I am fortunate enough to have the option to work from home several days a week. Extra nice is the coffee at home is much much tastier than in the office :D
I prepared this “latte macchiato” style drink with a 4-cup moka pot, 16g of store-bought high roast coffee beans (not particularly good), 170mL water. 100mL milk, warmed in the microwave, foamed with a small electric whisk.
Easy to prepare at home with simple tools. I don’t have any fancy espresso machine 😥 Result looks good, tastes not bad either. What hold it back in terms of flavor is the quality of the beans. I am just trying to get through this bag quickly as to not waste.
It sounds like you were not making the espresso correctly from the taste you described. Maybe try experimenting with the variables like Grind size or fill level a bit to see how the taste changes. If you still have the machine I would be happy to help you make better coffee.
It could also be the age of the beans, have they been recently roasted?