Pros: I can stay away from $3 lattes. Cons: I now drink 5 a day.
Tha good, tha bad and.... there's really no ugly in this story. We bought our Barista machine at a garage sale. For $5. Go ahead and kick me in the shins. I'm sure I deserve it. The nice lady assured us there was nothing wrong with it except a ...
Pros: easy to use, consistently great espresso, plenty of steam Cons: expensive when not on sale, but worth full price anyway
Before You Begin
There's no reason to spring for the stainless steel or copper Barista espresso machines unless you are very concerned about your kitchen's aesthetics. Mine is black and looks great. All of the Barista machines are...
Pros: Great Espresso, Looks Very Cool on the Kitchen Counter, No More $4.00 Mochas! Cons: A Little Pricey, but So Worth It.
Here's why I think the Starbucks Barista Espresso Machine is so similar to a Kate Spade Bag: 1) You know you want it, 2) The design is a great combination of classic/off-beat, 3) It is borderline prohibitively expensive, but 4)
You will use it (and...
Pros: Great Espresso and Extremely Hot and Frothy Steamed Milk Cons: Requires manual filling of the reservior
Filter will get blocked up with coffee resin.
Well, after 6 years of almost daily use with my Proteo Espresso machine, it was time to replace it with the same Starbucks Barista machine. These robust espresso machines are made in the same Italian factory only 6 years apart. Back then there were only...
Pros: This machine can pull the sweetest shot of espresso. Cons: You MUST follow the priming directions for your machine to have a long life.
I cannot tell anyone that spending $249.00 on an espresso maker is a practical purchase. Of course, if you are spending four dollars a day at Starbucks...this could be a practical purchase. I never dreamed that the best espresso machine would be from...
Pros: Ease of use, never runs out of steam, large water capacity. Cons: No automatic shut-off
The lure of lattes and and cappucinos had always eluded me. I was NOT going to spend $3.50 or more to get an exotic caffeine fix when I could get a perfectly good fix for $2.00....that was before I tried them.
Pros: So easy to use, I can use it with great results. Cons: Tempting to show off non-existent barista skills to friends.
I like coffee; ocassionally a shot or two of espresso in the afternoon. I don't like waiting in line at Starbuck's behind half a dozen people who are ordering their wimp drinks, especially since I only want regular coffee or a shot of espresso (a ...
Pros: Simple to Use. Major Item to keep up in the adult toys race. Cons: Pricey. You become addicted.
Do you watch HGTV? You know that show with that annoying Matt and Sherry? You know…the one where you have to have an INSPIRATION piece to start decorating a room? Well it’s not a crock dearies. Our inspiration piece for our basement renovation is...
Pros: Easy to use. Always there when I want a latte. Great crema Cons: A little expensive, but worth it.
We got a Delongi espresso maker for our wedding. Although it was convenient when I din't want to make the trek to Starbucks, I never felt I was getting the quality that I could get at the local Starbucks. Wanting an alternative to paying $3.00 per...
Pros: great cup of coffee without paying Starbucks prices Cons: Very expensive. Have to drink a lot of coffee to make up for the price
I spent a few days with my brother and his wife, and they owned the Barista. I absolutely loved the coffee they made for me every morning, and I am not much of a coffee lover. In fact, I can't stand Starbucks coffee, and I can't stand Starbucks. I...
Pros: A high quality cuppa, and a lot of ritual Cons: A little more difficult to use than many espresso makers
If you're anything like me, you spend a lot of time thinking about, brewing, sipping, gulping, sniffing, grinding or procuring some kind of coffee beverage. Until I obtained the Starbucks Barista, I also spent a lot of money on the more expensive of...
Pros: Sturdy, made to last. Cons: A bit pricey when not on sale.
I once worked in an office with an espresso machine for the use of the employees. The machine was used by roughly 60 to 100 people every day. Get in line. This machine took a beating as well as being easy to use. It performed flawlessly day after day.(I...
Pros: Easy to use, very sturdy Cons: Frothing mechanism is on the left, most righties would probably prefer it on the right
First of all, I'd like to thank all of you who took the time to write reviews. Based on those rave reviews and the information from the lady that was helping us out at Starbucks, we decided to buy this machine. We absolutely love it. It makes great...
Pros: robust, easy-to-use, and reliable Cons: slightly short steaming wand
The Starbucks Barista is the perfect home machine for the espresso lover. It's a pump-driven machine that's strong enough to take regular brewings with flair, and consistently brews great espresso with lovely crema. I got mine as a gift a few years ago...
Pros: Saves money. Looks cool. Tastes lovely. Cons: Plenty of cleanup. Friends will ask for complicated drinks.
...the Barista is still going strong. Nary a problem. And the espresso seems to get more and more tasty. A friend tells me the Italians have a "10,000 cup rule" which says that an espresso machine doesn't make its best-tasting coffee until the...
Pros: Good quality, works well Cons: expensive, but I couldn't find anything cheaper that actually worked.
I bought this machine after trying cheaper Krups machines and I love it! Sure it's expensive but no more than any of the other high quality machines I looked at. I found that anything cheaper was a waste of money and time (I had to return two other...
Pros: GREAT espresso, and the best milk steamer I've ever used. Cons: LOTS of cleanup and it's expensive.
As I write this my wife and I have just bought our second Starbucks Barista. Our first gave us 5 years of impeccable service, right up until my lack of cleaning and priming caused the filter to clog and kill the pump through over-pressure. Obviously,...
Pros: simple, reliable, beautiful, ergonomic, priced right (buy it on sale) portable, easy to get creative. Cons: nothing really jumps out at me. Maybe it could use a cup warmer.
To begin with, I worked for Starbucks when (in the old days) we had no automatic espresso machines. Shots were pulled and tamped by hand and a subtle change in the weather was instantly noticed by the dramatic change in the tamp required to pull good ...
Pros: Good amount of 'crema' on the espresso. Cons: Very cumbersome. Hard to clean.
I've owned the Starbucks Espresso Barista over a year, and I don't recommend it. It's unfortunate because the unit makes a nice, thick espresso with quite a bit of 'crema' on top, but it's just too much of a hassle to use and clean. In addition, before...
Pros: great crema, good pressure, best deal for the dollar Cons: noisy, steam pressure inconsistent when compared to commercial quality
This espresso machine is the best home machine I have seen on the market. After working in a coffee shop for several years I feared that I would only be able to enjoy espresso with crema and foamed milk at home with a $2500+ machine. After searching...
Pros: Excellent Crema & Steaming! Cons: Somewhat pricey but worth it.
My Krups Espresso Nova 3000 pro crema gave up the battle. It almost made it to its 3 year birthday. I thought that this machine would last better then that. It typically made 2 doubles per day, it never really did that great of a job, very temperamental...
Pros: Easy to use Cons: Chrome machine gets fingerprints on it
This machines makes the best shot of espresso ever found. I absolutely love espresso and I live by it every day. I found this great espresso maker at Starbucks and I wanted to pick up one quickly since they were on sale. I turned to the internet and...
Pros: Flawless operation, great drinks, great customer support, and simple to use. Cons: Irregular pump sound (made learning a bit hard), and no auto-off (no apparent damage).
First machine for me -- didn't know what to expect and thought my payback would have to be 1-2 years...which is not a problem at Starbuck's pricing. I moved to the mountains in LA four years ago, where the local coffee shop reuses its grounds (I know no ...
Pros: Exceptional customer service, nice looking machine Cons: Horrible quality control issues, too much prep required
First of all, I love Starbucks coffee. Second, they have some of the most exceptional customer service I've ever experienced. Unfortunately, I seem to have been a victim of quality control issues with the Barista. I've been drooling over the Candy ...
Pros: Easy to use. large water tank Cons: Clean up and doesn't come with many accessories
Compared to our previous espresso machine, the barista is a dream. It's simple to use and it has a large water tank. With our previous machine it would be hard to know how much water to put in. Either it would get used up in the steam and there would be...
Pros: Made wonderful espresso when it worked Cons: Stopped working after approx 30 shots
I'm on my second machine which appears ready to quit on me at any time. The first machine worked for only three weeks and for only 30 shots or so. After working through the problem with "customer service" (oxymoronic, since they are only available...
If you go to Starbucks or other coffee places, buy this. Save your money. If you calculate how many lattes or cappachinos you have bought over a year, this thing will start to pay for itself. Im an inexperienced coffee person, who just learned what...
Pros: Easy to use, superb espresso shots,Quality in every aspect! The REAL DEAL! Cons: Expensive, No DVD for directions only VHS. Accessory kit not included in the price.
My wife purchased this for me for my Christmas gift this year. She has been dying for me to open it for the last month it has been sitting under the tree. She bought me the machine as well as the accessory kit which has the frothing pitcher and a ...
Pros: Looks good, very heavy machine won't move around Cons: They should sell a tamper with it because you'll need it
The Barista looks great, I have the gray one, and it's heavy, nothing cheap looking about it. It's very easy to use. I use the pods when I'm in a hurry and when I have more time I grind my beans. The coffee may be a little better when I use beans but Starbucks pods are great when you want it quick. The instructions say not to tamp the coffee but until I got a tamper I couldn't get a good cup of coffee from it. Once I got a tamper my problems were solved - you don't have to do it so hard that it would strain the pump (I think that may be why they don't recommend them, some people probably got carried away). I have well water so I've always used distilled water and have had no build-up. It's easy to froth the milk and I think the coffee I make is as good as what I get at coffee shops. I bought this in 2002 and I have never been disappointed with my purchase. I use it every day, this is the end of 2006, so 4 years later I'm still pleased with this machine.
This machine failed after three years of use. by samno ,Jan 10 '04
Pros: Pretty reasonable price. Rather nice looking (mine was green color). Cons: Often it had slow coffee dripping problem.
I have used this machine for three years 2-3 times daily and it has performed pretty well overall. However, after about a month of acting funky (coffee coming out very slowly), yesterday it finally blew. It suddenly "popped" and started leaking water. I tried to disassemble as much much as possible and have concluded that the gasket between upper and lower halves of the water heater blew. I am not sure what was causing the very slow coffee production in the first place but the blown gasket finally did it in. I'm not sure where to take the machine for repair but I am leaning toward purchasing another machine. I don't think I will be going back to Starbucks Barista.
You know you want an espresso machine by thoeting ,Oct 23 '03
Pros: Excellent espresso, easy to use video, it takes as good as in a store Cons: Don't start pulling these at a party, you will playing barista all night!
This is just a great machine. I have had mine for about a year now and I am more happy with it every day. It pulls an absolute beautiful shot with a gorgeous heart, body and crema. I find the steaming wand very easy to use and clean up and maintaince are minimal. The milk fat solids WILL build up on the wand eventually; the best solution is just to soak it for a while in warm water, and it wipes right off.
Take a deep breath and spend the extra bucks. If you buy a cheap Krups, you will not be happy and you will just replace it in a year. Spend that money on some high grade coffee blends and toast the local Starbucks as you pass it.
Had Mine Two years and Still Love It by gypsy_tejas ,Apr 13 '04
Pros: Price, durability, ease of use Cons: Weight - it's a beast.
After having had to repair/replace my first espresso machine three times I wanted something durable. For those with curiosity, my first machine was a Capresso Ultima. I chose the Starbucks Barrista because the machine is made by Saeco. I've now had it two years, use it every day and still love it. It's easy to use, easy to clean and works perfectly every time. I only use distilled water in mine as I have a home water softening system. Yes it's basic, but if you don't need all the bells and whistles, and get it on sale, it's a good buy for the long haul.
The best machine I've ever owned by mfrancis6936 ,Apr 29 '05
Pros: Great crema, design, steam wand basically, everything is great! This machine is top notch. Cons: I cant stop using the machine!
All I have to say is WOW. This machine is great. I just got the Barista Stainless Steel espresso maker and I must say it is the best espresso machine I've ever owner. I previously owned the Delonghi Bar32, which wasn't all that great, so I returned it and ended up getting the Barista. This machine is stylish, swanky and adds a touch of class to my kitchen. This machine provides a great shot with excellent crema. The frothing head works very well and produces excellent, consistent steam. Take my word, DONT take the cheap route when it comes to espresso machines, Some people may say that the Starbucks machine is expensive, but, its well worth it and through my travels, I've found the cheap machines just dont cut it.
Pros: Solid construction, SS body, excellent steam production, water tank easy to fill and great design Cons: Hard to pull a shot with non-pressurized filter,more technique than fault of machine.
The Starbucks Barista Espresso Machine works very well for the beginner and for experimenting with technique etc.
I enjoy trying new drinks and trying out the non-pressurized version of the portafilter available direct from Saeco. The espresso is consistent, and tasty when using the pressurized version of portafilter..hard to screw up a shot and once the froth technique is perfected, one can enjoy a 4 dollar latte for a lot less money.
Difficult to learn how to use, too many steps by techbabe ,Feb 03 '05
Pros: looks good-stainless steel Cons: requires patience, a lot of work, too many steps
I watched the video twice and called customer service once to try and understand how this works. I even stopped by a Starbucks nearby and the manager couldn't get one to work for a very long time. Green lights turn off in the mid of brewing, etc, etc.
I think it is too much work and will have liked a simpler model where there are no 4 steps involved. I would miss it when I no longer have it.
Pros: Fast, simple, very easy to use, nice steam pressure, and quickly heats up! Cons: This is bad, steam wand only has 1 steam output, take some time to steam!
I work for starbucks, and last week i just bought my barista machine!
it was on sale, nice price, it was ugly yellow, but i quite enjoy it now! It looks HOT in my kitchen! I really like the machine! It is very easy to use, pulls nice shots, and has good steam, makes me good milk!!! I dont think it can get much easier than this machine!!!
If you are thinking about buying this machine, STOP THINKING, and just go out and buy it!! I use mine basically everyday, almost 2 times a day sometimes! HAHA:) BUt i love the machine and wouldnt take it back unless it broke!!
Pros: Very nice cup. Cons: Need to make more than 2 small cups at once...
Just purchased the Barista at a tag sale for $20 (marked down from $45 after it didn't brew when demo'ed. Called Starbucks help & they walked me through the priming steps, still no luck. Got on their web site & started reading - must be primed.
Then just took the pump apart (20 minutes to disassemble, phillips head screwdriver & small adjustable wrench) cleaned the parts, reassembled, followed the priming instructions - VOILA - it works.
Very nice cup. Crema is wonderful, much better than the Krups now being retired.
Pros: look okay Cons: Too much work and now is dead!!!
Very disappointed customer here. I bought this for Christmas05, just 6 month ago. Its too much work to make a cup of cappuccino cause you need to prime before and after and between. Two months ago my machine started falling apart, leaking bad time at the froth pipe, and now is DEAD!! When I try to brew the coffee no water come out, instead all water comes out from the froth pipe like crazy. I spent lots of money for this junk and only 6 months, now I have to buy another one. BETTER ONE. Bye bye barista!
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