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So I needed a way to try out the new Starbucks Verismo coffee machine...

It’s coming up as a Today’s Special Value and they sent me a sample to see how I liked it. Now, it’s no secret I’m not a coffee drinker. I’ll have an occasional cup every once in a blue moon, but I’m no connoisseur. I needed the opinion of coffee drinkers -- and to be specific, Starbucks coffee drinkers.

So, I decided to set it up and use it for a club meeting at my house.

I belong to a women’s civic and social organization and our local chapter holds an annual event to raise scholarship funds for students who need financial assistance. Our fundraiser is a luncheon featuring a Hat Fashion Show and Auction. We have the pre-show meeting at my house every year. I thought the meeting would be the perfect place to try my Verismo coffee machine. I knew for a fact that some of our members love a robust cup of coffee.

The afternoon of the meeting, I unboxed the Verismo. I was very impressed the machine came ready to use. There was nothing I had to assemble--just take it out of the box. Off to a good start.

The instructions were super easy--another plus. I was confident I could make whatever my guests wanted -- coffee, espresso, latte. And the TSV came with a variety of pods to make them.

Every year, our group’s final planning meeting is part business/part fun. We hammer out all the last minute details for a luncheon for 200 people--assignments, tickets, hats, auction items, hotel banquet staff instructions and seating. There are a lot of tasks to manage to make sure things go off without a hitch. But we have fun while we’re doing it. Like trying on our hats and dancing a Soul Train Line.

At the end of the meeting, I powered up the Verismo. Everyone was amazed, yet thrilled. The coffee I was serving was just like the Starbucks from the coffeehouse -- it WAS the Starbucks from the coffeehouse. The only difference was I made it at home. And the final thing I liked about the machine was that I didn’t have to remove a pod to make a new cup. Lifting the lever dropped the used pod into a receptacle, so it was simple to make one delicious cup after another.

My coffee was a hit. The Verismo was a hit! And I didn’t have to be a coffee connoisseur to know that! Just call me a Barista!

Leah