I had never actually made espresso before outside of K cup experiences in Italian hotels. I studied the manual closely and started right in with oversight from my nephew, a trained barista. With lots of practice I am now making very good Cafe Americanos (Italian style) and Cafe Latteccinos each morning. I find the Troubleshooting section of the manual very helpful in fine tuning results. I'm a get my hands dirty kind of person so I just love working with the Barista Express.