With fully automatic coffee machines not only freshly brewed coffees can be conjured up. Depending on the manufacturer and price level, many models can also prepare milk foam automatically. This allows you to brew delicious coffee-milk drinks such as latte macchiato, cappuccino, mocha, milk coffee and other variations.
The milk frothers in fully automatic coffee machines are built in three different versions. Some machines have the milk container integrated, while others have an external foam lance installed. In the following we present the three different milk frother versions, as well as their basic differences.
The simple foam lance – how it works?
The cheapest of all fully automatic machines usually have an externally mounted foam lance. The user can froth milk in an extra container using these.
entry-level machines from krups or de’longhi are often supplied with this system.
What is meant by the cappuccinatore?
Somewhat better fully automatic machines have a so-called cappuccinatore installed. These are considered as a preliminary stage to the fully automatic milk frother. To draw in milk, connect the cappuccinatore to an external milk container or milk pack. Nevertheless, this variant is also associated with restrictions. Since the coffee dispenser is separate from the milk dispenser, the cup must be moved after the coffee has been dispensed.
In terms of price, the fully automatic machines with cappuccinatore are in a similar league to machines with a full-fledged milk foam system. For this reason we advise to invest a little more and choose the better variant.
The automatic milk foam system
top-of-the-range machines are almost always equipped with an automatic milk foam system. This type of fully automatic coffee machine has an integrated milk tank which is automatically used during the preparation of the coffee. At the push of a button, the fully automatic machine first prepares the coffee. Then milk is automatically sucked and put into the cup. It is not necessary to change the cup as with the cappuccinatore.
Are there other alternatives to milk frothing?
Alternatively, milk frothers can be purchased separately from any type of coffee machine. Especially for owners of filter, capsule or pad machines, they are a great way to create milk foam. With a milk frother, not only milk foam can be created, but also the mixing of delicious cocktails is an easy job. Now we would like to describe some of its features.
Manual milk frother
Manual milk frothers require some physical effort to produce milk. In a cylindrical vessel, milk foam is produced by pumping pulses.
Milk froth by magic wand
A little easier is the foaming of milk with the wand milk frother. The small whisk is driven by batteries. At the push of a button, the small motor starts to move and spins the milk through it. after only two minutes and without any effort, the finest milk foam can be enjoyed. This variant is especially suitable for outdoor use at the picknik.
Electric (automatic) milk frother
automatic milk frothers already belong to the professional variant. In terms of design, they are very similar to a kettle. After filling the milk, the device automatically prepares delicious milk foam. The milk is heated, as well as set in motion by an electric motor. After a short time the milk foam is already edible.