My trips to a certain coffee shop have gotten expensive, and food prices keep going up. Also, some of my pals have recently gotten their own espresso makers at home and have been perfecting their barista skills, which made me envious. With a desire to cut my coffee-spending and also have a new toy to play with, I started researching espresso machines. Of course, you can spend thousands on the high-end espresso machines, or even several hundred dollars on the mid-range. Those prices didn't mesh with my desire to cut costs, so I kept looking, and found the Bialetti Mukka Express. Very easy to use, and all the parts feel sturdy and quality. Comes with a DVD, but the instructions were pretty easy to follow. This machine comes in both electric and stovetop versions. I chose electric so that I'd have the possibility of bringing it in to the office, which would then negate my need to visit the local cafe. I use Illy brand coffee, ground for espresso machines. I also use 2% lowfat milk. This seems to give a great foam. After pouring in the water, then putting coffee in the funnel, screwing on the upper unit, then adding milk, you can basically walk away for a few minutes. It makes a "poof" sound when it get close to being done, then it beeps when it is finished. Takes a long time to cool off for cleaning, and it helps to have a brush to clean out the grounds. After a few weeks of success at home, I'm now ready to bring this machine into the office so I can have tasty cappuccinos without having to leave my desk. UPDATE. This is in response to a user who asked about ease of cleaning. I tried to reply via the comment feature, but it kept giving me and error, so I'm posting the info here:The Bialetti Mukka is easier to prepare for coffeemaking than it is to clean. Cleaning isn't hard, but you have to wait until it cools down (it gets very hot). Here's a breakdown of cleaning:Valve - take the valve off the top, and that rinses easily. Upper metal pitcher - fine to clean. Best if you have some water soak in it for a few minutes. Filter on the bottom of the metal pitcher - this is the hardest part to clean, but I use a brush to get the grounds out of the edges and that's not too bad. Funnel where the coffee is held - easy to clean. Base water reservoir on the electric unit - cannot be submerged in water, but I just rinse it out, and occasionally wipe it out.Hope that helps!