I second the Breville. It is easy to clean, good looking, and has the flexibility of using pods or "real" coffee. You might be able to get it at Bed Bath and Beyond and use one of their 20% off coupons? If you sign up for their email and postal list, you'll get a boatload of coupons.

Don't forget to check Craigslist. We picked up a small Pavoni for free. After a thorough cleaning, it works wonderfully well!

The Rancilio Silvia is double the price of the Breville but you will a get a machine that will pull good shots for years. It has a larger boiler (12oz) which allows you to pull more than one shot without waiting but you still will need to wait for the boiler to heat up to steam. The 58mm portafilter allows you to use the same amount of coffee that professional machines use and will open the door to different baskets and portafilters. Also the internals are a higher grade with a pump that rivals the one in my machine and heating element that will quickly recover the boiler for continued espresso. This is a solid machine.

I like my stove-top (Bialleti) and little aerofoam battery operated milk foamer. I heat the milk in the microwave. But I have limited counter space and only make coffee on the weekends so it works for me. I saw a beautiful Bodum stove top espresso pot in a fancy store last weekend. $99.00 and beautifully made. Might have to contribute to the ecomony and buy it.

I have a Nespresso machine - a D90 if I recall correctly. Granted you have to use their espresso pods, it makes a perfect espresso every time & has a built-in steamer/frother.

I am a fan of Nespresso machines. Easy, simple and fast. It consistently cranks out good espresso and their pods are all very good and cover a good range.

AEROPRESS

I have an illy francis!francis! x5 . . . if you don't mind buying coffee from illy every month for a year, the machine is pretty affordable. I haven't had problems making consecutive espressos, and it uses coffee or pods. Plus its quirky and cute.

I have the Silvia as well. It's a good machine but you still have the wait time in between drinks--not as much, but it's still there if you want a perfect shot. If you've got the room, I'd go for something like the Rancilio Epoca. It's going to be around 2K but that's the jump you'll have to make to get a heat exchanger allowing you to make drinks continuously.

Check www.coffeegeek.com or www.home-barista.com for reviews. Beware - the more you research, the more challenging the choice is. This stuff is addictive! :-)

I second the stovetop espresso maker. They are inexpensive, easy-to-use, and they won't be another big appliance sitting on your counter. We pair ours with milk frother like the Chambord or Bistro from Bodum for amazing lattes.

For now I use the AeroPress to make my morning double shot and then heat up and froth the milk in one of those $20 pumping gadgets. I think its the best option for me until I can afford a quality machine. I agree that coffeegeek will drive u nuts with interesting info!

I won't profess to be an expert knowing these things, but I'm more of an expert in knowing what I don't know.

What I DO know is that there is a pretty big difference in whether you want your machine to be "home use" / "fake espresso" or whether you want semi-pro barista quality.

My wife and I fall into the former category. We have a six or seven year old Saeco Classico -- super basic / solid / somewhat retro looking. But it is mostly designed to run w/o much thinking (e.g., its forgiving on the grind, its forgiving on the amount of coffee, and it runs on a PRESSURIZED PORTAFILTER -- which means you get "fake" crema, but that you don't have to be a barrista to make really, really, good espresso).

I didn't even know about the "fake crema" versus "real crema" until reading on "Coffee Geeks" and similar web sites, but there it is. My NON-ignorance is now NON-bliss. So, someday, I'll move up do a mondo expensive machine (in the 1k plus neighborhood) and make "real espresso."

Until then, I would VERY VERY highly recommend the Saeco Classico on looks, durability, and performance.

IIRC, we paid about $250 for it about six years ago. The "classico" looks like its been replaced by the "Aroma" and now runs for about $350.

PS, I second the comments above on the "Home Barrista" and "Coffee Geek" web sites.

Pro - tons of info. Con - tons of info.

http://www.bialettishop.com/BrikkaMain.htm

This is the greatest

Aeropress rocks. It's inexpensive, teeny tiny, and makes a big and bold espresso. And it gives you la creme de la crema.

I loved the Breville machine you show above but I've had two of that model die on me in the last two years. In both cases the espresso motor conked out after just normal usage.

Now I have the Francis Francis machine. It's good for making just espresso but the steamer wand is too short to use easily so now I heat milk in the microwave and then froth it with a plunger style frother. It seems the more I spend on my coffee machines, the more work I have to do!

I third the Rancilio Silvia, and would also recommend a Gaggia (Coffee Deluxe). Both top-notch and pull a better shot than many far more expensive machines.

Also, a grinder is just -- if not more important. I recommend the Rancilio Rocky. Great value-for-money.

Saeco Via Venezia: http://www.amazon.com/Saeco-Venezia-Pump-Driven-Espresso-Machine/dp/B00161YU7Q/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

We get very good comments from visitors on it - works well with Cafe Femenino coffee (Peru).

I'm throwing in another nod to the Rancilio Silvia- just got ours in Nov. after a few years with a gaggia carrezza and a krups before that. There is no comparison between the rancilio and the other two machines I've owned. The others were plastic toys- disposable. The Silvia is built to last a lifetime.

I loved my Starbucks Barista machine... not a huge SB fan, but this machine has held up, pulls great shots, and steams up a foamy cup of moo.

Melodie, here. Wow, thanks for such great input.

I started my search on coffeegeeks.com, thus beginning my brain strain and confusion. You've all given me some very good things to think about as I decide on a machine.

So, thanks again everyone for taking the time to share your espresso experiences.

Regards, Melodie

Cost be damned -- I am devoted to La Pavoni Professional.

http://www.amazon.com/Pavoni-EPC-8-Europiccola-Espresso-Machine/dp/B00004S9G8

If it doesn't require a little skill, the coffee loses some of its soul I find...

p.s. gotta add that though the initial outlay on LaPavoni is steep, it pays for itself in the long run -- it stands the test of time because there are no electronic bits to conk out -- it is manual. And because it is manual, you are able to truly customize the coffee you make. And it's drop-dead gorgeous.

There are different finishes available:

http://www.lapavoni.com/

see: domstic line/ stl stradivari lusso/romantica/ professional

I'll second the Saeco Aroma - we've had one for about a year now, and it works great. It's a good machine to grow with, too - since you can simply replace the pressurized portafilter and go from there. It's guts are essentially the same as some of Saeco's higher end machines, and at an entry price point of $250-300 (check costco.com! They sometimes run $50 off promotions) It won't completely break the bank.

Bialetti stovetop-hands down: inexpensive, unobtrusive and makes great coffee.

I second the Starbucks Barista machine...really easy, makes excellent espresso and quickly froths your milk. I've had mine for 3 years and use it nearly every day. I bought it on suggestion of a barista and have not one regret. Also, while not cheap, they are much more affordable than others. And they are occassionally on sale.

nespresso!

UPDATE TO ORIGINAL POST:

Thanks, everyone, for such great input. I just purchased the Gaggia Color Espresso machine from Whole Latte Love. It was on sale for $199.
http://www.wholelattelove.com/Gaggia/espresso_color.cfm

I had my doubts when I tried the "free" Illy pods. The espresso was like colored water. I called Whole Latte Love's support team and my next cup was THE BEST espresso I've ever had. I have a Starbucks Burr grinder (about 4 y/o now.) so I set the grind to the finest allowed. Filled the filter as high as I could, tamped as hard as I could with the plastic tamper and VOILA! Great espresso, easy to use and at a great price. (I used Starbucks espresso beans.)

Regards,
Melodie