Fresh roasted beans are a prerequisite for quality espresso.

It's impossible to make quality espresso with preground coffee. An espresso grinder is the key to making quality espresso & there's no way to achieve satisfactory results without a good one. Issues to consider; stepped or stepless adjustment, burr size, burr carriers, doser vs. doserless, aesthetics, etc.

The espresso machine is the least important piece of equipment. For beginners I suggest the purchase of a basic Gaggia model, either an Espresso or Carezza, purchased new or used from a reputable source. For more advanced users I suggest the Bunn ES-1A. It's a heat exchanger machine, meaning it's an absolute steaming monster. It's footprint is larger than prosumer machines and smaller than most commercial machines. It has an E61 group, it's a piece of cake to work on, and it produces shots equal to, or better than, any other HX machine. It's quickly becoming a favorite for home baristas!

Technique is mastered by experimenting and repetition. Sit at a table with a half pound of beans, your grinder, the machine and the necessary accessories. Adjust the grinder until you've choked the filter (nothing passes when you pull a shot). Making minute changes, grind progressively coarser until you get 1 ounce in the cup in 25 seconds using the single filter (double filter = 2 ozs in 25 - 30 seconds).

For dosing of the filter I use this technique;
* Using a bottomless yogurt cup, overfill the filter
* Use a skinny probe/pick to stir the grounds
* Remove the cup and level the grounds with the top of the filter
* Tamp - light or heavy (consistency is the key)