Espresso machine. Did you splurge? Do you love it?

[Anonymous]

I'm thinking about getting an espresso machine for my husband's birthday. Did you ever splurge on one only to regret buying it? Or has it become a beloved part of your morning ritual? If you do love having one, can you recommend your make and model?

[Anonymous]

What's your current coffee routine? And when you say espresso machine, do you mean a serious one where you will also need a good grinder and to learn to pull shots properly, or a pod machine like Nespresso, or one of the super-autos where you push a button and it grinds/brews for you?

[Anonymous]

What kind of counter space do you have? Do you mind the clean up routine? I got one for my DH and it got used a fair amount (3-4 times a month for a year) and then it sat on the counter unused except for occasional company (maybe 2 times a year) and then unused for another 2 years before I put it away and now it never gets used. Am looking into getting a high quality stove top one that is smaller/easier for occasional use. THe exact same thing happened to my in-laws too, now they never use it.

[Anonymous]

Not the OP, but considering splurging on a super automatic. Would be used primarily on weekends I think (currently bring drip coffee to the office during the week).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What kind of counter space do you have? Do you mind the clean up routine? I got one for my DH and it got used a fair amount (3-4 times a month for a year) and then it sat on the counter unused except for occasional company (maybe 2 times a year) and then unused for another 2 years before I put it away and now it never gets used. Am looking into getting a high quality stove top one that is smaller/easier for occasional use. THe exact same thing happened to my in-laws too, now they never use it.

Add me to the club. Loved the idea, but feel out of the habit. Now it sits and takes up space.

[Anonymous]

Get a Nespresso pixie and aerochino. Not expensive and very good.

[Anonymous]

I got a nespresso and use it every day. It is small so doesn't take up a lot of counter space. Easy to use. The pods are a little pricey but no worse than expensive coffee (I was buying Illy coffee before).

[Anonymous]

I would go for the Nespresso.

[Anonymous]

We are daily espresso/latte drinkers who are usually in a rush in the morning so we went with a super automatic. A Saeco - it's been great so far. So fast & easy. We bought it at Costco because they have a great return policy if we run into any issues.

Maybe when we retire we'll get a nice manual machine and perfect our latte art.

[Anonymous]

We have the Nespresso. Agree that the pods are pricey, but way less than Starbucks. I can also make pretty good frappuccinos (have to use the blender as well) so that's nice. I also like that I can use almond milk, which Starbucks doesn't carry.

We have the big espresso machine at work; the one like the one at Starbucks. I like it, but there's a lot more room for user error. It's also a little messy -- grounds spill a bit, milk drips from the steamer, etc. And there are more pieces to clean up. I could see it being something that's fun initially, but ends up not getting used after the novelty wears off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have the Nespresso. Agree that the pods are pricey, but way less than Starbucks. I can also make pretty good frappuccinos (have to use the blender as well) so that's nice. I also like that I can use almond milk, which Starbucks doesn't carry.

We have the big espresso machine at work; the one like the one at Starbucks. I like it, but there's a lot more room for user error. It's also a little messy -- grounds spill a bit, milk drips from the steamer, etc. And there are more pieces to clean up. I could see it being something that's fun initially, but ends up not getting used after the novelty wears off.

One comment about the nespresso -- so far, the only pods are nespresso pods, which are just for coffee, lattes, and espresso. I wish third parties would make them, as it'd be nice to be able to get more flavors or use it for things other than just coffee (like the k-cups). That said, I think the appeal of nespresso is that it's supposed to be really good coffee, so I'm not sure there's a big market for that among the people that buy it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are daily espresso/latte drinkers who are usually in a rush in the morning so we went with a super automatic. A Saeco - it's been great so far. So fast & easy. We bought it at Costco because they have a great return policy if we run into any issues.

Maybe when we retire we'll get a nice manual machine and perfect our latte art.

our model is slightly different model (bought it at the store), but similar to this one:
http://www.costco.com/Saeco-Incanto-Deluxe-Automatic-Espresso-Machine.product.11680177.html

[Anonymous]

Yes. And yes. We spent around 750 on a Gaggia semi-automatic (grinds and makes a nice pour automatically; use a wand for milk frothing). We use it multiple times every day and it has been absolutely worth the cost. We use a french press when we want to serve brewed coffee.

[Anonymous]

Nesresso

[Anonymous]

$20 Moka pot. I use it every day.