Cocomotion Hot Chocolate Maker

We got this for our kids, who love hot cocoa all year 'round. It works great, reliably makes good cocoa (assuming you use good cocoa ingredients). It heats it up so you don't have to heat the milk (or water) and mixes it nicely, shuts off automatically. Again, it does a great job. It's easy to use. The "magnetic impeller" is a little disk with a tiny paddle on top that you wouldn't expect to work, and it's magnetically coupled to the motor (no shaft running from the motor into the jar as on most blenders, so no seal to leak, etc.), pretty cool and it does the job well. It's easy to clean, the magnetic impeller comes out and you clean the impeller, the inside of the jar, and the cover. (As an aside: It would be nicer if the jar could come off and be cleaned without having to be careful to not get water into the underside, but it's not all that difficult, just could be a bit better. You can not immerse it, it's one unit: jar, motor, and controls, so you clean by washing and rinsing the inside of the jar without letting water get into the underside of the bottom, which again is do-able and not all that tough but one does have to be aware and careful. I guess they wanted the no-seal-required magnetic impeller and couldn't do that with a removable jar or the heating system needs to be intimately connected? Also, it doesn't alarm when done, it just shuts off, but if you are around you'll obviously know when it's done. Again, not a problem nor a pain, but the designers could make an improvement next time.) At first we were looking at the cartridge coffee makers which generally can also make hot cocoa, but they are much more expensive, typically make only one cup at a time, and you're limited to the small selection and overpriced cartridges available for the unit you have, so we scratched that, and on a whim or from desperation did a search on Amazon for "hot cocoa maker" and this unit came up, highly rated and reasonably priced. Recommended. It works well and a good value.

I recently purchased the Mr. Coffee Cocomotion Hot Chocolate Maker in November, 2011. Since that purchase we have used it several times and are extremely pleased with its build quality, easy cleaning, and the quality of the hot chocolate it makes. The hot chocolate it makes is dependent on the mix you use and whether or not you use milk or water. However, the machine mixes and makes the hot chocolate well and quickly. We used the Ghirardelli Premium Hot Cocoa Double Chocolate mix with 1% white organic milk and found this combination mixed well and the temperature was hot enough. We have made anywhere from 8 to 32 ounces of hot chocolate with this machine and have not had any surprises or messes. It mixed all the amounts well and thoroughly and the longest it took was 3-4 minutes for the 32 ounces. We have not tried making hot chocolate only with water or some other mix since we are very pleased with the taste and consistency with what we are using. With milk it does give a slight frothing which is like what you would get at places like Starbucks or other high end coffee shops. All of my family, including our 2 children enjoy this machine and the hot chocolate it makes. The instructions are easy to follow and the cleaning is easy also. Just clean it immediately after you are done drinking your hot chocolate and it cleans easily and it stores easily since it is not very tall and it is one complete unit. I just hope it lasts for a long time since we are liking it that much. Once you make hot chocolate with this machine, making it any other way will be disappointing. To us, making hot chocolate with this machine took the taste and the experience of drinking hot chocolate up a notch.

This is quite an unusual idea for an appliance, and I've never seen anything like it before. However, Mr. Coffee still manages to pull this off very well for a first attempt. The machine quickly and quietly makes hot chocolate that's just the right temperature, and also well-mixed and frothy (if you use milk). I love hot chocolate, but it's always been a pain to make, because I either need to heat a pan of water or milk on the stove, or stick a cup in the microwave, and try to heat the liquid to just the right temperature. And once you've done either method, there's the messy process of trying to stir everything together in a nearly-full mug. This device eliminates all of the hassle. The only reason that this got 4 stars instead of 5 is that the top of the device isn't removable, making it impossible to put in the dishwasher or submerge completely in water. It's not difficult to clean, but being able to just put it in a dishwasher would be a nice bonus. Maybe in a future version of this appliance.

Let's get the cons out of the way: an all in one unit so that the carafe does not separate from the base. Short power cord. Markings for cups difficult to see. That's it. It's really effortless to lift and pour with the entire appliance. A quick rinse with a soapy sponge and let it dry. And the short cord does store in the base which is very convenient and neat. Now for the pros: it makes great hot chocolate at just the right temperature-- hot enough but not burning hot. I like to use 12 ounces of milk, with a couple of tablespoons of cocoa and sweetener, keeping the drink sugar and as fat free as possible. The end result using a mix of 1% milk and fat free half and half is better than any hot chocolate I have ever tasted. And this amount takes just three minutes. All it takes is a push of a button to start the machine. It shuts off on its own when the hot chocolate reaches the correct temperature. It's relatively small for an appliance and takes up very little cupboard or counter space. It would be nice if the carafe separated from the base and it would be nice if it beeped when done rather than just shutting off. But in 3 minutes, I barely have time to leave the kitchen. A keeper, for sure, and quickly becoming one of my favorite toys. I have hot chocolate about 5 nights a week now.