Which Espresso/Cappuccino machine to buy?

[Bboy]

Hello,
My name is Bboy, and I have a caffeine addiction.

It started out innocently enough. It's a classic tale you've all heard before. I used to rely on Mountain Dew™ to keep the nods at bay. Eventually I became immune to the effects of the minute quantities of caffeine in MD, and reluctantly began forcing down gallons of the free, tea colored, vend-o-mat, hot water, coffee-wannabe substance at work. -A futile effort to stave off the sandman.

I found myself needing bigger and bigger doses, a stronger high.
Soon I took to brewing my own drip coffee at home. One basket of grounds level-full, to about 6 cups of water...quickly pared down to 4 cups...then down to 2.
No more of that thin stuff from work, my coffee makes your teeth squeak. Think suspended particles.
That did the trick for a while, as long as I used equal parts of sugar and coffee...you see, I was going for a 2-pronged attack.
I have since graduated to the harder stuff.
Enter the Seattle Latte...."Hey! Vanilla? Caramel?, a guy could get used to this."

I am now getting quads daily at the local coffee bar, with a "Can you reduce the milk to about ½ on that?-Thanks!"
Sometimes I have 'em add extra shots.
Sometimes I get one for 'here' and one 'to go'.

Some of my warning signs are:[list=1]
Coffee to me, is a sacred beverage to be indulged in only on special occasions.

I regard a trip to the coffee shop as a special occasion.

I have difficulty functioning properly in my job, without first getting a 'fix'.

I have difficulty getting out of bed without my crutch...coffee.

I have difficulty going to sleep at night without a nice, hot, soothing cup of...you guessed it...coffee.

My monthly coffee expense is about to eclipse my mortgage payment.

I am thinking about alternative methods of achieving my high...like filling family sized teabags with espresso-grounds, and packing my cheeks full.[/list=1]
OK, enough about me.
Suffice it to say that I'm not interested in a cure.
I need help from you other caffeine junkies out there who are ahead of me in this game.

I want my own Java maker, and I want it soon.
I have come to the conclusion that I want a pump driven machine, and I don't want to spend more than about $150.
I know, you'd think that someone with such a full-on addiction, would have a money-is-no-object approach, but hey, I'm a cheap tightwad. Hopefully this will help weed out the Espresso/Dialysis machine suggestions.

I am leaning toward a Briel Chamonix Espresso Machine ES-35.
Anybody out there own, or know anything about this machine?
Yes, I've already read the buyer feedback on Amazon.com, but I want the opinions of a more intelligent group -SDMBers.

I want to know about your personal experiences with your at-home Espresso/Cappuccino machines.
Which one(s) you own, and what you like and/or dislike about them.

Thanks for any caveats or advice any of you can provide.

-Bboy

[mangeorge]

A little less expensive method you might want to try.
Go to a good coffee place and get a press (french press) pot. Ask them to show you the right way to use it. You can make it as strong as you can handle
You'll need a good mill grinder, not the propeller type. Press coffee needs to be ground course, and without too much powder. You'll need one for espresso anyway, if you decide to go ahead and buy the machine.
Save the espresso for the professionals. A cheap machine will only give you grief.

[mangeorge]

I hit the wrong button, and I wasn't through lecturing.
Anyway, I tried the espresso at home route. Now I make it a special treat (frequent) to go get my cappuccinos.
Did I say grind your own? And get the beans from a good roaster?
Just a suggestion from an old addict. ;)
BTW; A press cost's $15-$20. Grinder, about $50. Good beans, up to about $10/lb. If you're not satisfied with the results, the press pot looks pretty cool sitting on your counter.
Now I'm finished. Enjoy.
Peace,
mangeorge

[Truth Seeker]

Don't waste your money on a cheap espresso machine. You are an addi. . . an afficionado of coffee. You know where this is going. If you try to buy a $150 machine, you'll just be disappointed and have to buy a better one in six months.

There is only one choice for you, a La Pavoni.
http://www.lapavoni.com/default.asp

NB: This site takes forever to load.

Anyway, the La Pavoni aka "The Chrome Peacock" is the ultimate in home espresso preparation. It is not steam-driven or even pump-driven. The La Pavoni is lever-driven. In other words, you do it yourself. The La Pavoni is actually a very simple and elegant design. I believe it's in MOMA.

Because you control every aspect of the preparation and production, making espresso with the La Pavoni is almost a creative act. With practice, you can have far more control over the taste and texture of espresso than you would have believed possible. It's true that, if you're not careful, you can end up with an undrinkable mess. However, on a good day, you can produce something that is so concentrated, rich and smooth that you will hardly believe it's coffee.

So bite the bullet and splash out. You'll save money in the long run and you'll be glad you did.

[even sven]

I've been pretty happy with out home machine. Nothing like an espresso in your jammies to start the day off right. Plus, it is a lot of fun to offer espresso drinks when entertaining guests. Also, the hot water/steam function on my machine is great for tea, hot chocolate, chai, hot apple cider powder stuff and steamed milk.

Remember, however, that beans are expensive. A good plan is to make friends with the people at your local coffee shop. Sometime they will give you some for free. The amount of money you really save, however, is most likely going to be pretty minimal.

Get a decent machine. A cheap one will just break and then you have no fix and wasted money. Save your box and pay attention to the warrenty.

[DrMatrix]

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DrMatrix - General Questions Moderator