Breville is a good place to start. Check out Seattle Coffee Gear's YouTubes on various machines, from simple to fully automatic to everything in between.

I’ve had the earlier version o. This one since 2012 and love it.

I have a breville and love it. It's simple but does what I want.

Jura machines are very nice.

A lot depends on what you want from a machine and what you are willing to spend. Breville wasn't on the scene when we bought our Jura, but I do have a couple of their small appliances and may be about to get another, so I can't say anything bad about them. They seem to make solid appliances.

We got out Jura after moving into this house when it still had white tile counters. We had a manual espresso machine and separate grinder and it didn't take me too long to get really annoyed with wiping up fine espresso grounds and scrubbing grout. That was about 16 years ago -- we bought a refurbished unit to save about half the cost over a new one and our son is still using that machine. We have a new one that already has 10,000+ servings on the counter. They make good coffee, are reliable and long lived. They are easy enough to use that our guests can help themselves. All that said, they make so many models now that it is mind boggling to figure out the differences. Whole Latte Love and 1st in Coffee seem to have a lot of options, including refurbished units, and offer good information in comparing the models.

I'm a big fan of Breville small appliances. I've had this espresso/ cappuccino maker for well over a decade and it is still 100% problem free.

You did not specify a budget. I got one 20 years ago that cost $75 back then, and it was rather basic, but it still made espresso and cappuccino. That was when I still drank coffee, even though rarely. I still have this machine in the garage. It looks a lot like this one.

I have one similar to the one Lars posted. Old school, no frills, no problems.

Not good enough for the spouse, who went through a Nespresso and a Bialetti Moka and finally settled on a Breville complete with bean grinder.

I'm really fond of the old, old school stove-top espresso makers.

My relatives and friends in Italy use them, and that's good enough for me -- but you won't be impressing anyone with a fancy gadget.

I love my nespresso machine. It was under $200. and came with the milk frother to make cappuccino. The capsules are sold in many places now including trader joes and target.

We started with one similar to the one Lars posted. We got it as a wedding gift. Once we started using it regularly, it gave us about a year of service and then led to a larger one and eventually to the Jura.

If you can, find out if she would rather use pods or grind her own coffee. Some machines can do both, however. I prefer grinding my own for double shots.

Bumblebeez makes a great point. I started with a Krupps and grinding my own. When I upgraded, many were pushing an automated machine. But I like to be able to make a decaf in the evening and the automated machines were already filled with only one kind of bean. There was also an earlier pod system and I didn’t want that because of the expense.

You probably do need a little more input from them.

Thanks all.....the Breville at $600 is too pricy—-we’ve cut down on Christmas spending since we retired and now that all the kids have purchased and furnished their homes.

Nancy—-I like that old school version but knowing DD she’ll just want to press a button! I will run it by her though.

Mr. Coffee has an espresso machine that gets great reviews and my best friend has had it for two years and loves it. $179 on amazon.

This is a highly rated super automatic (just press a button) on sale, but still a bit pricey

https://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/saeco-xsmall-vapore-superautomatic-espresso-machine?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIi9yqsbrJ5QIVC4iGCh03OgxVEAQYASABEgKeRvD_BwE