I bought the Briel Artemis for my husband, for Christmas, but it's now on its way back to Amazon. I don't know whether the one we had was faulty in some way, but the espresso it produced was very weak and tasted more like coffee made in a coffee press (like the Bodum). We have had an old Gaggia for years and the espresso and cappuccino made in the Briel do not compare with that from the Gaggia. Although we got a nice crema on top of the espresso, the flavor just wasn't there. Very disappointing!I had taken some time to review many kinds of machines in this price range before choosing the Briel but I guess we'll just keep looking for an alternative for our very old Gaggia.