Is it really possible to stop buying $4 lattes at my local Starbucks and make them at home? And do it cheaper and easier? And would I miss my favorite baristas?
I stopped by this display at my local Target, and none of these machines seems to do what the sign implies – which is allow me to quit my Starbucks habit. One requires me to buy K cups of coffee, decide what kind, strength, aroma, and flavor I want, then heat my milk on the stove, froth the milk in my blender, and mix in my own syrup. I don’t know how much energy you have in the morning, but this almost requires me to drink a cup of coffee just to have the energy to make my morning coffee!! If we are taking things this far, why bother with the K cup? While I am definitely not a professional barista, I think I could figure out how to use a regular espresso/cappuccino machine on a daily basis. I have used them in the past, and even at 2 AM, which is when my husband notoriously gets espresso cravings and starts putzing around my kitchen, making all sorts of noises that make me fear what I might find when I wake up.
My current vote is that I just don’t get it – these $99 and up machines just don’t have the features, compartments, or my favorite barista Sandi, to get me to replace my daily morning ritual.
Nescafe has a cappuccino/latte/espresso maker – you pop in the little coffee packet, push a button for coffee, then push another button for the frothed milk. Reverse for cappuccino, don’t add milk for espresso.
We have one at work – very easy to use, and lots of fun to make shapes in the cappuccino like on cruises. 🙂
I’m sure they have a smaller home version.