I only had three - one sinker Americano, one decent but fast shot, and one that was really good. I will break out my other bag of Dolce from the freezer tomorrow when I get home unless my Black Tie sample from Deep Cello shows up - either way it should be fun.
This machine is as big as I would ever want one to be. It is a heavy unit that heats up fast, is temp stable, and pulls show 9 bar on the dial. A larger commercial type machine might be the cat's meow for a lot of espresso lovers but for my use this machine fits like a glove. It's like a Gaggia with a bigger boiler, a PID, an upgraded steam wand, externally adjustable OPV, and a pressure gauge. By the time I added all of that (minus the larger boiler) to my Gaggia Coffee I would have some serious money tied up in the unit. Same with buying a replacement boiler for the Nuova Simonelli Oscar.
Thanks to ROASTe letting me trade my words and thoughts as barter, I am able to have something a lot nicer than I could afford otherwise right now. Is there better? Most likely, but not better for me - $0.00 is the only number that fits the current budget.