There are currently around 140 Espressamentes and Illy hopes to have 500 more within the next five years. The company expects that the consumers' desire for authenticity and quality will support the $4.50 price tag attached to a cappuccino, in the same way that high prices are commanded by luxury fashion brands, like Gucci, Prada and Armani.

A great gift is a high quality conical burr grinder. Even if your coffee lover who already grinds their own beans - which is the very easiest way to ensure that you're getting all the flavor you can from them - can benefit from the increase precision offered by a machine like the KitchenAid Pro Line Burr Coffee Grinder. $200.

We haven't seen any additions to the Z-series line from Jura for quite some time, though there are several machines out, but the Jura-Capresso Z-Series Cup Warmer is an interesting accessory for the collection. The free-standing kitchen gadget allows you to quickly and conveniently heat your espresso cups, which results in better tasting shots that hold heat longer than the would in an unwarmed cup. Some espresso machines have a cup-warmed built into the top, but that only allows for a handful of glasses to be heated, while this warmer can hand 24 espresso cups or 16 coffee cups at once. Price: $1000.

Not everyone out there is a big espresso fan and even those who enjoy a perfectly pulled shot sometimes just want to have a cup of coffee to sip while they are sitting reading the paper or working away at their desk. The new DeLonghi Primadonna coffee maker gives a coffee-drinker all the options that an expensive espresso maker offers, including an automatic milk steamer, ways to adjust the strength and amount of coffee in each pour and even enables users to regulate the heat of the finished beverage. The grinder is automatic, but you can calibrate it to the appropriate fineness for the beans you are using. It also has an automatic washing cycle. Price: $2,305.

[via appliancist]

Perhaps I shouldn't go so far as to say that coordinating dinnerware is overrated, but these Geo Espresso Cups are definitely more visually appealing than the average matched set. The four white porcelain cup and saucer pairs all feature a different geometric design that has been adapted in to cup form. While you can use them to serve espresso, they would also make great individual servings of creme brulees or tiny pot de creme at a holiday dinner party. Price: £55.

Easily one of the most stylish espresso machines on the market, even sleeker than the eye-candy Francis Francis machines, the Diva Espresso Machine, by Bugatti. The unit is made of die-cast aluminum with a chromed finish, has a 15-bar pump for quick extraction and a fast startup time for the built-in heating elements. The machine pulls two shots at a time, either through fresh packed grounds or pods, and has an attached steam wand for frothing milk, a process which is helped along by the easy-to-read gauge in the front of the machine that clearly marks the appropriate temperature ranges for pulling shots and steaming milk. Price: €650 ($825).

The Siemens Nespresso machine by Porche Design is a fully automatic espresso maker that does everything a the touch of a button. Traditionalists might frown on using an automatic machine instead of a manual, but the automatic has an advantage in that it is very consistent, while the performance of a manual machine relies heavily on the skill of the user. This machine has 19 bars of pressure, automatic volume control (for espresso vs cappuccino), a digital display that offers eight different languages and a steam want that can easily be adjusted to either latte or cappuccino frothing. The only real drawback is that the machine uses pods instead of real ground coffee. The list price is $1,549 Swiss Francs, or about $1,263.