I had the prospect to be among the many first to strive the brand new BaristaMaker Milk Frother produced by DREO; right here’s the way it went.

BY TANYA NANETTI
SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT

Images by Tanya Nanetti

One of many issues I missed most within the days and weeks once I wasn’t working behind an expert espresso machine was the power to drink a scrumptious flat white. Positive, I may all the time get to my favourite café, however a day by day go to to a café may develop into too harmful for my pockets. So I usually drank one thing like an old-school caffe latte at house, which right here in Italy is a straightforward cup of sizzling milk blended with a bit espresso from my outdated Moka pot.

Issues lastly modified a few weeks in the past, once I had the prospect to take a look at drive the brand new BaristaMaker Milk Frother produced by DREO, a model specializing in good house innovation. Their milk frother is designed to work with various kinds of milk, creating an ideal micro-foam just like the one made with high-pressure steam wands by specialty-coffee baristas all over the world.

Concerning the DREO BaristaMaker

Whereas I’m ready for my BaristaMaker, I contact Joshua Gunn, VP for North America at DREO, to be taught extra about what to anticipate from the frother.

“After we designed the DREO BaristaMaker milk frother, we centered on three key goal teams: skilled baristas, espresso lovers, and informal espresso shoppers,” Joshua says. “For knowledgeable baristas, we wished to create a tool that met their excessive requirements, permitting them to duplicate the standard of café-style froth at house. For espresso lovers, individuals with a deep ardour for espresso who’re all the time searching for methods to enhance their brewing expertise, we wished to supply a software to create the right microfoam that they a lot recognize. We additionally stored in thoughts the broader viewers of informal espresso drinkers who recognize well-made espresso however could not have the abilities or instruments of an expert. Our aim was to supply them with a easy however efficient option to elevate their day by day expertise with espresso.”

Then, Joshua goes on to clarify why BaristaMaker will revolutionize the world of milk frothing for house baristas, due to its strongest fits. It has “the business’s first barista-level frothing tip (a disruptive {hardware} innovation created by the DREO lab’s meals scientist by combining two new elements right into a single construction, making the brand new patented Barista Combo expertise the primary to attain barista-level outcomes on the family frother class); the impeller blade design (able to guiding the movement of milk, drawing it persistently to the middle for extremely uniform froth, in contrast to conventional disc suggestions that produce uneven froth); and the uniquely designed micro-level display (able to filtering and reworking normal-sized bubbles into wealthy, dense micro-foam through the multi-stage frothing course of).”

Excited by Joshua’s promise and by the distinctive alternative to strive the BaristaMaker, I go to my native market to refill on just a few liters of dairy and nondairy milk, purchase a brand new bag of beans to work with my (low cost) espresso machine, and prepare to start out taking part in with my new milk frother.

Unpacking, Meeting, and Choices

As quickly as I unpack the BaristaMaker DREO milk frother, I understand what a glossy and stylish espresso software it’s, with a compact design excellent for essentially the most modern trendy kitchens. The milk frother comes with a disc tip, two impeller suggestions, and a tip holder. Meeting is a straightforward and clean operation: simply rinse all of the elements and select between the 2 included suggestions, remembering that the impeller tip is ideal for micro-foam, whereas the disc tip is usually recommended for chilly foam and stirring.

As soon as assembled, I merely plug the milk frother right into a 110V-120V energy outlet. The LEDs on the show panel mild up and I’m ready to decide on the specified settings by way of the easy interface.

Out there choices embrace milk, half-and-half, almond, oat, soy, and coconut for milk sorts; sizzling cappuccino, latte, and flat white as latte artwork espresso; and cold and warm frothed foam. You’ll be able to choose low or excessive velocity, and temperatures starting from chilly to 170°F (about 75°C, a bit increased than my normal milk-steaming temperature) for stirring non-foamed drinks.

Steaming Milk

After deciding on the popular settings, I insert the precise tip (as prompt by the BaristaMaker) earlier than pouring the milk into the jug following the inner marks (min – latte artwork – max foam – max stir) and urgent the beginning button. The milk will probably be prepared in about three and a half minutes, punctuated by a helpful countdown timer that permits customers to completely time their espresso pictures with the tip of frothing. As soon as the milk is prepared, it’s time to pour. The BaristaMaker jug works completely, due to its form and exact spout that mimics an expert stainless-steel pitcher.

Pour Check

I proceed to pour with my normal routine: a delicate faucet to take away extra bubbles, and a round movement to maintain the milk compact and keep away from separation. Then I instantly pour the milk into my espresso.

The micro-foam is shiny and clean, just like what I can obtain with the wand of an expert espresso machine. Pouring is straightforward, and it solely takes me a second to appreciate that if solely I had a greater espresso machine that truly made some crema on prime of the espresso, the flat white I’m pouring can be simply excellent.

For the primary few mornings, I focus my frothing routine on “latte artwork” coffees, experimenting with lattes, cappuccinos, and flat whites, marveling at how it’s attainable for a “easy” milk frother to have the ability to produce such a pleasing micro-foam.

Because the DREO leaflet explains, there are just a few steps behind this magic.

First, the milk is heated shortly to achieve the precise temperature (which, by specialty-coffee requirements, is round 160°-170°F). Then, the velocity of rotation will increase by incorporating air into the milk in order to create bigger bubbles. Lastly, because the velocity slows down, the impeller directs the froth towards the middle, turning it into silky micro-foam.

From the outline, it feels like an correct duplicate {of professional} milk steaming, and the ensuing micro-foam is precisely that.

Pleased with my micro-foam, it’s time to experiment with BaristaMaker’s different options.

Attempting Different Drinks

First, I determine to make a chai latte, and the process is even smoother. After switching to the disc tip, I add the milk, then the chai powder, then choose the low velocity and temperature of 170°C as prompt, and begin stirring.

After a couple of minutes, a wonderfully blended chai is able to be sipped.

On the following sizzling afternoon, I strive the chilly thick foam setting to make an iced cappuccino.

Once more, I insert the disc tip and begin frothing my barista-grade almond milk. The ensuing foam is fluffy and scrumptious, and as soon as a double espresso is poured, it stays fluffy till my boyfriend finishes consuming it.

Subsequent I check out non-homogenized entire dairy milk, regardless that I have already got an thought of what’s going to occur. As is the case additionally in an expert setting, the entire milk’s excessive degree of fats molecules will certainly get in the way in which, and I’m fairly positive the froth received’t be as fluffy.

After overwhelming affirmation (entire milk makes a great foam, but it surely fully un-foams inside seconds), I replicate the experiment with skim milk, which tastes worse however foams significantly better.

I spend the remainder of the week experimenting with all of the completely different capabilities of the BaristaMaker till I’m able to make some issues.

The Takeaway On the DREO BaristaMaker Check Drive

The BaristaMaker is tremendous simple to arrange and use. It really works effectively with all sorts of dairy milk and lots of barista-grade various milks, and it stirs and foams simply. The micro-foam is the closest to an expert foam that I’ve been capable of obtain exterior of a café, and the ensuing drinks are completely creamy and scrumptious.

The minimal quantity of milk to froth—following the marks contained in the jug—is sufficient for a milky drink of about eight to 9 ounces (which is a mean latte in most European nations, however will be completely different elsewhere). In my expertise, deciding on the flat white from the menu will end in a very silky, nice micro-foam, which can develop into a bit frothier when the latte setting is chosen, and even fluffier and creamier when choosing the cappuccino mode.

Furthermore, the upkeep of the BaristaMaker is simple: The jug, lid, and suggestions can merely be washed in sizzling soapy water, and even within the dishwasher.

In conclusion, as promised, the BaristaMaker produces excellent micro-foam that, if I had a greater espresso machine, would have been excellent for extra difficult latte artwork patterns. Now that I’ve a wonderfully environment friendly milk frother, I simply have to improve my espresso machine. Then I can put together a milk drink at house precisely like on the café!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tanya Nanetti (she/her) is a specialty-coffee barista, a traveler, and a dreamer. When she’s not behind the espresso machine (or visiting some hidden nook of the world), she’s busy writing for Espresso Riot, a web site about specialty espresso that she’s creating alongside together with her boyfriend.

Subscribe and Extra!

Out now: It’s the August + September 2024 difficulty of Barista Journal! Learn it without cost with our digital version. And for greater than three years’ price of points, go to our digital version archives right here.

You’ll be able to order a tough copy of the journal by way of our on-line retailer right here, or begin a subscription for one 12 months or two.