the frother is amazing! i want to froth things in it all of the time. i have had two glass bodied frothers and of course they’ve been broken due to their constant use and fragility. i don’t use mine as the pot for making the milk, i heat the milk in a little pot on the stove and pour it into the frother when it’s hot. to me, the frother doesn’t look sturdy enough to withstand years of use being heated twice, three times a day on the stovetop. i also think it would be useful to have a spout on the frother for pouring, but the insane amazingess of the frothing itself makes up for these little flaws.

i am a person who doesn’t mind waiting 10-15 minutes to have perfect coffee in her hands. i enjoy the process nearly as much as the end result. it’s a great espresso maker and makes the coffee ritual very enjoyable from start to finish. i even like seeing it drying out on the counter!

Prior to this, I have never used a stove-top espresso maker before. The instruction in the box was very clear. I added water to the bottom portion, scooped in the espresso, screw on the top and place on the stove. It was pretty simple. If I fill the water to the fill-line, and put the espresso maker on the stove then turn on the element (electric), it takes exactly 5 minutes on my stove to make the espresso. I bought some good quality organic espresso beans for this, and the result? Heavenly! The coffee is so good, and it’s so easy to make. The machine is very easy to rinse out.

The frother is equally useful. I have used skim milk, 1% milk, soy milk, and almond milk to make my lattes. They all work well, but obviously the higher fat content ones tend to froth thicker. The non-stick lining in the frother is a great feature, making it very easy to clean.

If you are making a latte, you probably want to heat up the milk on the stove first, wait a couple of minutes, than put the espresso maker on. The milk takes a little longer to heat up than the coffee.

I was spending over $40 a week at Sbux prior to this. With this set, I am having my morning coffee at home that costs very little to make. Since buying this set 2 months ago, I’ve used it at least once a day, but often twice a day. We even take it camping and use it on the butane stove. With all the usage, it’s showing no sign of wear. Only time will tell when I have to replace the o-ring. But this is one well-made set of espresso/latte maker. Highly recommended!