I use a Bialetti Moka stovetop espresso maker I got from Amazon, best coffee I have made at home.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nespresso will do the trick for what you describe. You can get them for around $200 so a little over your budget but I suspect way less than the others suggested here. The coffee pods are .65 each but worth it IMO.

+1-- if you want an affordable espresso maker, I'd get a nespresso with the aerocino, like this

http://www.amazon.com/Nespresso-Espresso-Maker-Aeroccino-Frother/dp/B008TV3S1K/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

+2

Bought this for my husband. He love love loves it. So do all of our friends who come over for coffee. I've stayed in a lot of 5 star hotels around the world (for work) that have them in the upgrades suites. Pretty nice.

Also, George Clooney ads in all their stores. Bonus for me.

Anonymous wrote:Get him a high quality burr grinder. It will make all the difference in the world, and he will be very thankful to you. Cuisinart makes an inexpensive one, but depending on budget there are $200-$250 models that are excellent. Seriously, burr grinder.

Got a hand-cranked burr grinder. Can pretend it is a morning workout, but still can't remember to allow for the 2.5 extra minutes to grind the coffee.

Anonymous wrote:Yes. He makes very good coffee too!

Mine doubles as a snow thrower. I just give her the shovel and send her outside.

Anonymous wrote:Yes. He makes very good coffee too!

Yes. He makes very good coffee too!

Anonymous wrote:Nespresso will do the trick for what you describe. You can get them for around $200 so a little over your budget but I suspect way less than the others suggested here. The coffee pods are .65 each but worth it IMO.

+1-- if you want an affordable espresso maker, I'd get a nespresso with the aerocino, like this

http://www.amazon.com/Nespresso-Espresso-Maker-Aeroccino-Frother/dp/B008TV3S1K/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Anonymous wrote:What's the next step down from a techniform?

There are three coffee makers which are good enough to heat water to the correct temperature for drip coffee. They are the Technivorm Moccamaster, Bonavita, and Bodum Bistro. They are not fancy machines with lots of gizmos. Their one job is to make automatic drip coffee well. Here is a link that discusses: http://gizmodo.com/5885503/the-best-automatic-coffee-machine

If you get a coffee maker like that, get a good "burr" grinder. That is a grinder that correctly grinds to a specific consistency. You can get a good one for 80-90 and the best can run into big money.

There are fancier automatic grind and brew machines which cost a lot of money. The upside is the convenience. Many of them you can set to grind fresh beans and brew coffee, all pre-timed. But they are expensive and the grinders can gum up, making them useless. But they are "gadget-ey".

There are machines that make espresso coffees. Those are expensive and somewhat gadget-ey.

Last, there are very effective but cheap, non-gadgety things which make excellent regular coffee but may not meet your goal of present-worthiness. The French Press is a simple device that costs $20 and will make good coffee. Also a pour-over cone.

HTH

Anonymous wrote:We have a Technivorm Moccamaster for regular coffee and a Rancilio Silvia for coffee drinks. And a Rancilio grinder.

We have this coffee maker as well. It's very good.

Nespresso will do the trick for what you describe. You can get them for around $200 so a little over your budget but I suspect way less than the others suggested here. The coffee pods are .65 each but worth it IMO.