Mr. Coffee Cafe Latte Maker - 12 Cup Automatic Espresso and Cappuccino Machine with Milk Frother, Perfect for Home, Office, and Coffee Shops

I used to occasionally purchase a $4.25 latte as a treat during the workday, each time silently berating myself for spending such a foolish amount of money on 12 oz of soymilk and telling myself that if I just bought a latte maker for my office...So I finally bit the bullet one day and purchased this. I am so glad I did. I can now buy a carton of soy milk or almond milk for $2-3 and get about 8 lattes out of it.NON-DAIRY MILKS: I have used Silk Chocolate soymilk, Silk Vanilla Lite soymilk, and Lite Almond milk as well. They have all worked fine.FROTH: This doesn't get the same level of froth that you get from a coffee shop steamed latte, with those really tiny dense bubbles. These bubbles are bigger and disappear faster, but it's still a delicious caffeinated treat, and it's practically free compared to the price of a coffee shop version. However if you are really serious about a perfect recreation, then I would suggest going with a steam-based frother/espresso machine instead. I get the same amount of froth from all of the milks I've tried; one difference I have noticed however, is that there seems to be a greater amount of froth when making two servings instead of one. However, like I said, it's gone after a couple minutes, so at that point it doesn't matter anyway.OPERATION: It is extremely easy to fill, operate, and clean up. It is basically the same as using any regular coffee maker, but you pour some milk in the carafe as well. I actually get a little kick out of pushing the lever and seeing the little electrodes move down and hearing the whizzing noise start up. About the noise, it is pretty quiet, doesn't bother my office mate (she actually said it was soothing once and was slightly disappointed when it stopped) and it can't be heard at all in the next office over. Only difference in cleanup from a regular coffee maker is that you need to swipe out the carafe with a sponge rather than just rinsing with water, but this really only adds a few seconds.I had purchased a wand/stick style frother in the past, but stopped using it fairly quickly. I really like that this machine is just so effortless and brainless; just set it up and when it's done it's done. Compared to microwaving the milk, frothing it by hand, making coffee, mixing together, so much work right?? (1st world problems)OVERALL: This is the type of appliance that I feel a genuine almost motherly affection for. Like my electric pressure cooker, I am so enthralled with them every time I use them, I'm close to naming them and giving them little pats on the head/lid when they're done. That's how much I love this thing!In short, I would definitely recommend this!