Starbucks heats up home brewing coffee market

The home coffee market heats up this week as Starbucks starts selling its new automated espresso machine Tuesday in its stores.

The Verismo uses pods filled with ground coffee and powdered milk to make single serving lattes, espressos and other drinks. The machine starts at $200.

While the concept isn’t new, the company’s entry into the single serve market signals a significant shift in the coffee market. Starbucks says last year alone, the market for home brewers and coffee pods nearly tripled to $8 billion.

“It’s rare that you identify a category as large as this that’s growing,” Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said when the Verismo was announced.

The company has already been selling the new machines online and in specialty stores like Williams-Sonoma and Bed, Bath & Beyond.

But are they any good? Seattle Times technology columnist Brier Dudley says a shot of Starbucks Espresso Blend brewed by the Verismo taste “just about like a solo shot you’d get at a Starbucks store and it’s quicker.”

“The Verismo latte it pretty good,” Dudley says. “It has a distinct taste of powdered milk, which some may dislike, but the drink is rich and fresh-tasting, with some caramel flavors of the coffee coming through.”

For those watching their coffee budget, beverages brewed by the Verismo cost slightly less than drinks you’d buy in a Starbucks retail shop. The coffee and milk pods cost $1 apiece, so you can make an 8-ounce latte for $2. But it’s far more expensive than buying coffee buy the pound.

Along with the $200 base model, the company is also selling a $399 a model with a larger water tank and LED display that tells consumers when the machine needs to be cleaned.

The Associated Press contributed to this report