They seem to start at about £300 and go up to “You can’t afford me”.

I got a real taste for ‘proper’ espresso when in Rome. I have struggled to find anything similar since coming back. The depth and intensity of the flavour was amazing. i am sure there are places that do great espresso in the UK but not in Southampton or Port Talbot.

If I am going to pop £300 on a coffee machine I want to know it is good. The main features seem similar across the price ranges – 15 bar pressure, adjustable grinder, temp, volume and pressure.

Anything to look out for / avoid?

Recommendations please

We’ve got one similar to this (ours is the incanto sirius).
We paid £500 for a refurbed one vs £800 for a new one. If you don’t mind buying s/h then you can get a v good machine for the money.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Saeco-Incanto-Deluxe-SBS-BEAN-CUP-ESPRESSO-MACHINE-/220795383050?pt=Coffee_Machines_Makers&hash=item33686e2d0a

I got a real taste for ‘proper’ espresso when in Rome

where I doubt they used a bean to cup machine.

I’ve got a conventional Gaggia Classic plus separate Iberital grinder and I also have a Gaggia Titanium bean to cup machine.

The bean to cup gives a passable imitation of real coffee, but I would always use the Classic from choice.

The Iberital MC2 grinder is the best piece of kit ever – it dispenses the coffee straight into your filter carrier so there is no mess or waste and it’s as fresh as can be. They do say that the grinder contributes more to the result than the machine and I would tend to agree.

I agree that they probably didn’t use Bean to Cup in Rome 😉

As the only coffee drinker in the house and as I only drink black coffee it seemed a cheaper option that going for the full blown machine that does everything.

If I get a separate grinder, is there a machine that just makes espresso without all the frothy milk spouts and things?

If I get a separate grinder, is there a machine that just makes espresso without all the frothy milk spouts and things?

i doubt it very much. just don’t use the steam wand or waste money on a twin boiler machine.

Consider a Nespresso then.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00004RFRU/ref=asc_df_B00004RFRU3462250?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&tag=googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22206&creativeASIN=B00004RFRU

+1 to BigJohn’s recommendations. The design of bean to cup machines is more complex than separates and they can be prohibitively expensive to repair when the time comes. And using freshly roasted coffee from a quality supplier such as hasbean makes a huge difference. You will always get a steam wand on machines like the Gaggia Classic but its default setting is off! You will probably still use it for guests and steaming milk for hot choccy.

like the Gaggia Classic but its default setting is off!

Nah, our baby Gaggia is on a least once a day – part of the morning routine now as we did figure only using it at weekends was a bit silly so, put milk in the microwave whilst making the coffee / putting cereal in bowl, “ping’ says the microwave ‘Click’ says the button for the steam generator ‘Hiss’ says the steam wand and LO! Morning cappucino’s with only a touch more faff that a cup of instant…..

Just get a Jura and be done with it.

I got a real taste for ‘proper’ espresso when in Rome. I have struggled to find anything similar since coming back

It’s not the machine!

What coffees have you tried in the UK?

Jura here great machine

I only drink black coffee it seemed a cheaper option that going for the full blown machine that does everything

The bean to cup bit is massively expensive; the steam wand costs pennies.

You might consider a stove-top maker btw – they are very subtle beasts and there’s a lot of technique that affect the resulting coffee, which means you can tailor your process how you like it.