mukkachino experience

i've had my eye on this thing since xmas when i was shopping at crate & barrel. $89 is a lot to spend on what looks like not much more than a stovetop coffeemaker, but it is cheaper than many of the capuccino machines out there, and the $100 ones require finesse to foam the milk properly. at a minimum, you'd have to spend $200-300 to get a decent machine.

cravings for mochas & lattes wore down my reservations on the last visit. the sales lady said she had purchased three as xmas gifts and claimed they worked, but i was skeptical. the first batch came out watery and not so great, but the manual recommended brewing and discarding three batches to break the thing in, and by the fourth try, I had a good, frothy mocha (adding a spoon of Ghiradelli cocoa is perfection). it really works! and the best part is that it takes up little space unlike an espresso machine.