There is no way for me to tell if your espresso is good, or not. It might be good enough for you and for you that is great - but don't let your survivorship bias be an argument for "it's easy anyone can do it." That was the point.

> but: have you ever tried a manual machine yourself and got a decent espresso out of it?

Oh I have. This is my manual, well, the older version: https://www.cerinicoffee.com/products/olympia-cremina-sl. I like to experiment a lot with it and have a pressure gauge attachment on the top.

You can certainly get good espresso out of it - that isn't my point. my point is, it isn't as easy as people think - and you far overestimate based on hobbyists on coffee forums (of course they produce good shots, they're hobbyists) and people who just want coffee.

> Only if you want it, which I don't.

Well of course - but that is a downside that would turn off a lot of people.