We bought one of these about 2 months ago, cost about $500 I think. It has a built in burr grinder which is adjustable, and considering a decent grinder is probably $150 on it's own it made sense.
Pros:
- There's a little spot that holds the "tamper" so you don't lose it
- It grinds directly into the grip handle thingy (you put the grip handle just to the left of where it is in the pic - under the grinder)
- The coffee 'pucks' come out of the grip handle really easily as the little metal strainer thing has sloped sides.
- The guage shows how much pressure is built up while it's esspressing... This let's you know if you need to change the grind/dose/tampering...
- Heats up in about 15-20 seconds, and is good for making 2 coffees at a time
- Takes about 1 min to steam enough milk for 2 caffe lattes.
- Quick to clean, tap out the puck, rinse off the grip handle, wipe the steamer and the tray and you're done. (milk jug and thermometer into the dishwasher)
- Makes good coffees! (And YOU get to make them)
- We had a smaller version with a separate grinder previously, and we used it daily for 3 years until the steamer thing started to die.
Cons:
- It's pretty big and clunky, so you'd wanna make sure you have a good spot for it.
- Not as big and clunky as some people would like, it will probably last 3 years, not 10 years like you'd expect if you paid 2-3k.
- There's still a bit of work involved, but we like making coffee. There's other simpler machines (pods etc) but we like grinding and steaming manually.
- I guess it's relatively cheap, more dollars will get you a more solid, longer lasting machine.