[JavaBrewer]

I actually enjoy the coffee process of our semi-automatic espresso machine. It's very much like the last breville linked with the cat picture - but was sold through Starbucks. It still runs fine (12+ years now) but the portafilter is toast and I need to order a new one @ $90 or the rebuild parts kit for $50.

I guess the reliability of the full automatic machines have gone way up, my anecdotal experience being years old and from friends who spent a couple $K on one that lasted just past the warranty cutoff - so 1 year or so. Repair was ghastly $$ so they tossed it and went back to drip coffee. So many complex steps in grinding, tamping, pressurizing, and then dumping - just listening to that machine struggle through convinced me I made the right choice with my simple one.