1 min readThe BaristaMaker, a smart milk frother by DREO claims to be able to microfoam plant-based milk, a feat that even baristas struggle with.
According to DREO, the frother can create either dry foam - which is typical of frothers like this - or dense microfoam from six kinds of milk. Apart from dairy milk which has a fat content cohesive with this kind of foam, it can also handle half and half, almond, oat, soy, and coconut milk. To achieve this, the frother has over 30 frothing programs tailored to different milk types which optimise speed, temperature, and duration. These settings can take up to five minutes, which is admittedly a long time to steam milk, but the process is entirely hands-off.
It’s patented impeller tip design looks similar to other frothing mechanisms you might find in Nespresso or Aldi frothers. However according to DREO the structure allows for more precise control over the flow direction which enables the device to create 0.5mm microfoam as opposed to 1-3mm stiff foam that frothers usually produce.
The stainless steel unit had a TFT touch display, with basic visuals to select the type of foam users wish to achieve. When frothing it can only handle 250ml of liquid, but up to 450ml for simply warming milk.
The BaristaMaker will be available to pre-order from Kickstarter from August 13 for 30% off the asking price of $99USD, or at full price from Dreo and other retailers like Amazon from September 15.
