Every morning I brew a double shot of coffee is my Starbucks branded espresso machine http://coffeegeek.com/reviews/consumer/starbucks_barista. Bought it used on CL for about $100 5 years ago and surprisingly enough it still works great. Haven't had to do any maintenance on it. Not sure if it can brew to modern standards but it can brew a decent Americano as long as you don't mix too much water with it. Ive found that one of these with 2 shots is about right for water to coffee https://www.qualitylogoproducts.com/custom-travelmugs/doublewallceramicmug-siliconlid11oz-white.htm?variant=BLANK&imageID=199790&gclid=CjwKEAjwlq24BRDMjdK7g8mD6BASJABBl8n3A-Ja6yZSqcaou2yyp4oQSNGjKY9HbiSenV0mSXxfRBoCxZTw_wcB. My beans... well nothing special QFC bulk KAVA Colombian roast @ $10/lb. Its probably a week or 2 old by the time it hits the bottom of the plastic bulk bin but its still fresher than the mystery bags that have probably been out for months. I could probably benefit from better/fresher beans but I haven't really found anywhere convenient to buy them and Its not worth it to go into Downtown Seattle just to get beans