doesn't anyone use these?

http://www.1-800-espresso.com/bialet...sso-maker.html

Sharkmom, I don't know if you are taking recommendations for a new machine or not...my husband bought me a Rancilio Sylvia. It was made in Italy, but he bought it here. It makes FANTASTIC espresso.

It's not an automatic machine, though. We wanted the power to manipulate all the variables in making our espresso (e.g., coarseness/ fineness of grind, tamping, etc.). It's a really great machine, but a good cappucino is a multi-step process.

As an aside, if you did buy a new machine in Italy, you might want to look into US customs rules. I thought there was an $800 limit of goods you could bring into the country without paying duty, but I could be wrong.

I agree with PalQ that the state of the Euro vs the $ probably means that you won't get a fantastic deal in Rome anyway. But it wouldn't hurt to look.

Thank you Hunnym. At this point I am anxiously monitoring suggestions for a new maker. I checked out the link that Elaine posted for Nepresso and am waiting to see what model Scarlett liked. I hated their website and found it confusing. Vis a vis the Capresso, it kept talking about "frothing" the milk and that put me off because the milk should properly be steamed. I will investigate Gaggia and Rancilio. Please keep the suggestions coming. I have decided to follow suggestions and buy here in US.

Several years ago I bought my husband a FrancisFrancis expresso machine after much research (I had several unbiased websites that compared machines, but I'm sorry I can't find them anymore.) It was in the $500 range and we're very pleased with it. It froths milk exceptionally well and uses either the individual pods of expresso or you can use the loose grounds. It can only make two cups at a time, but for us that serves our purpose. I bought it on amazon.com.

Don't go knocking my trusty Krups espresso maker.
No, it is not an Italian import. It was made in Switzerland, and thats close enough. Heck, there is an Italian section of Switzerland.

That's it, elaine!!
I am almost positive it is the D250 but the D300 is nice too.
So easy to make coffee or cappucino or espresso..the coffee is in these little thingees that pop into the round thing and the handle thing pushes them in LOL
Sorry if that was too technical for some :)
anyway- thank you elaine, that is it. You don't have to buy it for me. I think it is more in Williams Sonoma, where I found it. ((C))

Well, I'll wade in. I am afraid because I have to say the dreaded name Starbucks. Oh no!!! By brother got an espresso machine at Starbucks last year. It was on sale..199.00 on sale..about 300.00 I think regular price, so he kind of got it on a whim. Well, anyway, it doesn't take up a huge amount of space and the latte's he made me a couple of weeks ago were fabulous, better that we could buy. It makes two cups at a time. It's not too too terrible to keep clean.

No to the espresso machine, but let me raise an issue: how are you going to get it home in these days of luggage weight limitations? Will you have to carry it around with you for any length of time? I ask because years ago I bought a metal pasta machine in Italy, and by the time we got back to France to fly home I was heartily sick of carting the thing around.

Since many were weighing in on various machine brands, I decided to try to do some comparison shopping and found a site that rates various brands and models. Check it out! It's interesting for those looking for machines.
http://www.aabreecoffee.com/compare.cfm?SubCategoryID=1

Why not just do it like the Italians do, pay less than 10 euros, not have to worry about voltage, and get one of those espresso pots that you make on the stove. We have the one, four and eight cup ones at home. All purchased in Italy. Just like nona used to make! My sicilian landlady would have never used a machine. :)

PJI - exactly - that's the bialetti. it's great - and very packable. :-)

I got turned on to them a few years back when I visited my then boyfriend's parents in Europe - they used them so they gotta be good.

I would recommend checking out www.williams-sonoma.com for options. I've not purchased a coffee maker of any type from them, but everything else purchased from them has been golden.

Hi sharkmom,
A few years ago when in Germany and staying with friends we purchased a machine for them as a gift. When they returned to the USA they left it behind because of voltage/plug issues. Sooo if you do purchase an expresso machine in Rome be sure to check this out.

Those stove top espresso pots are called "la caffettiera" and can be found everywhere in Italy, even the outdoor street markets.
They work best with an electric stove or hot plate.
They can be used with gas stoves but be careful as the flames can damage the rubber seal between the water and coffee chambers.
They make good espresso, but they cannot steam the milk for cappuccino.

A couple of people asked about Gaggia machines. We have had espresso machines at home for several years, gone through a couple of really cheap ones, and finally got a Briel pump-type about 4 years ago. It made good espresso, but after a while started to leak like crazy.

Our upper budget limit for a replacement was $200, and we decided to try a Gaggia, which had good reviews. We ordered their Espresso model, but sent it back within 2 days because it was such a pain to use. It required inserting a rubber disc under the filter basket to make crema, but that thing was almost impossible to get in place correctly. Since you were supposed to remove it for cleaning after each use, it was way too much of a hassle.

I also thought the construction of the Gaggia seemed kind of cheap. It actually arrived with the plastic water tank in pieces, and we had to get it replaced before we could even try it.

just wondering if these bigger machines use ground coffee or coffee pods, and if there's a difference in quality of the brew

sharkmom - What did you do about the espresso machine?

We have a Pasquini! It too is very old and I have gotten parts from California to keep it going. I wonder the same thing that you asked about Italy. I found in research that the Pasquini is made outside of Milan for the American market. It is crazy, but since there are parts I can't get anymore, I daydream about finding them when I am in Milan, at a repair shop.

Did you know that there is a website for people who love their Pasquini's?

Nespresso is a great idea .... (for the manufacturer)...

"For use with Nespresso capsules only"

no thank you.

If you are from the US, i would think that you could find a suitable commercial model over there...and possibly much cheaper. I do not recommend using such a machine with a voltage converter. heating elements, electronics and motors (ie pump) run poorly with even the best voltage transformers and an espresso machine contains all three. not at all worth the hassle...buy at home.

We have been looking for a new espresso machine as well. While we don't want to pay hundreds of dollars, we also don't want to sacrifice our Taza D'Oro coffee beans in a coffee maker taht won't do them justice. Found this flipping through Crate and Barrell's catalog yesterday. Seems too good ( and inexpensive) to be true....

http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family...024%20:%208566

I sure wanted one of those super fancy $1500 coffee makers, but the LW gave me a hard time and demanded we fund our IRAs first. The nerve of that woman - some people have thier priorities all messed up!