I recently acquired the Hario latte shaker from Coffee Hit through Amazon and was inquisitive to see how it compared to other home milk frothing techniques. Could I perhaps get close to the cafe quality micro-foamed milk even?
Check out the links above to buy one for yourself or read the generic review I also posted over there. For the full write up, follow the jump. ;)
Being as this is the first review featured on the blog, I'll say that the technique and style I want to bring to things is not yet refined. Obviously there will be things that get adapted or changed over time, and with that in mind I may come back and refresh this one from time to time. Moving on.
Hario is a brand I've come to trust, in my experience their products are always well priced, well built and reliable, from this item I expected no less.
On the face of things, the Hario latte shaker looks like the perfect accompaniment to the moka pot, and for the home barista this would seem like a good pairing for quick, easy cappuccinos or lattes. It is the exact reason I bought and tested this simple bit of kit.
As soon as I received this in the post I was keen to get using it, and decided to make a gingerbread latte for my other half (It's almost the only coffee she'll drink). To get the drink just right I followed the tried and tested preparatory steps for frothing milk, and then the directions on the packaging for the shaker.
What was disappointing at this point was discovering that the shaker is probably half the size needed to make a standard 12oz latte, it wasn't advertised brilliantly on the shop front, but I took a punt with this impulse buy.
The small capacity is more than a little annoying when you're trying to make a hand crafted beverage, one of the marks of a good coffee is the way a barista puts it together. Generally speaking it should be made quickly, but with care and attention. The instructions tell the user to shake for 20-30 seconds, I'd say more like a minute for a good foam, and you may have to do this two or three times depending on the size of your cup! In essence, your drink will be made too slowly and might go cold while you're foaming the rest of your milk.
From a construction and quality side of things, the milk you get from this is okay, but not exceptional. There's no denying that it's well manufactured, it goes together nicely and is simple enough to clean after use, there are marks to fill your milk up to on both sides of the case and it comes in the traditionally excellent Hario packaging. For me it's just too small.
On Amazon I wrote the following:
"I can see a use for it on a drink with lower milk quantities like a misto, chai tea latte or just for making a small amount of foamed milk to top your americano, but having the kit for these likely means you're already wanting something better than the product above."
That still rings true, and to be fair to Hario I could drink a smaller cup, I just don't want to make that compromise.
For home made lattes, it's going to take a lot of work to get your technique dialled in with this item, and I don't think you'll ever get close to cafe quality with it. If you're foaming milk quantities of 8oz or larger, you could do it quicker, and as well with something like a small protein shake bottle. It'd hold all of the milk you need at a fraction of the cost.
For now, I'm going to be sticking with putting my milk pitcher on the stove and using a small electric whisk. It's far closer to the finish I want on my milk that way, and it takes me no more time to prepare.
In summary, I'd give this product 3 stars. It's ideal for a quick topping to any drink but it isn't authentic. There's definitely a place for it in my kitchen or the desk drawer at the office, and I'm inclined to couple it with my new Aeropress as the two seem well matched.
I'll keep experimenting and try to dial in a good technique for the latte shaker over so check back in for updates on this product in a few weeks. The follow up video review will also be available shortly.
Until then.
Luke
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