Caffe Lusso in Redmond, WA is my go to. Super consistent, super fresh. Not sure what outside WA orders look like but when I order a bag I get one that was roasted that day.

I had a Breville stand alone frother. Unfortunately it suffers from similar issues you mentioned to the Nespresso one, but was good enough when I didn’t have a machine with a good steamer.

End of the day steam is just that perfect blend of air, heat and movement that hits that true perfect texture and those are all going to be more costly and have some part that could burn you.

One of those battery powered frother wands could also be a decent option you can just use it with whavever volume and container you want and can pulse it until you hit the right mix but it takes some time to get that timing right and will never be that similar to steamed milk imo but still can make a good drink nonetheless.