Nespresso makes some of the very best one cup espresso machines on the market, if not THE best out there. From their $800 Romeo that makes an incredible cup of espresso or coffee to the much more affordable Essenza C100. The C100 replaced the older C90 in their linup with a few new features like programmable cup size and auto on and off. No more overflowing your cups because you forget to turn the machine off.

Nobody will even guess you are compensating for something...

The Essenza espresso machine is about as simple as it gets. There are only two real buttons: On/Off and Start/Stop. You turn the machine on and let it warm up a couple minutes, insert in your espresso or lungo capsule, you pull the lever down to set it in place, and you push start. It will brew you a shot of espresso, or a longer lungo if that's what you enjoy. The crema on top is thick and near perfect, and the quality is pretty darn high. While I'm sure you could argue that you could make a better cup of espresso the more traditional way, it's hard to beat the combination of convenience and quality that Essenze 100T machines bring to the table. And with espresso so good, nobody will even think that you are trying to impress them to compensate for something...

That being said, we're not very impressed with their Crystal Courture version with Swarovski crystals bedazzeling this machine into a $1000 disgrace to coffee makers everywhere. If you are Paris Hilton or some teen pop diva then perhaps you might be seen in public with such a machine, but for all the rest of those who purchased one of the only 100 produced... shame on you. Thankfully most of these are just showpieces in Nespresso boutiques and shops around the country and have not yet made it into the hands of the rich and tasteless.

All in all though, this machine is quite impressive. The selection of espressos and lungo capsules avaiable is very high in quality and you will have a hard time picking a favorite. If espresso is what gets you going in the morning, and you don't have the time or motivation to brew a traditional cup, or you just like the thought of having a sweet little device that does all the work for you, the Nespresso C100T espresso maker is the device for you.