Nexis wrote:
>
> My husband bought me a new espresso machine for my birthday.
> Guess what I'm drinking twice a day???
>
> kimberly

A useless toy -- unless you get serious about coffee and
start roasting your own. A very good place to start is
http://www.sweetmarias.com

I have a FreshRoastPlus8, and am very happy with it,
but since you already have an espresso machine you
might consider starting with a more serious machine,
like the Hottop.

Of course, you'll need a grinder with that. The Capresso
Infinity is highly recommended as a starter machine
by the folks in alt.coffee, but some would suggest
skipping that and going straight for a machine you'll
never outgrow, such as a Rocky or a Mazzer.
The consensus is that the grinder is at least as important
as the espresso machine in creating good espresso.

A good place for espresso machines and grinders is:
http://www.wholelattelove.com/

But . . . is the machine you have really an espresso
machine, or a steam toy masquerading as an espresso
machine? Here's a good essay about that:

http://groups.google.com/group/alt.c...e=source&hl=en