Let me start off by saying I’m no barista. I was thinking about splurging on a mid-sized kitchen appliance and I just so happened to catch this one. I was nervous but I feel like I can open up a coffee shop now (lol)! It seems intimidating but once you get the hang of it, it’s a breeze. The espresso comes out quick, it takes seconds which is great for making a drink on the go! Also it doesn’t take up too much countertop space, which is great. I thought it was going to be a huge lug of junk in my kitchen but it tucks away nicely. 
The only thing I didn’t like was that at first the portafilter is very hard to remove. It takes some finagling but after a few tries you’ll start to get the hang of it. Also I’m jot sure if this is just a regular espresso machine quirky but this thing is sooo loud. Lol. Like obnoxiously loud for a few seconds. But I’ll take that if I can keep having espresso’s. Overall I’m happy I got this machine!