Customer Reviews

Starbucks Sirena Espresso Machine, Stainless and Black

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

Bottom line up front: I'm happy with the Sirena.

I'm not a coffee snob and don't really care one way or another what name comes on the outside of the machine. I like strong espresso and this machine doesn't disappoint. There are a couple of things that I like and a couple of things that I don't. Here they are:

Like:
- Easy to use
- Can grow with you, i.e. if you want to pull out the Pressurizing disc and start tamping your own shots, you can, and after some practice, will probably get a better quality of crema and espresso. Bean quality, grind, etc... dependent.
- Quick heat up time (less than 2 mins in the morning) and quick steam (less than 10 seconds.
- Good micro-foam on the steamer. My wife likes capuccinos and the good quality foam makes her very happy.

Dislike:
- The water level sensor drives me crazy. It comes on, I refill the container, and it doesn't go off. I have to mess with the container where it attaches to the machine to get it to turn off....eventually. I've read more than a few reviews about this problem. Small overall, but annoying.
- Price. I purchased this machine at the X-mas special (499 w/grinder, barista kit, 1lb coffee with a 30% employee discount ($375 paid in the end). It was an incredible deal...that made it very worth the money. Full price...I don't know. I like this machine, but I'm cheap and I'd rather pay for quality and performance than looks. This machine offers both, but without the discount it would've made my choice more difficult.

There is a great thread on coffeegeek.com about the Sirena. A guy named Wayne, a.k.a. roastaroma, has made it his mission in life to break this machine apart and extract every bit of usefullness out of it. For true coffee lovers looking for a great machine his insights might help make up your mind.

Happy Shopping.

6 month update (1 July 2008).

The steam knob stripped out about 3 weeks ago. One minute I was frothing milk, the next I was trying to get a scalding hot jet of steam to stop...awesome. I contacted SB and they gave me the number to their warranty dept. I called their warranty dept and they told me that SAECO not SB warranted the item. Okay, so I call SAECO and was not exactly pleased with the response. First, they confirmed that the unit was under warranty..good. Second, they sent me a form to fill out detailing the problems with the machine. They had me fax that form back to their warranty dept...okay so far. Third, they informed me that I was responsible for packing and shipping the machine back to them with no reimbursement. Fourth, they told me that if anything other than the previously faxed deficiencies were discovered that it would be repaired at my cost. Bottomline, if something breaks during shipment, you pay for it out of pocket along with the shipping and handling you've already spent sending a defective item back to the manufacturer.

I haven't had a lot of problems getting things serviced in the past. SAECO's warranty repair system seems a little too involved and isn't user friendly in my opinion. I contacted the Starbucks that I purchased the machine from and was able to swap out the machine...but the less than ideal experience with SAECO is important to share.

Other than that the machine is still working well and am still happy that I purchased it. Starbucks customer service made up for the problems with SAECO.

The Sirena has a bit of a learning curve but once you realize that you do so much better without the "self-tamper" you'll be on your way. My problem was the machine backed up all the time until I read that I should remove the disk and the rubber self tamper -- it made all the difference between HATING this machine and loving it. I can now pack a lot of coffee into the basket without the thing blowing up. Also, I did not realize there was a whole world of tampers. Now that I have a good tamper, not a plastic one!, my espresso has changed considerably.

The good:
1) Once you remove the tamper the coffee is great.
2) You can reprogram the coffee levels
3) Looks great
4) Easy clean-up
5) Decent foaming

The bad:
1) Sprays a little too much water while steaming milk
2) If you have your machine under the counter, it's a little hard to pull the water tank out
3) A learning curve

[...]

I bought this machine from a local Starbucks as a replacement to our Solis Crema sl70. We had the Solis for 10 years and loved it. The Sirena was at the same price point and looked great so we opted to change. What a disappointment. The Sirena has a plug, rubber gasket and basket, all of which are challenging to remove for cleaning. There is also wait time to which we were not accustom; wait for the machine to heat up, make espresso, wait again for the espresso to heat so you can select steam and wait for that to heat up. The steam pump would produce a good amount of water before actually pumping steam. We allowed time for us to get used to the new machine however after 10 days of use, we took it back for a refund. Positive note about Starbucks; they took it back without any hassles stating they stand behind their products.

Ok - I spent hours pouring over reviews of machines before purchasing the Sirena. Because I wanted to do everything just right, I took an hour after the purchase to set it up following the extended instructions word by word. (For more experienced users, the quick setup would work and you would have your drink quick!) My first latte was amazing! I didn't even use syrup - it tasted great.

My initial concern: long time to brew espresso/confusion as to the purpose of the "self-tamper". It took a long time for my shots to pull, mostly just dripping. So, I reread thoroughly all the Amazon reviews (much better than those on the SB website) and found that:

FIRST - those with major issues probably had faulty machines or it was user-error. (no offense)
SECOND - there is some trial and error required for grind, etc.
MOST IMPORTANT - if your shots pull slowly (drip) simply POKE A LARGER HOLE IN THE RUBBER GASKET (self tamper).

Although I tried removing the self-tamper completely as some suggested - it produced zero creme. By simply using a sewing needle to open the hole a bit more, my espresso flowed smoothly out of the portafilter in seconds and it had the most beautiful creme. I AM THRILLED! I tested the heat of the straight shot and it was quite warm - but when added to frothed milk at a temp of 160 or more - it was the most delightful latte I have ever had - definitely rivals that of SB!

This machine is great for quality espresso, quality froth and good looks.

Oh - one more thing - I do agree with other reviewers that the need to drain the excess water from the steam wand before steaming is annoying, however, I have a system. Here is my method:

1. Turn on and warm up, meanwhile warm your mug with hot water
2. Once machine is ready, run 2 shots of water through to heat up the portafilter (I have the two most perfect glasses I use to hold the shot - they are tall slender juice glasses that fit perfectly under the portafilter)
3. Leave the portafilter connected while steaming/frothing milk
a. use one of the juice glasses (or another tall glass) to collect the excess water from the steam wand before steaming milk in stainless steel pitcher.
b. steam/froth milk to at least 160 degrees. I am able to steam first, then froth the top or visa versa. The frother is great!
4. Set milk aside or on warmer (the warmer isn't that warm, so don't count on it for "heat")
5. Remove hot portafilter, wipe out extra water/grounds and fill for one or two shots
6. Replace portafilter and choose your shot size (the time it took to add your espresso grounds is exactly enough to rewarm the machine)
7. Pull your shots, pour into mug and add milk immediately.

**Starbucks trains that you should add your milk to shots within 10 seconds for best results. That is why frothing first is important!

I have it down to a science now after just owning the machine for 4 days. If I learn anything new, I will update/edit my review. I think reviews are so important for others considering a product or having problems. They sure helped me and I hope I helped someone else!

God Bless and Happy Latte!

The machine was easy to unpack and the quick-start guide had me up and running in a few minutes. With my old machine, I could never get the coffee tamped right in the filter. Now I just grind the coffee, scoop it into the portafilter, attach it to the machine, and push a button to pull the shot. The machine gets up to temp quickly, especially the steam wand. I'm really pleased with the performance (consistent espresso shots and quick, easy steaming) of this espresso maker, and would certainly recommend it to others. And the clean design looks fantastic on my counter-top...

This is a terrific machine. I wanted an espresso machine that was convenient, made of quality components and (ultimately) delivered a nice, flavorful shot of espresso (to get my day kick started). This machine did not disappoint. I found set-up a breeze - just unpack and plug-in. I was pulling shots right away!! The machine came up to temp. in about 1/2 the time of my old unit. Plus the flip to steam took about 5 seconds vs. 10x's the wait time of other machines. Clean-up is very easy too - not a lot of parts to disassemble/clean/reassemble. Of course, the ultimate performance measure is taste. Overall taste, in my opinion, was terrific. Lots of variables and subjectivity go into a taste analysis - but, so far, I've found consistent full flavor, aroma, temperature, i.e. overall quality and 100% enjoyment.

I've had a lot of espresso machines over the last 20 years, both at home for personal use and also in a small office, and this is definitely one of the better quality machines I've had. Let me just say, all espresso machines have their quirks, but after owning this Sirena for over 2 months, I think I've got the hang of it. First, like others are saying, get rid of that rubber disk or "self-tamper" as they call it, and buy yourself a real coffee tamper. (Make sure you buy a heavy flat bottom tamper, and not a cheap rounded one like they had at Crate & Barrel). I also got a Kitchenaid Burr Grinder. And actually I don't like the Starbucks Espresso Coffee. I don't know why Americans think espresso coffee should be those burnt shiny beans - Yuck! Intellegentsia Coffee here in Chicago by me sells 2 different espresso coffee that are fantastic! Basically what I am trying to say is to get a good cup of espresso from any machine, you are going to have to practice and try different things until you get it right. But when you find the right beans, grind setting, tamp pressure, quantity, and how to ride the thermostat, this machine will pull an excellent shot of creamy espresso.

I have to admit that I had my doubts. I've owned several coffee and espresso machines and they have all inevitably disappointed me in one way or another, either by being flimsy, not producing quality shots, or especially by having a crappy milk steamer/foamer. But I took a chance with this machine, and boy am I glad I did. It pulls quality single and double espresso shots every time. It creates perfect steamed milk and foam every time. Clean-up and maintenance is easy every time. Rarely do I speak effusively about technology, but they hit a bases-loaded home run with this machine. Not only that, it looks elegant and spectacular. If you buy one, the only caution is to make sure that the initial priming is done correctly, and if it gives you a problem, help it by turning the steamer knob all the way open until water starts being pumped into a cup (nowhere does it tell you to do this except on the Starbucks Sirena Website, a treasure trove of tips and hints). Enjoy!

I've had the Sirena for about a month and have pulled 4-6 shots a day. Some days, more than 10. I've had consistent shots and no problems with this machine. One issue is that there is water in the portafilter after a shot is pulled. There really isn't anything you can do about it. But I think it's one small price to pay for such a great machine. The other espresso machine we have is a manual Elektra which makes amazing espresso but it takes 15 minutes to heat up. The Sirena is lightning fast. My wife definitely appreciates that. Other users have had problems with the water sensor, but it hasn't affected our machine. I also don't let the water level go below half, not sure if that has anything to do with it. If you drink a lot of coffee, this machine is worth the price.

We tried our new Sirena last night and on the first shot we saw the perfect caramel colored crema right on top. It only took a few tries with the steam wand to whip up a perfect frothed milk as well. We had a friend over who works in a local coffee shop and she serves espresso drinks all day. I tried her recipe for a cafe latte and handed it to her. She took a drink and I saw her eyes pop open. She was completely surprised that our little machine could produce a drink equal to those served in her coffee bar. Needless to say we are very happy with this purchase.