I've always wanted a really GOOD espresso machine, I've had a few in the past but they've always sort of fell short. I know that making it all by hand the old way is the best way, I just don't have that sort of time. This surprisingly ended up being a better than great alternative for those who demand quality.First off, this is what is considered a super automatic/full automatic espresso machine. Namely due to the fact that your role is vastly reduced from a barista to a simple operator, you have nothing really complicated to do except to feed this beast, ground coffee or coffee beans, whichever you prefer. Give it water, maybe some milk, and press a few choices on the touchscreen.It's all in the name really, "Bosch TPU40109 500 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine with Whole Bean Compartment and Ground Coffee Chute, TFT Display & Touch Control Panel, External Milk System, and 9 Beverage Options, Black"You get Bosch quality, an automatic coffee grinder with a bean reservoir. A ground coffee chute if you don't want to grind your beans. Touch screen display, a bunch of drink choices, an external milk feature for foam (It's basically a tube that pops out the side and inserts into your milk container.) It steam cleans itself after use! It has a water filter that can adjust depending on the hardness or softness of your water..., the machine comes apart very easily for cleaning. (This is the Bougiest Espresso machine ever!).Ok it's expensive, stylish, it's fairly large (half the size of a microwave), it's wonderful and will save everyone thousands of dollars over time, and a ton of hassle from not having to drive to some corporate chain or coffee house, convenience store for substandard swill and impatient patrons or staff. It'll pay for itself in the long run. I would say pick it up if you can, pick it up on sale. I'm happy with it, and it's earned a place on my countertop.

I love this machine! I love all sorts of coffees, blends, concoctions, and this machine is vertainly going to fit the bill for all of my coffee-craving needs! Right out of the box I was impressed. This machine is solid, and looks very sleek sitting on the counter. (Beware-- the box is huge, but the machine is not as big as the box would have you believe). This machine was easy to set up and I had espresso going in no time. I very much like the feature of being able to grind your own beans. I have a kitchen cupboard full of a variety of whole beans and this machine saves me lugging out my burr grinder each time I want to make a cup. There are 9 pre-set buttons. There's also a milk frother which, again, saves me the trouble of finding countertop space to drag out the one that I usually use. While the brewed coffee is not scalding, I do find it to be adequately hot, such that I know enough not to gulp the cup and burn my throat. This achine is easy to clean--some parts are even dishwasher safe. Yes, it's a money investment but-- you get what you pay for, and you can't go wrong with a Bosch product. I am very pleased with this espresso machine and I do recommend it.

Ok so I've made a couple of different types of coffee so far and here's my initial assessment:Overall it's impressive. I love all the different types of pre-programmed coffees it has: Cappuccino, Espresso, Latte, Americano, Flat White, and a few others I don't remember.... It has different oz sizes that you can brew, however it does not have a customized sizing option. On the Miele brands, you can actually create a custom size brew to fit your personal cup just the way you want it - this does not have that option. I'm having to actually brew the different oz sizes to see what it really comes out to.For example: I brewed the Latte macchiato. I grabbed my stainless steel 2 cup measuring cup and filled it about halfway with half and half and chose the 9.5 oz option. Then I put a 12 oz cappuccino cup on and pressed start. It used ALL the half and half and then kept going!!!! My cup was almost full with just the foam and then it did two rounds of espresso. The cup was filled to the brim LOL. To be fair, although the double cup option wasn't showing up, I may have still had it on from the last use?? Not sure on that one.Very very easy to use and convenient. Cleaning it super easy. The main issues I have with this unit are as follows:1. They style... It's just very shiny black plastic everywhere. If you like that super sleek, minimalist, shiny look then great! I don't. If it was matte I would like it better.2. The water reservoir. You would think 64 oz would go a long way. It doesn't. Especially with constant rinsing between uses. Needs to be bigger.3. The water temperature. It's not hot enough. Period. Coffee is just extra warm, slightly hot.4. The grinding. It comes with a handy sticker that tells you what size to set the grinder for based on the darkness of your beans.... new one on me, it's usually based on type of brew you want. I have espresso beans. Says to set 4 to 6 for dark beans. No.... Nope... uh uh.... I brewed a cup of coffee (strong setting) and got see see through water slightly flavored like coffee. Grind number 3 for an espresso - again watery. Grind setting #2 was the magic setting. So a fine grind it is for everything. Course grinds give you nothing.5. The Steam... OMG it's terrifying. From the 1st cup I brewed, afterwards I could see a lot of steam just coming up out of every orifice on this machine. It looked like it was smoking. It's from the dumped grounds inside. Never seen that on a Miele machine. Then the milk steamer - WOW!! The steam is so thick it looks like fire smoke pouring up - you NEED to have this machine next to an exhaust fan.I will continue to use and test out all the features, however I have a feeling I may be swapping this out for a different brand. For the price, it's just not quite up to par for me - mainly due to the water tank size, massive steaming issues, water temp, and overall look. However that's just my personal preferences. Others may not find issue with these things :)

Machine is very easy to use. Coffee quality is very good. Easy to clean. My only problem with this very expensive machine is that the coffee is warm not hot. It would be great if the coffee was hot.