Dreo BaristaMaker: two-minute review
The Dreo BaristaMaker is a milk frother designed to create thick microfoam for coffee drinks, without the need to wield a steam wand. It's a good option if your coffee maker lacks a steamer, you'd prefer not to use it, or you have limited mobility – although the resulting froth isn't quite as silky.
Unlike some milk frothers, the BaristaMaker has two interchangeable heads: a typical whisk, and a two-part head designed to bring liquid into the center of the jug and break up large bubbles. This creates the type of fine foam necessary for latte art – and it works pretty well, although I found that the bubbles were still larger than those made by preparing milk the old-fashioned way.
The BaristaMaker takes longer to foam your milk, too, requiring three and a half minutes to complete its multi-stage frothing process. You can use this time to weigh out your coffee beans, grind them, and pull your espresso shot. A countdown on the front of the machine means you can be ready to top your drink the minute it's done its thing.
The BaristaMaker has separate modes for different types of milk, including four non-dairy options, which takes the trial and error out of handling liquids with different fat and protein contents. In general, I found the default settings good for preparing plant milks for cappuccinos, but a bit too thick for latte art.
The Dreo BaristaMaker isn't the cheapest milk frother around, but its added modes for preparing cold drinks mean it isn't a single-purpose machine; this make it easier to justify the cost. During testing, it whipped up a particularly thick and creamy protein shake with minimum effort.
The key advantage of the BaristaMaker is its convenience. While it offers some options for customization (two speeds and various temperature settings, for example), the process is largely automated. It can't perfectly replicate the results of stretching milk with a steam wand, but it requires none of the skill and practice that traditional frothing demands. Just set your milk type and foam preference, pour in the milk, and press start.
Dreo BaristaMaker: price and availability
- List price: $99 / £119.99 (about AU$150)
- Shipping date: October 2024
- Availability: US, Singapore and Malaysia via Kickstarter; global thereafter
At the time of writing, the Dreo BaristaMaker is coming to the end of a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, where backers can pledge $80 (about £60 / AU$120) to receive a milk frother, with delivery estimated by October 2024.
This Kickstarter offer is only available in the US, Singapore, and Malaysia; but Dreo does sell its products internationally, so the BaristaMaker will soon go on general sale for $99 / £119.99 (about AU$150) in many more territories.
That's a mid-range price for a milk frother, sitting in between the premium Smeg MFF11 at $290 / £179.95 / AU$299, and the budget-friendly Instant Milk Frother Station at $59.99 / £69.99 / AU$129, both of which offer similar features but lack foaming programs specifically for plant-based milks.
- Value score: 4.5/5
Dreo BaristaMaker: specs
Dreo Baristamaker: design
- Smart design resembling an oversized milk pitcher
- Two tips for milk frothing
- Well-designed jug with fine spout for latte art
The Dreo BaristaMaker is made up of three key parts: the base, which contains the heating element and motor; the jug that sits on top; and the tips, which do the actual frothing. The jug and the base are stainless steel, and when fully assembled, the BaristaMaker resembles a smart-looking oversized milk pitcher.
It measures 4.93in/12.5cm diameter and 9.21in/23.4cm tall with the jug on top, weighing 2.56lb/1.16kg. Without the jug, it stands 6.38in/16.2cm tall and weighs 1.88lb/855g. That's about the same as the premium Smeg MFF11 milk frother, although the Smeg machine has a larger capacity for stirring.
The BaristaMaker has a small, bright LED display on the front, with four buttons for selecting your preferred milk and foam options at the sides, and a start/stop button underneath.
The machine comes with two tips that fit onto a prong in the center of the jug. The disc tip resembles the end of a typical battery-operated milk frother, and is used for preparing cold drinks. The impeller tip has two components: a plastic blade that's designed to draw milk towards the center of the jug; and a fine screen designed to break up large bubbles, turning them into fine foam.
The jug itself has no moving parts; instead, the tips are spun by magnets that rotate in the base of the machine. If you've selected one of the hot options, the milk is warmed by a heating element directly underneath the jug.
The jug has a fine spout for pouring latte art, and markings inside to show the appropriate amount of milk for different types of foam. I'd have preferred to see the actual volume marked inside as well, but that's quite a minor quibble. It's dishwasher-safe, but I found it easy to clean by hand due to the lack of moving parts inside.
- Design score: 4/5
Dreo Baristamaker: performance
- Simple to use
- Frothing takes three and a half minutes
- Foam not as fine as created by steaming
- Plant-based milk creates particularly thick foam
The Dreo BaristaMaker makes foaming dairy and non-dairy milk simple, if not fast. First, you use the simple controls on the front to select the type of drink you want to prepare, and the milk you're using. The BaristaMaker has settings for foaming dairy milk, half-and-half, soya, oat, almond, and coconut milk, and beverage options for flat white, cappuccino, latte, hot thick foam, cold thick foam, and stirring. You can also tweak the speed and temperature if you like, with two options available for each; but the default settings should serve you well.
Once you've picked your milk and froth settings, tap the start/stop button and the device will show you whether to insert the impeller or frother tip, With that done, pour in your milk to the appropriate level marked inside the jug. You'll need to pour at least 5.1oz/150ml for foaming, and the milk and jug should both be cold when you start, as they would be if you were using a steam wand.
When that's done, just press the start button and the BaristaMaker will begin foaming or stirring accordingly – a process that takes three and a half minutes. You can stop it sooner if you like, but the foam settings have several stages, and halting the process early means you won't get the best results. It takes a lot longer than preparing milk with a steam wand, but you have plenty of time to grind your beans and prepare your espresso while it's working.
I tested the BaristaMaker with every milk type except half-and-half, which isn't available in the UK. I found that full-fat dairy milk generally foamed best, producing the smoothest microfoam that was best suited to latte art.
However, the foam texture was noticeably more open and less smooth than when steamed using a wand. The image below shows the difference in texture between steamed milk (using the wand on a Gaggia Classic) and milk frothed using the Dreo BaristaMaker. The milk prepared with the Dreo machine had a less silky texture and larger bubbles, despite tapping the jug to break the biggest ones and swirling to distribute the foam.
Despite the broad presets, the BaristaMaker can't fully account for the many compositions of different types and brands of plant-based milks, so oat won't necessarily turn out with the same texture as almond, for example; but the results were usually workable and the machine's hot settings never overheated the milk.
Dreo suggests that you can try adding a scoop of protein powder if your non-dairy milk isn't foaming properly, but this wasn't a problem I experienced. In fact, soya and almond milk foamed a little too well on the latte setting, with almond turning out too stiff to pour art.
One of the BaristaMaker's big advantages over a steam wand is its ability to froth cold milk, which makes it great for preparing shakes and other powder-based drinks. I used the cold foam setting to prepare a strawberry protein shake with soya milk, and the resulting drink was thick, creamy, and very good.
The frothing process still took three and a half minutes, and a personal blender such as the Nutribullet Flip could do the same thing in 30 seconds, but the extra functionality makes the BaristaMaker easier to recommend than a device that only fills one niche.
The BaristaMaker is much quieter than a steam wand, reaching a maximum of 39dB during frothing (about the same as a calm library), which could be helpful if you're an early riser or need to avoid disturbing young children.
- Performance score: 3/5
Dreo BaristaMaker: should you buy it
Buy it if
You can't use a steam wand
Not all espresso machines have a wand, and not all coffee lovers can use one easily. The Dreo BaristaMaker means you can prepare milk simply, without the need to handle high-pressure steam.
You want to prepare different types of milk
Plant and dairy milks have different fat and protein contents, and the Dreo BaristaMaker's presets mean you don't have to adapt your frothing technique to suit them. Just set your preferences, pour in your milk, and press start.
Don't buy it if
You've mastered the steamer
Most of the best espresso machines have a steam wand; you'll get better results if you can use that to prepare your milk once you've got the knack.
You lack counter space
The Dreo BaristaMaker is relatively large for a milk frother. If space is at a premium in your kitchen, Instant makes several smaller devices, including the Instant Milk Frother and larger-capacity Instant Milk Frother Station, which can prepare enough milk for two beverages.
Dreo BaristaMaker: also consider
If you're not sure about the Dreo BaristaMaker, here are a couple of other options to think about
Smeg MFF11 Milk Frother
This premium milk frother is approximately the same size as the Dreo BaristaMaker, but has a retro look and a slightly larger capacity for stirring drinks. It can foam any type of milk, but doesn't have dedicated presets for plant-based beverages, so it may take some experimentation to learn what works best.
Instant Milk Frother Station
This frother isn't as stylish as the BaristaMaker, but has a larger maximum capacity that means it can prepare enough milk for two cappuccinos at once (ideal for couples at breakfast time). Like the Smeg MFF11, it can prepare hot or cold milk, but doesn't have separate options for non-dairy beverages.
How I tested the Dreo BaristaMaker
I tested the Dreo BaristaMaker using full-fat and semi-skimmed dairy milk, as well as soya, almond, oat, and coconut milks. I frothed each type using the BaristaMaker's flat white, latte, cappuccino, and hot and cold frothing settings, with the appropriate milk option selected. The only type of milk I didn't froth was half-and-half, which isn't available in the UK where I tested the machine.
I used the different frothed milks to pour latte art onto a double-shot espresso, and compared the results to milk foamed using the steam wand on a Gaggia Classic espresso machine. I used the BaristaMaker's cold foam and stir settings to prepare a protein shake using whey protein powder, with soya and almond milk, and compared this to the same drink prepared using a shaker cup.
My review unit was supplied with a US plug, so I used a step-down transformer to power it.
Read more about how we test.
First reviewed August 2024
