If you're a die-hard Americano or cold brew fan, you might want to look away now, because for me, nothing beats a frothy coffee. Sure, a trip to your local café is a great way to satisfy that craving, but there's something especially satisfying about recreating that same experience at home.
That's exactly where the Smeg Mini Milk Frother comes in. Designed as a smaller and more affordable alternative to Smeg's larger Multi Milk Frother, it promises three kinds of foam in a compact package that looks every bit as stylish as you'd expect from the Italian brand.
After several weeks of putting it to the test, here's how it performed.
Price and availability
The Smeg Mini Milk Frother is priced at £99.99/$199.95 and comes in a wide range of colours, including black, white, cream, red, pastel blue and pastel green. There are also matte black and matte white versions available.
It joins the previously launched Smeg Multi Milk Frother (£179.99/$299.95), which sits higher up the range and offers six preset programmes alongside a manual mode for greater control.
Design and features
As the name suggests, the Smeg Mini Milk Frother has been designed as a smaller, more affordable alternative to its larger sibling. Measuring just 200 x 93 x 93mm, it has a slim cylindrical design that pairs particularly nicely with Smeg coffee machines, kettles and toasters.
The frother itself consists of a ceramic-coated non-stick carafe, transparent lid, removable magnetic whisk and induction-powered base. In terms of how it works, it's actually quite similar to the Hotel Chocolat The All-New Velvetiser, which many people will already be familiar with.
There's a single button on the front that controls everything – one press selects hot milk foam, two presses heats milk without frothing, and three presses activates cold foam mode. Once you've made your selection, the Mini Milk Frother gets straight to work without needing any further input.
It can heat up to 180ml of milk or froth up to 120ml, making it ideal for one person and perhaps enough for two smaller drinks. The 500W motor heats milk to around 60°C, which is generally considered the sweet spot for coffee drinks.
Inside the jug you'll find handy fill indicators for both heating and frothing, whilst the ceramic-coated interior helps prevent milk from sticking. The whisk and lid are also removable for easier cleaning, although I'll come back to that shortly.
The motor operates at around 40dB, making it noticeably quieter than most coffee machine steam wands. Once your milk is ready, the frother lets you know with a simple audible beep.
Performance
I've had a really positive experience with the Smeg Mini Milk Frother. Aside from looking perfectly at home next to my Smeg kettle and toaster, it's also performed exceptionally well. In fact, I've found myself using it alongside several bean-to-cup coffee machines I've been testing recently rather than relying on their built-in milk systems, which probably says a lot.
The first thing that stood out to me was just how thick and delicious the foam is. It's actually quite difficult to fully convey in writing, so I'll include my TikTok video below because it does a far better job of showing the results.
However, if you're someone who loves a frothy cappuccino or latte, you're going to be very happy here. I was also pleased to discover that the foam actually holds its structure once poured. Unlike many milk frothers where the foam disappears after a few sips, I found it remained thick right to the bottom of the cup.
@lizziewilmot ♬ original sound - lizziewilmot
The hot milk setting also worked well. Whilst I didn't use it as frequently as the hot foam mode, it came in handy when guests wanted a white Americano or a coffee without froth.
The cold foam setting was equally impressive and became particularly useful during the recent heatwave when iced coffees were about the only thing I could face drinking.
If I had one performance-related criticism, it's that I occasionally wished there was some level of temperature adjustment. That said, the default temperature is perfectly fine if you're planning to drink your coffee immediately. Just be aware that it won't stay piping hot for as long as milk heated directly via a steam wand.
Cleaning is probably the area where opinions will vary the most. As I mentioned earlier, if you've used the Hotel Chocolat The All-New Velvetiser before, you'll already know what to expect. Whilst the ceramic coating certainly helps, this isn't the kind of appliance you can simply rinse under the tap and forget about. I often found a thin layer of milk residue left behind on the bottom after use, so I quickly learned that giving it a proper wash with warm soapy water and a sponge immediately afterwards was the best approach.
I also discovered a useful shortcut for more stubborn residue. Filling the jug with a little warm water and washing-up liquid before running one of the programmes effectively cleans the interior for you. Thankfully I didn't need to do this very often, but it's a handy trick to know.
The one thing I did miss was dishwasher compatibility. Unlike the larger Smeg Multi Milk Frother, which has a removable dishwasher-safe stainless steel jug, the Mini Milk Frother requires manual cleaning. That's one of the trade-offs for its smaller size and lower price, and whilst I didn't find it overly frustrating, but it does require a little more maintenance than some rivals.
Verdict
The Smeg Mini Milk Frother creates impressively thick, café-quality foam, looks fantastic on the kitchen counter and is remarkably simple to use. Whilst the lack of temperature controls and dishwasher-safe components may frustrate some users, the excellent frothing performance makes it easy to forgive. If you're the only coffee drinker in your household or simply want a stylish way to elevate your daily coffee, the Smeg Mini Milk Frother is a charming little appliance that's hard not to love.
Alternatives to consider
When it comes to alternatives, the Hotel Chocolat The All-New Velvetiser is probably the closest comparison. Whilst it's marketed primarily as a hot chocolate maker, the internal design and milk-frothing results are remarkably similar.
However, if you want something more versatile, I'd point you towards Smeg's own Multi Milk Frother. As mentioned, its multifunction dial gives access to six automatic programmes and a manual mode, whilst the removable dishwasher-safe jug makes cleaning considerably easier. It's more expensive, but if you regularly make different milk-based drinks, the extra functionality may well be worth it.
