Hi all!
I just joined this group because a) I love coffee and b) I'm at my wits end!
I have a Starbucks Barista machine that runs on pods. I realize that this machine is not fancy, nor are the pods, but I am a poor and busy university student! The machine has worked fine for about 2 years, I can make great espresso on it, steams milk well, etc. Last semester my parents let it sit around for 4 months while I was gone, so I just brought the machine back to university with me and now it has stopped working correctly.
At first it wouldn't work at all-- no water came out of the area where the espresso is supposed to be. I have since gotten it to work, but the espresso tastes AWFUL-- sort of burnt. I cleaned out the drippers and the area below the pod housing and found lots of gunk but the shots still taste really bad. The pods are kind of old too, which may have something to do with it, but I don't think that can be the whole problem.
Any suggestions or solutions? Because the cafe here is vile and I may not live too much longer without some decent coffee.
Thanks a million!
Rozegoddess

pump water out of it into a glass

note if there's anything floating in it. then taste it. if it tastes bad, you need to clean your boiler. maybe there's milk in there?

you can also check the temp w/a digital thermometer to make sure its not too hot

that said, you're not going to get good espresso with pods, and you're not going to get anything that doesn't taste burnt to some extent with a starbucks barista

there's a chance your tastebuds improved. because most people would consider whatever you made before on that contraption foul.

Thanks for the quick response!
I ran water through it into a glass, and it was brown at first, but it is now clear, hot and tastes fine. I also ran some white vinegar through by filling the little well where the pod or grounds go, which I thought would get rid of any buildup. (don't worry, I ran all of the vinegar through).
The water seems fine, but the espresso isn't. I don't drink my espresso straight-- I make lattes-- so it doesn't have to be perfect, just drinkable. And while I'd like to think that my tastebuds are getting more sophisticated, I kind of doubt they've improved so drastically. The shots are really bitter and have a weird aftertaste, and I think the problem must be in the brewing as the water seeems fine and I took the whole machine apart and cleaned it, so its not buildup, mold or milk.
I'm going to try to get some new pods today and see if the old pods are the problem. I tried to grind and use real coffee once, but it came out a horrible mess! Maybe I'll try that again, too.
I know the machine's not ideal; I wanted a fancy one, but I got this one as a christmas present and can't aford anything more advanced at present, so it'll have to do for now!
Again, thanks for all your help!