I’m pleased to say that the coffee and espresso Holiday Gift Guide is back! This is the first year in some time that I’ve had this feature. We’ve got gift suggestions for every price range for the coffee lover in your life.

Side note: I’ve gotten a lot of e-mail lately from readers. I try to respond to every single mail as soon as I can. I apologize if your message slipped through the cracks (it happens) so if you don’t get a response within the week, contact me again. I’ll respond to every message (even if it’s to say “I don’t know.”)

Over at ROASTe, they question whether steam driven espresso machines should even be called espresso machines?

It’s not a straightforward question to answer. Steam alone can’t create a really good espresso — that most certainly requires a pump.

But as with many products all is not equal. The cheapest steam driven espresso machines can leave a nasty taste in your espresso. The nicer steam driven espresso machines will be more than enough to make something like what you’d get at your average chain coffee shop.

Personally, I got started with a steam driven espresso machine, but quickly graduated to a pump powered machine. If you’re using a steam driven espresso machine, consider the upgrade. You won’t regret it.

One of the greatest feats of engineering is to take something that’s existed for a long time and make it simpler. It’s the kind of change that makes everyone slap themselves and say “Why didn’t I think of that?”

We’ve seen a lot of this in the world of espresso machines in the past few years, from the Aeropress to the Mypressi Twist.

The latest contender is the Presso, an alarmingly straightforward design that looks similar to a wine bottle opener. You just heat the water, grind the beans, and squeeze the water through. A video on their site demonstrates the process.

My only concern with many of these devices is that there’s not much offered in the way of safety. Pressure and hot water near your face isn’t a good combination! These simple espresso makers lack safety features found in high-end espresso machines, such as thick metal casing to protect you from leaks and a 3-way valve to relieve pressure in the group area.

Still, I have confidence that these safety issues are not intractable. One day it’s possible an espresso machine that costs less than $100 will make better espresso than today’s top-of-the-line espresso machine, and be safer as well.

When buying an espresso machine, finding exactly what you want can be a bit overwhelming to say the least! There’s simply so many machines on the market these days that comparing features and reviews is a serious challenge.

I was recently clued-in to FindTheBest’s espresso machine comparison site, which solves this problem in a unique and interactive way. You can select features, price range, brands, etc. and it will return a list of all the machines that match. From there, you can pick some favorites and compare them with each other.

The cool thing about the comparison is their tool incorporates reviews from CoffeeGeek and other sources so you can, as the name of the site suggests, find the best espresso machine. If you’re in the market for an espresso machine, it’s definitely worth trying.