READ MY 6 MONTH UPDATE AFTER THIS REVIEW.I hope my positivity and enjoyment of this new Merol Fully Automatic Espresso Machine continues for years and years to come. After all, this is my first automatic machine after 30+ years of manual machines starting with a cheap steam unit (pure garbage) moving to a Livia 90 (wonderful) then an Isomac dedicated espresso unit (fantastic E61 group) and graduating to a SanRemo E61 rotary pump beauty (awesome, powerful, quiet and beautiful). During all those years and right up until now I have roasted my own beans and been lucky enough to enjoy the freshest roasted coffee varieties in the world...with only one caveat...it has been a lot of work--worth it, but a lot of work. So you may ask, what does all this have to do with this Merol automatic review? Well, I decided to try and simplify my time and effort where coffee is concerned and I thought this might be the answer. Yes, I still have to roast the coffee but I don't have to pre-heat the machine, weigh, grind, dose and tamp the coffee, flush the group, pull the shot, knock out the puck, clean the portafilter, back flush the unit, wipe everything down and shut everything off...until the next go round. That being said and after much soul searching, research and contentemplation...I pulled the trigger on this machine.I was amazed and intrigued by the price (can a quality, automatic machine actually exist at this price point)??? Well from the looks of things, it can.The machine arrived packaged in a generic Amazon box with the obligitory single piece of crumpled brown paper that Amazon workers seem to believe has magical protective powers. Thankfully, the manufacture packaged the Merol inside of two tight fitting heavy cardboard boxes of their own and suspended it inside of two soft, form-fitting foam end pieces with everything safely battened down to withstand the rigors of shipping.Unpacking the contents revealed the Merol in all its understated glory. This ain't the "full stainless steel 60+ pound espresso machine" you might be accustomed to; in fact, it is a rather nondescript black plastic sort of "blob" which might elicit a "what's that" question from the uninitiated. What it lacks in "shiney", it makes up in utility.The machine sets up quickly and easily, pretty much a "plug and play" scenario.I had downloaded and read the manual so I was already up to snuff on setup and cleanup before usage.Filling the bean hopper for grinding is easy, as is setting the desired grind coarseness. Just remember that finer is counterclockwise. The grinder is the conical type and does a good job of producing the uniform grind so essential to making excellent espresso beverages. The water tank is ample and located on the left side; simply pull the tank with the handle so it leans away from the machine and add your two liters of neutral pH, low hardness water. The mechanical tamper, brew unit and separate puck hopper are housed in the right side of the unit. They are easy to access for cleaning and maintenance. So, with water and beans added and the desired grind selected, flip the toggle on the back bottom right of the machine to turn it on. The front panel will illuminate and the machine will ready itself for usage.Be sure to have your drip tray in place and a towel or deep cup placed under the steam wand as this initial start process begins. The machine will beep and pop and whirr all leading up to water being expelled from the steam wand and from the group head as the initial cleaning and priming processes take place. If the unit does not say "ready", repeat the process again, perhaps twice and you should get the "ready" necessary to continue on to making espresso.Next will come a series of selections to make relating to the amount of beans to grind, temperature of the water (90°c for me), extraction volume (50ml for me) etc., etc., etc.. The center knob allows you to scroll through the selections with two clicks needed to move between choices. These "menu" items remain in memory until you change them.The steam button, when pushed, will ready the machine to steam milk for lattes or microfoam it for cappuccino.If you are already familiar with microfoaming milk, you might want to pull the aeration sleeve down and off the steam wand and use the single hole tip directly. Place a towel or cup under the steam tip to catch any water condensation in the wand. Push the steam button and IMMEDIATELY after the wand clears push the center button to stop the process. Ready your frothing pitcher with the tip just above the milk, push the steam button and begin frothing. I simply froth directly in the cup I am using. The menu will default to "20 seconds" but by turning the menu button to the right you can extend the time. Pushing said menu button will stop the steaming process if necessary. When you are satisfied with the texture, place your cup on the drip tray in front of (not below) the two coffee spouts in the grouphead. The spouts can be raised and lowered by gently pulling down or pushing up to attain the correct height. With cup in place push the extraction button (topright) and grinding will start. Turn the menu button left for less coffee and right for more. Additionally, you can readjust temperature and volume as the coffee extracts. The group will expel some clean water before the extraction starts. As soon as clear water stops and coffee begins slide your cup under the spouts. Extraction will stop when your parameters have been met and your drink will be ready. The machine will go on to extract the puck, drop it in the bin, tidy things up a bit and then go into sleep mode awaiting your next command.Here's the big revelation!!! This Merol makes one hell of a good cup of espresso and it does it in 1/25th of the time I used to spend making cappuccinos for my wife and I. Will it continue with these amazing results over the coming months or years??? Only time will tell.I will update this review if necessary as time goes on.For now, I am urging anyone who is considering purchasing an automatic espresso machine to give this one some serious thought. The price point can't be beat and neither can the results which I am currently achieving with the Merol. Try it, I'm betting you'll more than like it...I'm betting you'll love it.Please remember... the use of water with the correct pH and hardness, the grind selection and using the freshest roast, whole bean coffee will assure excellent results. What's coming out is only as good as what went in.SIX MONTH UPDATE!!!All right, it's been 6 months since I wrote my "First Impressions" review so an update is in order. This will be short and sweet. Everything is "RIGHT WITH THE WORLD" where this machine is concerned. It continues to operate flawlessly and makes such exquisite espresso it is really amazing. Normally, a machine at this pricepoint would be somewhat "suspect" where it's components and durability are concerned but not this Merol. With all my coffee experience in roasting and producing high quality espresso and espresso drinks from expensive machines, I thought it impossible to find quality, dependability and excellent results from a much less expensive machine but this one has changed my mind, and rightfully so. What's not to like about a machine which offers consistent grind as well as consistant quality coffee in minutes. It really has given me nothing negative to say about it. You will need a little patience when steaming for Cappuccinos but if done correctly the microfoam produced is superb. No dishsoap bubbles here. Listen, if you are on the fence, perhaps not a dedicated espresso enthusiast but a coffee lover, you can start this machine and pull a shot into a cup of microwave heated hot water in about a minute and a half for an absolutely freshly ground and brewed Cafe Americano you will truly love. Super affordable, decent looking, low maintenance, quick and easy to use with exceptional results all add up to the perfect machine for you and yours. Get it while you can! 5 STARS ALL THE WAY!