The first question you need to ask (yourself) is what kind of people are they? Are they likely to be fanatical about great coffee or would they look for convenience first?
If they can't be bothered worrying about good beans, proper grind, tamping and extraction then you should look at the super-automatic machines. These are machines that you put water, beans, milk and power into, and press a button marked cappuccino. You don't get latte art and fantastic espresso, but they're easy to use and give good consistent results.
Look for machines like the Solis Master 5000 Digital.
If you're sure they'll like the whole process of making great espresso based drinks, then start by looking at grinders. Without a decent grinder
an espresso machine might as well be an expensive hot-water jug. Solis make a decent introductory grinder called the Maestro.
Next up, unless they're fanatical espresso drinkers, look for Heat Exchange (HX) espresso machines. These are machines that can brew a shot and produce steam/hot water at the same time. Good home machines of this type come from Isomac, Wega and Expobar.
The Expobar Office Control is probably the cheapest HX machine in the good class, at around $795. For a classier look there's the Isomac Millenneum in all stainless steel for around $1195.
I get the impression they don't already have an espresso machine at home. If that's the case stay away from the lever-type espresso machines. Yes, they look great, but they take a lot more expertise to use, and are nowhere as convenient.
With a good automatic or superautomatic you can leave it on, and get coffee or steam on demand. With a lever machine you have to fill the boiler, wait for it to reach the right temperature, make coffee, then empty it out when you finish.
Hope that helps.
Paul
