HomeBrew Methods › Starbucks' espresso machine

☕ Coffee Curiosity · 2026

What Espresso Machine Does Starbucks Use? The Mastrena II

Starbucks pulls its shots on the Mastrena II, a super-automatic built exclusively for it by the Swiss manufacturer Thermoplan. You cannot buy one - here is what it is, what it reportedly costs, and the closest machines a home counter can hold.

Written and reviewed by the CoffeeLabAdvisor editorial team · Published 2 September 2026

6 facts, each with a source below 5 questions answered 3 verified products

Starbucks uses the Mastrena II, a super-automatic espresso machine built by the Swiss manufacturer Thermoplan AG - which Wikipedia records was “chosen by the international coffeehouse chain Starbucks as their exclusive espresso machine supplier” back in 1999. The Mastrena line is made exclusively for Starbucks, so the direct answer to the follow-up question is: no, you cannot buy one - and the machines that do the same job at home are a category you can buy, covered below.

The machineMastrena II, rolled out across stores to replace the earlier CS2
Built byThermoplan AG of Weggis, Switzerland
The relationshipExclusive espresso machine supplier to Starbucks since 1999
TypeSuper-automatic: built-in grinder, push-button shots
Can you buy one?No - the Mastrena is made exclusively for Starbucks
Reported costEstimated at $15,000-17,000 per machine, as reported

What the Mastrena actually is

Strip away the mystique and the Mastrena II is a super-automatic - the same category as the bean-to-cup machines on home counters, engineered for a different duty cycle. Bean Poet's profile of the machine describes the essentials: a large hopper, a built-in burr grinder faster than anything home use requires, and heavy automation - grind, dose, tamp and extraction at a button press, hundreds of times a day. That automation is the point: it makes shot quality consistent across tens of thousands of stores and baristas of every experience level.

The maker, Thermoplan AG, is a Swiss company from Weggis that built its reputation on commercial super-automatics; Wikipedia records the Starbucks relationship beginning in 1999, and the Mastrena line has been the chain's machine since the late 2000s, with the current Mastrena II replacing the original CS2 across stores in recent years.

Why you cannot buy one

The Mastrena is built exclusively for Starbucks - it is not a product line with a retail channel, and the design is kept close. The units that occasionally surface on auction sites are decommissioned store machines: 208-volt commercial equipment with no consumer support, no parts channel and no warranty, which is a fleet-maintenance problem wearing a bargain's clothes. As for price, Thermoplan does not publish one; Bean Poet's estimate is that the machine is “believed to cost between $15,000 and $17,000” - and it is worth saying plainly that this is reported estimation, not a figure either company confirms.

The same idea, at home scale

Here is the useful reframe: the Mastrena's category is one you can buy. Super-automatics for the home do exactly what Starbucks values - grind, dose, extract and often steam at a button - at household duty cycles and prices. That is the machine type in our best super-automatic ranking, where every pick carries a published review score rather than a legend. The honest expectations note: a $1,000-4,000 home machine will not match a $15,000 commercial unit's speed or milk throughput - but the shots are the same species, and the one-button workflow is identical in kind.

What the barista still does

One misconception worth retiring: automation did not make the coffee make itself. On a Mastrena the machine owns the shot, but milk texture, drink builds, sequencing and the judgment calls when something tastes off remain human work - which is also the honest pitch for home super-automatics. They remove the hardest-to-learn variables (grind and extraction) and leave you the parts that are either fun or forgiving. If you would rather learn the whole craft, hands on the portafilter, that is the other road: our how to use an espresso machine guide starts it.

Verified products for this page

ℹ️ Affiliate disclosure: CoffeeLabAdvisor is an Amazon Associate and may earn a commission from these links, at no extra cost to you. Commissions play no part in what appears here — every product traces to a verified catalog entry or a published review.

The Mastrena's home-scale category: reviewed bean-to-cup super-automatics, ranked by their published review scores.

Frequently asked questions

What espresso machine does Starbucks use?

The Mastrena II, a super-automatic built by the Swiss manufacturer Thermoplan AG exclusively for Starbucks. It replaced the earlier Mastrena CS2 across stores; Thermoplan has been the chain's exclusive espresso machine supplier since 1999.

Can you buy the Starbucks Mastrena machine?

No - the Mastrena is made exclusively for Starbucks and has no retail channel. Decommissioned units occasionally appear at auction, but they are 208-volt commercial equipment with no consumer parts or support. The buyable equivalent is the home super-automatic category.

How much does the Mastrena II cost?

Neither Starbucks nor Thermoplan publishes a price. Reported estimates put it between $15,000 and $17,000 per machine - treat that as informed reporting rather than a confirmed figure. Home super-automatics doing the same category of work run roughly $700-4,300 in our reviewed catalog.

Is the Mastrena just a super-automatic?

Yes, at commercial scale: built-in grinder, automated dosing and extraction, push-button operation. That is the same category as home bean-to-cup machines - the differences are duty cycle, speed and price, not the fundamental idea.

What machine is closest to Starbucks' for home use?

A reviewed bean-to-cup super-automatic - one-touch machines with built-in grinders. Our best super-automatic ranking lists the documented picks; they produce the same style of push-button shots and milk drinks at household volumes.

Sources for this page: Thermoplan AG (Weggis, Switzerland), the 1999 exclusive-supplier relationship (quoted verbatim), and Mastrena exclusivity: Wikipedia's Thermoplan AG entry, read 2026-09-02 · Mastrena II details - hopper, built-in grinder, automation, CS2 replacement, the $15,000-17,000 reported estimate (quoted verbatim), and non-availability to the public: Bean Poet's Mastrena profile (beanpoet.com), read 2026-09-02 We have not lab-tested brewers; where a figure is a manufacturer's, the page names the manufacturer, and machine capabilities come from our own published review records.

Keep going