Who Needs Starbucks? Gourmet Coffee Makers For The Home

!±8± Who Needs Starbucks? Gourmet Coffee Makers For The Home

Coffee lovers who spend far too much time and money at Starbucks can satisfy their needs for fancy caffeine confections with espresso makers for the home. You can also take all of the time and guesswork out of ordering your coffee (does anyone call it "coffee" anymore?) by making your own beverages and eliminating the need for a French/Spanish/American dictionary.

With all the Caffe' Latte's, Frapuccinos, Dolce and Macchiatos to choose from, it's hard to keep track of what's what. If that's not enough to make your head spin and hands tremble awaiting that ever anticipated caffeine fix that you crave, trying to order your coffee or espresso in the proper size practically requires an interpreter these days. Grande? Vente? What ever happened to small, medium and large? And just when did .95 become a suitable price for a cup of coffee? Unless it's being served by Juan Valdez himself, that's a bit outrageous.

Out-Do Your Barista With An Ordinary Home Espresso Maker

The good news for avid coffee lovers is that with a little creativity and your own coffee maker you can recreate all of your coffee-house favorites in the comfort of your own kitchen, at a fraction of the price. Here are some comparisons;

Starbucks' "Iced Coffee With Milk" - That's pretty much all it is; coffee, ice and milk. And for about 75 cents you can do this at home with an ordinary coffee maker. Joe Demaggio would be proud to know that you just saved .24 and a trip to Starbucks.

Caffe' Misto - At .75 for the smallest cup, the Caffe' Misto served by Starbucks is a hot and creamy coffee lover's favorite without the extra calories of heavy creams and flavorings. With nothing but steamed milk added to the roast, it makes' you wonder what you're paying for. For less than a dollar a cup you can recreate this beverage with a good espresso and cappuccino machine and ½ a cup of 2% milk.

Chocolate Chip Caramel Frappuccino - For the more indulgent caffeine junkies a chocolate chip caramel frappucino may be just the thing to satisfy both your sweet tooth and caffeine cravings. Sadly, it's going to cost you up to .95 if you order a "Grande" with whip cream and all the trimmings. For a fraction of that, you can brew a pot of coffee, add some caramel ice cream topping, toss it in a blender with some ice and whip up an entire pitcher. A little whip cream and chocolate chip garnish and you're good to go!

These days, with the economy suffering as it is, Americans can find many more constructive things to spend their money on than coffee. Especially for beverages that may as well come with financing options. All you need to enjoy coffee house-quality caffeine confections is an coffee maker, a blender and a few common household ingredients.