As an amateur barista who’s been through 7 home espresso machines in a dozen years I understand the appeal of a foolproof model that makes you the same beautiful espresso every day. With most semiautomatic machines you need to get the beans, grind, measure and tamping pressure just right and then hope the machine’s volatile brewing pump is not sputtering nonsense to at least have the possibility of a properly extracted espresso falling into your cup. If you’ve received one of these recalcitrant appliances for Christmas you may already be pondering the ethics of regifting the bloody thing, perhaps as a wedding present for your ex-partner who’s marrying your former best mate. [Read more...]