For those who can read German or who want to try using the Fish on it there is an article in Der Spiegel here on why espresso in Germany is so bad. The article begins by noting that rather than the sourish filter coffee from the hotplate that one got in the past one now almost always is offered espresso in both cafés and restaurants. It is based on an interview with a moderator of kaffee-netz.de, a German language forum somewhat similar to TMC and ends with the words of the German Barista Champion of 2009 Nana Holthaus-Vehse, namely "Ninety percent of the espresso is appalling."
For those who don't want to bother reading or stumbling through a bad translation here are the all-too-obvious conclusions:
The flavour of much of the espresso can be described as anywhere from rancid to cheesy, like rancid vegetable oil or with the bite of charcoal.
It is almost never the fault of the machine, but rather the fault of the nut behind the portafilter. "In Germany anyone can call themselves a barista if they can press a button." It is generally assumed that "If you can draw a beer you can make an espresso."
Aside from the fact that the operators don't really understand how to operate the machines they also don't clean them and if they do they don't properly rinse the descaler or machine cleaner back out so the coffee has "additives" that rarely improve the flavour.
Fully automatic machines could make a decent cup, but only if they are properly cleaned and adjusted, which they almost never are. Even a representative of Jura in Switzerland says that he is extremely selective about where he orders a cup of coffee when away from home. "Coffee from a dirty machine is pants." Jura even offers an automatic machine that can be adjusted remotely over the internet. If a customer complains the resauranteur can call Jura service and they adjust the machine (How the do that without being able to taste the results is not explained - my comment), however the personnel should be able to do that themselves (obviously).
Peculiarly, there is no note of stale or poor quality beans.
So there you are. It's truly a bleak scene, as I've been bemoaning the last years. Perhaps an article in Der Spiegel will be a wake-up call to the masses who drink the swill they're offered and never note how terrible it is.