Coffee Machines

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful.
Fantastic Coffee Machine - don't be fooled appearances - inside its the same as the top of the range!
By South Londoner
I have to admit automatic bean to cup espresso machines are a bit of a passion of mine! My family have various machines which I've been able to test out (Siemens & Gaggia) and I've had the top of the range Delonghi Primadonna ESAM6600 (the one with the milk jug that makes cappuccinos, lattes and latte machiatos at the touch of a button) for the past 6 years, so I believe I'm well placed to review the new Delonghi ESAM 04.110.S.I've been using this unit for my morning coffee for the past week and I must say that I am impressed. In a head to head comparison with the Primadonna (which is almost 3 times the price) it performs excellently.Pros:Same pressure (15 bar) as the Primadonna.Exactly the same working parts inside - same infuser (the bit that the ground coffee is expressed through) same grounds container.Faster to heat up after switching on.Energy saving - Eco mode which results in better than A energy rating.Cons:Mostly cosmetic - the exterior is silver plastic while the Primadonna is stainless steel and chrome.Analogue display versus Primadonna digital display - all the same basic functions though, including indicator to tell you when to empty grounds container and when to descale and buttons to set the temperature and water hardness.No milk jug - which means you have to manually froth the milk. Actually this is a not really a negative. The milk jug means that you only have to press one button to make a latte or cappuccino or latte macchiato so you have more choice but it also means that it takes longer to make a cup. It's much faster to make 3 coffees then froth the milk in one container and pour on the coffees. Also the milk jug needs a lot of cleaning as milk residues build up and of course the milk goes off faster in the jug (which on the Primadonna is detachable and gets stored in the fridge in between uses). So if you are entertaining guests its actually a plus not having the jug. This unit does froth milk very well due to high pressures and a wider spout then I've seen in other makes.A general con for both Delonghi models is that the grounds container can only be accessed by opening the machine and taking out the drip tray. Personally I like the Siemens units which have the grounds container slotted into the side of the unit. Not much of an issue though.Generally speaking, after having a Delonghi bean to cup machine for 6 years I think they are excellent machines. With daily moderate use it has lasted well. Yes the original unit needed to be serviced and have the heating coil replaced at the 4 year mark but otherwise has been faultless. This unit is a steal at the price and it's cheaper exterior hides the same high quality working parts as the more expensive all metal version. If you are looking for an entry level bean to cup coffee machine this is it. Forget filter coffee, cafetieres, and nespresso machines - bean to cup is the BEST coffee you can have at home and I couldn't start my day without it!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful.
Love it!
By Richard Young
A great coffee machine!!! The machine makes a cup of freshly ground/brewed coffee in less time that it takes to boil a kettle. The coffee tastes great, with adjustable filter and quantity settings. The milk frother is nice and powerful too.What I really like, is the 'self-cleaning' nature of the machine - after each coffee is made, the ground coffee is emptied into an internal 'bin' which only needs emptying every 20-30ish cups. That beats my old ground coffee machine, where the waste and filter need cleaning manually after every cup.I am very pleased with this purchase, and very pleased with the price Amazon sold it to me at.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful.
Magnifica
By Paolo Sammut
I should say that whilst I do like coffee, I am a very fussy coffee drinker and it is important that the correct "Goldilocks" point is reached in terms of temperature, strength etc. In fact I spent most of the past 10 years believing that only about 6 people on the planet can make coffee to my satisfaction. I am happy to say that this coffee maker (like its predecessor which I reviewed several years ago) hits that magic spot every single time. I have been using the machine constantly since it arrived. It really makes the most wonderful coffee.The machine works like magic, you load coffee beans into the compartment at the top, fill the tank with water and set the strength and quantity dial. Then you press the 1 cup or 2 cup button and wait for a few seconds whilst the machine grinds the beans, heats the water and makes the coffee. All simple and quick. The machine rinses itself on switch on and switch off and (speaking from experience using the previous model) asks for a descale (descaler included) every 3 months or so.I don't have any negative points however if I could suggest an improvement for the next model (hopefully Delonghi read these reviews) them a bigger water tank would be nice. The tank with this model lasts for about 10-12 large triple espressos (depending upon whether the machine is turned off after each one and it needing to go through a rinse cycle). The tank, tray etc all come apart quite easy for a proper weekly clean. It is certainly no trouble to maintain and very convenient to use.You can also make coffee using ground coffee, although that is a one at a time process with the need to spoon a measure of coffee into the machine. It is much easier really to load with beans and use that functionality.Yes, this is an expensive machine, however coffee in an important drink, difficult to get right. However this machine is a high quality machine which produces lovely coffee with a minimum of fuss. It is worth every penny.