I purchased this to use temporarily while my espresso machine is in the shop for 2-3 weeks. If you want advice on how to use it read the steps provided in the review dated February 4, 2021. In no way was I expecting this to be a good as my pump espresso machine, but I surprised that it tastes as good as it does. I do own a burr grinder, so that helps and I buy locally roasted coffee.It only makes a single shot and I drink two double lattes per day. So I did get pretty quick by having the boiling water on the stove and getting the parts heated and put together quickly. It took practice. Once you get used to it it’s not so bad. I think I’ve got it down to about 12 min for a double. I’ve been using this for over two weeks now. I do make a bit of a mess, so if I was going to use this on the road or camping, I’d just buy pods (even though I do prefer fresh ground coffee). There is a bit of water left in the reservoir…a few times there was quite a bit. I just quickly took off the pump section and pumped out the excess water in that part, screwed it back on and it worked fine. But since the first time I used this there has always been about a teaspoon or more of water in the reservoir. So allow for that when you fill up the reservoir if you have the same issue. Also, if you use it as much as I do (4x/day), you may have to protect the palm of your hand. I started using something to protect my hand and I now switch up the way I pump.I bought a milk steaming device as well and that works great. I may continue to use that if I ever get my espresso machine back. I just push the button when I start on my second shot.So don’t be intimidated by the parts and how long it takes the first few times. If I have to repair my other espresso machine ever again, I will probably just buy a different type manual espresso machine--more heavy duty—possibly the Flair brand. For my situation right now this works fine and it will be handy to take with me when I’m on vacation, etc.The Coffee:So like the title says, this is good but it does not make espresso. For coffee "snobs", this may be enough to curb your coffee cravings but the taste it produces is not espresso. I'd say the taste is closer to really strong drip coffee. Drip coffee as in the first 1/4 of the the pot before the rest of the water dilutes the concentration. But this is no fault of the product.To really get good espresso, you're going to need a machine that has high pressure and scalding water and there is nothing portable about that. So at the end of the day, it really depends on what you want. Decent cup of coffee or real espresso?I bought the item knowing that but what is quite disappointing is the amount of coffee it produces. To get something close to a double shot, you'll need to repeat the process twice. In hind sight, I should've known considering the size of the coffee ground holder. Dumping out the cup of grinds to refill and make shot #2 is plain difficult as the grinds still have water in them and you'll need to rinse everything and dry it before making the second shot. Overall, it can become a watery, gritty mess and it is a PROCESS to make two shots.The Cleaning:This thing has SO. MANY. PARTS. And it is a pain to clean and reassemble each time you make a cup of coffee. As we all know, coffee grinds, especially espresso grinds, are a pain when nooks and crannies are involved. This device has plenty of them. If you're someone with a lot of time or you want to dedicate 5-10 minutes every morning to just CLEANING the item, (Yes, you read that right. Just cleaning. Not making the coffee.) then this may be right for you. I am not someone who has a lot of time so this is not something I will be using much unless I'm desperate and it's 2AM in the morning. Yes, that unhealthy sleep cycle is my life.The Verdict:As someone who has used a commercial espresso machine for most of my life, the whole process of this device just takes too long. In the time it takes to produce 1 cup of decent coffee and clean up (about 20-25 minutes), I could've made 30 lattes. Also, with that much time, it would just be quicker and cheaper (or the same price if I was paid minimum wage) to go to a coffee shop AND I would actually get espresso. So do I recommend this product? If you're a coffee connoisseur or you're looking for something quick, no, I don't recommend it. If you're someone who has plenty of time and patience and is looking to save a few bucks because you drink 5 cups of espresso a day, sure. If you're traveling, just go to a local coffee shop. If you're hiking and must have coffee, this is perfect.The Shipping:The item came decently packed but the measuring cup for the coffee grinds was cracked. I assume it was broken during packaging. The measuring cup is stored inside the glass shot cup and the top part of the Staresso is screwed on top. If it is not placed just right in the glass cup, the top part will put pressure on the measuring cup handle and, as it is screwed on, the continuous pressure will cause the measuring cup to crack. The company needs to be more careful about this or find a different way to package the item.So after my essay of a review, if you're still interested in the product, here is another essay of tips:1a. Fill the metal coffee grind container with LOOSE GRINDS, level it with the rim, then press the grinds down firmly. If your measuring cup isn't broken too bad, it is perfect for tamping. Otherwise, a metal teaspoon works fine. After tamping, fill the rest of the coffee grind container with loose grinds again, level it with the rim, and tamp it down a second time. I find that by having this much coffee, the wet grinds are more firmly packed together so clean up isn't as messy and the coffee tastes better because, duh, more coffee grinds.1b. Keep in mind that when tamping the grinds, they should be firmly packed together but the grinds should not be rock hard. A good test is using a chopstick to loosen the grinds. If the grinds loosen with just a bit of pressure, it's done right. If you really need to dig in to loosen the grinds, you've tamped too much. If you over tamp, the water will not be able to seep through and you'll break the product. Keep in mind that this is a manual device, not a high pressure machine. But you do need to tamp to get decent coffee.2. Make sure to use boiling hot water. The hotter the water, the better the coffee.3. Make sure the glass cup that collects the coffee is hot. Preheat the cup by pouring hot water in it. If the glass is cold, the coffee will be lukewarm.4. Preheat the metal part of the pump. Get a cup of hot water and submerge the entire metal part. Follow the instructions for milk frothing. This heats the metal parts so that it doesn't cool down the water while making the coffee.5. After doing all of the above and you're ready to make the coffee, pump 3-5 times or until you see the first drop of coffee. Then STOP. Let the water really soak into the coffee grinds first before continuing. After 15-20 seconds, finish pumping until all the water is out of the chamber and you have a shot.6. When uncapping the lid/pump, be careful. There is pressure in the chamber still and the top may pop up and some left over water may spray out. Make sure to pump the excess water out of the pump.7. You may be tempted to just do a quick rinse and not disassemble it each time you use it but I don't recommend it. If you make multiple shots at once, it's okay to just rinse and use it right away. But if there is any prolonged periods of time between use, I recommend disassembling and deep cleaning it. The nozzles and holes in the strainers can get clogged very easily and will be more difficult to clean later than if you were to do it right away.My first try was to make cappucino - 1oz espresso shot + 4oz frothed milk. It tasted legit, like a $6 buck cappucino sold in the store. Execution and cleaning is easy and simple. Thumbs up!Edit: I encountered several problems and had to troubleshoot myself. Emailed support@ but didn't get any reply. So posting here in case you had the same issues.1. Water capacity: not all water you put in the tank will end up in the glass. I get about 70ml coffee if I fill the water tank to the max.2. Water leakage during pump, coffee ground residue in coffee, not enough pressure that caused slow coffee flow and long pump time: I thought my coffee ground was too fine, or my pump was spoiled, or some parts had problem. They were not. You just need to close the bottom (coffee pod holder) and the top (water tank lid) EXTREMELY tight. That will solve all the problem. Remember loose part means leaking water & pressure, which means coffee will not flow down no matter how long and hard you pump.Quite impressed with the quality and functionality. It was solidly built and it works quite nicely. I like it comes with its own cup and you can easily pump the pressure.Close to what my $4k machine gives me from a pull. Recommend buy. Just remember to preheat the chamber and the inner cup.