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The site was down, so I couldn't actually read the article, but roasting takes a fair amount of time to get right. From the summary it made it sound like it was doing micro roasting for every drink. Roasting also smells pretty... weird, I wouldn't call it a bad smell but it doesn't smell like the finished product either.

There have also been machines around for a long time that do everything including steaming the milk, although much smaller. They are called super automatics in the industry. http://www.wholelattelove.com/reviews.cfm?ItemID=1130#reviewfaq

Not saying this isn't cool, but I don't think you'll see most coffee shops doing this.

OK, I'm not affiliated with this company I just like their products:

Go to Sweet Marias and order up some green beans and a buy a roaster. For cheap stuff, I prefer Ethiopian Yrgacheffe, but the selection is large and there's plenty of other beans and blends available. For the roaster, I have one of these. It's a nice cheap way to try roasting. If you're really cheap, many hot air popcorn makers will roast just fine too. And finally, for the perfect cup you'll want to try one of these Vacuum Coffee Brewers that are pain to clean but brew the best damn cup this side of a French Press.

Hmmmmm coffee... yum!

Also, the Rancilio Silvia and Gaggia Classic are still IMO the best single boiler home espresso machines on the market. I've had a Silvia for almost seven years and it's taken one hell of a beating every day, with no downtime. Thing is built like a tank.

OK, I'm not affiliated with this company I just like their products:

Go to Sweet Marias and order up some green beans and a buy a roaster. For cheap stuff, I prefer Ethiopian Yrgacheffe, but the selection is large and there's plenty of other beans and blends available. For the roaster, I have one of these. It's a nice cheap way to try roasting. If you're really cheap, many hot air popcorn makers will roast just fine too. And finally, for the perfect cup you'll want to try one of these Vacuum Coffee Brewers that are pain to clean but brew the best damn cup this side of a French Press.

Hmmmmm coffee... yum!

Also, the Rancilio Silvia and Gaggia Classic are still IMO the best single boiler home espresso machines on the market. I've had a Silvia for almost seven years and it's taken one hell of a beating every day, with no downtime. Thing is built like a tank.

The Gaggia Carezza is the cheapest pump-driven espresso machine that I have found. I have one, and it makes excellent coffee. Of course, "cheap" is relative.

I bought my wife a Gaggia Classic for xmas and she seems to think there is a miniature Italian man inside, so you might say it is magic. Makes espresso as good as you could get in most coffee bars in Italy. This model has been honed over many years, so it's extremely dependable and built like a tank. Perhaps not as high of a hacker factor as the manual-pump La Pavoni machines, but there's still an art to getting a perfect shot out of it.

I bought my wife a Gaggia Classic for xmas and she seems to think there is a miniature Italian man inside, so you might say it is magic. Makes espresso as good as you could get in most coffee bars in Italy. This model has been honed over many years, so it's extremely dependable and built like a tank. Perhaps not as high of a hacker factor as the manual-pump La Pavoni machines, but there's still an art to getting a perfect shot out of it.

Oh dear god... it's ESPRESSO no freakin' x. You don't pronounce an x or anything like that. As the proud owner of a $880 espresso machine, I'm offended.

The man has his facts straight. The only thing you forgot to mention is the need for a kick ass grinder to go along with Silvia, or else she'll be spitting and coughing bug juice instead of espresso. I bought a machine an order of magnatude better (the Isomac Tea) and practically won't leave the house anymore.

A particularly interesting and funny story about one dude who discovered how to make real coffee is Espresso My Espresso.