I'm so excited about this. ) I recently discovered Café Americano at Starbucks when they handed me a lukewarm regular coffee that turned out to have expired (they caught it just after handing it to me, I didn't even have time to complain!). They offered to make me an Americano so that I wouldn't have to wait for them to brew another pot, and I accepted, and WOW!!!!! I was blown away. After that I went to Starbucks every day to get my Americano. Now, I'm back home where there is no Starbucks (or any other really good coffee) within a 6-hour drive.
So, I decided to get an espresso machine. This is something that I would NEVER have purchased for myself, it's a total splurge. And food-related, so I think it's a great use of your gift. )