This $38 Coffee Station Essential Turns Your Espresso Machine Into a Summer Drinks Bar – From Iced Matcha to Cold Foam Lattes
The last thing you need is scalding espresso in a heat dome
Call me a cynic, but I’ve never been convinced that a hot drink is the answer to surviving warm weather. When temperatures rise, I want something packed with ice to cool me down from the inside out, which usually leaves traditional coffee in fall and winter.
Iced coffee and chilled matcha lattes, however, are a different story. This summer, I think I’ve found the perfect upgrade to make the most of your best espresso machine in the Simpletaste 4-in-1 Milk Frother, which creates both warm and cold foam.
It’s the ideal finishing touch for refreshing summer drinks, adding café-style flourish while delivering on the caffeine boost you need to stay awake in the heat.
This four in one frother can create dense warm foam, warm airy foam, plain warm milk, and cold milk foam all at the touch of one button. It is wonderfully uncomplicated, and offers a simple yet meaningful upgrade to your coffee station year round as a result.
If you crave a truly café-like experience in the comfort of your own home, then topping your drinks (hot or cold) with milk foam is one of the simplest tricks. You do not need extensive barista training, just a well-brewed drink (be it from the best non-toxic coffee machine or made by hand, as with matcha), and a milk frother.
The Simpletaste 4-In-1 Milk Frother, from Amazon, is a class upgrade year-round. It is just as perfect for topping an iced matcha in summer as it is a pumpkin-spiced brew come fall. It's simple to use, too, with only one button. Tap once for warm dense foam, twice for warm airy foam, three times to heat milk, and four times for cold foam. The auto shut-off feature lets you know when your milk or froth is ready, preventing burning or over-frothing.
It is not limited to frothing and coffee, either. For hot chocolate and regular matcha, you can warm up to 240 ml (8.2 oz) of milk without frothing, adding to its versatility.
It's also far from a gimmick. Verified shoppers adore this simple frother, saying it works well with both dairy and non-dairy milks and praising its compact size, which makes it ideal for small kitchens.
As Sandy writes, 'We had a different frother before this one, and it worked fine, but for some reason the milk would burn in the bottom and was hard to clean. This frother works perfectly with no scorching. I use it to make chai lattes every morning. The froth is thick and lush. You can make it super thick or a bit thinner, and you can even do it cold. I'm so glad the other one broke, and we decided to try this one. If you're looking for a simple frother, you can't go wrong with this.'
Ana agrees, adding, 'It's foolproof and upgrades your morning coffee without spending crazy amounts at a fancy coffee shop. Heating is perfect on every setting, and the foam setting is great for a matcha latte or any latte, really. It's not bulky or takes a lot of space (huge deal if you live in NYC).'
What Else to Shop
If you are on a mission to make better coffee at home, then how your coffee station flows is key. I have rounded up a selection of my top coffee bar organization ideas to elevate your routine, from beautiful storage to chic iced drink glasses.
All prices were correct at the time of publication.
This compact handheld milk frother won't heat your milk like the Nespresso Aeroccino we reviewed, or the Smeg Milk Frother we gave 4.5 stars, but it comes in at a fraction of their price, and doesn't take up anywhere near as much space in your kitchen. The five-star reviews, of which there are over 220,000, speak for themselves, too, with thousands of happy shoppers finally enjoying more luxurious home coffee for less.
Nothing ruins your brew like stale coffee. This coffee canister features a patented inner plunger lid with a two-way valve that forces excess oxygen out of the canister and locks out excess humidity, preserving freshness for longer when storing coffee beans.
These matching glass bottles come with precision pumps for easy and consistent syrup dispensing for consistent tasting coffee. They also come with labels to fully personalize your setup.
If you really want to bring that café-style coffee home, you will need to pick up some quality syrups and beans. This tiered countertop organizer is a great way to keep these organized, using vertical storage to save space while creating a visual display.
This chic ribbed coffee are ideal for iced coffee, sodas, and shakes, adding a fun and trendy coffee-shop touch to your summer brews.
With the Fellow Matcha Set, you can create your own ritual and brew fresh, flavorful matcha at home. The kit includes an artisan-glazed ceramic bowl, a traditional bamboo whisk and stand, a stainless-steel spoon and sifter, and a ceramic tray with sculpted insets for placing the tools while you prepare your tea.
This handy set of ice trays allows you to bulk prepare and store ice, with a serving scoop for dishing out ice for guests drinks.
Our expert barista created a guide to making iced coffee from hot coffee to help you make it through the heat dome, too.
Love the latest product news and helpful shopping advice? Sign up for our newsletter and get the latest features delivered straight to your inbox.
