Customer Reviews

Capresso 201.06 FrothXpress Automatic Milk Frother, Red

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

I still use the automatic frother when I am running a little late on a weekday morning, but not on weekends when I have time to do it right. It produces steamed milk and froth more conveniently than the steam attachment on my espresso machine, but the milk is rarely hot enough and there is not enough foam for me. Cleanup is very convenient. As the machine continues to produce steamed milk for several seconds after it is turned off it takes a bit of practice to avoid overfilling the cup when steaming directly into the cup. I use ut, but I would not miss it and would not replace it if I did not have it.

Someone told me about this frother, but she had not used one. I looked for reviews and was not entirely convinced by them. So I put the Capresso Froth Xpress on my Christmas list. I received a black one (wanted white but out of stock), have been using it for almost a week and I love it. All the things listed in the other reviews are true. I have not had difficulty with the temperature of the milk however, and we make mochas/lattes twice a day. My husband commented about so many little parts (there are 4), since you must assemble them and disassemble them each time to wash them, but I'm the one who does it.. and it literally takes seconds! I bought a little plastic mesh basket at the store for $1 and I just put them in it to drain-dry after use. My former frother/steamer was part of a coffee machine (not an espresso frother). It had only two parts but one had to be cleaned with a brush and the other was a milk tank which had to be cleaned with at least a sponge - it couldn't be simply rinsed out. Worst of all, the smaller part wore out twice a year and I needed to replace the entire tank assemblage. I bought the Capresso because DeLonghi no longer manufactures that assemblage!! My Capresso came with a parts replacement list and you can replace any small piece you need. Further, Capresso has a website with plenty of information. (I still think buying from Amazon is best though.. great price and reliable service.) The only thing I don't care about the Capresso is the Tupperware-like container that holds the milk to be frothed. It just seems too bulky to clean and use for only two people. But the machine comes with a small tube that can be placed directly into a carton of milk. I take that tube and place it a smaller container of milk. I've tried it in my stainless steel frothing cup (from my espresso machine days), in a regular coffee cup, and in a glass custard cup. All of these are easier for me than the Capresso container and take up less space, during use as well as while drying afterward. The custard cup works best... it holds exactly the amount of milk I use for the two of us. But any small container like a small bowl, measuring cup, etc. would work perfectly. It need not be heat resistant, since it will only hold the cold milk from your fridge. You need to experiment with the Capresso to see what works best for your situation, and to get to know how it works (especially since the steam continues after you release the steam button). Also, after frothing the milk, I fill another small container with water and flush out the frothing line before I disassemble and wash the parts. This is not the exact sequence for flushing the line as in the instructions, so be sure to read them. All in all, I am delighted with this little machine and much more satisfied than I expected to be. I hope my comments help you make your choice.

This frother works very well, and I was surprised because of problems with other similar products. It is an easy cleanup (a big concern) and it heats the milk quickly. You have to fiddle with the petcock to get the right mix of creamy froth and steamy froth, but in the end you will get what you want from this machine. N.B. I have not owned it long enough to know anything about its durability. A note to purchasers: you have to make certain that the sleeve that contacts the ring from whence the hot water comes must make FIRM CONTACT or the thing simply won't work. Just make sure each piece is seated properly and let the machine do the work.

I bought this item for my girlfriend. It worked fine for about two weeks, then stopped foaming the milk. She didn't tell me it stopped working until after the Amazon Return policy time-limit was exceeded, so I called Capresso, and the customer service rep told me to remove the steam nozzle (not the obviously removable parts, but the thingy inside that has the red gaskets)---it unscrews from the unit... after cleaning the nozzle, and replacing it and adjusting it in and out several twists the item works again.

I had high hopes for this one. At first it produced one good cup of frothy milk. Next time just hot milk and a mess. no matter what type of milk we tried or how we adjusted the nozzle, we just got hot watery milk.

I was just outside the amazon return period so contacted Capresso. Excellent support, so this review is not based on that, simply the product itself. They sent me a new base unit. same result so they sent me a new nozzle, same result. The thing just doesnt work. Poor design, time to go back to the drawing board!!!

Capresso won't refund me because I purchased it form Amazon. Amazon however after hearing the whole story refunded me despite the 2 moth time gsp...Amazon you ROCK!!

We're into our second unit. The first one lasted just a year. However, since our family enjoys the FrothXpress, we decided to spring for another one. Beats running out on cold nights to Starbucks, not that there's anything wrong with that...

Tips: Before use, squeeze the horizontal parts together and push the spout upwards. This prevents loss of pressure. Also, the easiest way to clean is just run fresh water through it, as you do milk. No need to disassemble to clean.

To begin with it may help you know my coffee making and drinking habits. I make my espresso using a stove top device (traditional), I use cafe Pilon coffee (after many trials this I find the best), I normally make the espresso the night before because as most coffee fans know cold coffee added to hot milk tastes far better. I drink about 3-8 cups per day.

I was initially disappointed that the button "broke" within a week of use, turns out this is a safety feature, if the tube the steamed milk comes out of is not pushed all the way up to the machine it disables the button. So back in action after a few minutes of troubleshooting, I will be suggesting to the comapny that they include this in their instructions or web site.

Temp vs froth, as is clearly stated in the manual and online the frothing doesn't produce much temparature and the steam doesn't produce much froth. So I find it best to heat half the milk to the desired temp. I easily got it to 140 degrees, but I prefer my drinks ready at 120, then move to full froth mode. Voila a perfect cup of hot and very frothy milk.

I did find some variation in the finished product, but cetainly less than with any cappuccino machine steamer I have owned, which has the additional headache of more intense cleaning, slower warm up time and as time goes by the fun of using needles etc to remove blockages (lime etc) from the tube which always seems to happen when running late.

I would suggest that those who gave such negative reviews be not too savvy on reading simple instructions and applying them to the real world, probably the same people who would call my tech support line before actually checking remote control batteries etc.

I asked for and received this machine for Christmas 2004. It is okay but not perfect. The assembly directions could have used a concordance. Once together, it seemed at first to only want to work for my husband who has no use for its product. Now I can get it going. It cleans up nicely and I've done soymilk as well as skim with good results. My biggest regret is that I can only fit a regular coffee cup beneath it; more often, I'd like to add the milk directly to a large mug of tea or coffee, or I'd like a large mug of hot milk period. I have to collect the steamed milk in something that fits beneath the nozzle then pour into the large mug, with some loss of froth action.

As for the leaking one of the other reviewers mentions: it's all a matter of how you snap the water reservoir in place. It's a little fussy.

I got this from another company recently and I absolutely LOVE it! It provides excellent froth for cappuccinos. I live in Italy (courtesy of the US Navy) and I am hopelessly addicted to my morning cappuccino! This machine makes it easier for me to have my "fix" at home. I have not tried it for hot chocolate, but for coffee, it's wonderful!

Best advice is to play with it on a weekend and learn its quirks. The small pieces are a little easy to lose, so find a good spot to keep those in as well. Once I got started with it, it was a breeze!

Really works, and works easily. It is easy to use and easy to clean. It only took three cups of cocoa to master the valve that controls temperature and froth. It does not splatter like my expresso frother -- nor have I burned myself (there are no exposed parts on which to burn yourself). A well-designed and welcome addition to my kitchen.