Living in New York City — whether for five months or five years — comes with a few inevitable experiences.

You find your go-to bagel spot for Saturday mornings. You marvel at Central Park’s cherry blossoms every spring. You half-jokingly shout, “Aye, I’m walkin’ here!” at the chaos of taxis and motorized bikes (usually with a smile). You realize people aren’t as rude as you thought — well, maybe they still are. You daydream about being part of Sex and the City or Gossip Girl at least once a month.

But above all, you fall in love with coffee. Not just the taste of coffee itself, but the whole experience of enjoying an espresso beverage.

It’s the ritual of grabbing your morning cup at your favorite neighborhood café or discovering a new spot where you can settle in with a cappuccino and a flaky pastry. It’s the feeling of being part of the city’s rhythm through those simple moments. The entire essence of it is magic.

When we moved away from New York — arguably the coffee capital of the world — we knew one thing for sure: we wanted to recreate that café experience at home. And so began our quest.

Countless searches later for the “best at-home espresso machine,” we landed on the Breville Barista Touch Espresso Machine. And honestly? We couldn’t be happier with it.

Sleek and café-style, it has a smart touchscreen that guides you through everything—from pouring in the beans to pulling the perfect shot. It features a built-in grinder, a rapid 3-second heat-up, and automatic milk frothing for easy, customizable drinks. With saved profiles and easy cleaning, it’s a pro-level machine that feels like a true investment for serious coffee lovers.

And let me tell you: it’s been worth every penny.

Coffee out can easily run you $5 to $8 a cup, and we try to keep our weekday coffee rituals at home—venturing out only on weekends to get that in-person fix. But honestly? We go out less often now that we’ve mastered café-quality coffee at home.

You know that feeling where you think you’ll never recreate a restaurant-quality steak in your own kitchen? I used to feel the same about cappuccinos and iced lattes. But this machine? It changed the game for me.

To capture the full at-home café vibe, I even got a little creative.

Inspired by one of my favorite NYC coffee shops, I designed a custom logo on Canva, had it printed at Imprint.com, and ordered some reusable coffee cups. Voilà — the full experience, right at home.

And for that final touch of charm, we added some glass syrup bottles that elevate our coffee bar into something that feels both retro-chic and effortlessly cool.

After a year in our home, our little coffee ritual has become a daily highlight — a warm, comforting piece of the New York life we love, now perfectly brewed in our own kitchen.