egghead wrote: I am hoping that my wife will be the true barista in the family. While I can cook, she is a phenomenon. She is, oh what's a nice way of putting it...ANAL RETENTIVE!!!

When your wife starts to take over the baristas duties, bow out gracefully. She is already in the pre-requisite headspace...
Of course, if she doesn't volunteer to take over, you could just pull a few shots in twelve to fifteen seconds. She won't last long!
; >

egghead wrote:does it take months/years before I am producing stuff that won't make my wife run for the local Starbucks?

No.

egghead wrote:Please reassure me that I won't be spending $2000 to produce swill.

You won't be.

egghead wrote:Would I be better off buying a super automatic?

Hell no.

SuperT wrote:Hell no.

He don't say much, but what he do say means a ton! Nice economy of verbiage T. Short, and to the point.
Ditto...

my only comparison to 'good' espresso comes from a week i recently spent in chicago. after about 2 months of going crazy, wondering if my shots were anywhere near what they were supposed to be, i finally had the chance to find out.
i spent every morning in intelligentsia having a shot on the way to work.
the good news - my shots were almost identical!
the bad - black cat is a bit too bitter for me. and all this time i thought i was doing something wrong!

the biggest thing ive noticed with friends trying shots is that they all find them 'strong'. ive gotten to the point where i blow them off, esp if they arent espresso drinkers. i think people are so used to flat manufactured beans that they lose the origin and depth of what espresso should be. (well, at least this is what i think, maybe my shots are too strong!)

for the family that comes by and are members of the moka pot drinking club, they immediately like the espresso, although making 2-3 shots for each of them puts me to the test! damn those black coffee drinkers and their multiple shots!

so once in a while i test people. ill give them a shot of SM monkey blend, which is imo straight up espresso, a good version of what people are used to, then follow it with another variety, and see if they can follow their senses toward the softer nuances of different beans. that seems to help with the shock factor.

I have been chasing that Chicago rabbit for two years, (different cafe) they are a hard act to follow. I have never been able to reproduce the mellow full bodied shots that I get up there, or other places. I have upgraded to a commercial HX, and I can get close. However that rich yet mellow cup still eludes me.

I think I may drop the coin and get a single group LM, or a two group ebay special next year. Before you jump and say the problem is on the handle side of the portafilter, let me say that I have pulled shots from several different LM's and had no problem reproducing that wonderful cup. So I know I can produce that shot but no amount of practice on my equipment can emulate that experience. Now I am not saying that my espresso is bad, in fact I think it is quite good, but that white rabbit still eludes me. Am I pursuing perfection, who isn't, are my taste buds more sensitive than others, don't know, do I want to upgrade for upgrade sake, not really but if that is what it takes...

You definitely will not be better off with a superautomatic.

As has been noted, you will get a lot info and help from the forums. It is also likely you will also run into someone that doesn't live too far from where you are located. Getting together and sharing knowledge and experiences with others who are passionate about coffee can be very entertaining as well as a great learning experience.

Br,
Teme