https://docs.oracle.com/en-us/iaas/Content/FreeTier/freetier_topic-Always_Free_Resources.htm

Reclamation of vms as others have mentioned and the service limitations as to what qualifies for the free tier are really the only catch, but not a problem if you're willing to give them your credit card info for a paygo acct. More details are in this link to the docs. It's honestly a really good deal and I find it way more transparent and easier to use than AWS.

I agree with this, I prioritized features that I was looking for (PID, shot timer, flow control, E61, hot water spout, heat exchange) and that really only left a few options that within our budget. There's a few machines from Rocket, Lelit, and Diletta that checked off a lot of boxes and were in the running but servicability, component quality, and tbh the utilitarian styling pushed me to this machine.

Haha, That's what I get for posting from my phone!

The grinder is fantastic, I'm coming from an encore baratza, so it's quite the upgrade for me. Still working out on how to program it for consistent dosing.

It certainly can be! I'm not sure if anything is formal or not.