[nodamage]

Except it's not so easy to get your hands on one these days. They are constantly out of stock. (IIRC they are basically now hand made by a guy out of the UK).

I get the appeal of manual levers to espresso enthusiasts but would strongly dissuade beginners from starting with one. When you are learning to dial in a shot what you want is consistency and reproducibility which is the opposite of what you get with a manual lever.

Also it doesn't steam milk so you need to figure out a separate solution for steaming if you want to make a flat white/cappuccino/latte/etc.

That's not to say you should dump thousands of dollars into a La Marzocco, but there are plenty of entry level machines in the $300-500 range that would suit a beginner just fine.

[prmoustache]

The simple fact that there are terms like "beginner" used in this conversation shows that y'all are overthinking it.

It is about having a good coffee, not a professional sport.

[nodamage]

And how exactly are you going to make good coffee if you don't know how to dial in a shot? If you don't know what you're doing your espresso is most likely going to come out sour or bitter. (Under or over extracted. Pulling good espresso is not exactly the most straightforward process.)

[prmoustache]

It is not rocket science either.

[TFNA]

China and Japan made whole rituals and philosophy around serving tea and there is a difference between novice and adept in that. People really nerding out on espresso are just repeating an old trend.