Coffee Machines

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

85 of 87 people found the following review helpful.
Makes a fine cup of coffee but...
By marcoscu
We received this item as a gift and were keen to enjoy it but were mortified when the very first time it was used water cascaded out from the back. It was clearly Dead on Arrival. We returned it to the local De'Longhi agent for repair and after a few days it was returned and so far has been working perfectly. I do not know if this is a common problem with these units and indeed I have no reason to think that it is but I do feel I should alert potential purchasers to it. That said, on to the review itself.The unit is well built from stainless steel and a sturdy glossy plastic and has the air of an upmarket quality device. It is supplied with a water hardness tester and descaling kit as well as the usual tamper and coffee holders all well packaged and secure.After setting the unit up and following the First Run routine to clean it out and prepare it for use we were soon enjoying the excellent coffe it makes. The coffe is strong and clean tasting and with an excellent crema and is obtained within a few seconds of the unit coming to tempreture which itself is very rapid indeed. The unit dispenses hot water when required from the steam outlet without affecting the coffee or steam production. The steam output is strong,steady and ample, not too noisy or too powerful. We found it works very well indeed to make cocoa which froths up a treat! On other coffee makers we have had the steam outlet quickly becomes clogged up with dried milk and can prove very troublesome to clean. Not so with this unit as there is a detachable wide bore head to the steam nozzle which can be easily cleaned and means the actual nozzle itself need not be inserted into the milk.There is a cleverly designed slop tray which can easily be detached for cleaning and has a warning indicator when full.For me there are two drawbacks with this unit, neither are deal breakers but both are annoying.The instructions are in the form of pictograms which are unecessarily complicated as well as both confusing and ambiguous. You are probably better off ignoring them and following your instincts as this machine operates pretty much as most of its type do. Once you have mastered it then you will not need the manual again.The second issue is rather more annoying and affects how you operate the machine. Some top of the range units are virtually two machines in one with separate heating systems for the coffee and hot water/steam. For this unit there is just one heating element for both. In practice this means that should you want to dispense coffee or hot water after having delivered steam you need to wait for the unit to cool down. This is awkwardly addressed and just returning the switches to that required for coffee causes the LED display lights to flash and indicate an error. There is no doubt a more elegant way of going about it but I just turn the machine off briefly and then start again.To conclude, this is an exellent machine, well built, attractive and delivers a first rate cup of coffee. It is marred only by a poor manual and a confusing and annoying glitch when changing from steam/hot water to coffee delivery.The GoodAttractive design from quality materialsSteam dispenser has detachable nozzle to reduce blockagesDispenses hot water as well as steam and coffeeWater resevoir is suitably largeDispenses coffee, hot water or steam with very little delaySteam dispenser works really well for making other hot milk based drinksTwin coffee nossles allow for filling two cups at once.Easy clean spillage trayMakes a fine cup of coffee!The BadImpenetrable and overly complicated pictogram based manualToo easy to set it into error modeGoing from steam delivery to coffee or hot water is difficultThe pump is quite noisy in use but perhaps no more than rival unitsCup warmer on top does not get very warm

46 of 48 people found the following review helpful.
Impressive
By Rob Payne
After researching espresso machines around the £200 mark, I recently decide on this, the Delonghi EC820B, and thus far it appears I have made an excellent choice. It is undoubtedly stylish and looks very nice on the kitchen unit, with its black gloss finish and chrome detailing. It appears to be a much neater and more solid unit than other espresso machines around the same price or slightly cheaper. The water container, for example, slots neatly into the front of the machine, hidden away from view.As the reviewer below has mentioned, the instructions, in picture form, could perhaps be a little clearer. But even so, it didn't take me long to figure out how it works, and in any case, it's pretty simple to use.The machine produces, in my view, a very fine Italian espresso in about 15 - 25 seconds, delightfully thick and with a nice `crema'. The quality will of course also be governed by the coffee that you use, and how you `tamp' the ground coffee in the filter. You will undoubtedly need to experiment with how much coffee to use and how long to allow the water to flow through it to make the espresso that best suits your tastes. There are two filter sizes (for one or two cups) and the machine may fill two cups simultaneously. There is a steaming wand for foaming milk to make cappuccino, latte or macchiato, which I have been able to use with great success. Other features include a cup warmer on top and a removable drip tray. It is also supplied with a water hardness tester and descaling kit, with information regarding how frequently descaling is required.So far, a hugely impressive machine.Update: I've been using the machine pretty extensively now for 2 months and am still very happy with it. The espresso is still thick and delicious and the steaming wand works a treat for a small machine. My only (very slight) niggle is with the cup warmer, which really doesn't get very warm and seems to be a bit of a gimmick.

43 of 45 people found the following review helpful.
De'Longhi EC820.B
By TW
Very pleased, replaced my Starbucks machine with this De'Longhi EC820, it makes the same tasting creamy Cappuccino every time I've used it, could be a little hotter but other than that excellent results using the illy ESE pods, looks great too.4 MONTH UPDATE - Unfortunately after 4 months the steam wand stopped working, I returned to the manufacturer who did a very quick repair and it now works.6 MONTH UPDATE - Water now leaks from the bottom of the machine every time I use it!, Not sure I can be bothered to send it back again, It started out so well and the coffee was consistent every time I made it, I am now looking for a replacement machine.