I Use It Everyday: My Starbucks Barista Is My Crack.

When we decided to buy our first minivan four years ago we already knew which one we wanted. We had seen this one advertised and fell in love with its sleek design and the sunroof windows that went all the way to the back of the van. I was completely taken in by their marketing campaign that had hip mothers - artists, surfers and musicians - all happily driving their well behaved, impeccably groomed children to museums and raves. Basically, every superficial thing about this particular vehicle sucked us in and three weeks later we had one sitting in our driveway.

We never even test-drove it.

When I bought an espresso machine it was after four months of tedious research, numerous visits to kitchen and specialty stores and many hours perusing online reviews. I 'test drove' and then returned no fewer than five different machines from four different stores.

Because, really - what's more important - a vehicle that's going to be responsible for safely transporting your your precious children, or a small appliance whose only real purpose is to dispense a heavily caffeinated beverage to sip with your afternoon donut?

My search led me to an 'espresso expert' in a small cramped shop on the Westside whose company specialized in turning out custom machines for cafes and coffeehouses. After talking with me for awhile he said he knew of a perfect machine for me. I expected him to put in a call to someone named Guido living in a quaint village on the coast of Italy, who would then build a custom machine just for me that would be wrapped in goat pelts and hand delivered to my door.

Instead he sent me to Starbucks.

Surprising, but he told me that the Italian-made Starbucks Barista was one of the best home espresso machines he had seen in awhile. And he was right. I've had it for over five years now, and unless someone invents a machine that magically produces bacon at the touch of a button, the Barista will always be my favorite appliance. When 4pm rolls around you won't find me anywhere else except in my kitchen brewing a cappuccino. And maybe chowing down on a donut.

Oh, and I still love my minivan, too.

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tags: starbucks barista | coffee