I have been through two of the saeco and gaggia models, both lasted around 2-3 years making 10-20 cups per day on average. Main issue with the under $500 units is that no one will work on them, or the repairs exceed the cost of replacement( I've had both happen). Most of that class have the removable brew group for cleaning. On the last go around I got a Jura j5, picked up a refurb model for $900. It has about two years on it and still works great. Additionally it can be readily sent off for service. Basically $150 will fix anything on it. The j5 is all enclosed, it runs a rinse on start up and shut down, and a clean every few hundred cups that takes about twenty minutes. I am sure there are baristas who can make a better espresso out there, but for something that heats in 30 seconds in the morning with no mess I'll take it. I also don't claim to have a good enough palate that I could readily identify the better espresso. This puts a nice crema on the espressos, and the flavor is just right, not too bitter. I use home roasted coffee, normally Costa Rican. Just about everything on it is adjustable: water temp, coffee strength and grind, volume of water for each programmed drink, etc. You can't fit a travel mug under it, or at least none of the 16-20 oz ones that I have. I brew into a mug and dump it in if I'm travelling, or tilt it under the spouts.

The crema marfil will be beautiful and calming. My designer friend used all crema marfil too and I believe she did cream colored walls. For my bathroom with creamy tan porcelain tile she suggested BM Whipple Blue -- there is a fleck of that shade in the recycled glass countertop EcoCosentino Riverbed. It's the only deep color in our home and I love it. On a kitchen forum thread today I see a designer's blog recommended that has a lot about choosing paint colors....Maria Killam's Colour Me Happy. There are a lot of blog posts to skim about paint color and here is one. Here is a link that might be useful: Choosing paint color for an undecorated room

Here are the same images I posted on the Kitch forum. Emperador is the only marble that comes to mind it can be dark or light epresso colors. Not sure if this is it. I hope they help. ~boxer Emperador Emperador Emperador Keep in mind Emperador is a Marble. Not a granite. I learned this on GW. Marble etches (grantie does too but not as much as a marble). The white streaks you see are the actual etching in the stone. This is lovely but for some it can be upsetting. It may not be the best option for a busy kitchen with tomato, lemon and vinegar acids spilling about. Something to think about. There are other granites that can be stronger when sealed to the acidic cooking environment. Here are some ideas. ~boxer Granite that look brownish like Espresso. Persian Brown Granite Persian Brown Granite Desert Brown Granite Brazilian Brown Granite Lapidus Granite Golden Lace Granite Crema Bordeaux from StonesHub Niagara Gold And of course there are some wonderful Quartz or Formica counters in brown that might work for your galley kitchen too. Lots to consider, but don't let me talk you out of Emperador (If that is the one you love) my sister has this in her Lake house and LOVES it. ~boxer Quartz and Synthetic counters in the brown family Halstead Cambria New Brighton Cambira Canyon Passage by Wilsonart

It could also be that the coffee you are getting is not as consistent as it once was or that they have changed something in the sourcing, roasting, etc. That has happened to us before. More than once. One was a local shop that roasted their beans abd they changed something. The first time they tweeked things it was good -- the second time was awful. Another was a name brand -- you expect them to be more consistent, but they make changes too. When you say milder, what do you mean? Lighter roast? Less acidic (a lot of dark roasts are more acidic or biting than we like)? The coffee we have been using is one that is roasted about a hour away from our house. I just happened to spot it in the grocery store and had to try it because of its name -- Jet Fuel by Independence Coffee Company. LOL Later found out they named he roast for a friend who was a pilot (the roastery sits near a community airport). Our favorite coffee when we were in CA was Deaf Dog Coffee (we even mail ordered some before they went out of business). They had fun names like Sleeping Dog (decaf), Bark and Bite (dark roast), etc., so the Jet Fuel name sounded fun and friendly to someone who was missing the old dogs. Anyway, Jet Fuel is a true dark roast, but not so acidic. We tried Jackhammer. It is pretty similar to Jet Fuel, but we weren't able to try them side by side so I'm not real sure of the differences. The Texas Tradition Epsresso is not carried in our stores -- don't think I've had that one. If you want a lighter roast, I am not much help. DH is pretty much a one coffee man. Independence coffees are sold at HEB and Whole Foods stores in Texas or on their website.