Customer Reviews

Capresso frothPRO

5 star:		(213)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(19)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

I was worried to buy this because there were no reviews on it yet. I used it today for the first time and I could not be more happy with it. It says not to fill milk past the froth indicator line inside the pitcher, I know why now. It creates the most thick rich froth that you can imagine all the way to the top of the pitcher. After you pour the heated milk out (which by the way is heated to 150 degrees checked with thermometer)you will have to spoon out the froth because it is so thick. I gave it 5 stars because it does exactly what it describes it will do. The only thing negative that I could possibly say is that I do think that steamed milk and froth is sweeter in flavor than just heated milk and froth. I make caramel macchiatos at least twice a day for my wife and myself so we do a lot of frothing. This frother will make this super thick froth in around 2 min or so and then automatically shuts off - too cool. I wait till it shuts off and then hit the espresso button on our espresso machine and then pour the heated milk, add the espresso and top with that thick froth - decorate with the caramel and kick back. I thought at first this was going to be an expensive learning adventure but now I am very happy to have bought it. It also will make thick heated and frothed hot chocolate.

Who says you can't have it all? You can have your hot chocolate and your cappuccino too with this handy, convenient little machine. I'm no Einstein when it comes to operating appliances but this gadget is easy to operate and produces the most delicious hot and cold drinks you can imagine. The frothing mechanism is unbelievable. Now I can have my cappuccino without having to pay a king's ransom to Starbucks. In addition, it's easy to clean and that's a real plus in my book. Anyone who has ever had to deal with cleaning some of those razor sharp "jig-saw puzzle" pieces you see on a lot of appliances (my blender has been known to attack) will just love the safe, user friendly frothPRO parts.

And speaking of safety, there will be no burned lips and tongue with this little machine. It has three button settings and has the ability to control the temperature of your hot chocolate by just pushing the right hand button if you just want it WARM instead of HOT. Another plus is that you can froth your milk without the heat if ICED lattes are your drink of choice. Overall, this would be an excellent addition to your kitchen or a great gift for newlyweds who love cappuccino, latte or any hot or cold coffee drinks but can't afford those "Coffee house" prices.

Now that I've listed all the pros, let me add a couple of cons.

#1 - The machine is a little pricey at the sixty dollars.
($ 35 to $40 would be a much fairer price). The machine
is a simple mechanism and made in China so there can
be no excuse like "union wages" to justify the $60 price
tag.

#2 - The power cord could have been a little longer to provide
more options as to where it can be plugged in.

#3 - Be careful not to touch the BOTTOM of the milk pitcher
once you have heated your milk and removed it from
the heating base and DO NOT set it down on a laminate
surface (like formica) because that baby is really HOT
and can leave a burn mark.

For performance and ease of operation this product falls into the 4 to 5 star range. The pricing, etc. rate 2 ½ to 3 stars. Overall rating 3 ½ stars.

I am so happy I bought this machine! I have a DeLonghi espresso maker, and it makes great espresso, but the milk frother on my machine is a joke. In looking for a better milk frothing solution, I tried Aerolatte machines, but I wasn't satisfied with their weak results either. Luckily, I stumbled onto this device.

To be clear, I was seeking out very thick, creamy, meringue-like froth. My espresso machine and the Aerolatte made foam with bubbles far too large to support this type of froth, so I was skeptical when I saw that this machine advertised "meringue-like frother," yet works on pretty much the same principle as an Aerolatte frother. Nevertheless, I decided to try it out, and on its first run, it gave me exactly what I was looking for: mounds of soft, pillowy forthed milk that looked more like whipped cream or meringue. I was also left with just enough steamed milk at the bottom of the pitcher to make my cappuccino.

Making frothed milk with this machine couldn't be easier: add cold milk, put on the lid, and press a button. A few minutes later, the machine automatically shuts down when it's done. As I said, you're left with mounds of perfect frothed milk, and just enough steamed milk to finish your drink. The pitcher has a nonstick surface, so cleanup is pretty simple and doens't take much time.

My only complaint is that it's a bit difficult to remove the frothing disk from the bottom of the pitcher, and the instructions don't provide any guidance or tips. My technique is to reach down underneath the disk and just pry up one side until it pops off. The disk is quite firmly connected to the pitcher and is made of thin plastic, so it doesn't seem like the best design. Like a previous reviewer, I was initially scared that I might break the disk, but it hasn't happened yet, so maybe it's more rugged than it looks. There's a little tab that sticks up from the center of each disk--it looks like it's for gripping the disk, but I didn't have any luck removing it that way. Another complaint is that the disk-mounting assembly sticking up at the bottom center of the pitcher is like a little needle! I got a pretty bad poke when figuring out how to attach and remove the disks, and, again, I didn't see any warning in the instruction book.

Overall, however, these are very minor complaints, and I'm more than satisfied with this unit. It is a bit pricey for such a specialized machine, but if you'd otherwise be buying your coffee at a coffee shop, you'll make up the cost of the machine and then some in no time!

This frother was great while it worked... easy to use, great frothy milk, quiet.

After three months, it just stopped working. Their customer service department insisted I return the broken frother before they would send a replacement... understandable if this was an expensive coffee maker but much less customer-friendly for a less expensive appliance which broke so quickly.

I asked to speak to a manager to see if the policy could be waived (I'd return the broken frother in the box they sent, they could even charge me while I held both). Seemingly annoyed at being bothered, the manager practically berated me for asking and, literally, mocked my speech before unapologetically telling me "this is how it is".

My previous coffee maker was Capresso with which I had quality problems (returned twice) and I've also given two other Capresso products as gifts (this Frother and a coffee maker) which both subsequently broke. Clearly, I like their products but, more clearly, they have a big quality control problem.

With such quality problems and horrible customer service, I will no longer purchase Capresso products.

Bought this little marvel of an appliance at another store ( had a very attractive coupon to use ). Got home, plugged it in and in less than three minutes enjoyed the most exquisite home made latte ever. Erase the home made, plainly the best latte ever. The container is well made and washes in a breeze. Solid construction that I am sure will outlast those flimsy hand held frothers I have owned in the past, which invariably end up dying in less than a year of light use. You will have enough milk for two substantial lattes, to enjoy by yourself or with your significant other. If your budget allows, consider buying a couple extra to give to your best friends this Christmas. You'll be the talk of the town.

LOVE this frother!!!! I was concerned that it wouldn't whip up almond milk very well, but with the rave reviews, I decided to try it anyway. Well, it's a miracle--it works great. When I want my froth super thick, I just push the button a second time, but even the first time around is a nice froth. Worth every penny--I will be buying these to give for Christmas gifts!!!

Update 23OCT11: Many reviews state no froth; others say great froth. It all depends on the milk you use. I only drink almond milk and some brands don't froth at all (which concerns me--what's in there????) and then others froth great. The BEST is Whole Foods brand (365), Unsweetened, Organic Almond Milk--VERY thick froth--I don't waste my money on coffee shops anymore. This item has paid for itself over and over again.

So, I kind of feel like it's my duty to comment on this product (which I never do, by the way), because I bought it based upon the rave reviews this thing got. I used it one day and then took it back. The foam did look pretty, BUT the milk was just not hot enough. I actually thought I'd pressed the wrong button, but no. It was literally tempid. I tried hot chocolate using the hottest setting as well, and the chocolate didn't even melt completely. I'll give the benefit of the doubt: maybe it was defective, as I couldn't find any reviews complaining about the temperature. I didn't bother to exchange it because my gut feeling was that that was the hottest it was going to get, and didn't want to make a trip back to bed bath and beyond.

In addition to the heat issue, the cup was just not large enough as well. I don't want to have to heat two batches of milk: it kind of defeats the purpose of having something more convienent to heat and foam your milk in the morning. By the way, does anyone else find the levels on the inside of the cup difficult to see? In my 6am stupor, I had to get it right under the light to see it, and I have good eyesight.

In the end, I broke down and bought the 3 cup capacity Breville Frother from Williams Sooma, and completely love it! Pricey? Yes. Worth it? Yes. It actually allows you to add ingredients as it's running for other types of drinks, and has an actual dial where you can set it to the temp you want. Looks pretty on my counter too and I have the customer service from WS to back it up.

A couple of years ago I bought a Jura-Capresso Impressa E8 "super-automatic" coffee maker. It made wonderful coffee and I started using its steamer attachment to make foamed milk for lattes and cappuccinos, which my wife loved. But my results with the steamer were erratic, and I never was able to get the thick foam that I could from coffee bars. The Capresso frothPRO has changed all that.

When I was a kid I was intrigued by magnetic beaker stirrers in chemistry class. The frothPRO works on the same principle. A motor in the base turns a magnet which then pulls along the "frothing disc" that has its own magnet, stirring the liquid without a need for a shaft and seal. The frothPRO has a heater with two heat settings, plus an option to froth without heat. There are two frothing discs provided - one is pre-installed in the pitcher and the other is magnetically held in a recess in the bottom of the device. A third disc, that stirs gently without frothing, is in a second recess. I found it a bit tricky to remove the disc from the pitcher - I had to gently insert my fingers underneath and pry it up and unsnap it. I was worried the first time that I would break it, but I didn't and found it gets easier with future uses.

The froth made is thick and creamy, and it takes no longer than using the steamer attachment. It comes out much like at a coffee bar, with thick foam and some liquid underneath. I needed to use a spatula to spoon the foam out, and it stays foamy in the cup for quite some time.

The power cord can be wrapped around a recess in the base for a shorter cord, or unwrapped for longer. It was more than adequately long for my counter. The unit shuts off if you remove the pitcher, and won't turn on unless the pitcher is in place.

The manual suggests that there is a thermostat in the unit. It does, but when I, foolishly, ran the cycle a second time because I thought the milk had cooled, it boiled over and made a mess. Luckily it was not difficult to clean up, but it seemed to me that the cycle was timed rather than stopping when it reached a particular temperature. I could hear what sounded like a thermostat cycling on and off during the cycle.

The pitcher is lined with a nonstick coating that cleans easily. Replacement parts are available at reasonable costs. I presume that two frothing discs are provided because you might break the teeth on one of them inserting or removing it. So far, that has not happened to me.

The only downside to the Capresso frothPRO is that my wife and I are drinking even more lattes than we used to. We do use skim milk, which froths the best, but it feels so indulgent.

Need a froth maker as the steam wands on home automatic espresso machines I have gone through are all fairly weak and finally fail even though rest of the machine works fine. I want dense foam for that morning latte: able to pour through the delicate crema and float its fragrance to the top. For that afternoon or evening cappuccino, need lighter, fuller foam to sit on top of the brew.

My bases for comparison: after going through the cheaper frothers -- they make bubbles, not froth -- splurged on the Breville Forther - $129. (Could not be found on Amazon so had to go to another source.) Spendy but the Breville serves my aforementioned purposes just fine.

How would the Capresso measure up?

On results, just fine. Latte froth is almost identical. Cappuccino foam not quite as light or full as the Breville's (still a tad "liquidy") but certainly acceptable. Products of both machines do require a bit of swirling, tamping to knock down the several larger bubbles that usually form.

The Capresso does take about twice as long to reach "done." Breville finishes in the time it takes me to get two double shot latte cups ready to add the foam. Have not run a clock on it but Capresso does take a lot longer -- when needing that first sip at 6:00 a.m., minutes can seem like hours. In the evening, who cares.

And, generally, Capresso is much more lightly built. Plastic where the Breville has stainless steel. Disks look much more delicate on the Capresso. Capresso's pitcher is somewhat smaller in capacity but certainly handles froth for two drinks.

So, I expect Capresso will wear out sooner than the Breville. But, at half the price, if it lasts more than half as long, ....

Perfect pair for me: Breville for the heavy duty work at home; Capresso goes to the get-away place for occasional weekend service.

I rarely ever write product reviews, but since my husband and I deliberated over months on buying an espresso machine to recreate our cappuccino loving experiences in Italy. We had a budget of $1200 for an espresso machine and focused on fully automatics since we didn't want the mess of a pack your own machine. After reading review after review about customer service problems, machine problems, lousy milk frothing, etc, we just did not feel comfortable parting with that much money when no one seem totally happy with any particular brand. I happened upon a review of this machine that raved about the foam and thought, well heck, it'd be a lot cheaper! So we decided to run to Best Buy and grab one with a 20% off coupon. If it sucked, we'd bring it back. We came home and brewed a dark roast coffee in our Keurig, added the foam from the Capresso and WOW!! As tasty as the samples from the fully automatics we checked out at various places.

If the foam is your favorite part- this is an awesome way to go!