This is a great machine and very easy to use once you get use to it...the cd provided was very helpful. I am a hardcore cappuccino drinker (appreciate the foam as much as the crema) and this machine does both very well.

A few tips I have learned since acquiring the machine include:
*Illy Fine Grind Caffe Macinato Expresso works very well with this machine if you do not have a grinder (found mine at William Sonoma.)
*I set my timer for 20 seconds and turn off the brewer after that amount of time; works good for two shots.
*Since I drink cappuccinos I did not have an expresso cup and did not know when to turn off machine before I discovered the timer trick. I went to Starbucks and they sell shot glasses that are perfect and look really good with the machine.
*I could not get my "perfect crema device" to fit so I called importika.com (the support group for Gaggia) and they said not to use the device. In fact, they said Gaggia is no longer going to provide with this machine.
*I was very impressed with Importika....talked to a real person right away who was very knowledgable.

I have had the machine for about 3 weeks and today I made the ultimate cappuccino....perfect expresso and froth. I feel like the "froth queen" and obviously very proud.....but I don't think I will quit my day job just yet.

We were so unimpressed by this machine. With such good reviews - we waited 2 months for this backordered item to ship.
5 days after we received it, we sent it back to Amazon for a refund (very good Customer Service). We read the manual. We watched the Video. We practiced. We tinkered with the grind and tamp. With various beans. Single Vs Double. What we ended up with was the equivalent of expensive Drip Coffee.
We re-commissioned our old $50 Capresso Machine (perfect crema every time) and are completely satisfied. The grass isn't always greener...

Amazon has already sent me two broken machines, with parts rattling around inside. I'm giving them one more chance because the machine's gotten such great reviews for the $$$. I just wish they'd pack it better.

I ordered my gaggia in dec of 2004, but only just received it three weeks ago. Bar none, it makes THE best espresso I have tasted in my life (far, far, far beyond the muddy tasting stuff that comes out of a $500 starbucks machine!). I highly recommend using Illy Espresso (a sweeter, well-rounded espresso, with a slightly bittersweet chocolate flavor). I have definitely forgone the coffee house trips. Combined with Ghiradelli white chocolate, I have the perfect white mocha every morning, followed by a single shot espresso for a pick-me-up in the early afternoon. An outstanding value. It takes a couple of tries to get great crema, but after my third try, I had a better cup of espresso than most $1,000 machines I have tried at Williams Sonoma. Get a Gaggia, you won't be sorry.

Thought this would be a step up from my old Krups Gusto. Instead it's been a big disappointment mostly because it does not make as good crema as the Krups did. If I use the optional "Perfect Crema" device, it does make beautiful crema but takes well over a minute and sputters liquid and froth making a big mess. Other reviews have indicated the same problem and perhaps a need to enlarge the pinhole.