Starbucks Sirena Espresso Machine, Stainless and Black
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List Price: Our Price: $180.00 You Save: $419.99 (70%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Starbucks Sirena Espresso Machine, Stainless and Black
Customer Review: No replacement for Bucks Barista - Have had less than 15 days
Summary: 2 Stars
All, I was a long time Starbucks Barista user and loved that reliable machine, but it finally wore out after 7yrs. So I went for new & improved..(not) like many of the reviewers I was delighted when I got this baby. It seemed to work great and I was into the Semi-Automatic thing. It made decent shots, a bit watery, yet robust. It made nice frothed milk at first, but then came the problems. This new fangled steam thing seems to be the real downfall. Was working, but now it just chugs & pumps, but the steam is now popping & gurgling in burst in the milk and NOT frothing milk, but just heating it up. I cleaned, re-primed, cleaned it again, and used an entire 1/2 gallon of 1% milk, but the same thing over and over, crappy super heated milk with NO FROTH ANYMORE, sucks.
Pro:
-The look and likely the idea in concept
-Room for drinks under the lid
-Sturdy looking
Con:
- Does not work for more than 30 days and based on the other reviewers I am not inclined to take my chances.
- Also the water container seems poised for more problems in the future. It is a weak link in the system. Has a rubber seal that will go bad sooner or later and thus gravity will start spilling water out. Also where it connects is just a flimsy plastic item that actually fell out when I was trying to plug the power in. You would not normally notice, but when it dropped out of the machine and onto the kitchen floor it got my attention. Again this part of the connection will wear out over time, break or get lost over time... :-(
Honestly I don't want to take it back, but if I am going spend over $400.00 on something that works for less than 30 days it is an awful value. It should work properly for years, not just days.
Customer Review: Excellent Espresso Maching
Summary: 5 Stars
My wife and I were looking to purchased this machine around November of last year. We've had this machine for just under a year and it has not failed us.
We were hesitant in purchasing this machine since it was a very expensive purchase but I'm glad that we did. We did lots of research and finally settled on the Sirena. Our criteria was: 1. It had to be made by a reputable espresso machine company 2. Could use grounds and 3. Could use E.S.E pods. On paper, this machine met the criteria. It is made by Saeco a well known and well respected espresso machine manufacturer. It uses grounds as well as E.S.E. pods without having to purchase an optional E.S.E. pods kit like some other brands. The reason the E.S.E pods were important to us was the fact the most espresso makers have a long set up and clean up time. So when you're in a rush to get to work or serve several people in a party, E.S.E. pods are so much more convenient.
Using the Sirena is very easy and straightforward. There are four buttons on the machine: the On/Off button, a one shot button, a double shot button and the steam/ foam button. An easy to read gauge tells you when the Sirena is ready to make espresso. There's even a Sirena website where you can get tips. I've used Illy grounds and E.S.E. pods as well as Starbucks grounds and E.S.E. pods. In all cases the Sirena has produced great results. Be sure to clean the machine regularly to continue to get great results.
An added bonus of this machine is that it is beautiful. Designed by BMW DesignWorks, this machine looks like a work of art.
Now I make iced caramel macchiatos whenever I want!
Customer Review: Happy with my new espresso machine
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this machine a few days ago. It may be too early to write a review, but I love this machine. It's a no brainer..
I got this machine from my local Starbucks (which by the way, may never see my face again, other than to buy espresso beans and syrups). I paid $348 out the door, it came with a Burrs grinder, 2 lbs. coffee, the barista kit (with the thermometer, frothing cup, 2 shot glasses, latte spoon, and espresso scoop, oh and a nifty little organizer to keep it all nice), a bottle of vanilla syrup, and 2 lbs. espresso beans.
A great deal! My boyfriend doesn't drink coffee, and I got this thing home, and having never actually been in a coffee shop, I was amazed, he had it together and making me a vanilla latte, without reading anything more than the warnings and cautions in the booklet. I was impressed, and it looks pretty on my counter. I get up the same time every morning for work, and now make my own latte, and clean up the machine and it's parts, in half the time it took me to stop by Starbucks in the morning. Not only that, I figured it out, since I go to Starbucks about 3 times a week, about $15 a week (my drinks are $4.76 each her in AZ). $350 divided by 15 is about 23 weeks. So less than 6 months from now, I will be saving money by having my own machine. They sell the syrup for $6 a bottle and a pound of espresso for about $9. Both should last me more than a month each. So come July I will be spending about $20 a month (if that - including the milk) on my lattes, instead of $60. Wow! I'm hooked!
I'll never not have an espresso machine again.
Customer Review: Do not waste your money. Unsatisfactory.
Summary: 2 Stars
Owned for 11 months, purchased through Amazon
Pros: Produces hot water and strong coffee. Handsome design. Sturdy coffee basket and solid lock.
Cons: Is neither a cappuccino or an espresso maker. Slow. Small capacity. Plastic parts begin to fail after 11 months (20 to 30 uses.) Expensive. "Steam" barely works. Nearly impossible to clean.
Discussion: Produces hot water, not steam, for brewing. After brewing, grounds are dripping wet, not steamed dry as they are in a cappuccino or espresso maker. Measured temperature of the coffee is always below 160-deg. F. Takes a long time to heat for the first brew then takes at least as long to recover for a second brew. As noted in other reviews the steamer barely works at all. The steamer spits a mix of steam and hot water for at least a minute before producing steam. Steam lasts only a short time. Plastic parts exposed to heat are beginning to fail. After a thorough wiping down and with no grounds in the basket the unit will produce a half cup of weak coffee (grounds in the upper mechanism?). We have owned an $80.00 espresso/cappuccino machine for 10 years. It is far more satisfactory than this $350.00 machine. We give the Sirena 2 stars for its handsome design and for the sturdy basket with a large, comfortable handle, designed to stand on its own while filling.
Customer Review: Great espresso maker
Summary: 5 Stars
I have owned the Sirena for almost a year now, and thought it was time to speak up on our experience. I have used it almost every day, making two and sometimes four drinks a day with it. I have made at least 1000 shots on it to date, and apart from a few blunders at the beginning, have been pleased every time. My wife and I generally drink cafe lattes in the morning and sometimes cappuccinos in the evening. It has been absolutely reliable, easy to use, and makes drinks which in our opinion exceed what we get at the local coffee shops. One tip I learned at the beginning was to remove the pressurized disk at the bottom of the portafilter and tamp my own coffee by hand. It does take a little practice (I went through a half pound of beans at the beginning before getting the hang of it), but that practice has rewarded me with many great shots. I use this machine in combination with the Baratza Virtuoso grinder. I also use the ESE pods from time to time, which are very convenient and extremely easy. Frothing milk does require a little practice with this machine, but doesn't take long to learn.
In all, I have found the Sirena to be an attractive, well constructed machine which makes an excellent shots of espresso. For the price, it can't be beat. Highly recommended.