Bialetti Cappuccino and Latte Set

I made lattes the beary first day I got this and LOVED it. I think I ordered one as a gift for my friend almost immediately after finishing my drink. She loves it as much as I do:) We both wanted a stovetop milk frother and after doing some research, I went ahead and got this lovely set by Bialetti. I wanted to be sure it was awesome before getting it for my friend;p I believe we both used it at our Thanksgiving dinners and everyone loved the drinks too.In about 7-8 minutes of turning on the stove and the espresso is done. The challenge for me was making the drink hot enough. This meant that I would have to heat up the milk several minutes (on a medium setting because I was afraid of burning the milk) prior to making the espresso. Another trick is to keep the cups hot with hot water before making the drinks. I read somewhere that a french press can be used to froth milk but I wouldn't risk doing it in glass with metal mesh. There are a few other frothers I have seen with this type of construction. This Bialetti frother pot is nonstick and not only is the mesh in a plastic disk, it actually has a double disk, which I think really adds to the frothing. I've done a lot of looking around at various milk frothers in various stores and no other frother has a double disk pump. If you add sugar to the latte, it's best to add it to the espresso before the milk or else it'll just sit on top of the foam. I love hazelnut so I bought a flavoring syrup (which I stir in with the espresso before adding the milk) and it's AWESOME. I also like to add a little cocoa powder on top;)

I'm a pretty "average" coffee drinker; I'm not so into it that I'm going to be roasting my own beans anytime soon. On the other hand, I've also had my share of watered down and bitter tasting sludge water once in a while from national chains as well and I can appreciate a good cup of coffee.This little device seems like a good middle ground. Not so steep in price that you feel like you need to be a coffee snob to really appreciate it, and yet it produces an above average cup of cappuccino. You can certainly spend a lot more on a coffee preparation device, but there's no guarantee that you're going to get results that really justify the extra cost.Compared to some devices I've used in the past, I would list the key pros of this one as:1. Very easy to clean. The frothing cup has a non-stick coating and it's easy to rinse out. The percolator is pretty easy to assemble/disassemble once it's cool. All the parts are easy to remove and rinse clean. The coffee grinds are very easy to remove as well (one of my main concerns).2. The frothing cup works GREAT. I was a bit tepid to try it out with some organic skim milk, but it worked out great! I set about 3/4 cup of milk over very low heat until I saw a bit of steam coming off the cup and put the plunger over it and within 10-15 pumps, I had a nice, thick, frothy mixture (even with skim milk!).3. Paired with some Illy coffee, the coffee came out very, very well. Perhaps the best coffee I've had in quite a while. No bitterness and, to my surprise, even with the fine grind of the beans, the coffee was pretty much free of grinds.4. To my surprise, I was able to get a bit of crema! Yes, it's possible even with this relatively cheap device (there are a few videos on Youtube demonstrating this).A few things held this combo back from being a 5 star product:1. The directions are TERRIBLE. No suggestions on the amount of grinds to use (yes, to some degree, this is really dependent on your personal taste, but at least give me a baseline!). There's also no suggestion on the grind to use either (I ended up using a fine grind Illy). There's no measuring cup and at least on mine, there were no water level markers on the inside of the percolator. I ended up filling it about 3/4 of the way to the valve. As for grinds, I ended up using a bit more than 2 tablespoons and it seemed to work out well for me.2. Unless you're standing next to the thing the whole time, there's really no way of telling when it's done; you really have to kind of stand there and watch it. With enough usage, I assume that you'll get the time down, but it would be nice if had some mechanism to alert you when it's done.3. At least on my gas stove, it takes a while to heat up. Compared to a drip machine or other electric percolators I've used in the past, this device does take a bit more time since you can't really use high heat on your stove (unless you have an electric one). Since the base is rather small, you have to use it over a smaller burner and even then, you may have to use a rather low heat setting. All of this means that it takes a while for it to heat up. While this might contribute to a better tasting coffee, it also means more time.All in all, I think it was well worth the $40 some dollars I paid for it. It's a great weekend companion; it's very satisfying to wake up on a lazy Sunday morning and make a cup of cappuccino for the wife and I and sit back and relax, without having to get dressed and rush out into the cold winter air. It's probably not ideal for every day use as it is a bit more time consuming and there is a bit more cleanup involved compared to a paper filter drip machine. But then again, if your working life is busy and hectic, it might be just the thing you need to slow down for a moment and enjoy a hot cup of cappuccino!

I am always skeptical of reading reviews from those who immediately use the product and write a review, so I waited a few months to give my review. I have made my daily cappuccino with this set and must say they are the best I have ever made.I intentionally purchased this set because it included the Latte maker (frother). I've use many other coffee/cappuccino makers and grew tired of the frother being an emotional time bomb...that usually never went off. This hand frother works perfectly and you can control the amount of froth. I even used it to make homemade cream for my daughters hot cocoa!! Since I'm very particular about my cappuccinos, I heat the milk up first (I use vanilla soy milk for added flavor and soy protein :). I just pour the milk in a glass cup and microwave before pouring it in the frother. Sure, it takes an extra 90 seconds to heat and an extra glass to wash...but like I've said...perfect froth!! It's well worth the extra 90 seconds.As for the cappuccino maker. You must follow the directions percisely, especially the cleaning part. I've read a reveiw where their maker exploded on the stove. I think this is because they did not turn the little piston/screw on the side of the maker EVERY time cleaned. You must turn it each time to make sure there is no mineral buildup that may jam it. This is essential...if it is not cleaned and it gets jammed from minerals, your coffee "could" explode. What this piston does is it releases the pressure from the maker in case the pressure is too high. You may never need it, but if you do, it's a matter of simple release or exploding. Depending on what type of water you have where you live (hard or soft) is how much mineral deposits you may see on your coffee maker.It's been about 3 months since I've purchased this and I've used it daily. I plan on purchasing a larger size, but am still VERY glad I purchased this size first...the latte frother was well worth it. My friends are amazed when they come over and I make them a perfect cup of cappuccino!!