capplover

Thank you all very much for your feedback. To answer a few questions posed: I do not think I want a super automatic, because my ultimate goal is to be able to make the quality foam. I could possibly increase my budget a little if I needed to in order to get the best machine for me & grinder. I would like to be able to make a few drinks in a row. The stuff in my water seems to be some sort of mineral buildup. It tends to clog and needs to be cleaned occasionally. No chemicals that I know of.

After just returning from an amazing trip to Italy, I have decided that I have to buy an espresso machine to make cappuccino. I loved the illy cappuccinos. I live in the mountains and there is not a good place to buy good capp's here. I figure that I buy an espresso drink a day at about $5 each. If I did the math right, that puts me at $1820 a year spent on crappy coffee. I will probably have to order the beans from the internet. I am at a loss between all the choices of machines to buy. At this point I seem to be pickier about the quality of the foam than the espresso. My goal is to learn how to make myself a delicious capp with the heart shape foam. This would be a machine for my home. On average, I would probably make 5 capp's a day. I thought I should budget in the $1500-2000 range. I am not sure about the water plumbing. My water has a lot of junk in it that builds up. Thank you for you input!!!