Customer Reviews:
 A Luxury Item for Hot Chocolate Lovers August 7, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
First and foremost, the Bodum Chocolatiere is a luxury item. It is not a necessity for making frothy hot chocolate or cold chocolate milk. The reviewers who say that you can accomplish with a whisk and a bowl what the Bodum Chocolatiere does are correct.
The Bodum Chocolatiere would make a great gift for a hot chocolate lover, as it is attractive and high quality (as are other Bodum products I've owned, such as their coffee press pots, of which I have both a stainless and a glass model -- and though the glass is obviously fragile, as is the Chocolatiere glass -- I've had my 8 oz. glass press pot for twenty years now, have used it regularly, and there is not so much as a mar on the glass; this requires handling with care).
I tried making one cup (8 oz.) of hot chocolate with it, and I could not get one cup of liquid to froth. Two cups (16 oz.) works fine.
Just for the heck of it, I tried it for mixing butterscotch pudding mix into milk, and when I was done pouring the blended mix into bowls I discovered an undissolved lump of powder and milk stuck to the bottom of the Bodum. Maybe if I added the powder slowly and gradually it would work, but it's as easy to mix pudding with a whisk and bowl.
I can recommend this as a gift item for a hot chocolate (or chocolate milk) lover, or as a luxury item for someone whose budget allows for such items and who just loves hot chocolate and wants to make a ritual out of making it. Otherwise, a whisk and a bowl should suffice.
Wow your sweetie August 6, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
It makes great chocolate drinks. I used it for several different drinks. Any think that you can mix can be made into a very nice and enjoyable drink. I removed one star, because it is a little hard to clean and I would have preferred a metal free container so I could microwave a warm drink.
 Performs as decribed August 5, 2008
The Bodum Chocolatiere is a gadget that may not appeal to everyone. However, it's fun and really does froth well.
The glass jar is attractive and surprisingly roomy, but not stovetop safe. Milk will need to be heated in a conventional pan, or in the microwave. I used 2% milk, which gave it about an inch of froth. My guess is that the illustration shown in the product description used milk with a higher butterfat content or possibly half & half to give it the impressive foaminess. Regardless, 2% worked just fine and gave it a creamy texture that eliminated the need for marshmallows.
The pumping action here is effective, but will not replace a steamer. The hot milk cools down pretty rapidly when being frothed in this manner. You may want to microwave it again after frothing to get the temperature back up.
I am looking forward to cooler days and using this more often!
Works well...but will you use it? August 4, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
The lowdown: It works, and well. No more stirring each mug of hot chocolate individually, with chunks of unmixed chocolate settling to the bottom, no spills on the counter, no trying to measure the correct proportions out for each mug. The little mixer-rotor-lid is clever and works surprisingly well. There's a pouring screen to filter out any chunks that escaped blending.
The only negative is that there is a 1-2 inch gap between the furthest reach of the mixing-rotor and the bottom of the carafe. This is a problem if you like to make small portions (eg, for 1-2 people), since most hot chocolate calls for a mere 6-8 ounces of liquid per serving (the rotor doesn't even reach the liquid for 8oz). But if you usually make hot chocolate for a family or other larger group of people, then this size works very well.
Then, the big caveat. Do you make hot chocolate (or similar) frequently enough to warrant a task-specific hot chocolate tool? Like all specialized kitchen gadgets, this suffers from the problem of narrow focus. If it's tucked into the back of that cabinet of gadgets you never use, you're not going to dig it out for the occasions you indulge, and then it's just clutter.
But if you're a hot chocolate aficionado, you really NEED one of these!
Nice, attractive, easy to use August 1, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
There are other ways to do this, but this is kind of fun, and does a nice job. And all parts are dishwasher safe, so clean-up is easy. It's also attractive enough to be able to sit out if cupboard space is an issue. Not much more to say about it - it's simple, easy to use, and works nicely. It appears to be reasonably sturdily built, also. It'd make a very nice holiday or wedding gift.
My 5 star rating is ONLY because I reserve 5 stars for the very top products. There's nothing wrong with this product at all.
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