Well, I decided to wade slowly into espresso once I started reading how good espresso can be. Bought a Aeropress and Hario Mini a few weeks ago and have been loving the coffee but too much time on here got me thinking. My budget is pretty low right now so I decided to get a Mypressi Twist and see if I even liked espresso.

My first taste of espresso of any kind was a week ago at a local ice cream/coffee shop. It was horrible. Tasted like old burnt drip filtered through cigarette butts and notebook paper. I knew espresso had to be better than that from all of the descriptions on here. So my Mypressi arrived and I set out for my first shot. I dialed back the grind on the Mini and got what looked like a good tamped basket. Pulled the trigger and sprayed coffee all over the cup and counter. Apparently, my grind was way too coarse. I tried again and got a nice fine grind. A little too fine. Ended up with a very small Ristretto after 35 seconds. Taste was OK but not great.

The next morning I dialed the grind up 2 clicks and tried again. Got a perfect shot in 30 seconds that tasted heavenly. It takes quite a while to grind 17g on the Hario so I guess I will be saving up for a decent grinder. Until then, I will continue to feed my new addiction. Thanks to all of you that pushed me down the hill. I know I'm going to enjoy the ride.

Isn't it awesome? I'm enjoying the mypressi while I save for a BIG machine. I figured it would be good, because I wouldn't feel the need to sell it once I finally do get my main machine... And I can stil use it traveling and whatnot. I think it's a great machine, and I stand by it.

I use my baratza vario with it and highly recommend that as well

I got my TWIST to take with me on weekend trips and such, its great for camping too, especially with a hand mill, I can have great coffee anywhere I can make hot water. Vario is a good choice as far as electric grinders, but certainly not the best. Its best to outline what you want in your gear and your top dollar for everything, then find the best you can get in that range. I know at one point mypressi was working on a plug-in pump so you could use it without all those air chargers, shame its not out yet, or the TWIST would be a viable option for a lot of people. I say get yourself a baratza vario or a used mazzer super jolly. You can probably find the mazzer cheaper than a new vario. If youre just wanting to make espresso and not caring as much about milk drinks, there are some levers that Im sure would suit you nicely down the line.

Any suggestions on where to buy cartridges when on the road? Williams-Sonoma is the only brick and mortar store where I've been able to get them. Since traveling by air with the cartridges is problematic I'd like to find some more common retail sources to stock up when traveling.

Any restaurant supply store or wholesaler will have them. Theyre used in those cream whippers in every cafe, resturant, and dairy bar.