New Coffee Setup

My artistic flair and inspiration: Coffee and Wedding Ring

Wow!  I can't believe it, I am married!  After a wonderful and joyous wedding weekend, I returned to the DMV to resume my studies. 

One perk of weddings is that you get stuff, and in my case, coffee stuff.  While 90% of the gifts were directed to my bride, I received a new espresso machine and a coffee grinder, specifically a Gaggia Baby and a Rancillio Rocky.  The differerence between this and my Lello Ariete (espresso machine) and Capresso Infinity (grinder) is tremendous.  The espresso tastes thicker and I have better control over grind size.  The Gaggia' s steamer is powerful and can whip the milk around the pitcher.  Sarah received a nice Cuisnart drip machine equipped with a water filter.  It evenly disperses the water over the ground coffee with a special nozzle. 

An updated picture of my coffee bar.

I am toying around with grind size and tamping with the new portafilter.  The portafilter cannot be filled to the brim; room must be left so it can fit securely into the group head.  I'm sure over the coming weeks I will work out the kinks, but right now I have plenty of new coffee toys to play with :-) Any tips for these high octane, prosumer machines is welcome!  If anyone is wondering, here is my first coffee setup.  Note that everything is replaced except the moka pot.

I love my moka pot.