A good machine that is worth the money, but I would buy the Black and Decker instead.
Positive Product Points
The Barista Aroma makes good coffee and includes a thermal carafe.
Negative Product Points
The lid is hard to open after the coffee has brewed.
Detailed Commentary
I bought this Starbucks Barista Aroma on sale for $80.00 at a Starbucks in a Super Target. This was far less than the regular price. I was disappointed to find the exact same coffee maker by Black and Decker at a Kohl's for $44.00 before Christmas (same exact machine except for a change in logos).
I had some trouble figuring out how to get the thing to work - it is important to make sure the spout is in the right place. I had to reluctantly go to the instruction book to figure that one out.
I think the Barista Aroma makes a decent cup of coffee and is probably one of the best drip coffee makers out there. Unfortunately, I broke the hard to open lid, and I had been suspecting a leak for several months. I ended up purchasing a Zojirushi Fresh Brew after reading all of the positive comments about it. I am still able to get limited use out of the Starbucks machine so I conducted a simple tasted test between the two. The Starbucks machine made slightly richer, robust - tasting coffee.
Buying Experience
I enjoyed buying it at Starbucks. They gave me a coffee scoop and bag of coffee beans for free.
