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Customer Review
Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2019
I love making mochas and cappuccinos with my new Breville Milk Frother. So much so, I was inspired to make an over the top video of it with a cinematic soundtrack. LOL!
Review
We have a decent espresso machine with a built in steamer for frothing and heating milk. While relatively easy to use, it is a pain to clean the steam wand as milk can sometimes leave a thick residue on it.
Past Efforts
Because of that, we originally bought a separate steamer, the Capresso FrothXpress. The FrothXpress used actual steam to froth and heat the milk. It gave us years of great service. But after a while, the milk wasn't getting hot enough and it finally stopped working. I would have bought another FrothXpress, but Capresso discontinued making them. After that we tried a number of portable handheld frothing wands, all of which eventually failed. Also tried both glass and stainless steel manual frothers, but could never get the consistency right with either. I even tried the shaking milk in a Mason Jar method, but that got old really quick with inconsistent results as well.
We also bought a less expensive electric frother from Vivreal, which worked well until we accidentally broke it. Since we used that frother a few times a day, we decided to make the investment and upgrade to the higher capacity but more expensive one from Breville.
Steam vs. Whisk
Some nice things about the Breville frother is that it is easy to use, quick to clean up, and produces consistent results. Just to be clear, these types of frothers do not use steam to heat and froth the milk, like the FrothXpress or what you would find on a traditional espresso machine. These frothers use a spinning whisk attachment to create the tiny bubbles that make froth. One big advantage with using a whisk attachment over steam is if you want cold frothed milk. This frother also uses a heating element built into the base to heat the milk. With a steamer, you only get hot milk. One of the biggest advantages of the Breville over the Vivreal and less expensive options is the variable temperature control on the Breville. My sons and wife like their milk at around 130 degrees while I prefer mine at around 145-150 degrees.
Operation
Using this frother is very quick and easy. First, you need to determine if you want frothed milk or just heated milk with a very slight froth. For frothed milk, you use the whisk attachment and for heated milk, you use the stirring one. Once you determine the milk style, put the appropriate attachment in the container. Pour in the desired amount between ~6oz to 25oz depending on style. Set the temperature and then push the Start/Stop button. The frother will beep and start frothing. When done, it will beep twice and stop. It sounds like there is a small fan in the frother that will continue a bit.
Clean-up
The Breville jug is made of stainless steel throughout, cleans up easily and is dishwasher safe. The Vivreal has a nonstick coating and electronic components in the container and not dishwasher safe. Both have small whisk attachments that can be easily misplaced if not careful with them.
Final Thoughts
I originally wanted an actual stand alone steamer like the Capresso FrothXpress, but couldn't find any. So I tried other frothing alternatives with less than desirable results until coming across these electric whisk type frothers. We had a less expensive smaller capacity frother until we broke it accidentally. We decided to upgrade to the Breville since we used the frother several times a day. I’m glad we did since the extra capacity and variable temperature control are definitely worth it to us. So 5 out 5 stars from me. I hope you found this review helpful.
PROS:
Easy to use, just pour in the milk and push the button
Quick to clean up and dishwasher safe
Large capacity container
Adjustable temperature control
Consistent results
Can make cold frothed milk
CONS:
A bit pricey
Small whisk attachments can be easily misplaced
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Review
We have a decent espresso machine with a built in steamer for frothing and heating milk. While relatively easy to use, it is a pain to clean the steam wand as milk can sometimes leave a thick residue on it.
Past Efforts
Because of that, we originally bought a separate steamer, the Capresso FrothXpress. The FrothXpress used actual steam to froth and heat the milk. It gave us years of great service. But after a while, the milk wasn't getting hot enough and it finally stopped working. I would have bought another FrothXpress, but Capresso discontinued making them. After that we tried a number of portable handheld frothing wands, all of which eventually failed. Also tried both glass and stainless steel manual frothers, but could never get the consistency right with either. I even tried the shaking milk in a Mason Jar method, but that got old really quick with inconsistent results as well.
We also bought a less expensive electric frother from Vivreal, which worked well until we accidentally broke it. Since we used that frother a few times a day, we decided to make the investment and upgrade to the higher capacity but more expensive one from Breville.
Steam vs. Whisk
Some nice things about the Breville frother is that it is easy to use, quick to clean up, and produces consistent results. Just to be clear, these types of frothers do not use steam to heat and froth the milk, like the FrothXpress or what you would find on a traditional espresso machine. These frothers use a spinning whisk attachment to create the tiny bubbles that make froth. One big advantage with using a whisk attachment over steam is if you want cold frothed milk. This frother also uses a heating element built into the base to heat the milk. With a steamer, you only get hot milk. One of the biggest advantages of the Breville over the Vivreal and less expensive options is the variable temperature control on the Breville. My sons and wife like their milk at around 130 degrees while I prefer mine at around 145-150 degrees.
Operation
Using this frother is very quick and easy. First, you need to determine if you want frothed milk or just heated milk with a very slight froth. For frothed milk, you use the whisk attachment and for heated milk, you use the stirring one. Once you determine the milk style, put the appropriate attachment in the container. Pour in the desired amount between ~6oz to 25oz depending on style. Set the temperature and then push the Start/Stop button. The frother will beep and start frothing. When done, it will beep twice and stop. It sounds like there is a small fan in the frother that will continue a bit.
Clean-up
The Breville jug is made of stainless steel throughout, cleans up easily and is dishwasher safe. The Vivreal has a nonstick coating and electronic components in the container and not dishwasher safe. Both have small whisk attachments that can be easily misplaced if not careful with them.
Final Thoughts
I originally wanted an actual stand alone steamer like the Capresso FrothXpress, but couldn't find any. So I tried other frothing alternatives with less than desirable results until coming across these electric whisk type frothers. We had a less expensive smaller capacity frother until we broke it accidentally. We decided to upgrade to the Breville since we used the frother several times a day. I’m glad we did since the extra capacity and variable temperature control are definitely worth it to us. So 5 out 5 stars from me. I hope you found this review helpful.
PROS:
Easy to use, just pour in the milk and push the button
Quick to clean up and dishwasher safe
Large capacity container
Adjustable temperature control
Consistent results
Can make cold frothed milk
CONS:
A bit pricey
Small whisk attachments can be easily misplaced
