I'm an ex-barista and I only need this one tool to make Starbucks-style iced drinks at home

the subminimal nanofoamer pro gen 2 is a milk frother jug with three magnetic flow controllers and a touchscreen lcd screen

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

When I worked as a Starbucks barista, my favorite thing to do during quiet periods was experiment with different drinks. My coworkers and I used to make new concoctions all the time — I once made a pink latte using hibiscus tea and cold foam.

So now that I have left behind my career as a barista (insert crying noises), I still need to fill that part of me. I love inventing new beverages and playing around with various recipes to create something new.

When I reviewed the Subminimal Nanofoamer Pro Gen 2 the other day, I realized I’d hit the jackpot. This 4.5-star milk foamer makes hot and cold foam with any type of milk, even the most stubborn almond milk, and I had a complete blast testing it out.

I may or may not have drank way too many chai, matcha, and coffee lattes, but you know what? I had a great time.

Here’s why I think the Subminimal Nanofoamer Pro is the only thing you need to make Starbucks-style iced drinks at home — just in time for summer.

Sweet cream cold foam, who dis?

a coffee drink made by the subminimal nanofoamer pro inspired by starbucks iced coffee — (Image credit: Erin Bashford)

I remember there was a craze for sweet cream cold foam when I worked at Starbucks, and it seems to be still going. So, praise be when I discovered that I can make ‘SCCF’ at home, for a fraction of the cost (and a lot healthier). Starbucks uses heavy cream in the U.S., so that’s what I used here.

I’ve gone for the classic black coffee with sweet cream. It's not exactly the same, I'll admit, but oh it was so delicious. I've put the full recipe below.

Non-dairy milks galore

With the Subminimal Nanofoamer Pro, I can make any drink with dairy and a huge range of non-dairy milks, too. There’s a little magnetic strip inside the Nanofoamer jug where the flow controllers go.

These magnets basically slow or increase the speed of the impeller to control aeration. With dairy milk, you’d use the black magnet, and with barista-friendly non-dairy, you’d use the blue. If you’ve got a particularly stubborn plant-based milk that just won’t foam up, then use the green.

The customization options don’t stop there. The impeller is also height-adjustable. Lowering the impeller will aerate milk less, and raising it will aerate milk more. This means you don’t need barista non-dairy milk to get decent foam — if you have stubborn plant-based milk, just aerate it more to obtain the perfect texture.

Starbucks-inspired iced drinks

Now, I’m not going to spill insider secrets or anything, so if that’s what you’re after, click away! I’m just going to share some ideas to make what used to be my personal favorite drinks at the ol’ Siren.

Frappuccinos are out of the question here — you’d need one of the best blenders (my Starbucks used to use Hamilton Beach) and frappuccino base. There are loads of recipes online mimicking that, so I’d start with a quick Google if that’s what you’re here for.

I’m just going to share some of the easiest ways to make the most of the fantastic Subminimal Nanofoamer Pro.

Iced matcha latte

To make this drink, I just poured 220ml of milk (I used oat for this) and ½ teaspoon of matcha. Then I set the Nanofoamer Pro on the ‘cold foam’ setting twice and had a delicious foamy matcha latte.

If you’re making matcha, I recommend running it through the foamer twice as the matcha needs a little extra whirring to mix thoroughly.

Oat brown sugar espresso with cold foam

I pulled a shot of espresso on my De’Longhi La Specialista Opera and added brown sugar syrup. Then I mixed it with a little oat milk and topped it off with oat milk foam

I made the oat milk foam by putting 100ml oat milk with the green flow controller on the cold foam setting. I ran this through twice to get more foam. Lastly, I sprinkled a little brown sugar on the top of the foam and it was de-li-cious!

Iced London Fog

London Fog is made with Earl Gray tea and vanilla foam on top.

To make this, I steeped Earl Gray in hot water for a few minutes then iced it up. I whizzed up some vanilla cream (heavy cream + vanilla syrup/simple syrup) and some coconut foam without any magnetic flow controllers. So delicious!

Black americano with sweet cream

This one took some dedication — I ran the cold foam setting 12 times to achieve this result. But oh boy, it was utterly delicious. I added heavy cream and vanilla syrup to the minimum line and ran it on cold foam (yes, you guessed it) 12 times.

But look at it. It was so rich and creamy, and even though it's likely terrible for my cardiovascular health, I want another one right now.

Experiment away!

These recipes are super simple ways to get the most out of the Subminimal Nanofoamer Pro. I took inspiration from my days at Starbucks for the drinks, although they’re certainly not step-for-step ‘Bux recipes.

I love the Nanofoamer Pro because it's so versatile and it just works. I can experiment away to my heart's desire and I know I'll make something delectable — even if it's mostly on accident.

Erin Bashford is a staff writer at Tom’s Guide, covering reviews. She has a Masters in Broadcast and Digital Journalism from the University of East Anglia and 7 years of experience writing music, events, and food reviews. Now she’s turned her attention to tech for Tom’s Guide, reviewing everything from earbuds to garlic crushers. In her spare time you can find her reading, practising yoga, writing, or stressing over today’s NYT Games.