Coffee Machines

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

578 of 585 people found the following review helpful.
Is this thing reliable?
By Buddha
I don't often write reviews, but this machine deserves every good word said about it. I have owned one for 3.5 years now, and it's still going strong. So if reliability is what has you sitting on the fence, jump off and buy one. On to the details.We bought 3 of these in Germany; one as a wedding gift, one for us, and one for my office at work. Unfortunately, when I moved to the UK, I lost the one in the office (office personnel had "joint" purchased it). The one that was a wedding gift is used every day and is still running fine. The office one was used EXTENSIVELY and was still working at the 1.5 year point when I bid a tearful farewell to it. The one in my home... wow. I'm an espresso nut, having lived in Italy for four years. I work that thing to the bone; it has made at least 5 espressos ~every~ single day of those three years that I was home and is still running strong. The only "bad" cup of coffee that I've had from this thing is when I bought low-quality beans.To address some specific things mentioned in other reviews, I'd just like to say that this thing makes crema so well that sugar will sit on top of it...if you know the trick. Use a properly-sized espresso cup and heat it before making your coffee. Rather than relying on the heater on top of the machine (the silver part in the picture), just boil some water in the kettle and dump it in the cup; it's a lot faster. Adjust the dispensing spout -- the part with two little silver spouts directly above the cups in the picture. That piece moves up and down. The closer you get it to your cup, the better the crema. Adjust your grind; regardless of what others may have experienced, I find the adjustable grind to be perfect. It is, however, VERY dependent on what type of beans you use. I've had to tweak it nearly every time I use a different type of beans to get it to the perfect grind. Also, if you find that the puck grounds get mouldy from sitting too long, my only comment is this -- you're not drinking enough coffee. ;-) Last note before pros/cons/tips -- this machine requires that ~you~ put milk in a container and froth it for cappucino; it's not "fully" automatic, but the frothing bit works great (when used with skill).Pros*Extremely reliable (3 machines monitored over 3.5 years with no flaws)*Near-perfect espresso*Capability to use pre-ground (separate compartment, one cup at a time) for the decaf crowd*Great frothing tool for cappucino (see tips)*Fully adjustable grind, strength (amount of coffee used) and water (for "long" coffees) with single or double cup buttons*Auto shut-off after about 2hrsCons*A touch on the noisy side during start up and when it grinds*Can scramble your freeview signal (though this is the fault of house wiring/antenna, not the machine)*Doesn't know when I'm going to wake up and automatically have an espresso ready for me when I get to the kitchenTips*Read the manual. No, really. Read the manual.*Use quality coffee. Always. (Lavazza Rosso or Espresso is good, Il Pascucci from southern Italy if you can find it)*Pay attention to getting your grind set right*Heat your cups with boiling water before making the coffee*Make all of your espresso shots BEFORE switching to frothing mode for cappucino*Use the descaler that comes with it, then switch to white vinegar for cleaning (has worked for me for 2 years)*Go on vacation to Italy and learn how to make proper espresso and how to froth milk -- it really is an art*Honestly -- it takes time to perfect the frothing. Don't give up until you've talked to someone that knows how.So what am I doing on Amazon looking at these if mine is so reliable? Yep, you caught me ... I'm thinking of buying another one for the office here...

166 of 171 people found the following review helpful.
Great coffee but only lasts for 2 years
By gep
Firstly this machine provides great coffee. It is simple to use and everyone who has visited us remarked on the quality of the brews. If it is great tasting coffee you want, in a machine that is simple enough to use then get this but BEWARE.After two years it broke down. We took it to the DeLonghi registered repairers and the cost to repair was prohibitive. The repair guy was helpful though as he explained that there is a hidden counter inside that records the number of coffees you have made and so helps the service engineers. His view was that the machine thus broke down prematurely if out of warranty and that we should write to de Longhi. Two letters and two email inquiries later we have given up with them. They did not refuse to do anything about this but simply have ignored all four communications.So "buyer beware" from our experience this excellent machine will last on medium use for two years before terminal break down, despite careful and sensitive use. De Longhi appear to be indifferent to this limited life cycle. Shame really.In sum:Five stars for coffee,One star for value for money since it lasts two years with medium use,One star for non existent de Longhi customer service.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful.
good start for bean to cup
By richard
We've had a gaggia classic for about 6 years and finally replaced it with this model.My wife likes a Caffè macchiato which is stained with froth (why she doesn't just drink espresso I don't know!) We were looking to go for a fully automatic, but just couldn't find something that gave the froth just how my wife wanted it.Anyway, we've had the machine about 2 weeks now and using Illy coffee beans. It took about 3 days to get the setting just right but now we produce the coffee perfectly every time.Where people have made negative comments lets put some things into context.Noise...yes it makes noise, my dishwasher and washing machine make more noise for a lot longer. Is the short time it makes a noise that much of a problem? The grinder is a bit loud, but no worse than some kettles when they bubble and boil... its about 10-15 seconds of noise.Then there is a pump that puts the water/steam under pressure... again its there but not unacceptable.Drips...After two weeks I just cleaned the trip tray, there was about an egg cup of water in the drip tray BUT I always put an old mug under the valve.As the device is turned on it primes the system and pushes about 2 fl oz a mug of water through the system. As it purges when you turn off, it does similar. (I know because I use 1 oz shot glasses and the first time I needed to quickly empty the glass as the system primed itself.) if you don't put the mug there, the drip tray will fill quickly. The choice is yours, but I use the mug to clean the steaming wand.Temperature...the coffee temp can be set, play with the settings and you find it can be hotter if you want, but remember hotter water effects the coffee taste. So play with it.Milk/froth is down to you. Read and learn techniques in making milk and froth. I re-read information on this and it reminded me of some bad habits ive got into and some new tricks I hadn't done before and I now make a perfect jug every time. (its more than sticking your wand in and hoping for the best!)The temperature is then controlled by your own skill.PROsSimple to useBetter (and cheaper) than pods/nespresso machines to runQuicker and less messy than a traditional espresso machine.Easy to cleanMakes good coffeeCONsNone so far(why 4 and not 5 stars - because I have no other products to compare against)TIPSUse Google to understand how coffee is made (read about grind and temperature); how to make froth; and different coffee types ie the difference between a Café Macchiato and a late macchiato and then this helps you make perfect coffee every time. Also look up about how to store beans and keep them fresh.I store coffee in a vacuum jar (see vacuvin products for example) it keeps the coffee fresher a little longer.Think about the type coffee you like; don't just buy the cheapest of the supermarket shelf. There are suppliers on the internet who can sell you beans of specific blends. They can advise you if you ask. Don't buy too much or it will go stale.Learn how much coffee you get through to maximise your stock. I use about 1KG per month. That's about 90/100 shots.Oh forgot - purge the steamer into the mug before using it to frothing the milk... there is always a little water in the wand that needs clearing first.