Starbucks 'Barista' Espresso Machine

I've had my Starbucks Barista espresso machine for seven months, and I can't imagine how I ever got by without it. Now I brew espresso coffee drinks that are every bit as good, if not better, than any a Starbucks employee could make. Not only that, my home-brewed espresso beverages cost a fraction of what I used to pay for them at Starbucks!

I got hooked on the Starbucks Caramel Macchiato several years ago. It's a sugar-laden coffee drink made with espresso, Torani vanilla syrup and steamed milk, topped off with milk foam and a generous amount of the best-tasting liquid caramel sauce ever created. While waiting for my Caramel Macchiato at my local Starbucks, I'd watch the barista squirt the thick, gooey caramel onto the top of the foam. As the caramel would slowly sink down into the foam, I'd begin to salivate like Pavlovs dog. I could not wait to take that first rich, sweet sip. I was a Starbucks Caramel Macciato addict in less than a week!

Getting hooked on this espresso drink was bad for me for two reasons. First, there's the high cost of this coffee drink. Only the independently wealthy could afford to satisfy their Starbucks habit, I mean craving, every single day. So there were tortuous days in-between, where all I could think about was when I'd be able to have my next Caramel Macchiato. Secondly, these espresso drinks are very high in calories and sugar. My waistline was expanding week by week, which I'm sure was due to this addiction.

Then the unthinkable happened. I moved to a city where there wasn't a single Starbucks store! I tried to find a suitable substitute, but none of the coffeehouses in my new location even came close, largely because the caramel sauce is exclusive to Starbucks. My craving for the Caramel Macchiato was getting stronger by the day.

One day I was casually checking out the newspaper classifieds. That's when I saw it. A private party ad for a used Starbucks Barista espresso machine, made for home use! I called and arranged to go and get it immediately. I'd never been a barista before but I figured, how hard could it be? I already knew from years of being a Starbucks coffee addict exactly how to make my favorite espresso drink. I knew I could buy the Torani vanilla syrup and the special Starbucks espresso roast coffee in the local grocery store. I'd be in business just as soon as I could talk my former barista buddies into shipping me some of the caramel sauce. (Turns out, there really are perks to being a "regular" customer).

The Starbucks Barista espresso machine worked out better than I ever expected. It's a pump-driven machine, which is the only type to consider if you want to brew the best espresso at home. The Barista is very easy to use, and my coffee drinks taste just like the ones I used to pay $3.75 for at Starbucks!

Those first few weeks after getting the espresso machine are a blur, because I made my Caramel Macchiato every single day and was so hyped up on sugar I didn't even know my own name. Thankfully, I've managed to keep my consumption down to every other day now. But honestly, I don't know how I ever lived without my Starbucks Barista espresso machine. It's really, truly, the best thing since sliced bread!