There’s a particular kind of winter morning where instant coffee just won’t do, but you also don’t have the counter space (or the patience) for a bean-to-cup machine and a separate milk jug. That’s the gap the Lavazza A Modo Mio Jolie & Milk is trying to fill. It’s the small Jolie capsule machine with a milk frother built into the side, and it’s built for one thing above all: a decent cappuccino or latte with very little thought involved.
I’ve gone through the Amazon UK listing, the specs that retailers publish, a proper hands-on review of the Jolie machine itself, and the owner reviews, including the grumpy ones. This is what that adds up to.
At a glance
- Best for: one or two people who mostly drink milky coffee and want it fast, from a machine that doesn’t take over the worktop
- Top feature: the frother is built into the same unit, so a cappuccino needs one machine, one plug and two button presses
- Watch out for: a tiny used-capsule drawer, a short power lead, and some reports of frothers giving up early
- Skip if: you only drink black coffee (the plain Jolie does the same job without the frother), or you want access to the huge range of Nespresso-compatible pods
What you actually get
The coffee side is the Jolie: a 1250W capsule machine that takes Lavazza A Modo Mio pods, has a 0.6 litre water tank, and on this EVO version gives you a choice of a classic espresso or a longer lungo from its delivery button. Lavazza quotes a 35 second heat-up, and it drops into standby after two minutes of doing nothing, which is handy if you’re the sort of person who wanders off and forgets.
The milk side is a jug-style frother built into the right-hand side of the machine, with a whisk inside that’s held in place by a magnet. You pour in milk, press the button, and it heats and froths for you. It runs off the same power lead as the coffee machine, so you only need one socket.
Lavazza says the machine body is made with 33% recycled plastic and that the packaging is plastic-free and recyclable. Nice to know, though it’s not the reason anyone buys a coffee machine.
Will it fit a small kitchen?
This is where it earns its place. Lavazza lists it at 33.1cm tall, 22.2cm wide and 21.7cm deep, and it weighs 4.9kg. Ignore the dimensions on the Amazon listing itself, by the way. They’re clearly wrong (nothing with a water tank and a frother is under 15cm wide).
The water tank sits at the back with a lid you can lift off, so you can top it up in place without dragging the machine out from under a wall cupboard. That matters more than you’d think on a busy morning. One thing to check: the power lead is only 0.8m, so it needs to live fairly close to a socket. For comparison, it takes up a bit more width than the Nespresso Essenza Mini on its own, but once you add a separate frother to the Nespresso, the Lavazza probably wins on tidiness.
What owners rate
- The coffee. Coffee quality is by far the most mentioned thing in the reviews, and it’s mostly praise. The Tech Advisor reviewer called the Jolie’s espresso some of the best pod coffee they’d tried, with good body and crema.
- The froth. Owners describe it as thick and fluffy, and several who’d previously used a standalone Lavazza frother say this one does the job just as well in less space.
- It’s hot. One UK owner singles out that the coffee always comes out hot, which isn’t a given with small capsule machines.
- Dead simple. Ease of use comes up again and again. Pod in, lever down, button, done.
- Long-lived predecessors. A couple of reviewers bought this as a replacement after their old Jolie lasted somewhere between five and eight years, which is a reasonable sign of how the basic machine holds up.
What owners don’t
- The capsule drawer. It holds five used pods. Lavazza says both buttons flash when it needs emptying, but one UK owner still found it easy to miss, and if you push a new pod in when it’s already packed it can jam. They also mention a small leak when pulling the drawer out at that point. If two of you have a couple of coffees each, you’re emptying it daily.
- The short lead. At 0.8m, the power cable won’t stretch far. If your sockets are at the other end of the worktop, you’ll need to plan where it goes.
- Frother reliability is a mixed bag. Amazon’s review summary notes that some customers found the frother stopped working after around six months. Most people don’t report this, but enough do that it’s worth registering the warranty and keeping your receipt.
- Some early failures. A small number of reviews describe the coffee machine dying within weeks. That’s true of almost every small appliance at this level, but it’s there.
- No preset cup sizes. You get espresso or lungo and that’s it. There’s no programming a “my mug” setting.
- Capsule choice is narrower. A Modo Mio pods are widely sold in UK supermarkets and on Amazon, but the range is nowhere near as big as Nespresso Original or Dolce Gusto.
Who it suits (and who it doesn’t)
If your daily order is a cappuccino, a latte or a flat white, and you’d rather not buy a machine and a frother separately and then find room for both, this set makes a lot of sense. It’s also a good shout for a first flat, a home office, or a household where one person drinks espresso and the other wants something milky.
If you mainly fancy hot chocolate, a pod system with dedicated chocolate pods is the better route. We looked at that in whether a Tassimo is worth it for hot chocolate. And if you only want froth and already own a coffee machine, a standalone frother like the Aeroccino 3 or the Dualit Milk Frother Max is the cheaper fix.
Getting the best out of it
- Before your first coffee, run a tank’s worth of water through it to flush the system. The Tech Advisor review walks through this, and it’s the bit people skip.
- Use the removable cup rack. It’s there for small espresso cups, and taking it out makes room for a mug. Tech Advisor found the plain Jolie fits a cup of around 11cm with the tray removed.
- Don’t poke the pod in with your finger. Drop it into the slot and close the lever. Pushing it can send it straight into the used-pod drawer.
- Get into the habit of emptying the capsule drawer every time you refill the water, rather than waiting for the buttons to flash. It sidesteps the jamming problem almost entirely.
- For plant milks, the barista versions of oat or soya froth far better than the standard cartons. Our oat milk frothing piece goes into why.
Cleaning and safety
Rinse the frother and whisk straight after use. Lavazza’s FAQ says the removable spare parts can go in the dishwasher, but the Amazon listing says the item isn’t dishwasher-safe, so check the manual before putting anything near the frother in there. Either way, a quick hand rinse is the habit that matters. Dried-on milk is miserable to shift and it’s the most likely culprit when froth starts going flat. On the machine, the cup rack, drip tray, capsule container and water tank all come off for cleaning, and the area under the spout wants a regular wipe.
Like any capsule machine, it’ll eventually need descaling, and sooner if you’re in a hard water area. Our guide to how often to descale a coffee maker covers the signs to look out for.
FAQ
Does the Lavazza Jolie & Milk take Nespresso pods?
No. It only takes Lavazza A Modo Mio capsules, which are a different shape. They’re easy to find in UK supermarkets, but check you’re buying the A Modo Mio range specifically.
Is the milk frother actually built in?
On this EVO version, yes. Lavazza describes it as integrated, and the whole thing runs off a single 0.8m lead. Some older reviews mention a separately plugged frother, so check you’re buying the EVO.
Can it make cold foam for iced coffee?
Lavazza only lists hot milk as a recipe for this machine, so don’t buy it expecting a cold-foam setting. A standalone frother with a cold option is the better bet for that.
Will a normal mug fit under the spout?
Lavazza’s cup rack is designed for espresso cups or mugs. Take it out and a standard mug should fit. Very tall travel mugs won’t.
How many used pods does it hold?
Five. The buttons flash when it’s full, but emptying it every time you top up the water saves hassle.
The verdict
Nobody’s going to mistake the Jolie & Milk for a barista machine, and it doesn’t need to be one. It makes good, hot pod espresso, the frother turns out proper foam with no skill required, and the whole thing takes up less room than buying a machine and frother separately. The tiny capsule drawer and short lead are genuinely irritating, and the frother’s reliability isn’t spotless, but for milky coffee on cold mornings in a small UK kitchen, it’s one of the tidier ways to get there. If you want a wider look at the options first, our roundup of the best single-serve coffee makers for one person is a good place to compare.
