I started drinking brewed coffee when I began my first professional position after college. Boeing had coffee stations set up on all floors and my love of coffee started there.

The Tysons Corner Mall [right around the corner from my office and apartment] used to have an International Coffee store where you could buy whole beans by the pound. You could smell the coffee from 5 stores over. My favorites were Irish Creme, Orange and Columbian. Early on I learn to love fresh ground coffee.

I have had several expresso, brewers, grinders and coffee makers since those early days.

One year, when I still lived in Bowie -- my brother and sister-n-law got me a Krups Expresso maker for Christmas. I did not use it for years, instead using a Mr. Coffee and grinder. After I began using the expresso maker-- I loved the more robust flavor of the coffee produced by the high pressure system.

My first expresso maker died about 2 years ago.. and I used a Kreugs single cup coffee maker for about a year. We get the K-cups in bulk-- but I also get beans. There are accessories with the Kreugs wherein you can create a single cup of coffee with your own ground beans. I was simply not happy with the flavor, preferring the expresso flavor more.

I got a new electric Expresso maker this past summer-- and I like it. It is not as high pressure as the Krups-- but it makes a good strong cup of coffee.

It took so long to replace my expresso machine that when I saw Ina Garten using a non-electric Italian Expresso Maker for a chocolate dessert-- I decided the next time I was at Home Goods I would get one.

As it happens I told my mother I wanted one-- and she picked it up. It was very small-- and the box claimed it could make 4 cups. My mother and I both wondered how. Of course- I am told American coffee-- is actually a lot weaker than most European coffees. So you might be able to get four cups of Italian coffee using my first Italian Expresso maker-- but using American coffee-- I needed a larger one.

So I got a larger Italian Expresso Maker, this past Christmas-- and I am very happy with it. I can make 2-3 cups of coffee at a time-- with this one.

The package claims 9 cups. Pictured-- a small coffee cup. I normally use a larger mug. Also, I use both single k-cups [pouring the contents into the grounds holder] or freshly ground coffee beans.