This could be the home coffee machine you have all been waiting. With the nation converted to the coffee culture but the cost of the high street providers like Starbucks and Costa now seeming expensive as money becomes tight, more and more people are beginning to realise they can make their favourite coffee drink at home for a fraction of the price. This new machine from Dualit brings the necessary technical features to do it properly and adds that distinctive Dualit style too, making it one hightly desirable kitchen item.

Of course looks are very important for Dualit, as is remaining loyal to the brand's styling themes. The Espressivo is, of course, available in "Dualit" chrome, but we prefer the retro-looking cream version.

Now any home coffee machine needs to have certain features to do the job properly and they don't come cheap. Anyone who has tried to cut corners and bought a budget espresso maker will already know that the cheap machines just don't cut it, mainly because they revert to money-saving technology that impairs the resulting flavour of the coffee.

The main cost component in any decent coffee machine is the pump. Cheaper machines don't have a pump, but rely on super-heated steam pressure to drive the water through the ground coffee beans. Generating the steam involves boiling water and boiling water is simpy too hot for making tasty coffee - it just burns the smooth flavours into bitterness.

The Dualit Espressivo Coffee machine features at 15 bar pump ( 15 bar is the accepted optimum pressure for pumping the hot, but not boiling, water through the coffee. With the correct finenees of grind that's how you get the all important "crema" effect. The machine also has a thermoblock heating system that instantly provides the hot water and steam for frothing up your milk.

The best feature of this Dualit coffee machine is that it's available at just under £150 - there are many lower quality alternatives costing much more than this. We suppose you would only need to pay more if you wanted a machine that also grinds the coffee beans as they are required for ultimate freshness, but you'll know that even Starbucks and Costa don't do that.

You'll struggle to find one of these machines for sale in your high street yet; we only found one at John Lewis online but fortunately you can buy one direct via the Dualit website

• Dualit Espressivo Coffee Machine
• Fast start - ready to go in less than a minute
• Water pump generates 15 bar pressure
• Removable water tank - 1.5 litres
• Frothing nozzle
• Cup warming tray
• 3 serving options - pod - single - double
• Built to last - stainless stell and cast aluminium construction
• Drip tray with indicator when full