INeedCoffee INeedCoffee monthly Caffeination Information
 
 

Home / Cafe Culture /

Hand Milk Frother Review

by Michael Allen Smith

It never ceases to amaze me the number of coffee related gadgets one can buy. The latest gizmo two co-workers told me about is a hand frother. A self-standing frother looks very similar to a french press. Its sole function is to make your milk froth. My first impression upon learning about his device was skeptical at best. For the purposes of this article, I went to the mall and purchased a FrothaMatic Frother by Bon Jour's French Cafe for $10 (US).

Testing It Out

Step 1 is to fill the frother with 1/3 cup of milk. If the beverage is to be served hot, they advise placing the carafe (without the lid and screen) into the microwave for 20 seconds. Either my microwave is extremely weak or you will need to heat for closer to 1 minute.

The Frother setup.

Making froth

Once the beverage is at your desired temperature, start frothing. This is done by placing the screen down and pumping the device for 15-20 seconds. That's all there is to it. You're done.

Testing the Beverages

In our tests we made one beverage with regular 2% milk and a second drink using organic soy milk. As expected the soy milk didn't have the volume of froth that the regular milk produced. The entire process was very quick and easy to clean up. The frother can be quickly cleaned my hand or a dishwasher.

I'm not going to lie to you. The froth produce by a decent espresso machine is superior to this tool. And part of me wonders if one couldn't just blow into a straw like a child to make "milk bubbles". But that wouldn't be too classy or sanitary when serving guests.

Finished latte wilth regular milk.

Finished latte wilth soy milk.

Ideal Customer

The ideal customer here is someone that likes a little froth, but doesn't want to deal with an espresso machine. I also learned that the frother on many cheaper espresso machines (those less than $100 US) may go bad rather quickly. Buying something like a FrothaMatic could save them from buying a new espresso machine. This product is perfect for those that like froth on non-espresso drinks such as Cafe Au Lait. The FrothaMatic would also be a good for portability. It's a lot easier to carry a frother to Thanksgiving dinner than lug your espresso machine and all it's components.

Hand Frother Vs Espresso Machine Frother Comparison

 Hand FrotherEspresso MachineComment
Froth xUnless your espresso machine is old or cheap, the better froth will come from the espresso machine.
Temperature
Control		 xAll microwaves are different, using a thermometer with an espresso machine is a better gauge of temperature.
Costx Even the cheapest espresso machine can't beat $10.
Speedx If you need froth fast, the hand frother doesn't need "primed".
Cleanupx Espresso machine doesn't fit well in dishwasher.
Portabilityx The frother is much lighter, uses less storage, and doesn't require electricity (although you will need to somehow heat the milk for hot beverages).
Summary: Picking a winner depends on what aspects are most important to you. If froth perfection is important stick with a good quality espresso machine. If not, consider getting a hand frother. Hell, it's only $10 US.

(UPDATE January 2001) Gary from the UK writes: You should check out the Aerolatte, a British device which I hear is coming to the states. Priced at about $20 it beats those pump action things (and steamers for that matter) hands down. Details are on www.aerolatte.com