All I can say is this thing is nothing short of extraordinary! The hefty price tag held me back from purchasing the 9barista for a long time but I finally pulled the trigger and all I can say is this is one of the best investments I had in a while. I bought a “refurbished” one but I didn’t find a single scratch on it and it was packaged like new. About the 9barista itself: is it fast? Not really. Is it convenient? Can be, but it’s rather fiddly. Is it super easy to use? if you get used to it. But is it something that’s made out of quality materials and you can actually see where your money went? Absolutely! It’s also a great conversation starter, and everybody wants to try the coffee it makes. It really is a special object. If you only make espresso for one or 2 single shots, this thing is almost faster than the heatup time of most machines. Also if you like fiddling and things that feel hand made this is definitely for you. Not to mention that I actually like making coffee again, and it’s really fun to make real espresso anytime and anywhere. That’s the party trick and you are actually going to want to make espresso in the most impossible locations.