I skipped straight to espresso using one of the little espresso gadgets, the Staresso. I still wish it wasn't a pressurized portafilter, but I've been pulling d

I skipped straight to espresso using one of the little espresso gadgets, the Staresso. I still wish it wasn't a pressurized portafilter, but I've been pulling decent shots out of it for nearly a year now, and it's one of my favorite toys. It's just a fiddly mess to clean up after, so I have to set aside ten-fifteen minutes to pull my shots. It's a cheap option, but scarcely the most usable one--among other things, you also have to go way beyond their recommendations when it comes to filling and tamping the shot, and pre-heat of the assembly with hot water is kinda essential. But for roughly $100 all in including a hand grinder, it was a cheap stab at seeing if I wanted to tinker with espresso. Turns out I do, so sometime in the next couple of years I'll buy into a mid-grade machine for the countertop.