Sayde, the first thing you need to know is that 'espresso' is not a roast level. :-) There's a myth out there that espresso is always a dark and oily roast. That is not the case. Espresso is usually a blend of beans from different regions that vary in acidity, body, and flavor. Think of it as notes in a musical chord that blend together to be something beautiful. That's a good espresso blend. The blends that you get from a good coffee roaster (the shop, not the machine) are made up of beans that have been roasted to their best advantage separately, and have then been mixed. You can buy blends green that can be roasted at home. These blends have been formulated to do well when roasted all together. Most vendors that sell green coffee will tell you at what level the blend is best roasted, and that is a good place to start. There are many factors that play into the best roast for a particular bean, including country of origin, elevation grown, variety, age, etc. A good vendor will give you some information about what flavors you can expect to taste at various roast levels. I'd suggest that you start your roasting adventures with a single origin--all the beans from the same variety. This will allow you to get a feel for what goes into roasting, and what each roast level does to the flavor of the bean. You will find that in most cases, you will get the best expression of the unique flavors of a bean in lighter, not darker roasts. Once you get well into the second crack, the roast flavors begin to overshadow the flavors inherent in the bean. (You'll need to do some reading to understand the terminology, but there's plenty of info out there.) Once you get the hang of roasting and what to look, listen, and smell for, then try and roast a blend. I make this suggestion because the various beans in a blend will come into the various roast stages at different times. You will get better results if you know how to judge what you're seeing, hearing, and smelling. Roasting is a multisensory experience. :-) Don't worry, it won't take you long to get the hang of it! Get a pound to play with and a pound of your espresso blend--or even more than one. Be sure to let your coffee rest a bit, at the very least 12 hours, but most do better at 24 or more. I've had some espresso blends that don't really come into their own until about 5 days have passed. If you find the flavors harsh, let it rest another day and see how that affects the flavor--you might be really surprised. You'll need to do some reading so that you have the basics down before even turning on your roaster. Some vendors have this information online for you to read, or will include it with their roasters. Choose a machine that will best fit your own style--one that allows you a lot of latitude in controlling the roast if you're the type to read up and would enjoy finding out how to manipulate the flavors of the beans, or if you'd rather not have to participate too much, then get one with buttons that you can press to activate pre-programmed roast profiles. Don't worry too much about capacity. If you really get into it and want to do your own blends, you're not going to want a large amount of any one bean, because you'll be roasting a small batch of 3 or 4 types to mix. Fresh roasted coffee is good for 2 to 3 weeks, depending on the bean and the roast, and also your personal preference. After that the nuances start to fade, and it starts to taste a bit stale. You will quickly learn to spot when your beans are on the edge of going stale. You should be warned that once you get used to roasting your own coffee the way you like it, you will very likely be spoiled for going out to drink it anywhere else, excepting places that roast their own and do it well. Just sayin'. Have a good time, Cj

I'll throw in one more option for your consideration: a manual (aka lever) espresso machine. These come in two types: spring-loaded, where you use a lever to cock a spring and then let the spring do the work, or fully manual, where you use the lever itself to create the water pressure. My Gaggia Factory machine is the latter type, as is the La Pavoni Europiccola. Examples of spring-loaded machines include the Elektra Microcasa a Leva, and the Ponte Vecchio Export and Lusso machines. First the downsides: (1) learning curve. You will spend longer learning to use the machine than you will with an electric pump. (2) Dinner party suitability. With my Gaggia Factory, I can only pull 3-4 shots in a row before the machine needs to be shut down and allowed to cool off. For dinner parties I make a pot of French Press. (The newer -- but more expensive -- Gaggia Achille model avoids this problem). (3) Consistency. With a fully manual model, your arm will not be able to achieve the consistency of an electric pump. As a result, you will probably always see some minor variability in the result. This can be either a source of interest or annoyance depending on your perspective. Now the upsides. (1) size. The pump driven machines discussed above are 10-17 inches wide and can weight 30-80 lbs. As a a general rule, the machines get larger and heavier as you move from low end to high end. In a cafe or large kitchen that may not be an issue, but in a smaller kitchen you may want to give up that much counter space. By contrast, my Gaggia Factory lever machine is 7 inches wide at the base and weights about 10 lbs. I keep mine on the counter but it could easily be slid into an appliance garage or even moved into a cabinet when not in use. (2) heating time. Despite manufacturers claims of fast heating, all of the better pump driven machines take at least 30-60 minutes to fully heat up to a stable temperature. As a result, most people either leave them on 24x7, or put them on timers so they're heated when they wake up. By contrast, my Gaggia Factory lever machine is ready to go from a cold start in less than 10 minutes. (3) steaming wait time. Unless you spend $1000 or more on a heat-exchange or dual-boiler machine, you'll have to wait several minutes between pulling a shot and steaming milk. Lever machines let you steam immediately after pulling the shot. (4) complexity. A pump machine is a complex machine, and requires a cleaning and maintenance regime to keep it in working order. A lever machine has far fewer parts, and the maintenance is much simpler. With minimal care, these machines can last many decades. (5) cost. Pump machines start as low as $200 but prices rise quickly as quality improves. The pro-style machines (heat-exchange, E-61 group) start at over $1000. Lever machines range in price from about $600 to $1200, though used machines at much lower prices frequently turn up on ebay or craigslist (I paid $200 for mine). Right now, wholelattelove is currently selling the Factory for just over $400 until they run out (it is a discontinued model but most spare parts are interchangeable with the La Pavoni Europiccola which is still in production). Compare this to the Rancilio Silvia pump machine at $600 which takes up more room, takes longer to heat up, and makes you wait before it's ready to steam. Lever machines are not for everyone, but depending on your needs and priorities, they may be worth considering. If you want to learn more, there are forums dedicated to lever machines at both home-barista.com and coffeegeek.com.

Espresso and half and half is my favorite drink, but I can't imagine why you'd add the half and half after pouring it over ice. The ice would melt a ton and you'd get a watery drink-- the half and half cools down the espresso, and then you scoop the ice in or pour it over ice. But if you want that, and you're wondering how to order it, I'd just order an iced espresso shot (or double, or whatever) and add the half and half from the milk bar.

I've used this one exactly as written and it's very good. The serving amount is the only thing questionable, but we use 9 oz cups and we sample a lot so it doesn't go as far as it says. Here is a link that might be useful: Mocha Punch