Starbucks Barista Espresso Machine - $200 - Today Only!

[jcoltrane]

Just thought I'd throw this one up there as I just got in on it.
For all you coffee lovers, Starbucks is selling their Barista Espresso Machine for $250 on sale from its $350 normal price. It is a well-reviewed machine made by Saeco in Italy. Better machines can be had for around $400+ but this one seems to be extremely good quality for the more modestly bankrolled crowd.

Using a 20% off $60+ coupon borrowed from ChubbyBillfold brought the price of the machine down to $200 before taxces and shipping. That's about what some used ones are selling for on ebay.

Mine was $229 shipped. Not bad for a high quality espresso machine with great customer support.

BTW, that coupon is only good until the stroke of midnight tonight, go get it while it's hot!


Enjoy!

 

[Raj]

couldn't locate the 20% off coupon at chubby billfold can you help me out pal?

 

[MrCoffee]

Wow, nice find! Don't forget the free 12 espresso pods w/purchase.

Wish I could afford it - even with that coupon.

As for coupon - just searching for Starbucks turned up the 20% off $60 and a second free shipping code.

edit: Sorry - one coupon per order. Forget the free shipping!

Thanks for the post!

 

[usmc666]

I can attest to the quality of these machines. I have the Barista in the Stainless Steel finish...I couldn't love mine more. The only complaint I have about it is that the machine must be manually turned off; it does not shut it self off after a period of time. There have been a few days i came home from work and realized I left the machine turned on all day--the machine had kept the water hot enough to brew expresso all day long--not a big deal but for the price an auto shut-off feature would be nice.

Dan

 

[Raj]

Originally posted by: usmc666
I can attest to the quality of these machines. I have the Barista in the Stainless Steel finish...I couldn't love mine more. The only complaint I have about it is that the machine must be manually turned off; it does not shut it self off after a period of time. There have been a few days i came home from work and realized I left the machine turned on all day--the machine had kept the water hot enough to brew expresso all day long--not a big deal but for the price an auto shut-off feature would be nice.

Dan

yes that would be plenty helpful.

 

[Wozster]

Sweet deal, thanks!

I was planning on spending ~$400 for something similar.

 

[jcoltrane]

If you have about $395 to spend (shipping included), look into the Rancilio Silvia. By all accounts it is a much better, long lived machine. Great reviews and a big following.

Otherwise, for those of us with lighter bankrolls, this Barista deal is a good one.

 

[Anami]

Great deal, JColtrane! I had turned a good deal a couple of years ago. I found out from my local Starbucks that I could buy a reconditioned Barista from their repair division for about 1/2 of the regular price, so it was about $200. I've got the black one, and it's an industrial duty little 'chine. You just can't go wrong with it. I typically want my espresso to extract with high pressure, so I always kick on the steam button until it gets totally hot, then force it down to the brew setting to extract the shot. That gives me higher pressure through the beans. Some of these machines, that's a little hard on them, pumping water into the pressure chamber against that higher pressure. But the Barista handles it just fine, never a problem. And Starbucks has always had a no-questions-asked kind of return/repair/replacement policy, like Nordstrom's. They are quality.

 

[MrMojorison]

Hey jcoltrane, you mentioned the Barista was made by Saeco in Italy, so why not take Starbucks out of the equation and go directly to the source? I got a Saeco Rio Vapore brand new off eBay for ~$200. The Rio Vapore is the same machine as the Barista except for the name printed on it. Well, I guess Starbucks' return policy is attractive... Everyone interested, pay attention to jcoltrane's follow-up posting about the Rancilio Silvia because the review he linked to is for one of the front-runners in the coffee world - The Coffee Geek (a.k.a., The Coffee Kid - coffeekid.com).

 

[Crank]

Yeah, if you've got $400 to spend, the Rancilio is a better machine, but the Starbuck's barrista is no slouch.
Now, when I spent $400 on an espresso machine, I bought a Saeco Vienna superautomatic. Yeah, I could likely get a better cup of espresso out of the Rancilio, but the Vienna superautomatic makes a very nice cup with NO mess - it does it all from grinding, tamping, brewing and discarding the grounds.
So I'm lazy, BIG DEAL!

BTW, I got my Vienna from AabreeCoffee, nice company to deal with, and my machine has been working well for over 3 years.

 

[defuse]

Originally posted by: usmc666
I can attest to the quality of these machines. I have the Barista in the Stainless Steel finish...I couldn't love mine more. The only complaint I have about it is that the machine must be manually turned off; it does not shut it self off after a period of time. There have been a few days i came home from work and realized I left the machine turned on all day--the machine had kept the water hot enough to brew expresso all day long--not a big deal but for the price an auto shut-off feature would be nice.

Dan

you can hook up a timer of some sort on the outlet, radioshack sells em

 

[jcoltrane]

Ah, well.....

Deal done.


HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[jcoltrane]

Just got my Barista today and I couldn't be happier. Typing this as I sip a cappucino and I don't kow if I'll ever get to sleep tonight with this level of caffeine in my system. Great machine, and shipped quick!

Hope somebody else out there got in on this. It's still on sale for $250 and at that price I still think it's worth it. Just don't buy this machine when it goes back up to full price ($350). For just $50 more ($400) you can get either a Rancilio Silvia or a Saeco Vienna Superautomatic.

 

[ZakuFOB]

i need a machine where i pop in coffee and chocolate brownie frappucinos come out ai to heiwa