Espresso machine, dust collector or starbucks killer?
3As I sit at Starbucks contemplating buying the deal of the day this morning I can't quite decide if it's the coffee, the people watching, or just not being at home that drags me here. I enjoy coffee and my keurig suffices for a black coffee, but I long for idealized coffees had in Milan. Will I be to lazy to use this contraption, grow tired of having to clean it, or burst forward into a new level of coffee snobbery? In short, will I ever use the fucking thing!
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Well, if people don't use it, they'll blame you.
@harrison Who am I to blame? Holding myself accountable for my own actions is so un-American it could be considered treason.
Dust collector. Good espresso is made under high pressure, which you won't get with a home machine. Unless you are willing to pay 10-15k for a professional quality machine, that is. For that kind of money, I'd rather just fly to Europe for coffee every now and then.
Well, I wouldn't go that far. I'd certainly feel comfortable spending under 700 for a Silvia and hack in a PID, that makes a delightful cup
I confess I don't have $700 walking around money, though. I make do with Chemex when I'm fancy
The way I think about these things: If I'm probably going to convince myself to get something like it at some point, now is the best time to do that. i.e., it could certainly become a dust collector, but at least it'd be a cheaper dust collector than you'll get if you don't get this one.
If I think I can hold off for the rest of my life from ever getting one, then I skip it. (Really, that's the right thing to do, but not always the most likely thing.)
It's important to note here: I'M TOTALLY BIASED BECAUSE IF YOU BUY THIS I GET A PAYCHECK. (I also get a paycheck if you don't buy this, but let's ignore that part for now.)
I use mine all the time. I like being able to make an iced mocha with half the syrup, or without having to put on real clothes. I have used it less over time, but that's just settling back in to my normal espresso habit.
In short, maybe? (I'm super helpful!)
Because you had this thought, you should not buy it. You will mostly likely have the same thought later. Other things could come up that you should have saved this money for. If your earning power is rising still, then hold out. You can always buy a better one when you are wealthier.
The advantage of Starbucks is it's like someone is carrying this thing around and setting it up 2.2 miles from where-ever you are at for $4. Plus you only have to pay them if you use it. That's a pretty good deal if you are out and about a lot.
NOTE: I'm totally biased. If you think we're credible and tell anyone, then I get a paycheck.
I completely agree. First, this is a stellar deal and second, if you are just going to gather dust, then you may as well not pay a
Super premium for it. I think meh is getting it right so far and love/hate that it is going to catch on.
As another thought, I have to say that I'm extremely happy with the espresso pulls that my Starbucks Verismo machine provides... It's a 19 bar unit (pressure), and it has the added ability to also brew coffee and certain teas and froth milk (from freeze-dried milk powder capsules). It was FAR less than a flight to Italy (about $150), so you might want to consider that. It uses K-Fee (a German system, so it's actually pronounced café, not Kay-fee) pods, but as an interesting aside, I discovered you can very successfully use CBTL pods (and other Caffitaly-format pods) in it so I'm not stuck with only using Starbucks pods. Just don't use a K-Fee pod in a Caffitaly machine or you may end up with grounds everywhere (the Caffitaly pods have extra filters inside, and their machine is expecting the extra filtration which is missing in the K-Fee pods). And probably best to avoid the CBTL Tea pods in the Verismo, because they tend to clog themselves up when the tea leaves expand in the pods and then you end up with a very small cup of tea and pressure build-up in the machine.
But yeah, at about $1/espresso or coffee, $2/latte or chai latte, or even less with CBTL espresso or coffee pods, I'm quite taken by this little machine that sits on my desk at the office and is used pretty much daily since the coffee that is provided by THE POWERS THAT BE is quite unpalatable.
-=C=-
That machine is great, just like being in the place:
https://screen.yahoo.com/starbucks-verismo-000000234.html
OMG I love that SNL ad!!! Glad you posted it so I could watch it again! Makes me laugh every time I see it!!