frothed milk and mugs.

October 14, 2015

coffee with frothed milk in a white mug Here’s a photo of my morning coffee. To cut right to the chase, my morning coffee routine includes two things that I’m frequently asked about, but which I am sad to report are no longer available for you to buy for your own homes. Consider this my best attempt at making it up to you.

To get my cup of just-right foamy fluff I use a stovetop milk frother that was, in an all-time mind-boggling move, discontinued by Bodum. They do make this other milk frother. It’s glass. It cannot be used on the stovetop. It will no doubt get your milk quite frothy. But it requires that you stick your lips into a bed of cold foam atop hot coffee. (Unless you use a new-fangled contraption called a microwave, which, I think we can all agree is not nearly as fun.) Still, it’s a way to frothy milk which seems to be what’s missing from many of your morning routines. (To brew our coffee itself, we use a 4-cup Bodum Chambord French Press.)coffee with frothed milk in a white mugAnd then of course, there’s the question of my beloved white mugs. They’re from a discontinued line sold by Brookfarm General Store. If small and round and teacup-shaped is what you’re after, here are four other options that look like they’d make fine substitutes:

Heath Ceramic’s Teacup & Saucer
There’s something to be said for trusting in a company that’s been at it since 1948. Heath Ceramic’s tea cups and saucers are on the diminutive side, which is precisely why I like them. If you need something taller, their Studio Mug is a true classic. (I think I’d choose their slightly off-white linen color, but there are lots of options for the more color-minded.)

Mud Austrailia’s Round Mug
Delicate, but sturdy, which is probably the best trait for a tea cup to boast. Matte on the outside, glazed on the inside (which, I’ve learned, is an important feature of a white mug).
 
Dina No’s Stoneware Mug
These squat and sturdy stoneware mugs remind me of a handmade take on old-fashioned diner mugs.

Snowe’s Mug
Some of you might have noticed the mugs in last week’s giveaway with Snowe (today is your last chance to enter, btw.) They’re a little less rustic than what I drink my morning cup from, but they might be just what the coffee ordered. So to speak.

And that’s that. I hope I’ve used the words coffee and milk and froth and foam and mug sufficiently in this post that it will pop up for you in late-night searches of this blog for answers to your coffee and tea cup dreams. And if you have other favorite coffee accessories—for making or drinking—please report!

Cheers to frothed milk with coffee on a Wednesday morning.

For my first ode to frothed milk from one million years ago, head here.

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23 Comments

  • Reply Ris October 14, 2015 at 10:21 am

    We swear by our Bodum French Press. It’s great for brewing cold coffee overnight during the summer months and hot coffee on winter mornings. It’s a breeze to clean, doesn’t have a bunch of plastic parts to fiddle with or douse in vinegar to rid of funk, and makes exactly two travel mugs’ worth of coffee every morning. It’s a $20 workhorse I couldn’t do without.

    • Reply Erin Boyle October 14, 2015 at 10:22 am

      Agreed! What we use to make the coffee, too! One of my favorite things!

  • Reply Daniella October 14, 2015 at 10:21 am

    That’s how I’ve started having my morning coffee now too. French press and milk frother, so good! I don’t mind our Bodum frother, it works quite well, and I think it might be one of the only things I use the microwave for, lol.

  • Reply Jenny October 14, 2015 at 10:31 am

    This little device is amazing! I warm up a bit of milk in the microwave and use this to froth it up perfectly before adding my coffee. Inexpesive and takes up very little room.

    http://www.amazon.com/Ikea-Milk-Frother-100-763-20-Silver/dp/B002Y6FBU2

  • Reply Erin October 14, 2015 at 10:41 am

    I received the Nespresso Aeroccino as a gift, and it’s changed my life. It’s a frother and warmer in one, and does wonders on dairy and non-dairy milks. I have a coconut milk cappuccino almost every day, and the frother is highly, highly recommended! As for espresso, I use my workhorse illy machine and for coffee, my Chemex (which I think brews the most delicious drip coffee).

    • Reply Alexa October 14, 2015 at 11:02 am

      Yes to the Nespresso Aeroccino! I use the same and it’s wonderful.

  • Reply Alexa October 14, 2015 at 10:58 am

    My boyfriend’s mom recently gifted me a milk frother of my own and it’s a gamechanger. How luxurious, to have a foamy coffee at home.

    Question – do you buy matching mugs or have more of a mix and match assortment? I’ve got a hodgepodge in my cupboard and streamlining my collection is something I’ve been pondering.

    • Reply Erin Boyle October 14, 2015 at 11:15 am

      No hodge-podge here. We have four of these white tea cups and four mustard tankard mugs from Bennington Potters. All other random one-off mugs were donated years ago!

  • Reply Megan October 14, 2015 at 11:00 am

    We love this milk frother! We warm up the milk on the stove, then froth manually with a hot pad on the handle. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000X7GF40?keywords=milk%20frother&qid=1444834763&ref_=sr_1_4&s=kitchen&sr=1-4

  • Reply Beth October 14, 2015 at 11:16 am

    We use a Frabosk stovetop milk frother and love it!

  • Reply Laura @ The Syntax of Things October 14, 2015 at 11:57 am

    I heat up my milk in the microwave (but you could also do it in a pot on the stove) and use a little guy like this: http://www.amazon.com/HIC-Brands-That-Cook-56AL3SAT/dp/B0002KZUNK It works quite well!

  • Reply Celia October 14, 2015 at 1:08 pm

    My man is the resident coffee maker in our house – and he’s part Italian, he takes it very seriously! He swears by the combo of a stovetop coffee maker and the Bialetti stovetop milk frother. It’s cheap, durable, you can buy it on Amazon, and it works a charm.

    Now I just need to no longer be 40+ weeks pregnant so I can actually drink coffee again!

  • Reply Meg October 14, 2015 at 1:15 pm

    We use the same french press and love it! Some of my favorite mugs are from Portland-made Mazama Wares: http://shopmazama.com/collections/mug. Thought you might like them too!

  • Reply d'Auria October 14, 2015 at 2:54 pm

    I searched eBay for the Bodum stovetop milk frother and found the much less attractive Italian Frabosk stovetop frother. This led me to an Amazon.com search – Amazon ethics aside, there is a great selection of stovetop frothers there that one could potentially source elsewhere.

  • Reply Lauren J @ The Barn October 14, 2015 at 2:55 pm

    But the real question is, what is your perfected french press coffee to water ratio? We have an 8 cup and swear by 5 scoops of whole coffee beans (ground before brewing obvs).

  • Reply Anna October 14, 2015 at 2:55 pm

    Bialetti Tuttocrema milk frother. Goes on the hob. Really velvety foam and non-stick.

  • Reply Ashley October 14, 2015 at 2:58 pm

    Oh man! Heath. Sigh. I’ve been very sloooooowly collecting their beautiful ceramics piece by piece. I hope to have at least one place setting someday 🙂

    • Reply Suzanne October 15, 2015 at 8:09 am

      I agree! They are all so beautiful!

  • Reply abby October 15, 2015 at 12:31 am

    I sometimes feel like the froth on my morning latte is as important as the espresso. So sweet and delicious in and of itself.

  • Reply Elizabeth in Paris October 15, 2015 at 6:00 am

    Your morning coffee ritual sounds great! Sadly, I’ve given up on Bodum. I’ve had at least 6 French presses over the last 6 years, not to mention several replacement glass inserts. We now use an Aeropress, and it makes a smaller quantity of coffee, but of outstanding quality!

  • Reply niamhroisin October 15, 2015 at 7:48 am

    I’ll be guarding my Bodum stovetop frother with my life, then! Why, oh why, would you get rid of such a thing from your product line!? I saw it first being used on my first trip to Italy (age 21), and on a day trip, one of our company found one at a market in Arezzo. He held it aloft and positively crowed with delight and achievement. I spent roughly the next six years looking for one. I have one now, and it will be in the ‘bequeath to my most loyal great-grandchild’ pile along with my properly giant, old-fashioned, orange Le Creuset.

  • Reply Amanda October 15, 2015 at 3:33 pm

    Those little mugs are lovely! And I love Heath. For folks who like ceramics and/or factory tours, the tour of their factory in Sausalito is interesting!

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