Automatic espresso maker?
 

So I know next to nothing about coffee and espresso. However, that doesn't stop the GF from wanting an espresso maker for her birthday this year.

She loves espresso, but she's also kinda lazy, so I think the easier the machine is to use, the more use she will get out of it.

I'd prefer to spend less than 500 dollars, and the easier the machine is to use, the better.

So basically:

What do I need to know to make an educated decision?
Which brands are terrible? Which brands are great?

Not really sure what else to ask, as I have no experience with them, so please helpo!

Here's some info from the Kitchn: Good Question: Help Me Replace My Espresso Machine! | Apartment Therapy The Kitchn

Do You Make Espresso at Home? | Apartment Therapy The Kitchn

Serious espresso machines on Sweet Maria's Espresso Machines | Sweet Maria's Coffee

Espresso machine reviews from CoffeeGeek: CoffeeGeek - Consumer Espresso Machine Reviews

What is probably the easiest espresso machine to use, although it's not a "true" espresso machine: Gadgets: Nespresso CitiZ | Serious Eats

If you really want an espresso setup, you need an espresso machine and a good grinder (since you have to grind the coffee yourself to get a good cup). The basic Gaggia espresso machines are around 250, and they're pretty good for the price. A good grinder like the Gaggia MDF or the Rancilio Rocky will cost another 300-350 though. However I see some combo deals that are pretty good: on this page, if you select the espresso machine + rocky grinder, it's just under 500$. That's roughly my setup.

But if you think your gf will be a bit lazy about this, then maybe you need a super-automatic machine (as opposed to a semi-automatic like the Gaggia I linked to above). Those are more expensive but they grind and brew automatically - you just drop the beans in. Not as fine-tunable but certainly easier to use. However they're more expensive, 500$ and above, this would be a cheap one for instance. Used or refurbished machines would be cheaper of course.

If your gf doesn't necessarily want a "real" espresso machines, then a Nespresso machine would certainly work. They can make pretty dense coffee, but it's not as good as a real hand-pulled shot. Very practical though :). Those machines use Pods (containing ground coffee) instead of beans, which makes for easy disposal, although that means that the coffee will be a bit more expensive than if you buy the beans yourself.