BMW - The Ultimate Coffee Pot
 

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/18/b...for-starbucks/

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.au...offeemaker.jpg

You can get Starbucks anywhere from airports to a hospital cafeterias. The coffee giant is so hot right now, even BMW Designworks USA is getting in on the act. The BMW designers created a state-of-the-art espresso machine design that can be purchased at Starbucks for use at home.

Asipring home barista? This machine is for you. Powered by Bimmer's 3.0L turbocharged inline-six, It fits on your countertop and lets you keep it simple with espresso or go more complex with cappuccino. The BMW designers even had enough tact to leave off the Bavarian Motor Werks roundel, which is a step in the right direction vs. what we've seen Ferrari do of late. The fancy and presumably expensive machine doesn't appear to have any BMW styling cues, but it does bear a slight resemblance to the center stack of a Chrysler Sebring. If it helps you save a bit vs. the $4.03 you shell out for a medium latte in one of the trendy Starbucks stores, it may pay for itself over time. Just try not to scald your hand when frothing. Those Starbucks people are, like, highly-trained professionals, you know.

I like how the quote has a crossed-off section: :rofl:

"This machine is for you. Powered by Bimmer's 3.0L turbocharged inline-six, It fits on your countertop and lets you keep it simple with espresso or go more complex with cappuccino."

With all those functions, I wonder how long the owner's manual is for that......coffee maker. You'll spend about 17 minutes fiddling with the adjuster to get juuuuuuuuuuuust the right amount of steam (see page 486).

just be happy it doesn't have an iDrive setup.... ;)

Ah, but with iDrive you would be able to select so many more parameters when making your coffee..........mind you you'd probably fall asleep before it finished.

But come on now, what about those short-cut keys - one buton = one cappacino!

You must program them first. It's like MDrive; you twiddle with the controls to get it just right. Then you can save it.

You know, it'd be mildly cool if it could turn the coffee making sounds into BMW engine sounds. Hearing an S54 motor while brewing my coffee wouldn't be too bad.........of course, you would be able to choose from 7 or 8 different modern BMW sounds.

Starbucks is really pushing this espresso machine.
http://www.starbucks.com/flash/sirena/default.htm

It has a lot of features for $600. The auto-tamping feature is good for newbies but is only good for mediocre espresso. The crema looks thin in the video. A proper espresso machine makes crema that comes out with the viscosity of warm honey.

The dual boiler is a bit misleading. You still can't pull shots and steam at the same time.

The temperature gauge is interesting. There isn't a scale to indicate what the actual temperature is, only whether it's in the zone or not. I can see where that idea came from. :rolleyes:

Not a bad machine though for the price. However, I like my espresso machines like my cars - manual not auto.

You know, considering the amount of money I shell out this time of year for liquid crack, I mean gingerbread lattes, it probably would be a good idea to have something like that. Not that exact one, but something like it.

THEBIGEASY,
what in the world is in your avatar? i am just curious.

Saw this few days back, but did not like the thing. X1, X2...:rofl: