New espresso maker: Capresso Ultima (Model 121)

I'm a big coffee drinker, ok? I've been putting my Keurig single serving machine through it's paces for the last few months and I really like it. I've already spent more on little coffee pods from Keurig than the machine ever cost. Another post will go into what I've learned from that. Recently though I've gotten enamored of short non-fat Lattes at Starbucks. That's a story in and of itself, which again will wait for another post. The real story is that I just unpacked my new Capresso Ultima semi-automatic espresso maker. Check it out here. I've already made too many espressos, capucinnos and lattes, luckily many of them decaf. I really like this machine. Semi-automatic means that while you need to feed it ground coffee (i.e. it doesn't include a grinder) it does do everything else itself. Tamping is done semi-automatically, through a very simple use of your own muscle power. The used grinds go into a little compartment for emptying after a bunch of uses. And, the coffee is del.icio.us! I will be posting further observations of my experiences in the near future:

• What are the trade-offs that led me to this particular machine?

• How does it compare to the Keurig and does one replace the other?

• What have I learned so far about the kind of grind that works?

• How hard is it to steam or foam milk?

• What is the difference between a latte and a capucinno and why do I prefer lattes?

• What's up with Starbucks short non-Fat Lattes?

• What are the comparative costs of operation

Hey, sounds like I am writing a book! <!-

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