I have craved a real coffee machine since I saw an E-61 Rocket (a rebadged ECM Giotto) in New Zealand a few years ago. Unfortunately the price tag of $2200-2500 AUD was never quite affordable even with my fairly luxurious tastes.
After years of procrastination, I finally purchased an Italian made Rancilio Silvia in October 2002 for $765 AUD shipped to my door from Coffee for Connoisseurs in Melbourne. The decision was not made lightly but as the handle of my stainless steel stovetop espresso pot had recently broken off after many years of good service, I took it as a sign that a decision had to be made.
The Silvia is supplied with a cheap plastic 55mm tamper. Unfortunately the portafilter basket is 58mm in diameter so it is a poor fit, and makes it hard to properly tamp the coffee. I replaced mine with a 58mm stainless steel convex Pro Tamper [09/03:model now superceded by a two part tamp of the same name] from Espresso Parts.
There are lots of other web sites to find more information on this machine, but in simple terms it is a good quality single boiler machine that is head and shoulders over the pissy machines available in your local department store. It does require a fair bit of manual handling so you may prefer to look at more automated machines if ease of use is an important factor for you.
