Capresso 202.04 froth PRO Automatic Milk Frother and Hot Chocolate Maker

Summary – More detail will follow this summary, but for brevity, here is a summary of my thoughts. This machine was delivered on time via standard shipment. It was packaged well and no damage was noted. The functionality of the heating and frothing exceeded my expectation after some experimentation with various types of milk products. There are a few nuances to its use, avoiding spills and getting the best results. Skim milk provided the best overall repeatable performance. Unit cleaning is only needed on the occasion of spill-overs to the heating plate, but there is a simple resolution. The froth container and lid are dishwasher safe and so day-to-day cleaning is simple. Longevity of the unit will follow in the future if warranted; however, I have seen no reason not to expect years of good service from the unit.Delivery – In general, I tend to order items on regular/standard shipping or take advantage of the free shipping options when offered as I am not usually in a hurry to receive the item. As many frequent shoppers of Amazon know, we often get the items far faster than promised or at least ahead of schedule anyway. My experience was this product arrived on time per standard shipping .Function – This unit promises to provide nice heating and very thick froth for a variety of hot and cold drink possibilities. I am an avid cappuccino drinker along with the occasional hot chocolate and was interested in the promised professional results this machine offered. I usually read directions to make sure I do not misuse products and so I began there. The directions are concise and beyond the warning to NOT overfill the 4oz line when frothing, the directions are very straight forward. There really isn’t much to know in the operation of the unit in terms of what buttons to push nor in what not to do. There is some variation in the results you will get depending on the raw materials (milk fat content) you decide to use.We tried Fat Free half & half, Skim, 1%, 2% and whole milk (~4%-6%). The Skim milk provided the best day to day results. The results overall reveal that the lower the fat content the better the frothing will be, save for the fat free half & half, which we believe has other ingredients that interfere to some extent the frothing process. Further research showed there are several tiers of fat content that provide similar results but they are with products with fat content in the heavy cream and whipping cream range and above which are likely not the milk products desired for the typical coffee, cappuccino or similar such drink. In some cases, adding a bit of sweetener before frothing in the holding cup, helps the froth taste, but may also contribute to overfilling so be alert to that.A very important rule to keep in mind here though is to NOT overfill the holding cup above the 4% line when frothing as you will have spillover of milk on the hot plate. While this can be easily cleaned, it is best to avoid all together. Also, if the froth was not quite thick enough, trying to run the froth cycle again guaranteed a spillover and thus this is also something to avoid. If you do spillover, simply let the hot plate cool and use a bit of baking soda with a damp cloth or brush and the burned milk will come right up. I don’t recommend letting burned milk to build up on the unit as it’s obviously going to inhibit the heating and frothing. Keeping the unit clean should keep it running the longest. The cup and lid have done well in my dishwasher. The only caveat being: remembering the disk and extracting it from the cup. I am not sure it would matter in my dishwasher, but we hand wash those little guys.Longevity – I cannot comment on this at this time other than to say, I see no reason to expect issues with the unit, but will certainly provide updates in this review if warranted.Good Ideas & Suggestions noted in other reviews• One user suggested that we place the extra frothing disk on the refrigerator and use the main unit for storage of the disks we are using. This was a great idea and we have chosen to adopt.• Baking Soda cleans the hot plate the best with a damp paper towel.

WOW!!! This frother is so easy to use. Basically, you plug it in, add the amount of milk you want to the cup, put the lid on and press a button. It is QUIET when it is running. I use it to froth milk that I add to two shots of espresso, peppermint mocha syrup and some chocolate to make my "homemade" version of Starbucks Peppermint Mocha drink. I like mine more than theirs now and I've been trying to get a "home" recipe for it perfected for a year now! ;) I also use it to froth milk to add to Swiss Miss Hot Coco Mix for my daughter. She says her hot cocoa is rich and thick. I don't think she'll drink hot cocoa any other way now. ;) She even blew on it to cool it down some and the frothy milk was so foamy it blew around (she laughed).Clean Up: Cleanup is SO EASY. I take a soft sponge and run the lid under hot water (right after I've finished making the drink). Then, after I've finished my drink or my daughter has finished hers, I snap the frothing disk out of the cup and run it under warm-to-hot water and set it aside to air dry. The inside of the cup is a non-stick surface. I use a soft sponge to wipe out with warm-to-hot water and then set the cup aside to air dry. Also, on the hot froth mode it has auto shutoff. :)Storage: A plus is that there is storage under the base of the unit that holds a warming disk and a second frothing disk. Awesome!Inserting and Removing the Disks in the Cup: Inserting is easy (just push down on the center of the disk until it "snaps" in place. Removing: Some people have complained in their reviews that they are worried they are going to break the disk. If you put one or two fingers on ONE SIDE of the disk (instead of trying to grab the entire disk) then it just pops off. Very easy.I really don't have one single bad thing to say about this product. Know that I have only tried 2% and Whole Milk in the unit. The booklet says that 1% and Fat Free froth the best. I will try those as well.Also, this unit has three settings: You can froth cold milk, you can have it froth milk and get it hot -- it does get hot, and you can put a warming disk in it and it will not froth but just warm milk to a temperature that is good for children.I can see myself buying a second Capresso frothPRO in the near future -- just because I don't ever want to be without it now. I want a back up (just in case).Two Final Thoughts: If just frothing cold milk, this unit is easy enough for my 10 year old daughter to use. I wouldn't let her use it with the two heat buttons because the cup does get hot. Also, I have NEVER had it spill over because I don't go above the MAX line. It is important not to go above the MAX line.Again, awesome product and well made. An excellent product for the price. :)