My family has had this espresso machine for about 8 years. It is very durable and works very easily. Some espresso machines are so complicated to use, and so I am pleased to report this is not one of them. While I am pleased with the durability of this espresso machine, it had better be given the price! Wow, was it expensive. Ours was a gift otherwise I don't know that we'd have bought it given the steep price. That said, it is a great machine. We use ours at least once a day, and have for years, and it is going strong. We also take really good care of it by keeping it clean after every use, the water reservoir filled with filtered water, cleaning out the milk steamer after each use, etc. If you can afford it, this is a great espresso machine that nearly anyone can operate to make a great latte/americano/etc.

lakotaloki

Watkinsville, GA

**I absolutely LOVE my Starbucks Barista!  I don't know what I would do without it, every day.  I even bring it to hotels and families' houses when visiting.  I actually took this thing CAMPING!  It's very easy to use and works great.  It has a big water resevoir, so you aren't constantly filling it up.  The frothing wand works gret also, and it has a handy drawer underneath.  The portafilter is very stout and doesn't feel cheap at all.  It's great for beginners and is semi-automatic, so you can comewhat control your shot.  Way better than your typical "store-bought" espresso machine.  It's worth every penny and I would buy it again if anything was to happen to this one.  My sister has had one and so has my brother.  It's easy to clean up and doesn't take very long to heat up.  You can also warm up your espresso mugs on the top.  The frothing wand it all metal, not one of those cheap plastic ones.  Mine came with a scooper, but I bought a new one, cuz it wasn't great. Everything else is fabulous.**

residae

Florence, OR

this is a solid machine with a good heating element.  there's plenty of steam power to make milk and the espresso seems to be decent.  i'm still concerned that despite this i'm unable to make coffee like the pros do.  maybe it's sheer skill but i have a sinking feeling that it's also due to this machine.  steaming milk is all technique so when i can't do it, i don't blame the espresso maker.  it's all me but brewing coffee, well, with varying degrees of tamped to untamped coffee grind it's hard to perfect the exact extraction of the coffee.  again I could blame myself or my settings on my burr grinder but i don't think having a pressurized portafilter necessarily leads to a better cup of joe.  for those of you who know what you're doing, all the best to you.  but for your average citizens out there, try this or try something else.  i'm hard pressed to recommend for or against this maker.  i for one, will try a better coffee before trading this machine in for another one.

piyoman

Lynden, WA

Making espresso at home that actually tastes good is not an easy task. Well, let's face it: making any kind of coffee at home does not guarantee it will taste anything like what you get in a coffee shop. It is very difficult to get close to what baristas are able to do with industrial machines, but the Starbucks Barista is luckily just the machine that helps you brew tasty espresso at home. The machine is pricey, no doubt about it. But it is worth the money, if you want to make your espresso at home. And what you save in making it at home easily makes the machine pay for itself over time. I do not regret spending the money on this machine. It's simple to use and makes great coffee. Mine has more than paid for itself, also. I do not particularly like cleaning the machine, but I take that to be more like an occupational hazard type thing--it just comes with the territory. This is a great espresso machine. I highly recommend it.

jlogue

Portland, OR

I LOVE a great cup of flavored, espresso, coffee. I am NOT made of money & have a very short supply. So how was I going to enjoy my coffee and afford it too? The only answer lied in buying my own machine. So I bought an expensive brand name model & it broke. I bought a different model & it didn't make good espresso. I bought a different brand name & it didn't work out for me either. So I decided to quit buying models from stores and went to the professionals------Starbucks. I found out hat they sold espresso machines for home use in their stores. I had never paid attention to that before since most of my visits only included their drive-thru. I was amazed at the prices of their machines which were comparable to or cheaper than what I had paid for other espresso machines around town. Starbucks machines are pump machines(which are the best for serious espresso drinkers.) They are easy to use, good looking and make an espresso that tastes like I just bought it at Starbucks! I am surprised that Starbucks doesn't go out of business by selling these machines because if people knew how awsome they were and bought them and started makeing their own espressos at home for a much cheaper price then that's what could happen. Well when I bought the machine a very nice, helpful young lady showed me exacly how to use the machine(from their demo). She gave me some pointers on how to make a great cup of flavored espresso and how to whip the milk with the machines aerator and made me a free cup of any flavor I wanted. Nothing could be better than saving tons of money by purchasing your very own espresso machine from the pro's. Oh, & I don't pour water down the top of the machine(I'm lazy)I just wash & fill up the water bucket thing & the rubber hose that goes into the water must have the plastic piece on it and if it doesn't suck up water that's because the little piece is to high up on the hose or too low on it, I can't remember but try adjusting that if you're not getting water. I take it off to rinse it sometimes and this is the only occurance that I've ever had where I had to figure out what to do. The machine is so easy to use and reliable.

myhello

Vancouver, WA