"About a Boy": What kind of espresso machine does Will have?

Cafe Society
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Mr. S and I are recent fans of About a Boy and have put it in high rotation in our DVD viewing cycle. Mr. S is a bit of a javahead and loves to putz around making lattes and espressos for himself and any guests who happen to show up. (I’m not a coffee person.) But all we have is an el cheapo machine we bought several years ago. It’s functional, but he’d like to upgrade.

And of course, of all of Will’s expensive toys in the movie, the espresso machine is the one he likes the most. I have to admit it looks cool and fun, and we have a big anniversary coming up. I’d like to get one like that if it’s not too outrageously expensive. Can some kind Doper point me in the right direction of where to look for a machine like that one? Brand, style/type, anything like that? Or even just to tell me that you know that that particular machine goes for three grand, so I won’t bother looking any further. :smiley:

Thanks for any help!

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I have had a Starbucks (please no comments) Barista espresso machine, for several years, that is far and away the best machine that I have owned in almost 15 years. The “Barista” makes, hands down, the best espresso, with an extraordinary crema to boot, of any machine in it’s price range which is somewhere around $250. It’s also authentic as it’s truly made in Italia. I’m sure you can pay upwards of ten times more money but I don’t think you will improve on the basic quality of espresso produced.

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It’s a laPavoni. See http://www.lapavoni.com/Video/About_aBoy.asp?lang=2.

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Yup, OK, checked that out and they’re out of my price range. He’ll enjoy looking at the site, though, and dreaming . . . Thanks!

Waterman, thanks also to you for the recommendation on the Barista. That helps a lot, as I wouldn’t even have a clue where to start. I checked it out on Epinions and everybody there seems to love them. $300-$400 (which seems to be the current going rate) is at the top of my price range, but doable. I think he’d like the copper one. He’s got a little corner of the kitchen decked out with all his coffee toys – frothing wand, espresso cups, decorative coffee plaques, the man is insane. He once called me over to see the little bubbles popping on the top of his espresso – he thought they were amusing. Luckily so did I. :smiley: