I'm still contemplating buying the Simplehuman single cup pod brewer for my home studio. I've been resisting it because none of my favorite coffee providers make pods (a direct result, I suppose, of pods inherently brewing suboptimal coffee) and the deivce's inexplicable lack of a timer. I suppose if it only takes a minute to brew a cup then a timer is sort of superfluous, but I'd still like to have the coffee ready and waiting for me in the morning, so the smell can assist in the waking process.

Another point of irritation: I prefer espresso drinks, but it's damn near impossible to find an affordable espresso machine with a timer. Not sure what the thinking is there – probably the same notion that anyone who drinks espresso probably wants their coffee freshly brewed, and not ground the night before and dumped into a machine. Still... What the hell, people? Why is this so bloody complicated?

If anyone knows of a good espresso machine with a timer that a man could obtain for under a grand, please let me know...