I think I've mentioned that I'm pretty happy with the espresso machine that we have now. It's not the top of the line and certainly not the most expensive out there but it does make a good espresso.
The one thing that I've noticed since this latest machine upgrade, is that it uses a lot more coffee. In fact it takes double the amount of the old machine. It also takes double the time to make coffee each day. Each coffee is made individually, whereas on the old machine we could make a little "pot" of espresso - four short espressos at once if you wished.
Unquestionably, the end product is 1000 times better so I'm not complaining, not in the least. In addition to having better coffee, I now have an excuse to shop at the Italian market more often than I used to . It's about half way to downtown from here - 15 minutes and the time it takes to find parking. It's all worth every minute. Coffee time is my favorite time of day. Next machine upgrade in two years. ;)