NanoFoamer Pro 2 Test: Milk Foam WITHOUT an Espresso Machine?

Latte Art foam instead of bath foam – that's the goal of the NanoFoamer Pro 2. Because it makes creamy cappuccino possible for everyone without a steam wand on their espresso machine, and also decorates your moka with hearts and tulips. We put the NanoFoamer Pro 2 from Subminimal through a professional test and share our experiences in this video review. And to give you a heads up: our barista trainer Michel Indelicato was thrilled with this little milk pitcher with heater.

Highlights at a glance

✔️ 3 different settings for foam thickness and temperature

✔️ Ideal for alternative milk types (soy, oat, etc.)

✔️ Easy to use, slightly more complex cleaning

✔️ Compact design for home or on the go

How does the NanoFoamer Pro 2 work?

The NanoFoamer Pro 2 differs fundamentally from conventional milk frothers because it delivers fine-pored latte art foam instead of airy "builder's foam." Builder's foam is what professional baristas often dismissively call what gets produced when too much air is drawn into the milk. That's something many auto-steamers in some fully automatic coffee machines still do today.

This allows you to pile up bathtub foam-like mountains, but you can't pour creamy latte art. The idea of the NanoFoamer is: both should be possible here. Besides the frothing process, the milk is also heated in the foamer.

As a standalone device, it offers precise control over foam consistency and temperature – two crucial factors for perfect latte art. With three different setting options, coffee enthusiasts, home baristas, and beginners can create the ideal foam texture for their favorite coffee specialties.

• Rubber wings in black (slow, cow's milk), green (fast, milk alternatives), and blue (medium, milk alternatives), which are attached magnetically to the pitcher.
• Foaming mode acceleration 1 - 5 + 0 for cold milk
• Depth of the foamer

So much for the theory. And in fact. In practice too, we give a tick to these tasks. Thin and thick foam succeed depending on the goal, milk, and setting.

Foaming recipes for different milk types and quantities

The NanoFoamer Pro 2 offers different inserts (Slow, Medium, Fast) and levels (1-5) for foam production. Additionally, you should pay attention to the fact that the foamer beeps at around 59 degrees for all recipes. We use this to stop it shortly after. For most milk varieties and cappuccinos, temperatures between 58 and 63 degrees Celsius taste very good.

General tips & tricks

Temperature development:

• With cow's milk: Temperature rise of approx. 0.3-0.4°C per second after the beep
• With larger quantities: Slower rise (0.2-0.3°C per second) after the beep

Cold variant:

• Works well with 130g and slow insert
• Foaming time: approx. 1:25 minutes
• Produces good latte art foam

Troubleshooting:

• Too liquid foam: Increase level or change insert
• Too thick foam: Reduce level
• With oat milk: Prefer fast insert

Best results for cow's milk: Bio-pasteurized

For small drinks (130g milk), optimal setting for latte art:

• Quantity: 130g milk
• Insert: Slow
• Level: 2
• Expected foaming time: approx. 2 minutes
• Target temperature: 61°C (wait approx. 3 seconds after the beep)
• Result: Perfect consistency for latte art

For medium drinks (180g milk)

Optimal setting:

• Quantity: 180g milk
• Insert: Slow
• Level: 3
• Expected time: approx. 2:10 minutes
• Target temperature: 60°C (approx. 2 seconds after the beep)
• Result: Ideal texture for latte art

For large drinks (220-250g milk)

Optimal setting:

• Quantity: 220-250g milk
• Insert: Slow
• Level: 4
• Expected time: 2:50-3:00 minutes
• Target temperature: 59-59.5°C (stop at beep)
• Result: Perfect latte art foam

Special instructions for oat milk

Small portions (130g)

Best setting:

• Quantity: 130g oat milk
• Insert: Fast
• Level: 3
• Expected time: 1:25 minutes
• Temperature: 59.5°C (stop at beep)
• Specialty: Produces the best foam with fast insert!

Medium portions (180g)

Optimal setting:

• Quantity: 180g oat milk
• Insert: Fast
• Level: 4
• Expected time: 1:55 minutes (stop at beep)
• Result: Optimal foam quality

Large portions (220g)

Best setting:

• Quantity: 220g oat milk
• Insert: Fast
• Level: 5
• Expected time: 2:20 minutes
• Temperature: 60°C (stop at beep)
• Result: Even, stable foam

Summary of key findings:

• Cow's milk works best with slow insert (black)
• Oat milk achieves best results with fast insert
• Larger milk quantities require higher levels
• Optimal temperature is between 59-61°C
• Foaming time varies between 1:25 and 3:00 minutes depending on quantity

Does it also froth oat milk and alternative milk?

The device's performance when processing alternative milk is particularly impressive. Many home baristas struggle with frothing oat milk and others. With a bit of experimenting, the right recipe for each oat milk consistency can be found. Important note: every milk is slightly different, so a recipe must be developed for each one. Also, the requirement for foam density varies. For Swiss Bio-Oat Milk Gutsch, we used the following settings:

Gutsch Milk Foam Recipe

• Gutsch oat milk 130g
• Room temperature
• Fast insert
• Level 3
• 1:25 foaming time; stop at the first beep at 59.5°C.
• Absolutely top foam!!!

User-friendliness in focus

The handling of the device appears intuitive and easy to us.

• Temperature setting
• Easy foam consistency regulation
• Quick and effective cleaning, though unfortunately not dishwasher safe
• Perfect for on the go

Thanks to its compact size and independence from an espresso machine, the NanoFoamer Pro 2 is also ideal for mobile use. Whether in the office or while traveling – professional latte art becomes relatively easy everywhere.

Cleaning and care

An important aspect for the longevity of the device is proper care. You should clean the NanoFoamer carefully after each use.

• Not dishwasher safe
• Regular manual cleaning after each use
• Careful maintenance of foam components