[kbatten]

My espresso machine was one of the best purchases I have made. I can have straight espresso or any variation of frothed milk and coffee that I can imagine. I use store brand coffee and milk and it is delicious. Its worth investing in if you care about it and I drink coffee almost every day, so something I think is worth investing in.

[mc32]

For sure, totally agree with you. But I think there are many more important things a publication like that could spend its time on. It's not as if one or the other is probably better; one or the other is better by influenced preference. I mean, normally people tend to avoid bitter flavors, but we've conditioned ourselves to like it.

[jpittis]

Which espresso machine did you purchase? Does anyone know if getting an inexpensive one is somehow bad?

[Schwolop]

I've worked/studied in four engineering firms, with academics and engineers who understand trade-offs and know the meaning of the word "satisficing".

Independently, six of us ended up buying the same Breville espresso machine "The Dual Boiler". It's about half the price of the equivalent Italian dual boiler machines, and about twice the price of entry level machines. Yes, it looks like something Breville would make, but despite that, it performs like an ECM, Rancilio, or Vibiemme machine.

[mkching]

If you're looking to make espresso drinks, going too cheap will be an exercise in frustration. Cheaper machines have limitations you need to work around and make it harder to get consistent results. Most people just getting started will simply give up. If your budget is less than $500, get a Nespresso. It makes a better drink than the other pod systems and beats most non-specialty shops (it can't touch a good shop or something you can make with a good machine and practice).

If you want to go further than this, the following combinations provide a very good value:

Gaggia Classic + Breville Smart Grinder Pro (~$500 total)

The Gaggia Classic is considered entry level to make good espresso by many people. I started with this and it can make a good drink, but you cannot make back to back drinks and foaming milk well is more difficult than on pricier machines.

Breville Dual Boiler + Barazta Vario (~$2000 total)

After using the above setup for a while, I upgraded to this combination. It is considered one of the best values if this is your price range. Frothing milk well is much easier than on the Gaggia Classic, and its larger boiler and electronic controller provide better temperature stability.

If you want something halfway between a semi-automatic and a fully automatic, the Breville Oracle has received very positive reviews in the coffee community, even by people who came in wanting to hate the level of automation it can bring.

Don't skimp on the grinder, get very fresh beans from a specialty roaster, and then plan a week or two learning curve. If you're interested, http://www.home-barista.com/forums/ has a lot of information.

[lobster_johnson]

Regarding milk, in my opinion no consumer machine will give you enough steam pressure to create good microfoam.

There are electric milk frothers from Breville and Nespresso that rotate a metal frother to run air through the milk. The result is sort of microfoamy (but usually more like soap-foamy), but doesn't have the particular flavour that you get from steamed milk.

I'm (notoriously, among my friends, and probably obnoxiously too) finicky about milk froth quality, and the best solution I have found is a stovetop frother.

You have to heat the milk to the right temperature (the steam wand actually works great for this), and then use the plunger for 10-15 seconds. Weirdly enough, the result is almost perfect microfoam. This one is great:

http://www.amazon.com/HIC-Stainless-Steel-Frother-14-Ounce/d...