chocolate, and come on over!

I was dying for my own frother for cappucino and finally found this one, which was not too expensive (and on sale). When I got it, I used it right away - couldn't wait. It froths wonderfully both cold and hot, melts and blends well both powdered or chocolate pieces.

Now for the negatives. It is rather large. The frother which is supposed to fit on top of the little mixer part did not fit right, and didn't go around, stayed in one place, but it worked. (Sometimes I pushed the tube around gently.) You cannot fill it up to the highest line to froth - it overflows. Still, I was quite pleased.I thoroughly enjoyed my coffee and chocolate froths.

But - a big but - it started to leak after about 5 months or less.I could deal with a little leak, but then it started to pour out of the bottom of the bowl. (It had nothing to do with the way I washed it; maybe I let the mixture sit too long in the bowl, but still, this should not happen.) I returned it to Williams-Sonoma where I had gotten it for a fifth of its price.

So, it is a very good machine, but be aware of its faults.

Well this morning, my second machine died. Bialetti replaced the last one in a few weeks, but that was maybe 4 months ago. The first one lasted about 7 or 8 months, this one was half that before the motor refused to turn (the same thing happened with the last one). You can spin it by hand, but turn the dial and the light comes on, but nothing else. I don't use it for hot cocoa very often, but it is nice to have the large capacity for when I have others over and can foam up lots of milk at once. Unfortunately, it looks like I will have to send this one back, though I'd rather get a credit from Bialetti and buy an aeroccino instead, even if I have to keep running it for each serving of cappuccino. I use it every morning to froth 8oz of milk, but burning out in 4 months is ridiculous. Luckily Bialetti has a 2 year warranty.

For what it's worth, they never asked for proof of purchase or anything the last time I sent it back, so at least they are good about returns, I just wish they chose better quality components for the price it commands.

Update 3-8-11:
Died again this morning. Reduced the rating to two stars as this is becoming ridiculous how often I have had this machine die on me. Exact same problem as every other time, turn the knob and the motor doesn't do anything. So now I have to pay another $15 or so to send it back and get another. So there goes my third machine. I have been using it about once a week on average since I got it replaced last time.

I was in NYC over Christmas and saw a demo of this machine while in Bloomingdales. The hot chocolate was the best I ever tasted so I was eager to own one of my own. I just received it as a gift from my husband and I JUST made our first batch. I was as good as I remember. I love it. I read a lot of the reviews and honestly I was anticipating some problems, but I experienced none.

Some of the problems I read about in other reviews:

difficulty turning the knob--in theory I can see how some people might have trouble with this. It's a bit hard to get a good grip on it, but it wasn't impossible. Not enough to NOT buy this machine, in my opinion. It's definitely do-able.

leaking--mine didn't leak at all. I was standing there just in case and it didn't even come close. I would say that I had about 3 1/2 cups of milk in there. Almost, but not quite, the 32 ounces that it holds. Perhaps if it was filled to the max the whirlpool motion might send it high enough to leak, but I didn't have this issue with the amount of milk I added.

hard to clean--this is completely false. If you clean it right after you use it you should have no trouble. I filled it with hot soapy water and scrubbed it out, taking care not to get the bottom (where the heating element/plug is) wet and I am satisfied that it's as clean as anything else in my kitchen. I supppose if you leave it and don't clean it right away it might need more elbow grease.

The *only* thing I was a little disappointed with was he lack of "recipes" in the manual. I'm not good in the kitchen with improvising with whatever ingredients I have, so I was hoping for more direction on how to make the best hot chocolate. I did experiment with what I had and I did have to tweak it a little, but the end product was delicious. So, the next time I try it, I will be more comfortable with just winging it.

Overall I am very pleased. I am glad we went with this particular model and am confident it will continue to impress. My mug of hot chocolate is waiting for me now, so I am off to enjoy it!

I bought this machine in feburary and it has already stopped frothing. It was the best when it worked( which was only three months) so for the last month it has just been heating the milk without any froth. I'm beginning to think bialetti doesn't make anything that will last even 6months.