The question I would ask, before a pair of inexplicably qualified coffee expert arrive here, is that are you sure your dad will enjoy the faff, fiddling, and 'experience' of being a home barista, or would he actually just want to press a button and get coffee? Be honest.

Why not just get a Moka pot?

>>12847
He might. He did all that jazz on his previous job. As far as I can judge it wasn't too much nuisance for him, perhaps even some sort of a rather pleasant ritual.
>>12848
He has one, I think. It's a good little thing but the coffee it makes is of different kind, despite being brewed by pressure too.

>>12847

The middle ground option would be a semi-automatic machine with a capsule-compatible portafilter. That gives you the choice between doing everything yourself, or just dropping in a capsule if you can't be arsed with grinding and tamping.

As regards the original question, I think that entry-level machines have improved greatly in recent years. Cheap fully-automatic capsule machines make a perfectly decent espresso, they just lack the level of control that hobbyists want.

Sorted.

>>12851
Instant? Please. Even the Polish method (or Israeli 'kafe bots', whatever the damn name is) yields better results.

Speaking of espresso, are there any decent materials about this magic? What I'm actually interested about is modern 'schools of preparation'.
That Italian Espresso Institute paper said 7 g of ground coffee per one serving. Americans seem to be stuffing at least 14 g, usually 18 to 21 g.