If you want convenience, look at Keuring and reviews on http://www.singleservecoffee.com/, from what I have heard.

I'll admit to being a fresh-bean coffee aficionado since long before Starbucks came on the scene. As such, while I think some of the "super-auto" and pod-style machines make decent coffee, I don't believe you can get a good cup from one. I've been in places that had high-end Saecco super-auto machines, as well as Keurigs, and have ended up with a French press or pour-over and my own coffee. Not convenient, but much more enjoyable for me.

Lots of great espresso makers and grinders out there in the same price range as the Miele, ($2700 would buy a Mazzer Mini, and a relatively high-end semi-pro machine like a Quick Mill or La Spaziale), check out http://www.coffeegeek.com/ and http://www.home-barista.com/ for starters in that world. They are not "neat" and do add a certain ritual to your morning, but the quality of coffee, once mastered is, in my opinion, better than you will ever get out of a super-auto.

The cleaning process is not as bad as it seems. depending on your water you may have to descale , swapping beans is a non starter- if you want a decaf cup it's best to use the grounds container to produce that. If you want both from beans you're out of luck. I'm not sure there are any residential super autos that have 2 bean containers.

The milk frother could be a chore - but it's pretty much fill the supplied container with water and press a button. Most other cleaning stuff can be set to automatic.

The orig. systems were easier but didn't allow for plumbing and the milk had to be frothed indiv. and there was no second choice of coffee.

antss, the woman at the Miele showroom near me didn't tell me about the grounds container. She said I'd have to purchase another bean container and switch them, and I'd never get a true cup of decaf unless I scooped all of the remaining beans (two cups' worth) out of the grinder. Not true?