Friday, June 5, 2009

Starbucks sirena espresso machine, stainless and black

 

Buy starbucks Sirena Espresso Machine for sale & Best Price!!!


Product Description

With this beautiful, simple, and impeccably engineered espresso machine, you’ll pull shots so perfect and steam milk so frothy-your passion for superb coffee will only grow deeper. Bring home performance and beauty in every cup. Engineered to be simple. Designed to be timeless. Created to produce the perfect shot of espresso at home. Sirena's Rapid Steam ™ Boiler gives you continuous, powerful steam--and lets you move from frothing directly to brewing without waiting. At just 15 inches tall, Sirena is just the size to fit into any kitchen. Commercial quality portafilter retains heat easily, and features a patented back-pressure adaptor which adjusts automatically to the coffee's grind, for a full, rich crema.

 

Customer Buzz
The sirena is a beautiful machine and has some customizable features. A quick search around the internet will lead to better performance and better tasting coffees. You will learn its quirks and how to get around them.

All was working fine until one day I turned the steam wand a little further than usual and the steam quickly dissipated to nothing. The Knob which controls the steam also seamed to keep spinning rather than opening/closing the steam port. Upon disassembly I found a tension spring that would no longer hold the knob tight to the side, and thus the lever which controls the water pump merely rotated to a position where the knob could not activate it. The lever usually runs between two points equivalent to 9:00 through 12:00 to 3:00, but mine was pointing to 6:00 and would not spin back to a normal position.

So I searched online parts/repair shops for a replacement knob, but none had them. With a little ingenuity and careful usage I managed to get the steam system working again but the internal lever will sometimes fall and I have to disassemble the top again to fix it. It has become more trouble than it is worth. The steam mechanism is the weak point in an otherwise beautiful design and will break for everyone eventually.

Customer Buzz
Pros:
The Sirena coffeemaker looks really great and it makes good coffee. Its body is made of aluminum and very solid.

Cons:
1) the drip holes in the steel broiler are too small and wrongly placed - so dripping water creates a mess which makes it necessary to put a container or a cup under the brewing spout. The machine drips lots of water after the pump stops.
2) the machine has two buttons which can be easily programmed to make the pump working for a certain duration - unfortunately the pump does not reliably pump the same amount of water which undermines what could be a really useful feature.
3) the steam wand does not work properly - it releases too much water instead of steam.
4) the heating of water is quite slow (at least compared with a Jura and Saecco machines I had before).
Overall the machine is not worth the money - a less fancy espresso machine with better technical design is the better choice.






Customer Buzz
I bought this machine at a Starbuck's retail store mid-December 08. It came with a Starbuck's burr grinder and 2# coffee beans for $299. It makes very fluffy froth and consistent shots with very pretty crema. I now make awesome Frangelico lattes.

Suggestions for other reviewers: My water tank thinks it's empty more often than not. I just lift the tank over the sink, press the water release on the bottom for a second, and put it back. So far that's worked every time.

For those who think not enough steam comes out to froth a whole cappucino, crank the steam up until the pump is going and steam as long as you need to. Perfect every time.

My problem now: the portafilter has water in it after I pull a shot and I have to get goopy grounds out of it, which is annoying and messy. I've tried every version of espresso grind, with the same result. This morning, I tamped it myself, but I didn't empty it before I left, so I'll have to see if it made a difference. I don't have high hopes.

Generally, I'm very happy with my purchase and would recommend it.

Customer Buzz
I received this machine for my birthday in May 08. I love the looks and the quality is great. We use it several times a day and it is still working great. With good quality coffee grounds, it pulls a great shot with a good head of crema. (I have found it to work best on the double setting and with the double amount of grinds.) The steam wand has an adapter end that is meant to automatically incorporate air for frothing. It works well with a full cups worth of cold cows milk and a cold frothing pitcher. I, however, prefer to use about a half cup of unsweetened soy milk and prefer lots of foam, which this machine only sporadically can deliver. (Hunmidity, barometric pressure, and stars must be perfectly aligned.) I much prefer the normal steam wands where one can control the amount of air being incorporated for more or less foam as desired and wish Saeco offered them as a replacement. This is not a problem unique to Saeco as less and less home machines come with the regular steam wands. I guess most home users aren't expected to be able to learn to froth milk.

My only real dissappointment with this machine, which knocked my rating down a star, has been trying to get parts replaced. I lost the support peg down the sink when cleanng the machine and of course it cannot be purchased from Starbucks; it must be purchased from Saeco. The part has been out of stock at Saeco for at least five months. They have been out of stock on the rubber pressure gasket the entire time as well.

Eventually the rubber gasket will wear out and need replaced and who knows when or for how long Saeco will stock it. So keep that in mind if you decide to purchase this machine. The machine can be used without the gasket and peg (they are a team, so don't try to use one without the other - it overruns and splatters everywhere.) I am now using my machine without them and tamping the grounds myself.

Customer Buzz
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 Buzz
I've had my Sirena for approximately 2 months now and am totally satisfied with it's results!! But it takes some learning to master. The comments here are unjustified and I felt the need to respond. It looks good but it's a middle of the road machine and like anything else, you get what you pay for.

First, you need to throw the rubber disc and rubber peg in the garbage. It's just a gimmick designed for folks who never drew a shot before...and besides that, it takes all the fun away from creating your very own perfect shot. Next, you need to buy a nice, heavy 58mm tamper. I bought a beautiful all stainless one for 25 bucks and it is more than adequate. Next, you need to get yourself a quality BURR grinder...and don't let anybody tell ya different, THE PROPER GRIND IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE ESPRESSO MACHINE ITSELF!! I found a nice commercial Rancilio on Ebay for less than 200 bucks (nobody said espresso making is a cheap hobby either). When trying to find the proper grind, I found just a few adjustment clicks on the grinder will vary the length of the pour 5 to 10 seconds while all my other prep was identical. I strive for a 25 second pour and this machine will produce a shot that is just as good as commercial machines costing thou$and$ more. If you change coffee beans, you may have to fine tune your grind to get that 25 second pour...but that's the fun part, you're in charge of the results.

Now, the steam wand...I agree that it is not the best but it can be tweaked to accomplish excellent results. First off, there is no separate boiler for the steam like the more expensive machines. It uses a thermal block which takes hot water from the heated boiler and converts it to steam. I found that purging the water from the steam wand first...and then cycling the HW and steam buttons back and forth a couple of times without drawing anything, will produce all the steam you'll need to froth enough creamy, velvety milk for 2 cappuccinos at once!! Frothing is another art form which takes practice but I keep the end of wand near the surface to stretch the milk and then bury the wand until 160 degrees is reached. BINGO, ENJOY!!!

If you want perfect cappuccinos or lattes everytime, get yourself a $4000 fully automatic machine. The Sirena is a more than adequate semi-automatic machine that allows you to be creative and show off a little bit :-)

A Happy Tamper



Customer Buzz
my first sirena, after about 2 weeks of use, stopped producing dry steam to froth my milk. I took it to starbucks and got a complete runaround and an 800 customer service number for saeco. I called saeco multiple times leaving numerous messages and could not get anyone to help me with this problem. I finally took the machine back to starbucks and basically said, "if you are going to put your name on this machine, you need to stand by it's performance"..well, that seemed to work and i was able to exchange my original sirena for a new one. well, i thought that was the end to my problems. Turns out, after a couple of months of using the second machine, I again no longer have any dry steam to froth my milk. I have a nice cup of espresso, and no foam to go with it. This is a lot of money to waste on a supposedly terrific machine. Please do not buy this, I am certain saeco knows the problem with this machine which is why they wouldnt return my calls.
I am sure that starbucks knows this as well, why do you think such an otherwise fantastic company would be so dishonest to it's customers? There are others on amazon who have left similar reviews...take that as a warning and take your checkbook somewhere else.

Customer Buzz
The excitement of using the machine was short lived. Less than a week after I purchased the Sirena the steam wand started spurting water into the milk. I primed the machine several times only to experience the same thing. I called Saeco customer service and they said that the machine was not supposed to do that. I thought that mine was an isolated incident but after reading more reviews it appears that I was not the only one. I'm disappointed.

Customer Buzz
I really loved the design of this machine and for the few times I was able to use one, the espresso definitely had the "crema" you are used to in a serious coffee shop.
The steam was somewhat lacking in my opinion, though. It would not be pure steam all the time (water would be mixed-in many times even after a dry run on an empty cup) and it seemed to lack enough "stamina" and intensity to make good foam for more than a cup of milk.

Regardless, the problem is that out of two units, both were defective.
The first Sirena I bought had a faulty water tank switch (it would stop every time you made coffee, wrongly detecting an empty water tank), upon sending it back and getting a replacement from Amazon, the second one would not work at all. The unit would turn on (power button would light up) but the unit would not heat up the water. The water tank on the second unit was also cracked.

I elected to ship the second unit back and ask for a refund. I could not bring myself to trust such model any longer.

Customer Buzz
I spent retail dollars on this thing at Christmas, around $500. It died after only 6 months of use. We took good care of it, followed the manufacturers instructions, made about 4 lattes a day. Starbucks saw me comin.
Do yourself a favor, check out the Lello 1375-MUCH cheaper. Have had it for 2 months, just as fast and just as good. It only costs about $150. It seems well built.

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About Starbucks Sirena Espresso Machine, Stainless and Black detail

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #40722 in Kitchen & Housewares
  • Brand: Starbucks
  • Model: 398574
  • Released on: 2007-12-13
  • Dimensions: 19.00" h x 15.00" w x 16.00" l, 21.65 pounds

Features

  • 15-bar pump-driven espresso machine with stainless steel broiler and patented back pressure adapter
  • Dual brewing spout; one-touch pre-measured single and double shots; user-programmable settings
  • Steam wand with pannarello adapter; Rapid Steam boiler for rapidly switching from brewing to frothing
  • Accommodates E.S.E. pods and ground espresso, 57.5-ounce removable water tank, adjustable and removable drip tray
  • Measures 13 by 15 by 12 inches; 1-year limited warranty

Read more Starbucks Sirena Espresso Machine, Stainless and Black

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