Starbucks Introduces the Verismo Single-Cup Machine

Starbucks fans who want the convenience of a Starbucks latte, cappuccino, or regular coffee at home have been anxiously waiting for the company to introduce its own single-cup coffee machine. And it's finally here: the Verismo Coffee Machine is rolling out online this week, threatening the single-cup market's big players. 

The Associated Press reports that the Verismo, which is priced at $199, will be sold online this week and in stores later this month. What makes the Verismo different from the Keurig or other single-cup machines, said CEO Howard Schultz, is that it makes the premium Starbucks espresso drinks, like the latte, in addition to regular coffee. So Starbucks is getting in on the single-cup game in order to get Starbucks drinkers to purchase a single-cup machine. "Seventy-five percent of existing Starbucks customers do not yet own a single-cup machine, primarily because the two machines (from Nestlé and Green Mountain) don't deliver on the expectations that our customers want," he said to Reuters. 

However, he said to the AP, Starbucks won't try to impede on Keurig's turf; Starbucks will still make K-Cups, or the coffee pods, for Keurig. But Green Mountain's stocks took a tumble when the Verismo was first announced in March, and they haven't fully recovered. The coffee pods make up about 8 percent of worldwide coffee sales, but it seems all coffee companies — Starbucks included — think the market will take off. You can get in line for the Verismo at retailers like Macy's and Williams-Sonoma in early October. 

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