I hardly ever write reviews but feel that this product needs one. We purchased this in July 2018 and use it EVERY SINGLE DAY to make 2-4 mugs of (Americano) coffee. It makes the best espresso (it even has the crema on top!) for such a simple unit. We've taken it camping, backpacking, to friends' houses (who don't drink coffee), etc. With this we bought the Baristo Kit so we make a double shot of espresso and top it off with hot water. The unit is easy to clean and easy to operate (& builds muscle as it gives you a little bit of a workout!). I held off on reviewing this for some time because about a year ago I contacted the company to get a replacement gasket (the larger orange one) to have as a back-up in case the one that came with it failed. At that time they said that they did not sell this gasket separately. I was not happy as without this gasket, this product would not work (it would not be able to build up the pressure necessary), and this gasket is custom to this product so it would be probably impossible to find it elsewhere. Well, sure enough about 3 months ago, the gasket got a little horizontal split in it. It still worked but coffee grounds would get underneath it and you had to take the gasket off after each shot to clean it. Because we were taking it on/off repeatedly I didn't think the gasket would last too much longer. So I contacted the company again, though their website and lo and behold, they were now selling this gasket for $1 each. I ordered 2 of them (just in case!) and the shipping was $7. But it was coming from China so it took about 6 weeks to get here. However, it was worth the wait because it works just as it did when it was new, no having to clean under the gasket each time we make a shot of espresso. We are very, very happy with this little device and have put away or set aside our regular coffee makers & Keurig. One last comment... occasionally, the device for some reason does not build up pressure when pumping it (the pump handle just goes in & out without resistance). Not sure why this happens as it happens so infrequently and we haven't figured out a pattern. When this has happened (maybe 5 times in 2.5 years) I just unscrew all of the pieces, pump out any excess water from the main unit and repack the ground coffee in the pod. Doing all that has always fixed it in the past. But as I mentioned, this has rarely happened. Also, if the pump is REALLY hard to press, then either the coffee is ground too fine &/or you have packed it too tightly in the pod.If you decide to buy this little bit of heaven...Enjoy! ;-)UPDATE (4/27/21):Alas, it did finally die not long after I wrote the above review. I think a spring-loaded connector came loose and without a way to open the device, there was no way to see the problem, let alone fix it. However, we have loved it so much we bought another one when it was on sale at Costco.com. The first replacement we bought squeaked loudly with each press (totally unacceptable) so we returned that one and purchased another which seems to be working fine. It came with the Nespresso adapter which was a nice added feature as the espresso roast Nespresso pods make very good coffee. However, we still use the Barista double shot kit daily and our own ground coffee so it was still worth it to us to purchase another one of these. I guess when you look at it buying this vs. visiting Starbuck's 16 times for a $5 coffee (which both cost about the same price!), we definitely would choose this!Amped up on espresso hard to right a review... get it while it’s hot!!!Easy to clean, a little trouble to use but once you use a couple times it is niceI just spent a month in Europe and this was the one thing that really made a difference. I’m a huge advocate of light as possible only carry on travel. I found this essential to kickstart the day.Not bad at all. Great espresso on the go. Kind of a pain to clean, but you can tell they tried to make it as easy as possible.I was hesitant to plunk down $60+ for what I thought to be a luxury item, but man was this worth it. My wife and I just welcomed our second child, and this thing arrived in the nick of time. I love espresso and had been making a reasonably decent version in my French press, but this is whole new level of quality and convenience. When I take into account how much time this thing saves me and how much money I'm saving not purchasing espresso one shot at a time in coffee shops, this thing has already paid for itself in a month and a half of use.BUILD: It's very durable; nothing seems flimsy or breakable. It's extremely easy to clean; often the coffee comes cleanly out of the filter like a hockey puck. I start my morning with this and considering you're only boiling a few ounces of water, you go from nothing to a finished shot (with every part cleaned and set back on a drying rack) in less than a minute. No exaggeration.THE PROCESS: You may be turned off by the fact that this is manual, but I think it's nothing but a plus. You only need boiling water. It takes no time to pump out a single shot. However, if you suffer from arthritis or some sort of physical issue involving your hands, this probably would NOT be for you. I think that any annoyance that may come from manual pumping is balanced out by the fact that this thing is so portable.TASTE: Thanks to several years of wine tastings and working in fine dining, I can say that my taste buds are pretty refined. Trust me: with a high quality bean and the right grind, this thing produces some stellar espresso. You'll not want to order from a coffee shop after you dial in what's right for you. I found that just touch above extra fine ground gives you a pour that has a very bold, deep complexity with a slight sweetness.FINALLY: This things is well worth the money. Once you get the hang of the steps you can do this half asleep (trust me, I do each morning). Consider the money you're not spending at coffee shops and it's a great value. Within a week I knew I wanted the Barista kit, which acts as an expansion for this unit (two double shot tanks, an extra single shot tank, double sized water tank and cup, and a very convenient tamper). Buy it.I've been using this little beauty on my drives from the United States to Costa Rica and back. Super simple, this produces a fantastic tasting espresso, and a lovely long shot.I have not yet had any issues with it, despite about 3 months of nearly daily use. If I run into anything, I will update. However, at this point, this machine is putting out some fantastic drinks with consistency, reliability, and simplicity. I love it!Edit: Having used this nearly daily for 8 months, I have a couple of additions. The device still makes a delightful little drink, but I've now run into a couple of issues. The pump arm/piston now leaks a bit of water around it as you pump, and sometimes you have to prime the pump quite a lot to get it to work. Otherwise, this machine continues to impress. Almost wish there were an aircraft titanium upgrade for those of us who want this to outlast us and go to our kids or maybe survive those of us who need extra tough gear (savages, barbarians, wildmen). Just a thought from a knuckle dragger.Produces decent espresso if you grind your beans fine enough. My only complaint is that it costs as much as an entry level expresso machine.Unfortunately like some of the other people on here I've experienced problems with my Wacaco espresso maker. I took it on a long passage I was making on a yacht, and used it to make two or three double espressos a day for the first three or four weeks. Consequently it possibly got a lot more use in its early days than it otherwise might have done had I just been using it for weekend camping trips.I very carefully followed the cleaning instructions, but despite this the machine no longer makes drinkable coffee. The coffee it makes is full of grinds and frankly undrinkable. The problem seems to be with a seal around the filter.All rather unfortunate really, because it's definitely not cheap and at first the coffee it made was excellent. I'm glad to say though that Amazon's customer service has been first class.I bought this last December, for an upcoming month's stay in hospital. I figured it would pay for itself, in terms of cost of espressos I'd buy from the 'ossie caff. It certainly has, and I still use it when I want a quick hit. It's a marvel of design and construction. If unsure how to use, go to YouTube.Do be careful when screwing the body onto the water-tank; it's easy (well, I found it so) to not quite get the threads to allign ... spilling out hot water on hand .... OUCH!I'm a chef and Food Editor who is currently working from abroad in a remote place with NO fresh coffee.Can you even imagine?! The horror.I bought this after reading all the reviews and thank GOD I did or I would have died from caffeine starvation.This little gadget has been my daily wake up saviour and afternoon treat. It takes one or two go's to get the hang of it then BOSH!Ok, it's not as easy, fast and convenient as having a Nespresso pod machine or similar. But I'm telling you the coffee from this thing is better and tastes as good as any commercial coffee machine. AS GOOD. 100%. And this is coming from an utter coffee snob. It even has the 'crema' on top.I WISH I had bought the extra add-on part that allows you to make bigger portion sizes as this really does just serve up one small espresso shot. But if you know you are going away to some ungodly place without coffee, then get this. Plus, cool colour options too and the design is very pleasing. Gotta have a strong wrist action though so not one for the carpal tunnel sufferers ?.This is perfect for travelling. The only downside is that it only makes enough for a single expresso shot. You have to spend another £30(ish) for the kit to make a longer coffee with more water or a double expresso. Apart from that, it is a brilliant gadget, and the coffee tastes just the same as if it had come out of my Expresso machine. I absolutely love it and can't wait to take it on holiday with me!