Almost 5 years ago I was diagnosed with colon cancer. I went through surgery, 6 months of chemo and 32 radiation treatments.

When my stomach was OK & I could keep food down, I treated myself to 2 Grande Lattes every day. If you are also stuck on Starbucks, you know that this is NOT CHEAP!

So, I decided to buy the then current Starbucks Barista Athena Espresso Maker and make my own. It cost about $250 if I remember right.

Well :) - I've been using my Athena twice a day for 4 1/2 years with absolutely no problems of any kind. I buy my espresso at Starbucks and use whole organic milk (tastes soooo much etter). My Lattes are really great. Not quite as good as those made by the store but close enough. I have my beans ground at 3 1/2 (3 is recommended) and use nice clean water from my refrigerator's water dispenser.

Not only have I saved a ton of money & really enjoyed my daily lattes, but my cancer is in remission & I am a happy girl.

If you love Starbucks espresso & you love it often, try the Barista! You can always take it back if you hate it!

Hope you find this helpful!

Silvia