After receiving a Gaggia Carezza as a Christmas gift and getting myself a Capresso grinder to tide me over, my husband forbade me from buying the list of accessories I wanted (tamper, frothing pitcher, etc) for a couple of weeks. Turned out he wanted to surprise me. True to form, he spent way more money than I would have justified myself, and I'm the proud new owner of a long ball bubinga SS 58mm flat-bottomed Reg Barber with my initials engraved on the handle + a Toroid frothing pitcher. The RB needs no review here, but I wanted to give my perspective on the Toroid. The very first thing I did after my first home-made latte was to rip off the outer piece of the turbo wand. Micro-foam maker it is NOT. Then, since I didn't have a frothing pitcher, I made do with a pyrex measuring cup. The problem there, besides it being glass, is that the walls are slanted outwards in a way that makes it basically impossible for a whirlpool to pull the froth down into the body of the milk. I got very good at skimming the surface with the tip of the steaming wand, I could make a whirlpool, but I couldn't get microfoam.

Enter the Toroid. Now, I can't compare it to a more "typical" pitcher, as I don't have the necessary experience. Perhaps that's a good thing, since most of the negative reviews I have read about the Toroid came from those who couldn't seem to adapt to it. My findings with it, though, are as follows.
1) The handle fits my fingertips perfectly. Please note that I am a woman with very long, slender fingers. If my hands were any bigger I would probably hold the handle with only 2-3 fingers.
2) It has a substantial weight to it for its size. It's labeled as 20oz, but the instructions suggest a milk volume of 6-10oz. I tend to be steaming the low end of that, if not a little less, and I can reach the milk just fine with my short/crappy/generally annoying Carezza steam wand. It helps to point the spout of the pitcher so it can slide up and behind the bend of the wand until the milk expands a bit.
3) As long as I have the steam opened more than a crack, I can reliably get almost any shape of whirlpool or toroid going that I desire. This did take a little practice, which I did with water as to not waste milk. The trick is to think about where the wand is pointing. Point it more or less perfectly at the raised point in the bottom center of the jug, and you get a toroid. Aim to one side of that point and you get a toroid heavy to the other side. Aim it more towards the wall, and you get a whirlpool. I find the whirlpool doesn't seem to get the full depth of the milk, but it's great for breaking any stubborn bubbles on the surface. The trick? Play around and really observe how small changes affect the shape of the milk.
4) My general routine is to stretch the milk with the wand pointed towards the center/bottom of the jug. If the steam is on full power, this actually stretches and makes a toroid at the same time. If I want thinner microfoam, I stretch until the sides of the pitcher are not cold anymore. If I want thicker microfoam, I stretch a little longer, until the jug starts to feel warm. I can also get a pretty good feel for where I'm at by what the milk looks like in the toroid. When its time to just heat, put the wand a little deeper, create a good toroid, and shift it around a little bit (from side to side, more to a whirlpool and back, etc) if needed to get any stubborn bubbles. On a REALLY good day, I never actually see any bubbles - even while stretching. On a bad day, I blow a couple soap bubbles, but the toroid eats them up just fine.
5) The verdict? I like the toroid. I've consistently made microfoam EVERY single time since I first put milk in it (after playing around with water for a few minutes the first time). It pairs well with my Gaggia Carezza, which has a not terribly forgiving steam wand. I'm slowly getting better at latte art. I can keep a good consistent pour going with this jug, I'm just still learning how to move/shake the jug to get the design I want.
6) Worth spending the extra money? I don't regret my husband buying it, because I really like it. Is it leaps and bounds better than anything else out there? No idea. Donate your pitcher of interest to me and I'll do a side by side comparison for ya.

EDIT: I have posted 2 videos showing the Toroid in action - they're in 2 posts farther down in this thread

That's a very compelling review -- the Carezza is not high on the list of good steaming home machines, even without the sleeve. It took me months to perfect microfoam with a Solis SL70, the champion of home frothers. So getting up to speed on the Carzzaa in a month is a great argument for this pitcher. Or maybe you're a major talent.

Here's a pic, for those who haven't seen it.

another_jim wrote:That's a very compelling review ... Or maybe you're a major talent.

Jim, were I to put aside humility, I would say I am generally a quick study. However, I very much agree that the Carezza is not an ideal steamer, and I suspect the Toroid is deserving of at least some of the credit for my results.

I'm going to see what I can do to make a video showing how the Toroid works. I don't have the best equipment for it (just the video feature on my pocket-sized digital camera), and I doubt my husband will be a very willing assistant, but I will do my best.

Glad to hear you're getting good results with your new pitcher. Your husband sounds like a generous man.

It sounds like you're already getting good results, but you may want to take your milk frothing one step farther by replacing your Gaggia steam wand with the Silvia wand. It only costs about $35, and the difference in the steaming power and control is dramatic. When I made the Silvia wand mod to my Gaggia Classic, I went from being unable to get any microfoam to being able to pour a rosetta (albeit a pretty bad one) in virtually no time at all. For the cost, it's one of the best things you can do for your machine.

Anyway, enjoy your new toys, and please post some pictures or video of your progress with latte art and milk frothing.

Nice review

I may need to get one of those pitchers because I can't seem to get good results with a standard pitcher and my Anita. I can get foam and I can get hot milk below but I can't seem to incorporate the two and I've been working at allbeit not very hard for longer then you. .

I've been considering the silvia wand mod, though there was a recent post about the toroid pitcher not fitting under the silvia wand very well. I think for the time being I'm going to save my dollars towards a better grinder (and move the Capresso to drip only). At the moment I'm quite satisfied in my milk frothing progress, but I'm yearning for better grind control.

Geoffrey, I think that hits the nail on the head for what I like about the Toroid - it definitely helps with incorporation. Standard pitchers, from what I've observed, seem to do better when there is enough steam power to form a strong enough whirlpool to mix the foam and milk. The shape of the Toroid seems to make it easier to push the foam down and lift the bottom milk up to really mix everything well, even when using a machine like the Carezza.

LadyC wrote: I think for the time being I'm going to save my dollars towards a better grinder (and move the Capresso to drip only).

I think that is a wise idea.

When I was using a Gaggia I took off the plastic froth-aid and used a standard 12oz. pitcher. That did fine and I was able to get real microfoam...although not as easily as with the Expobar.

brad

Where are the negative reviews? I never heard anything about it good or bad.

I believe it was this thread over at coffeesnobs that came to mind as I was writing the review: http://coffeesnobs.com.au/YaBB.pl?num=1197690716. A quick google search turns up a mention of the Toroid here and there. All in all, though, I don't think it's gotten a lot of attention.