Single Serve Coffee Forums

Starbucks is debuting a new single-serve machine this fall - It can make espresso and coffee drinks! http://www.financialpost.com/markets/news/Verismo+System+Starbucks+Premium+Single+Solution+Home+Espresso+Coffee/6272453/story.html

Mr. Moderator - Could you fix my thread title please? I misspelled "Verismo"......too much caffeine gave me the jitters and I can't type!

Looks like it uses "pods" too according to this information on the SB website: http://www.starbucks.com/promo/verismo

hotwasabipeas wrote:Looks like it uses "pods" too according to this information on the SB website: http://www.starbucks.com/promo/verismo

It's more likely that they are using the term "pods" in a very loose and generic way.

hotwasabipeas wrote:Mr. Moderator - Could you fix my thread title please? I misspelled "Verismo"......too much caffeine gave me the jitters and I can't type!

Done.

Nice find. As always, I try to keep an open mind, but I'm not hearing anything that gets me excited or that feels new with this. Maybe I just have single-serve format fatigue. How many different competing systems do we want/need?

Listening to the SB conference call right now. Some interesting notes:

-Verismo is a high-pressure "espresso" machine, will make espresso using SB espresso "pods" . They say it makes an "amazing" shot of espresso (sounds similar to a Nespresso)
-It will be proprietary for now although they may decide to open up the technology for third party down the road
-Milk "pods" use 100% shelf-stable milk and they claim that it tastes like real milk and is a "breakthrough" (I hope it tastes better than the Tassimo milk - I am sure it will though based on what they have been saying in the conference call)
-Question about the VUE and if SB will be making Vue Packs: all they said was that they are looking into all possibilities (sounds like they aren't sure if they will be releasing any SB Vue Packs!)
-SB keeps saying that this new machine is "complimentary" to their relationship with GMCR and that they will co-exist
-No announcement about pricing either for the machine or the pods

I expected this to happen. Very exciting and I can't wait to try it out.

Jay's article on the main page: http://www.singleservecoffee.com/archives/039710.php

A commenter suggested this will be a rebadged K-fee machine (see here for more info.). Sure looks like it!

It does in fact look like one. I'm going to see if I can find out more on this being a K FEE machine.

agentfive wrote:It does in fact look like one. I'm going to see if I can find out more on this being a K FEE machine.

The K-Fee/Aldi Expressi/Starbucks Verismo (they do all look alike) didn't get a very good review on http://coffeesnobs.com.au/YaBB.pl?num=1322406344. Of course, they are coffeesnobs (!), so I wouldn't necessarily expect differently. Most disheartening, however, was the low temperature. Snob or no, a low temperature may not be adequate even if the coffee quality is improved over the coffeesnobs' samples. I hope that part of it gets improved when it's introduced here.

jbviau wrote:Jay's article on the main page: http://www.singleservecoffee.com/archives/039710.php

A commenter suggested this will be a rebadged K-fee machine (see here for more info.). Sure looks like it!

Wow, just followed your link and it sure does look like the K-fee machine. Almost identical in fact.

The more I read about the K-Fee/Verismo machine the less excited I am about it. Unless they are really changing and beefing up the internals of the K-Fee to transform it into a Verismo, to me it sounds like a piece of junk. I wonder if SB/Kruger is doing what Crossland did to the Gee espresso machine. Use the exterior shell but completely change and improve all of the internals. We'll see this fall I guess. I do wonder what makes the milk pods so special though. The repeatedly stated in the conference call that the milk "tastes like real milk" and was a breakthrough. There are no milk pods currently for the K-Fee machine although you can buy a cheap quality milk frother to use with it. I found it funny that, during the conference call, the CEO Howard Schultz kept calling the new machine a Verisimo instead of Verismo. He couldn't get the name right!

Poor Keurig, their stock is currently down 15% so far this morning. It didn't sound like SB would be releasing any Vue Packs for the new Vue brewer which is unfortunate. Their stock is tanking and I wonder how much it will be worth this fall after the K-Cup patents expire.

hotwasabipeas wrote:I wonder if SB/Kruger is doing what Crossland did to the Gee espresso machine. Use the exterior shell but completely change and improve all of the internals.

Off topic a bit but what internals are changed going from the Gee to the Crossland CC1?

This review of the Gee reminds me of my CC1 experience - not horrible but not so nice I would shelve a Gaggia Classic for it:

http://theotherblackstuff.ie/machines/gee-in-review/

hotwasabipeas wrote:The more I read about the K-Fee/Verismo machine the less excited I am about it. Unless they are really changing and beefing up the internals of the K-Fee to transform it into a Verismo, to me it sounds like a piece of junk... We'll see this fall I guess. I do wonder what makes the milk pods so special though. The repeatedly stated in the conference call that the milk "tastes like real milk" and was a breakthrough. There are no milk pods currently for the K-Fee machine although you can buy a cheap quality milk frother to use with it. I found it funny that, during the conference call, the CEO Howard Schultz kept calling the new machine a Verisimo instead of Verismo. He couldn't get the name right!

I think the temp problem would be easy to solve - Aldi demands a price point and the manufacturer will hit it by cutting what it can - lower power can be substituted for beefier power and better heat if the price point from SBX is right.

Supposedly Bill Crossland did change quite a bit in the CC1.

sweaner wrote:Supposedly Bill Crossland did change quite a bit in the CC1.

I doubt there was much needing to be changed from the original Gee - it can make decent looking espresso and steam well enough from what I see from YouTube videos - similar to what the CC1 is capable of doing. How much can you really change? A vibe pump, the same boiler size and wattage, a thermoblock for steam and similar electronics controlling the process - $699 retail doesn't leave room for a ton of innovations.

The new Gee models incorporate the swivel steam wand too and retail for under the equivalent of $600 in Taiwan.