I used to be a Barista at a small mom and pop type coffee shop. This thing brings back fond memories of that time and gives me some extremely delicious coffee! I could see it being a little challenging for someone with no espresso experience, but with patience and care youll learn to pull great shots. The Burr grinder tends to spill grinds on the tray which means youll be cleaning the tray a lot, but that process is pretty easy. It didnt take me very long to get my shots dialed in as far as grind size, amount of grinds, tamp pressure, and shot length. Now I get consistently good shots with nice crema and in the ideal pressure range (the indicator on the machine is a really nice feature). Youre going to love this little machine and if your an ex-sbux addict like me it will make for a nice break up )