Unlike probably most people who are thinking about this product, I actually own a real espresso machine.The real espresso machine is a piece of industrial art. It's big, it's heavy, it was made in Italy and it cost about 10x what this thing costs. Once you get it dialed in, and pair it with a high-quality grinder, a real espresso machine like that will make you an absolutely sublime espresso.Can this little gadget recreate the same thing? No. Of course not. If it could nobody would still be going through all the cost and effort to still make it the more traditional way using all of that very expensive equipment.What this can do is make something completely unobjectionable and pleasant with absolutely no skill/effort at a fraction of the price. It takes up almost no counter space and is easy to keep clean. And there is a place for that.If I am only making a single drink, and I am in a hurry, this is fine. Not great. Fine. Yes, I can run circles around this thing if I want to bother firing up the big machine, grind my beans, weigh the ground coffee to the gram, etc. and then clean everything up. But sometimes I don't want to do all of that, I just want a quick espresso to help me get through a dull meeting.About the only downside is that the pods are expensive. You are paying for that convenience. And if you have a lot of people using it and it is their only way to make coffee, it is not cheap to run. So it is probably best for someone who is like me, and only expects to use it occasionally, rather than making multiple cups every day.