[carlob]

> It's pretty difficult to find anything outside on par with the quality I can get at home (most of the time..)

It really depends on where you are. I find that espresso in the gourmet cafés in large American cities I tried is mostly on par or slightly worse than the average espresso in Rome. The grains and the roast can be pretty good, but it's often brewed slightly long for my taste.

Espresso here is so dense it's almost solid and that's the thing I can't reproduce at home.