If the pot is not working and seems jammed up, do not open the top and pick at it with a knife point.

I do! I'm very careful with my stovetop espresso maker, though, since the first time I used it I left the lid up and was rewarded with boiling water all over my arm. I have a set of little cups for plain espresso and a milk frother so I can make my beloved vanilla lattes on the cheap at home. Mmm. As a law student with a ton of work, I couldn't get by without it.

I love good coffee but am not as geeky about it as some people are. There are more interesting things to do than obsess over roast and water temperature. I have a basic moka pot and use fresh, good-quality beans (Lavazza or Illy) and filtered water. This combination works well enough to satisfy me.

I'm a recent convert to the Nespresso system. It makes better espresso than I've ever managed to.

we make Cafecito (Cuban Coffee/pre-sweetened espresso). always with Cafe La Llave. always in our 3 cup Moka/macchinetta. my husband takes his black and i take mine with half milk making it a Cortadita.

My bf makes the best espresso and lattes in a $3 no name espresso machine that we found at a thrift store.

I love waking up to the smell of a fresh cup but not that wretched SOUND! :)

We have a little aluminum machinetta that we used frequently when we had a gas stove. Now that we're in a house with an electric we have not used it at all (the manual for our ceramic cooktop warned against it). Has anyone else tried using one on an electric ceramic top? I miss my espresso!

Like slowdown, I use my stovetop Moka and fresh-ground espresso beans. It doesn't get a perfect crema, necessarily, but the convenience of sipping an espresso out of my favorite demitasse cup in my robe far outweighs that imperfection.

tmoore - I've got an electric ceramic top, but I guess I have never read the instructions on the ceramic cooktop.... I make my espresso on the top all the time. :-o!

We're Nespresso converts - quick and easy, I feel slightly guilty abut the throwaway pods, but the coffee tastes great, and it makes a crema layer better than any I've ever managed...

We bought a decent (but still cheap in the grand scheme of these things) espresso machine and grinder. It took a long time to figure out how to get good shots out of them - it was a lot of experimenting, and it was important to find some good, fresh beans that we liked too.

But now we can pull consistently pretty good shots, and even steam a little milk for macchiattos on the weekends.

I love foam. I love espresso. I make both at home (Krups super simple model - inherited from a friendd). Neither are as good as what I get at my favorite coffee spot, but I get by. My barista friend told me she heats her foam to 160 degrees. Now I do the same. Wouldn't you know? Makes better foam.

used to have a moka pot, which I enjoyed quite a bit, but having recently found the aerobie aeropress, I'm a complete convert.

no easier or better cup of espresso, though a good tricep helps pushing down on the press. so easy to keep clean. the joy of popping the compressed coffee out of the press in a solid little puck is almost a joy...

though given that I tend to drink coffee black means that I don't have an answer for steamed milk...

We are Nespresso converts as well! We used to go to our corner coffee shop almost on a daily basis for lattes, espressos, etc. We now have the Nespresso beverage of our choice every day thanks to the ease of use of our Nespresso Citiz machine. The aroma, taste, crema, everything, is perfect. The selection of roasts is vast and the pods allow for the coffee to remain ultra-fresh. We love it and our guests never refuse one when they visit!

I got a Gaggia a couple of years ago for a Christmas present and it has been the best gift ever. The only problem is that once you get the fancy espresso machine, you need the fancy grinder, too. So all in all I have about $500 worth of coffee equipment at my house right now (including a roaster. because if you're going to grind your own beans you might as well roast them, too! freshness counts!).

So it's expensive. But the quality of the espresso, the perfect crema that I get, and the ability to tailor everything - from the roast to the grind to the pull of the shot - to my tastes is really a wonderful thing.

Oh, and tips for how to make perfect espresso?

It's all about the beans and the grind. You need to have a sufficiently fine grind for the beans. If you're not getting a good crema or the espresso is bitter or watery, the first thing to do would be to play around with the grind of the beans (as well as how hard you tamp it down).

Also, it's important to keep the machine clean. If I haven't changed anything in my routine but I'm not getting as good espresso as usual, it's usually a sign that I need to decalcify the machine or take apart some components and give them a good scrub.

I enjoy a good quality espresso. Years ago I bought a Rancilio Miss Sylvia and a Rocky grinder.

It takes a little practice and getting used to in order to grind the beans properly, to pull a good shot and to froth the milk. In other words, it doesn't do it itself! But once you get it down you get shots that are pretty close to your favorite coffee shop.

I learned pretty quick that the freshness of the beans is of utmost importance. I like to use Intelligentsia beans and beans that have been fresh roasted at a local Whole Foods. The WF beans are sometimes still warm.

My problem is that I now know the limitations of my machine and desire a professional machine. Woe is me.

I bought a pump driven espresso machine while I worked for the Evil Green Empire a while back. I still occasionally use it, though I usually drink coffee for the same reason I drink a Martini: I'm out with friends, and it's appropriate.

At home, I use fresh ground espresso, and add just a touch of cinnamon to the grounds. It makes the smoothest, most lovely shot. Yum!

If you want/need tips and tricks, Alton Brown did a Good Eats episode regarding espresso. It was quite informative and fun.

@deliriumsama -- I went and did research and found the best possible espresso maker that fit into my limited budget, ground my beans to perfection, and then ended up pulling watery shot after watery shot -- never could get that hockey puck of grounds. I'm going to go look up that Good Eats episode -- if the Bill Nye of the kitchen can't help me, I might as well give up for good.

i bought a moka and now the coffe doesn't go up into the top chamber. I dunno how to fix this. any suggestions?

I received an espresso maker for Christmas last year and it remains one of my most favorite gifts. It takes a bit more time to grind the beans and froth the milk, but saving upwards of $5 a day is so nice, plus it's exactly to my liking.

When I buy a house I'd love to upgrade to a plumbed machine!

Tip: Make sure you tamp the espresso very tight, it DOES make a difference!

We do on the weekend when we have more time. We have a stovetop Bialetti that my husband got me for Christmas last year and it makes great espresso.

a few years back i did, but then got a job at a coffee shop and felt that using the machine was too much of a hassle when all i had to do was walk a couple blocks and get it for free, or wait til the next morning when i was at work.

I have been dreaming of owning a La Pavoni for some 20 years, but we just have the little Italian aluminum stovetop number (and here we have an electric ceramic stovetop). Works well.

We use Illy (medium roast espresso, as I cannot find the Illy Moka here) or local roast blend (fabulous!), freshly ground.

Our office just bought a $1500 espresso machine. Maybe I'll actually get around to using it.

chusmabilly:
Try rubbing a tiny bit of oil on the gasket, the rubber ring between the top and bottom chambers. Coffee isn't making it to the top because the seal isn't good.

If that doesn't work, you may need a new gasket. Try looking at either a kitchen store or an Italian shop.

We have a Solis Crema that we got many years ago that makes adequate espresso.

The best non coffee shop coffee I have had is using a stove top maker w water straight out of the lake in northern Ontario. Same coffee pot etc at home w filtered water not even close. Conclusion water quality is of extreme importance.

I'm surprised I'm the first to mention this, but I recently purchased an Aeropress! So excited about making espresso at home! I've had it on my Amazon wish list for a long time, and recently the best coffee shop in town started selling them, so I took that as a good nod of approval, and finally bought it for myself.

Does anyone know where can I get spoons like the one in the photo?

I visited the huge Nespresso concept store in Paris a couple of weeks ago and it was incredible. They do a great job of marketing the product and all of the (very expensive) accessories.

My favorite was the wall-mounted display boards for the espresso capsules - $100 and it came without the coffee!

Our hotel had the Nespresso Citiz model in the breakfast room. I liked the ease-of-use and the coffee wasn't bad (much better than most Parisian coffee I've had).

At home, I use a Pasquini Livia. It was a hefty investment but well worth it. I recently attached a timer to mine so that it starts warming up when my alarm clock goes off. Most Italian machines need about 20 minutes to warm up completely and it really does make a difference in the quality of the shot. I don't drink a lot of coffee, but I want what I do drink to be as close to perfect as possible.