Instead of buying the SOLO, just send me the $60 and I'll drop by and spill water for you, same cost, but I'll go away!
Positive Product Points
Classy brushed aluminum look, bright clock, small footprint. Looks sharp.
Negative Product Points
1/3 to 1/2 of the brews end up on the counter. There is a major design flaw here.
Detailed Commentary
Got this as a Christmas present from my son. College student plunked down 60 of his own dollars for Dad. I already own a regular Barista, a 4 cup Barista, and a Barista Espresso, so this was a perfect addition to take to work. I have tried different grinds, different placement of the cup (rotating about 180 degrees), and it still brews about 1/3 to 1/2 of the time down to the tray and out onto the desk! This is NOT rocket science, this should NEVER happen. For me, a stylish, sharp looking, soon to be in the trash piece of junk. I expected much better from Starbucks than this engineering disaster. I went to their site, and sent them a note (which I also clicked on the "I would like a response" checkbox). So far... no response. And now I have to buy a new single cup brewer so I can have coffee without the mess, and keep the Solo around in case my son stops by. No way am I gonna tell him he spent $60 and it was junk. Note to Starbucks.... you REALLY should TEST before putting stuff on the market.
Buying Experience
Buy the Barista solo at your own peril. I tried to warn you. Love Starbucks, HATE the SOLO, and so far NO SERVICE on the SOLO either. Good thing this wasn't my first Starbucks experience!
Three Month Followup
Well, I finally got thru to Starbucks support... they gladly exchanged my Solo... and I disabled the "stopper"... now works great, no mess, no fuss, just a nice fresh brewed cup of java. Was a know issue, but you have to call their support number to find these things out. Still think I should have gotten a reply from their website, but glad I got it all resolved.
