Starbucks Verismo 580 Brewer Piano Black (011023262)

The milk pods taste very artificial. I guess that's because it really is low quality artificial milk, but if you were hoping for anything like the creamy latte you'll get in a real cafe (as they advertise), you'll be very disappointed. The espresso tastes quite bland, and the servings are tiny. Given that a double shot of espresso actually costs less at a cafe (the pods work out to about a dollar each) and is of much higher quality, I doubt I'll use the verismo much, and will probably return it. A little stovetop espresso maker is cheaper, and you'll be able to buy higher quality beans at a much lower price. The verismo is more convenient, but I'm not particularly interested in cheap tasting coffee, even if it is convenient. In addition, the machine is noisy, rattles a lot, and drips after use. It really feels like a cheap piece of equipment, and I wonder how long it will last.

Bought this a few weeks ago at a Starbucks store for closer to $200, Liked the idea that it made lattes, but the milk pods taste bad (chemical), and if you use them, the amount of water used makes a VERY small latte. The espresso is pretty good, though, so I warm the milk in the microwave, use a battery operated frother, then use the machine to add the espresso. Doesn't take as long as it sounds, as the machne takes a little while to warm the water for the espresso anyway. Makes a pretty good latte, and of course, you can vary the type and amount of milk (but don't try it with almond milk). I can make a latte for about a dollar less than Starbucks charges, and they really are pretty good. We use the nachine a lot, and I would recommend it as an espresso maker. The machine should probably hold up I hope as there doesn't seem to be much that can go wrong with it.

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I've had the unfortunate opportunity to use this machine on a regular basis. The coffee smells and tastes slightly burned (a common complaint about Starbucks in general). The milk is HORRIBLE. Spend another $50 and you can get a Nespresso AND Aeroccino which will froth real milk, make espresso at the same bar pressure (19) and cost you $.40 less each pod. The machine is also flimsy, regularly leaks and cannot be customized in any way. Do Not Buy unless you've tested it against other products and can overlook these flaws. Also must have deep pockets to afford $1 pods.

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This machine is of poor build quality and makes a drink that might be a distant cousin of a drink we know as coffee. Owned it for 3 short, burnt-flavored months and the water pump failed. Product was obviously not produced with care or precision. Dont buy it.

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Good things about this machine:

1. It looks pretty. The combination of shiny black and chrome look nice with my chrome electric kettle (krups) and other things. In the cons I will say there is one unattractive yet not so important thing.

2. It takes up only a narrow space of your counter.

3. It operates as it should (except one thing sort of--I will explain in cons) if you make an effort to put cups in in one feld swoop.

4. Is hot enough I guess though scalding would be my preference.

5. The coffees taste good (except for Pikes Place which I usually like). The espresso tastes good. DO NOT use the milk pods or your espresso is ruined.

6. It's smart enough to know you have put in an espresso pod or a coffee pod and it just knows. Ha ha.

7. You can use both verismo pods AND CBTL pods (which gives you lots and LOTS of options! (this plus comes with a minus: Perhaps if they had not made the pod load-up system able to handle both size pods, it would be much easier to just drop a pod in and press the lever. Instead, you must use some skill to do so...and LUCK!!!) Decide for yourself if you are a fast learner and don't mind.

Not so great things about this machine:

1. No temperature control that I can see. No LCD read out to tell you when to descale, program coffee making, no clock, no control whatsoever. If it were hotter, I could have saved myself buying a milk frothed (but I love my Jura milk frother-so no problem).

2. My main issue is the fact that so many of my pods went straight down into the bin that collects them underneath because you HAVE GOT to drop them in with the lever all the way up and then quickly push it down. IF you don't do it exactly right, you will either crush the pod or it will disappear amongst the other discarded pods and it is really hard to tell which are used since your pod gets poked a little before it drops.

3. Such a huge waste!!! If I had it all over to do, I would just wait and save up for the Jura real espresso machine, but it costs like $899. I just got a demo of one and tasted what it can do. It is on my wishlist. Using this plastic is a rotten idea. I have a Keurig kcup that I can load up myself with coffee grinds. I use this machine if someone wants espresso. Obviously, no stars off for this. This is a crisis of conscience versus the vanity of being a good hostess.

4. Some poor aesthetics on the drain piece do NOT build my trust that this machine was well constructed inside. I will post a pic of what I am talking about. You can decide if this is a red flag or no big deal. I am leaning toward no big deal. Keep in mind though that the drain's aesthetic flaws are hidden once it is placed in snugly to support your cup. It would have taken 60 seconds to run a burr around the edge where it was coated and remove the frayed edge so it would look better! I really hate it when people are half-asses.

5. Though there is a spacer included to give you two different amounts of space to place a tall or tiny cup, it is not much space and you will not be able to place your travel cup under there.

6. In my Keurig Kcup Special, as it started to make worse and worse tasting coffee, the Pikes Place Medium and the Verona were the ONLY cups on earth that tasted decent. I stocked up on them when I bought this machine. I got a fantastic deal which included 3 boxes of whatever I wanted of pods. The Pikes Place for this machine is the nastiest...the NASTIEST stuff on earth!!! Yuck. So that is weird to me.

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