Yep, sorry about the lighting, I had to use flash in a dark kitchen.
Difficult to judge the colour but I'd say looking from above the crema is caramel.
Well that's a reasonable sign, the quality and freshness of beans not withstanding if the crema is nearer white/beige that's a sign of under extraction where the grind is too course and or not tamped enough (typical of a B to C btw), as it tends to caramel/brown that's an indication of the natural oils being extracted and that is flavour.
Just like I've now found with shaving, I like making my coffee 19th century style!
Maybe I'm just a masochist, but I have a hand cranked grinder (buy preground for lazy days!) and my old fashioned steam powered espresso 'kettle' makes the cleanest and tastiest quick brew I've had.