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75 of 79 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hot Chocolate, Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, February 25, 2006
This review is from: Back to Basics CM300BR Cocoa-Latte Chrome 32-Ounce Hot-Drink Maker (Kitchen)
I love a hot chocolate at the end of a cold day, but usually it is chore to make and when using instant mixes, it didn't always come out quite right. But this little wonder fixes all of that.
You can use water or milk, add additional flavors (a touch of vanilla is my favorite) and let it mix and heat it for you. Now some have said this device was not hot enougth, but my tongue would disagree with that. I love the fact it will froth it up for you as you dispense it (a little extra sugar will make extra froth). Cleaning is no problem, as long as you clean it as you use it. Yes, if you wait till tomorow to clean it, you will need to scrub a little, but if you do it when you are done, no problem. Just run soapy water thru it and wipe away any choclate reisdue.
I have yet to try out other drinks with it, I don't like coffee and will wait for summer to try out the teas, but I expect it will be just as good.
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36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not just for hot chocolate, December 21, 2006
This review is from: Back to Basics CM300BR Cocoa-Latte Chrome 32-Ounce Hot-Drink Maker (Kitchen)
My sister has a habit of buying me kitchen gadgets as gifts that when I first open them I'm skeptical, but after using it for a while I'm a fan. It was that way with the "Back to Basics CM300BR Cocoa-Latte Hot Drink Maker." When I saw it I said to myself, "How often am I going to make hot chocolate that I needed a dedicated device?" After all, you put milk in a saucepan, add some ingredients, heat it up and you're done. Oh, but I didn't realize what lay in store for me.
First, as a hot chocolate maker, it's a real joy. Add the milk and the ingredients--either a mix or whatever recipe you like--and turn it on. Now walk away. That's it. For the next few minutes, the machine will get to work mixing the ingredients thoroughly and bringing it up to the perfect temperature--not too hot, but tepid. In this case it's about 180 degrees. When it hits that mark, the machine stops automatically.
That's key because when you make hot chocolate on the stovetop, you have to keep an eagle-eye on the milk. If you turn your back for a moment, you have the dreaded boil over and a big mess to clean up. But with the Cocoa Maker--to steal an informercial slogan--you just set it and forget it. When it's done heating the cocoa, you place your mug under the spigot, press the dispense button and let it fill your mug. The button spins the mixer blade but leaves the heating element off and froths up the cocoa for you.
Of course, it doesn't just make cocoa. Now, I'm not sure about the latte bit--I think I'd still prefer a cappuccino machine for that--but it makes great hot spiced cider, mulled wine, or other hot drinks. You can also heat up chicken or beef broth. When you're making risotto you need to keep a pot of hot stock nearby to incorporate into the rice. Keep the cocoa maker full of broth and keep turning it on every few minutes and you can dispense hot broth right into your saute pan or a ladle.
The mixing vessel detaches from the base for clean up, just remember to close the spigot before you start pouring in ingredients the next time you use it. I can't tell you how many times I've ended up with puddles of milk coming out the front of the machine.
[...]especially if you're not hot cocoa fans like us, but if you are or if you can imagine using it for other uses as well, I recommend it.
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84 of 93 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Convenient - but very badly designed, February 19, 2005
This review is from: Back to Basics CM300BR Cocoa-Latte Chrome 32-Ounce Hot-Drink Maker (Kitchen)
Being one of those people who don't understand the popularity of coffee (how can anything that smells that good, taste that bad?), I'm a regular cocoa drinker. I was enthused about this product, since I like to make my own flavor blends, and the microwave just doesn't do a very good job.
While this machine does a good job of heating and mixing, it's design flaws are numerous. Some of them are small, but they all add up.
- The pitcher part has the mixing and heating base built into it, so it cannot be dishwashered, or even immersed for proper washing. For something that regularly has hot milk in it, this is a big sanitary issue. I end up just filling mine with bleach-water when I'm not using it.
- After two months of use, the teflon at the bottom of the pitcher is flaking off.
- Also, after two months of use, the On button is becoming flaky, and has to be pushed in and to the left to get it to engage. Sometimes it doesn't work at all.
- The pour spout for the pitcher is directly over the dispenser nozzle, instead of to the side. The dispenser is in the way when trying to pour cups.
- And, here's one that just amazes me: The lid has two long tabs that run down the inside of the pitcher to keep it in place. When the mixer is running, the liquid level rises because of the whirlpool effect. If the liquid touches these tabs, it will wick up and out of the pitcher, and all over the counter!
- Also, the cord is only just over two feet long, so you'd better have an outlet right where you want to use it.
Any one of these would have been annoying but forgivable, but they add up to a very poorly designed appliance that I cannot recommend.
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