Breville Barista Touch

However, I think that those who are drawn to the convenience of this machine will be perfectly satisfied.

Unfortunately, Breville only has 1 burr set for all of its grinders, and the Barista Touch has the exact same grinder burr set as the Barista Express, a 2 in 1 machine half the price of the Barista Touch. The Barista Touch is easier to use than the Barista Express, and the heating element is a lot faster, but unfortunately quality wise you probably won’t be able to get much better.

Since this subreddit has a lot of negative sentiment towards breville machines, i’d say the breville barista pro/touch is great for compromising with the SO of investing in espresso and being a semi automatic that she won’t need to fiddle with too much. Plus, the instant heating of water is so convenient, I don’t have to wait or temperature surf.

That'll give you the benefit of near-cafe quality espresso and espresso drinks at around the same budget as a good super-auto machine and with nearly the same level of "ease of use.". In particular, the 2 machines I'd recommend are either the Breville Barista Touch, or if your budget allows, the Breville Oracle Touch.