Bialetti Cappuccino and Latte Set
I received by Bialetti expresso maker and milk frother yesterday and was anxious to try it for breakfast this morning. I followed directions as they were printed and my epresso, even with just whole bean breakfast coffee that I ground, was delightfully pleasant. Now for the milk frother. I made a second pot of expresso this time excited about making cappuchino. The directions said to heat the milk and when hot find a flat surface, place the top on and shake. Well that's what I did and was really disappointed in the results-- very little foam. I tried a second time , using half and half and PUMPING not SHAKING the frother(which is what the directions intended to mean) WOW! I got a huge amount of foam to pour onto my expresso. It was just fantastic and if I closed my eyes I had memories of sipping cappuchino in an outdoor cafe on the Piazza Navona. What a great treat for a small investment.
I could not resist trying this method of making espresso. You know you can spend alot trying to get a decent product and I have not been disappointed with the practically inexpensive Bialetti. The first attempt was successful and that told me this was for me....the bonus milk frother made more froth that an old steamer frother I used to have. There are a few tricks with the frother(1% milk by itself not so good but add some half and half to the milk and voile'). The milk mixture needs to be heated enough to coat the back of a spoon, pump it quickly and serve. Regarding the espresso maker itself....just don't add any more water than to that line..and oh don't open the lid to look at it until it is done or you will get sputter onto your stove top. To know when the espresso is done just listen you will know when it is done....very quick and yummm.
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;)
The Bialetti coffee set does exactly what it should - Makes perfect espresso or lattes and is as hassle free as coffee making can be. Buy some good espresso coffe like Lavazza or illy,fill up the lower resorvoir with water, put milk in the frother, put on stove and presto. A better cup of coffee than you get at any Starbucks, a fraction of the price and no long lines to deal with.
I received by Bialetti expresso maker and milk frother yesterday and was anxious to try it for breakfast this morning. I followed directions as they were printed and my epresso, even with just whole bean breakfast coffee that I ground, was delightfully pleasant. Now for the milk frother. I made a second pot of expresso this time excited about making cappuchino. The directions said to heat the milk and when hot find a flat surface, place the top on and shake. Well that's what I did and was really disappointed in the results-- very little foam. I tried a second time , using half and half and PUMPING not SHAKING the frother(which is what the directions intended to mean) WOW! I got a huge amount of foam to pour onto my expresso. It was just fantastic and if I closed my eyes I had memories of sipping cappuchino in an outdoor cafe on the Piazza Navona. What a great treat for a small investment.
The Bialetti coffee set does exactly what it should - Makes perfect espresso or lattes and is as hassle free as coffee making can be. Buy some good espresso coffe like Lavazza or illy,fill up the lower resorvoir with water, put milk in the frother, put on stove and presto. A better cup of coffee than you get at any Starbucks, a fraction of the price and no long lines to deal with.
I could not resist trying this method of making espresso. You know you can spend alot trying to get a decent product and I have not been disappointed with the practically inexpensive Bialetti. The first attempt was successful and that told me this was for me....the bonus milk frother made more froth that an old steamer frother I used to have. There are a few tricks with the frother(1% milk by itself not so good but add some half and half to the milk and voile'). The milk mixture needs to be heated enough to coat the back of a spoon, pump it quickly and serve. Regarding the espresso maker itself....just don't add any more water than to that line..and oh don't open the lid to look at it until it is done or you will get sputter onto your stove top. To know when the espresso is done just listen you will know when it is done....very quick and yummm.
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;)