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.