Milk, oat drink, cocoa: What can the Severin milk frother do?
14.7.2026
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Stephan Lamprecht
Your coffee machine doesn't have a steam nozzle, but you still want a latte macchiato? Then you need a milk frother like the "SM3589" from Severin. I tested whether the device produces foam as good as my portafilter machine.
Electric milk frothers are now available from almost every small appliance manufacturer. Severin is entering the race with the "SM3589" model, which aims to get by with three functions and a single control button.
What's in the box
The milk frother is unpacked in no time, as there are only five parts in the box: the motor unit, a stainless steel jug with a lid, and two whisk attachments.
Severin will probably not win a design award for the milk frother. The base is made of plastic in a kind of sand color. However, it feels more high-quality than it looks. Just a functional, simple kitchen helper.
One-button operation
There is a single soft-touch button on the housing. The enclosed instructions are correspondingly compact. The device masters three drinks:
- cold milk foam
- warm milk foam
- warm milk or cocoa
The Severin acknowledges switching on and every button press with a beep, which (unfortunately) cannot be switched off. With each press of the button, I switch between the three modes. The operation of the device is always the same: insert whisk, fill with milk or plant-based drink, press the button, wait briefly, done.
Foam quality and taste
For the first test run, I place the whisk on the hub at the bottom of the jug. Then I fill well-chilled cow's milk with 3.5 percent fat content up to the minimum mark. That's about 100 milliliters. The Severin starts working with a slight whirring sound.
80 seconds later, the device beeps twice. I curiously lift the lid and am positively surprised.
The foam is beautifully shiny and has a good, creamy consistency. It has nothing to do with the "construction foam" that some fully automatic machines produce. The result of the Severin is comparable to lightly whipped cream. That's how it should be. A look at my thermometer shows a temperature of just under 60 degrees. Severin plays it safe here and adheres to the magical limit of 65 degrees, which ruins any milk foam because the proteins would otherwise denature.
And the taste? The foam has the slight sweetness I expected and is sensorially convincing in the mouth. Beautifully fluffy.
I have to say: The milk foam comes very close to what I produce with the steam wand of my portafilter machine. With appropriate practice, you can achieve an even finer-pored and more stable foam with steam.
After frothing, the fan in the Severin continues to run for a few seconds. After two minutes, the device switches off. This model can froth a maximum of 250 milliliters of milk. The result is a ratio of about 1:2, which corresponds to up to 500 milliliters of foam. So this thing can handle cow's milk.
According to the product description, the little helper is supposed to froth "everything", including plant-based alternatives. Of course, I also tried that. I opted for the oat drink in the barista version from Oatly and the almond drink from Alpro, also in the barista edition.
The results are absolutely comparable. Although I liked the consistency of the almond foam a little better. In general, for plant-based alternatives, you should look for products with the addition "Barista". They have a high fat and protein content - and therefore froth similarly well and stably as cow's milk. "Normal" oat foam quickly collapses.
And finally: cold coffee and hot chocolate
Since it's 30 degrees outside, I'll finish by testing my favorite summer coffee: Iced Coffee à la Stephan. For this, I need cold milk foam. The Severin produces it without any problems. However, it only stirs air into the milk. So I have to use the fine-pored foam quickly before it collapses.
Since the weather remains unusually summery for Northern Germany, I reluctantly proceed to the last test. I prefer to drink hot chocolate in winter. Since I don't have any chocolate shavings at home, I limit myself to drinking chocolate. For this, I have to put the small cover on the whisk (so that the powder doesn't stick) and start the program. Severin points out in the instructions that the powder should only be added when the milk is already being stirred.
In this mode, the device works significantly slower. For drinking chocolate, I can fill up to 400 milliliters of milk. After 3 minutes and 53 seconds, the 63-degree warm drinking chocolate is ready. Tastes delicious, but I stick to it: It's better suited for winter.
Cleaning and care
The milk frother is easy to clean. For the housing, a damp wipe is sufficient. The stainless steel jug can go into the dishwasher. However, since the handle is made of plastic, I prefer to wash the parts by hand. In my experience, plastics fade quickly with frequent machine washing.
In a nutshell
Great device for (almost) perfect milk foam
The Severin milk frother is an easy-to-use device that produces great quality milk foam. Whether cow's milk or plant-based alternatives, it makes no difference to the handy device. The option of also making hot chocolate is another plus. An ideal companion for anyone whose machine does not have a steam wand.
Pro
- delicious milk foam with almost perfect texture
- easy to use
- easy to clean
- Price-performance is absolutely fine.
Header image: Stephan Lamprecht
Hamburg local, bookworm, and ice hockey fan. Dad and granddad. Constantly tinkering around with my smart home setup. I love DIY, the outdoors, fashion, and cosmetics.
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