Nespresso Aeroccino 3 vs 4: High-End Milk Frother Reviews (2024)

For mornings when time is short and multitasking is a necessity, a good Nespresso frother might be the easiest route from you to your cappuccino. This review of the Nespresso Aeroccino 3 vs 4 milk frother can help discover which of these is right for you.

Nespresso Aeroccino Milk Frother Review

For many of us on the Home Grounds team, nothing quite hits the spot like a velvety, creamy cappuccino. Along with fresh coffee beans, a quality grinder, an espresso machine, and milk, every delicious cappuccino needs a good milk frother and steamer. Enter the Nespresso Aeroccino milk frother.

What sets the Nespresso Aeroccino milk frother apart from the competition? Let’s dive into the details in this Nespresso Aeroccino Milk Frother review.

Nespresso Aeroccino 3 vs. the Nespresso Aeroccino 4

First off, to avoid any confusion in this Aeroccino 3 vs 4 review, be aware that there are two versions of the Nespresso Aeroccino currently available: the older Nespresso Aeroccino 3 and the new Aeroccino 4.

The Aeroccino 3

Released in 2012, the Aeroccino 3 lets you create customizable, milk-based coffee drinks with a single-button interface (1). To create hot foam, simply press the button down for a second, and it’ll glow red. For cold froth for iced coffee, press and hold the button for two seconds, and it’ll glow blue.

What’s more, the Aeroccino 3 also comes with two whisks—one for regular foam and the other for extra foam. To make hot milk, simply run the Nespresso milk frother without a whisk. It’s the more compact of the two models, measuring 4” wide by 7” tall.

With a chrome finish and pouring spout, the Aeroccino 4’s silhouette is reminiscent of an antique European milk jug. It’s also a fair bit larger, at 7” wide and just over 8” tall.

The Aeroccino 4

Unlike the Aeroccino 3, the Aeroccino 4 features four buttons at its base for cold milk foam, steamed milk, latte macchiato, and cappuccino—which produces the most foam. Moreover, Nespresso simplified the whisk assembly by using one whisk across all its milk options.

Along with the elevated vibe of the Aeroccino 4, we really appreciate the addition of a small spout, as it makes pouring the frothed milk so much easier.

Ease of Use – 5/5

Creating latte-art-worthy milk foam with a steam wand is no easy task. There are two steps to the process of steaming milk: stretching and texturing. Do both of these steps well, and you’ll have creamy, dense foam that lasts as long as your drink. Miss either step, and you’ll have large bubbles in your foam, leaving you with a cappuccino or latte lacking in its trademark silky mouthfeel.

But that’s much easier said than done, according to Shaun Aupiais, a contributor to Perfect Daily Grind who’s coached over 100 baristas in the fine art of milk frothing (2).

The Nespresso Aeroccino milk frother takes that steep learning curve out of the equation by making milk froth preparation as simple as the touch of a button.

All you have to do is measure the right amount of cold milk into the jug, press one of the four buttons, and wait 80 seconds. And just like that, you’ll have rich, frothy hot or cold foam for your latte macchiato, frappuccino, or cappuccino.

If you want just steamed milk for a flat white, you can do that, too. Press the second button for hot milk, and you’ll have piping hot milk for your drink in 150 seconds.

Of course, there are disadvantages to using a milk frother rather than a steam wand. The Nespresso milk frother takes all the guesswork out of stretching and texturing the milk, but it also removes all your control over the final product. When you press any of the associated buttons, the Aeroccino whips air into your milk using a whisk. While this is really effective for quickly incorporating air into the milk, there’s virtually no control over how the air is being incorporated.

In a traditional steam wand, the texture of the foam is determined by the position of the steam wand’s tip relative to the surface of the milk. The more exposed the tip is, the larger your bubbles will be.

The Aeroccino’s whisk doesn’t offer any fine control over the quality of the foam, which seems to be quite dense. The froth from the Aeroccino is best suited for a casual cappuccino or macchiato, as opposed to the silky microfoam you need for pouring good latte art. It can also be more difficult to froth a non-dairy milk, like almond milk or soy milk, with a frother.

Design – 5/5

On the inside of the Nespresso Aeroccino milk frother’s jug, you’ll find two max indicator lines. The first line, marked at 4 fluid ounces, is for drinks that require dense foam. You’d pour milk to this point for macchiatos and cappuccinos.

The second indicator line, marked at 8 ounces, is for any drink that requires hot milk without foam. You won’t want to start frothing at this level, as there’s a chance it could overflow and cause some unpleasant burns.

For more about how to make the most of your Aeroccino milk frother, check out this Nespresso presentation.

Overall, the layout of the Nespresso milk frother is very intuitive. The Aeroccino 3 is particularly obvious, as its single button glows red for hot milk froth and blue for cold milk froth. On the other hand, the Nespresso Aeroccino 4’s four-button layout illustrates the type of foam you’ll get with helpful coffee cup illustrations on the buttons themselves.

Features – 4/5

Both the Aeroccino 3 and Aeroccino 4 are sleek, easy-to-use, feature-rich Nespresso milk frothers. When it comes to convenience, you can’t go wrong with either one. But here’s a short rundown of each unit’s features.

Both the Nespresso Aeroccino 3 and Aeroccino 4 are very easy to clean. If you decide to get the Aeroccino3, you’ll have to wipe down the unit with a damp cloth, as it isn’t dishwasher-safe. However, all of the Aeroccino 4’s components, except for the power base, are dishwasher-safe.

For both units, it’s a good idea to use a soft cloth and hot soapy water to clean any milk residue from the inside of the frothing milk jug. The jug’s interior is ceramic, so it’s best to avoid using metal spoons or abrasive brushes as it’ll ruin the coating.

Value for Money – 4/5

Overall, both the Aeroccino 3 and Aeroccino 4 Nespresso milk frothers are great value for the money if you make milk-based coffee drinks on a regular basis. The older model Aeroccino 3 is about two-thirds the cost of the new Aeroccino 4, and might be the better value of the two if you don’t have a strong desire to pour latte art and don’t mind swapping out the two disks.

If you plan to buy a Nespresso machine, you can bundle it with an Aeroccino for even better value.

If you have the time to be more hands-on, you can go the cheaper route and buy a hand-held frother like the Powerlix frother or the Matcha DNA.

Do not Buy the Nespresso Aeroccino Milk Frother If…

• You’re on a budget: While neither the Aeroccino 3 nor the Aeroccino 4 are the most expensive frothers, they are still investments that may not be worthwhile if you don’t drink milk-based coffee drinks on a regular basis. A cheaper option (that you might already own!) is to froth milk in a basic French press, a technique endorsed by champion barista Lance Hedrick (3).Or if you still want a proper electric frother, the Bodum milk frother is a cheaper option.
• You have limited counter space: If you’re short on space, the Aeroccino 3 is much more compact than the Aeroccino 4. But if that still doesn’t fit your kitchen, consider a hand-held frother like the Powerlix instead. Keep in mind that hand-held frothers only whip the milk, they don’t heat it. So you’ll also need a stovetop or microwave handy.
• You prefer retro-styled machines: The Aeroccino sports a cool, modern design. If it isn’t your cup of tea, and your style preference leans towards cute, retro, and funky, then the Smeg frother would make a great choice. This frother is available in 7 fun colors. Read Home Grounds’ Smeg milk frother review.
• You don’t like uni-taskers in the kitchen: Honestly, there’s no getting around the fact that the Nespresso Aeroccino milk frother is just that: a milk frother. According to the manual, using anything other than milk could damage the Aeroccino’s components. If you want to get a little more creative with your milk frother, spend a bit more for the Breville Milk Cafe milk frother. It can make all your favorite coffee beverage recipes, but can also be used to prepare treats like hot chocolate and mulled wine!

The Verdict

Nespresso’s Aeroccino milk frother is a great buy if you’re in the market for a convenient, easy-to-use milk frother. It’s relatively compact, very quiet, fast, easy to clean, and boasts a few customizable milk froth preparations.

However, this may not be a great choice if you want to have more control over your microfoam, are on a budget, have limited counter space, or simply don’t want another uni-tasker.

But, we’d like to hear from you. What are your experiences like with the Nespresso Aeroccino? Let us know in the comments or in our Home Grounds Facebook group.