De'Longhi Magnifica ESAM4200S Silver - Reviews

(4.4)

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22.3.2020

I bought a De'Longhi Magnifica because I wanted good bean-to-cup lattes during a night shift after all the coffee shops had closed. For 3 years, I had the best coffee in Glasgow after 10pm.THINGS I LIKE:It makes perfect espresso. That's the most important thing. This means your barista drinks are predictably good. That includes using beans (my knob is set to 9 o'clock) or ground coffee (turn strength knob to 0/spoon symbol). Since moving a year ago, it's been in my bedroom in London. To my surprise and delight, the water from the steam spout (steam dial on without pushing the steam button) is indeed hot enough for good tea (about 85'C), which obviates the need for a separate kettle.The steam spout is just fine for making milky drinks (hot milk for hot chocolate too). The machine is easy to clean (not descale), which I do about once every 4-6 weeks. I love that I have a one-stop appliance for any hot drink I want.THINGS I DON'T LIKE:The main issue with the machine is that the path of the beans from the grinder to the filter includes a hole which is slightly too narrow. If you open the central lid on top, you can see what I'm describing. Sometimes when using beans, enough of the ground coffee falls down the chute after the grinder that it touches the top edge. This can lead to an amount of freshly ground coffee coming out of the grinder in one go, which blocks the hole above the filter and causes the coffee to back up into the place where you normally put ground coffee. The machine will flash the "grounds full" light, indicating it didn't get any coffee to use. A little jab into the powder from the top of the machine will clear the blockage and make the coffee fall onto the filter. IMPORTANT: In the early days, I got very frustrated about clearing the blockage and pressing the button for more coffee, grinding another amount of beans, wasting loads of freshly ground and sometimes expensive coffee. One day I realised that clearing the blockage onto the filter was functionally the same as starting with ground coffee as this machine can also do. So, after clearing the blockage with a couple of pokes from a pastry brush or spoon handle, I turned the strength knob to 0/spoon symbol and the machine began pouring on the coffee that had fallen onto the filter, and didn't grind a new batch (which makes a mess of ground coffee inside the machine). No coffee is wasted this way. Just remember to turn the knob back or you'll wonder why the machine isn't grinding beans when you push for your next coffee.The only other thing I don't like is that isn't ideal is that the pressure from the steam nozzle is not that high, which means steaming milk takes about 2 minutes. The results are fine, it's just a bit slow, and you won't get the same amount of foam as you would from a coffee shop machine.CLEANING:When you open the front, you remove the tray, the grounds box, and the filter box at the heart of it. The tray cover comes off and the red overflow indicator comes out. I rinse each piece under cold water, just using a brush to get the grounds off, and that's fine.DE-SCALING: I've done it each time the light has come on, which is 3 times in 4 years. The first and last times, I used the de-scaler that comes with the machine. The 2nd time, I used the descaling instructions but with ordinary distilled spirit vinegar diluted 2 parts vinegar, 1 part water instead, and that worked perfectly fine. I'll never buy their de-scaler, it's very strong but unnecessary. The only reason I used it last time was that I found some when I moved. If the light goes off after a vinegar wash, the vinegar has worked and the de-scaler is not needed.TIPS:1. I took the outer part off the steam adapter and never put it back on. It's annoying to clean, anyway. If I ever make a milky drink, I just use the inner spout that attaches to the nozzle. The higher the end of the nozzle in the milk, the more foam you'll get. 2. 99% of the time I don't have anything attached to the steam pipe, which means when making tea I can leave it to fill a cup on the tray instead of holding the cup under the nozzle off to the side of the machine. There is a little bit of splashing from the hot water drips when using the nozzle this way. 3. I rarely make milky drinks now, so I use the milk jug to catch the water from the cycle when the machine turns on and off, and pour it away every few days. This is much easier than taking out the drip tray, which is shallow and so easy to spill when it's full. 4. I've found that the best coffee comes from having the grinder set to 3, and both the size and strength knobs at 9 o'clock. These things all affect each other, but this is the closest to barista espresso I've found, without wasting too much coffee. You can always top it up with water from the nozzle (don't push the steam button, just turn the steam knob).I use this machine literally every day. If you're considering this machine, I buy do it!I hope you found this review useful, folks. I'd appreciate your follow @chrisjonescomic on Instagram and Twitter. Enjoy your coffee!!

23.4.2016

I was given this as a birthday present. I must admit, I had always wanted a bean to cup machine as previously I was using a gaggia baby dose with a manual bean grinder which while fun at first, became less fun as the years went on.It was very easy to set up but you do need to read the manual because there are some settings that you simply won't realise are there unless you do. For example, you can set the temperature of the coffee that comes out of the machine. I have seen some reviews from people complaining that its too hot or too cold, and my guess is that they haven't read it properly.The machine was very easy to put together. There were a few bits of packing tape to remove,and then it pretty much all slots together nicely.The art of using this machine is to find great beans that you love, and then to find the perfect adjustment of water volume and bean serving so you get the perfect coffee for you. But the tools are all here. If your coffee is too weak, or too strong, or too bitter - then all of these parameters can be changed by you, by either changing your choice of beans, or adjusting the water quality or quantity of beans used. I've had this for two months and I'm still working this out myself, but I know it's all me and not the machine, which is working flawlessly. The crema of the coffee produced is rich and viscous as well by the way. It makes great coffee.The coffee grounds are dispensed in little dry discs inside the machine. When the collecting tub is full, a warning light goes on and you can open up the front and retrieve these. Top Tip: coffee grounds can be used as fertilizer in your garden and they also apparently deter cats from using your garden as toilet. I have been recycling my coffee grounds on my various fruit trees and shrubs in my garden and while I can't give you scientific proof that it's helping them, they all seem to be doing really well. You can google this is you're not sure. The main thing is that the grounds are easy to dispose of, whether you garden with them or just put them in your bin.The water tank slots out from the right hand side. You simply fill this up with water - use filtered water if you want, a lot of coffee purists do. It then slots back in, very simple and easy to use.The steam wand is the only slightly unexpected aspect. There isn't a separate heater for the steam wand so when you want to use it, you activate it and it is ready in about 30 seconds. I use a metal milk jug because this makes it easier for me to be able to tell how hot the milk is becoming (as pouring cold milk into a hot espresso leaves you with a cold coffee). The steam wand works very well, and it doesn't take too long to work, but after you have finished using it, you then need to wait a few minutes before you can dispense more coffee as the machine needs time to cool down. Therefore, if you were making two cappuccinos, you need to make the coffees first, and then do the milk all together afterwards. Otherwise you will be making them 10 minutes apart.The machine has a self cleaning cycle which is linked to the start up and shut down. When you first turn it on, the lights will flash for a moment but then it looks like it turns itself off (it goes straight into standby mode). What you need to do is press the power button once (top left) and it goes through a quick flush through, dispensing a serving of hot water (which will bring with it any coffee left in the pipes from last use - so this is normally dirty looking). If you want to warm up your cup before making the coffee properly, put it under the dispenser before you start this cycle and then you can use this hot water to warm it for a few minutes before discarding it. This is usually worth doing as a hot espresso in a cold cup will go cold very quickly.Once the cleaning cycle is done, press the small button at the top for one (or two for two cups) and the coffee will be ground, and then dispensed according your settings for water quantity and coffee density (the two main dials on the left). If left unused for a while, the machine will eventually go into standby mode again, and will usually run through another rinse cycle. This may give you a fright if you are not expecting it as you may otherwise think that you have a coffee loving ghost in the room. Don't worry if you haven't left a cup there, as the drip tray will capture this, but remember to remove and empty the drip tray every now and then.So, in summary, I'm delighted with this coffee maker. I'm still experimenting with coffee beans to find my perfect cup of coffee - but that is part of the fun of owning this sort of machine. However, I know that when I find those beans, the great coffee will follow easily, and with minimal fuss and mess.I hope you have found this review to be helpful. If you have, I'd really appreciate it if you could click on the helpful button below. Thanks.

18.7.2013

I bought this as my first bean to cup machine. Prior to this I had another de Longhi but it took either pods or ground coffee, so I used a James Martin coffee grinder (excellent tool) to grind the coffee.Thinking I'd like that freshly ground coffee taste without the aggravation of having to pre-grind the coffee, I took the plunge and bought this machine.Initially I was very disappointed. The coffee was cold, didn't taste as nice as the previous machine, the crema wasn't as good and all in all it was a jolly confusing machine to use and clean.There is another reviewer here who says 'read the manual. No I mean it, really, read the manual' and this is the best advice you can get.Why is it important?Well the following things will greatly improve your coffee making if you read the manual:a) Pre-heat the cups. I just use boiling water from a kettle, or if the coffee machine is already on, switch to steamer, take the frother nozzle off and just pre-heat with hot water.b) Turn off the eco-setting. Yes for sure it burns the planet up a bit faster, but you didn't spend all this money to have lukewarm coffee did you?c) Learn that the 'udder' as I call it which dispenses the coffee, is actually moveable (up and down) and moving it as close to the cup as you can get it, gives a better crema. Therefore wider, shallower cups are better than mugs for good crema.d) Read, re-read, and re-read again what each of the warning lights mean and how to fix them. My main hate with this machine is that it thinks it is 'clever' by only allowing you to use it the way it wants you to. I understand this is to reduce the number of warranty claims through incorrect use, but seriously, having to go through a 15 minute de-scaling process because it has decided it is time to descale, when I want a really quick cup of coffee is really irritating. Surely they could have given you a 5-times override function where you can ignore it up to 5 times then you have to descale.e) The icons on the front of it are totally illogical to me. They may work for other people, but I defy anyone who hasn't read the manual to be able to determine that the coffee machine won't be able to dispense coffee because the waste-cake box is full or the drip tray is full from looking at the lights. I still get confused between 'not enough water, and not enough coffee' by looking at the icons. They must have been designed by the same person who put all the buttons on the steering wheel of a Ferrari. Great if you know what they all do, but totally counter-intuitive if you don't.f) The descaling process is unnecessarily complex and more annoyingly you have to stand and watch it, because if you are not there at key moments it abandons the process and stays in 'you need to descale mode, i'm sulking, you are not getting any coffee until you pay me some attention'.I've highlighted a lot of the 'cons' there. Here's a few more- the lovely silver finish it comes in is actually silver paint and will scratch quite easily, so be careful about bashing it around.- the waste-cake tray sensor seems to show up long before it is truly full although I tend to clean it out after each coffee session which probably isn't such a bad thing- The frothing spout when moved fully to the right to get your cup out, doesn't sit over the drip tray, so you end up with milk on the surface unless you have the 'handy milk frother cloth' nearby- It is not immediately obvious what the ECO button does, or how to switch it off.- you can't adjust the grind whilst it is switched on- one of the irritating 'I am not going to serve you coffee until you sort this out' errors can only be cleared by lifting the 'udder' (pourer) up and down again. Took me ages to find that one out.- the heating pad on the top of the coffee machine is pointless. It's pathetically lukewarm - probably some health & safety reason. It would have been better to make it an expresso cup holder with a guard around it.- it is quite noisy. I know, I know it has to grind the coffee, but the James Martin coffee grinder I used to use was practically silent. Not sure what is going on inside that grinder but it sounds like someone has thrown a few bones in with it.Overall its a bit like a quirky car, or a horse with attitude, once you've figured out it's foibles and peculiarities it does actually make good coffee, but it's not the most intuitive and I still believe that it occasionally sulks on purpose and puts up a random flashing sequence of lights to ensure that I read the manual (AGAIN).

5.8.2013

I'd been lusting over a bean-to-cup machine for a while, and received a small bonus payment for an extra bit of work, so decided to treat myself. It took me a while to decide which of the many similar-but-not-quite-the-same models on the market to go far: this one seemed to be the one that was most consistently well-reviewed, so I went for it.As others (and the instructions) say, it takes a few cups before the taste of the coffee settles even without fiddling with the controls. My first cup was too weak, the second way too strong. It didn't take more than a day or two to find a satisfying combination. We're currently trying out different beans to decide which we like best.The machine is very easy to set up.The hardest part is getting the water hardness indicator paper out of its protective sleeve. Once you've performed the test and adjusted the settings of the machine accordingly, filled it up with water and beans, you're ready to go. In use, the machine is just as straightforward: set your controls for water and coffee quantity, place a cup under the nozzle, press the button. After switching on it takes maybe a minute to be ready for brewing which is no big deal. When activating steam mode it takes maybe fifteen seconds to heat the water from coffee to steam temperature. (It does take a while to cool back down again, though, so you're best off leaving any steaming to the end of a coffee-making run).Routine maintenance is straightforward: the water tank is easy to remove and refill; the bin for coffee grounds is a bit harder to access, as you have to open the front of the machine by grabbing the funnel above the nozzles. This bin comes out with the drip tray, and the instructions state that if you remove the drip tray you should also always empty the bin: I think it assumes the bin always goes back into the machine empty - the indicator light prompting you to empty the bin comes on after a certain number of coffees. There are cleaning tasks that need to be performed about once a month or so. This is not a high-maintenance machine!I've been pleased with the quality of the coffee, as have visitors. For the stronger beans we used, we have found that putting both water and coffee dials at 12 o'clock delivers a good base for an Americano style coffee (i.e., one that is topped up with hot water to make a long drink). It's a bit too intense (and long) for an Espresso style, turning the water dial to about 9 o'clock and the coffee dial to about 10 o'clock delivers (for me) a more pleasurable drink. Of course, this will all depend on the type of bean you are using, so you do have to be prepared to fiddle with the settings (and remember the choices that work best for you for the type of bean you are using). I've found the steamer to generate a decent frothy milk more reliably than the one on my old, fully manual machine - and the coffee tastes better too.Why only four stars? There are one or two minor niggles. As others have said, the controls feel a little plasticky in use. Since there is a cleaning cycle that takes place when you turn the machine on and off, the tank empties faster than you would expect, so you do feel like you're refilling it quite often: also the bin fills up fairly quickly too. Having now seen how you need different settings for different types of drinks I can see the appeal of a programmable machine, but that's a whole lot of extra cost (and more things to go wrong).If, when this machine wears out, I'm still happy with the consistency and quality of the coffee that comes out of this machine I might then splash out on a heavy-duty, programmable machine. But as I wasn't sure if a bean-to-cup machine was going to be more than a novelty item, I decided to go for an entry-level machine this time round. I'm very happy so far, and hope it stays that way!UPDATE: One year on, and I'm still very happy with this machine. I recently "discovered" (in the sense that it was explained in the handbook) that after steaming milk, you can run hot water through the steamer which both cleans out the steamer jet and cools the tank back to coffee-making temperature in a matter of seconds, so if you're tired of waiting for the water to cool down after steaming some milk, this is the way to go (as long as you don't mind using a bit more water). My only gripe is that parts of the inside of the machine can be a bit tricky to clean - some sort of a brush (and in my case, a torch) is needed.

26.4.2018

I bought the De'Longhi Magnifica 4200s as a present to myself. I enjoy a good cup of coffee but don't like instant coffee and was finding the filtered coffee, using a filter coffee machine or a cafetiere a chore, either I was making too much, or it was feeling like too much hassle just for one cup. For those reasons I tended to drink more tea.Having made the purchase my first concern was that the coffee it produced would be so-so. It took me a few brews for the machine to settle down, and for me to find the right quantity, strength and heat but once I had it fine tuned it produces expresso that is as good, if not better than any I have had in a coffee shop.Providing there is sufficient water in the tank,beans in the hopper, the coffee grounds container is not full then it works like a dream, less than two minutes for the first cup, about thirty seconds thereafter providing it is still in standby mode. There are times when it takes longer as the water tank needs filling and the grounds container needs emptying etc, but they are all very easy tasks to do.It makes a little noise, but it is not unpleasant and to a certain extent the noise it makes adds to the whole drama, as the machine buzzes and whirls, clunks and clicks as the water pump is primed, the beans ground, the coffee poured and the coffee grounds extracted.Switching between espresso and cappuccino is easy. In my case one dial is adjusted for less coffee, and another dial adjusted for a stronger brew, then once the coffee is poured, the steam tap turned on and the milk frothed. The steam tap works perfectly, and can be considered part of the ritual; sure there are other machines that froth the milk automatically but it feels more satisfying using the steam attachment. The spout is as easy to clean as it is to use. The dial is a little stiff, some may find it too stiff, but for the majority, it should not represent a problem. You will end up with milk dripping onto the work surface, nothing a quick wipe with a cloth wouldn't clean, but a little plastic drip mat might have been a good addition.It's made of plastic, but that does not detract from its overall quality, and it very much looks the part. It is my view that the internal plastic however is barely fit for purpose, the minimum they could get away with, but providing you are not too robust when cleaning it should be fine.Cleaning is fairly straight forward and far easier than cleaning out a cafetiere. The extracted ground bean residue are compacted discs and easily emptied out rather than washed out.It does a self-clean cycle when you turn it on, and when you turn it off, or it turns itself off after the present period.The next model up has an LED display, rather than just relying on lights, but the lights are just as effective, it is probably nice but you don't really don't need to be told that the coffee beans are being grinded, the coffee being poured and it is has finished.So are there any cons? Hmm not really, the water tank could be a little bigger, it needs refilling quite a bit mainly because when you turn it on and off the cleaning cycle is going to use a cup of water. I place a cup under the spout when not in use and that saves emptying the drip tray, I imagine if you let the cleaning cycle water collect in the drip tray then emptying that could become a chore. In that respect the ground coffee container could be a little bigger as well, or the ground coffee disks when extracted better stacked, it probably needs emptying out after the eighth or ninth cup, and that for me is every third day.I haven't had to clean the infuser yet but it looks straight forward.To date I have been buying the supermarkets' finest coffee beans, and that has been a vast improvement over their finest ground coffee, but I feel that now I ought to invest in roast-to-order coffee beans to do the machine justice.The machine comes with a two year warranty, if I use it everyday for the next four years I will be more than pleased if it lasts, there is no suggestion that it won't, and for many years longer.It's not a cheap machine, although there is a bean-to-cup model to match any wallet. Money no object, for superficial reasons I would probably go for slightly bigger, all metal, and LED model, but I would not expect the the extra cost to improve the taste of the coffee, nor for than matter be much less of a hassle.

30.12.2017

I wanted a way of making really good tasting coffee without the effort of measuring and tamping ground coffee, emptying grounds out, watching temperatures etc. I'm also not content with filling the world with all those expensive plastic pods from capsule machines.OK, it's not a 'cheap' machine, but having seen a few YouTube videos on it, I decided to take the plunge. Plenty of reviews give it good ratings compared to machines costing substantially more.It's a heavy object, a lot more substantial than your average counter top pump espresso machine. It needs to be located near a plug socket, as it has a short, fixed cable. Ideally, you need space above it to pour in beans, as it's a squeeze under a kitchen cupboard.It's not a major problem sliding it out for the weekly refill. The ample water tank is front loading, so easy enough to get at.The first task on setting it up is to test your water hardness with the supplied testing strip. Apart from that, plug it in THEN READ THE INSTRUCTIONS! Don't mess with the grinder setting, the default setting is perfect. The eco mode might need adjusting, the shortest time shuts the machine down just when I fancy a second cup. Most people seem to want to move the brew temperature to maximum. By default it makes coffee with maximum flavour.,that means not using boiling water. If you are used to a caffetiere this will seem unfamiliar territory. Simply read the instructions, and raise it to maximum.In single cup mode, it won't fill your giant Sports Direct mug, but that's not the target market. The dispenser can be raised and lowered to produce a perfect crema, unlike other pump espresso machines that seem more suited to dormouse sized cups. I find the IKEA 365 white cups and espresso cups work well. I think the tapered ones work best, as at maximum size dispense it's just right. You can of course use a large mug, and dispense two cups.Small portion espressos taste lovely and smooth without a hint of excessive bitterness, and aromatic.There's no mess with this machine, open the top door, fill with beans (it takes a whole 200g bag in one go), fill the water tank, and slide it in, press the power button, wait for it to warm up, and perform a quick preheat and rinse cycle (keep a mug there whenever it's not actually brewing), wait for the two green 1 or two cup lights to illuminate, which takes around 80 seconds, and you are good to go. Once you are used to it,your morning routine is power on, cup under the dispenser, allow the rinse water to heat your cup, pour it away, replace the cup, press the one or two cup light, and wait a few seconds: done. Basically less time than boiling a kettle.There's no mess rinsing coffee holders out and drying them. Everything is done almost magically inside the machine's brew unit. The water coffee is ejected into pellets that resemble a cross between an ice hockey puck and sliced black pudding that drop into an internal bin- it tells you when it needs emptying, which isn't that often. You can compost these pellets in the garden, or burn them on the fire if you are that eco friendly.The steamer is a pull out affair that easily dismantles for cleaning. If the steam nozzle blocks, it's easily cleaned with a pin. Probably easiest to clean with a blast of steam when finished. The steam generator takes a while to heat up, but does an adequate job.OK,so why the four stars, not five? Well it can be noisy, but probably no worse than other pump machines, don't forget, there's a bean grinder in there, which other machines don't have. The inability to make a scalding hot coffee might be a downside for some people. The cup warmer doesn't seem to do much, but might work better In a scenario where it stays on longer than making one morning cuppa.Overall, it's a brilliant machine that tidily, and quickly makes tasty coffee without fuss, at the touch of a button. For that alone, it's worth the money.Register it with the DeLonghi site, and you get a free gift. In my case it was three bags of Union Roast coffee, and a pack of descaler.Not one to be ungrateful for the roasted coffee, but after a few months, I've come to the conclusion that Aldi's own brand roast is the best diet for it, good value for money too...

6.4.2016

I had purchased a previous version of this machine some 10 years ago, and it lasted a good 5 years. This seems to be the same design, with minor updates, so they've really had a chance to get things right on details. I like the fact that it still has analogue controls (or that it has controls at all!) for amount of water and beans dispensed rather than the irritating tendency of the current crop of digital machines to give you fixed "programs" and LCD panels with silly animations and unnecessary "information."Comments on Use:1. You do want to read the manual carefully as there are some not-so-obvious things you may want to do. For example, you can change the default temperature of brew (I highly recommend that you increase it).Also, the hardness level of the water you use is set by default to maximum hardness, which means that the "Descale Machine" light is going to come on sooner and unnecessarily so if, as in my case, you live in a city with soft water, and you will need to read the manual to change this (mine was minimum).2. I don't get their cappuccino accessory which is a cover over the steam wand that creates a wide orifice for the steam instead of a fine nozzle. Just as I did 10 years ago, I removed this plastic cover (easily done) and I get much better results with the narrow steam wand. The foam is far creamier and long-lasting without this accessory, that just creates fat bubbles as far as I'm concerned.3. The auto cleaning cycle when the machine turns off is nice (though note that if you turn it off just after you've steamed, it won't activate--you have to wait for the green lights to be steady again before turning off).4. The auto prewarm cycle is nice too--it discharges quite a lot of water, so make sure you have a cup underneath (will prewarm the cup!) otherwise the spill tray will fill up rather quickly.5. If you don't use the machine frequently (a few times a day), you DO want to empty the grounds bin more frequently than when the machine says that it's full, since the damp grounds will grow fungus on them, which is not a big deal--it's not like it spreads through the machine--but better to avoid it.6. When steaming milk, you need to let a stream of collected hot water escape first by opening the valve partway, otherwise you'll dilute the milk somewhat. (I do it onto a paper towel or clean rag that I later use to wipe the milk residue off the nozzle.)Pros:1. Very good coffee--beans to cup is a great concept.2. Proven time-tested design, and reliable machine, especially considering all the moving parts it has with high water pressure and temperatures inside.3. Good level of user control over everything (quantity of water, quantity of beans, limited control over temperature of water, large range of possible cup/mug heights).4. Subtle improvements over previous design (larger capacity drip tray and water tank, longer pre-warm cycle, temperature adjustment, better steam knob design less likely to break, etc.), all of which I felt were needed--demonstrates a "constant improvement" philosophy.5. Surprisingly and pleasantly quick to get ready to make first cup, also to go from brewing to ready-for-steaming.Cons (all minor for me, or reasonable compromises);1. So-called cup warming tray on top is useless, it barely gets lukewarm.2. I need to set the grinder so close to the minimum grind that I wonder if over time it will stop grinding as finely as I like.3. Steam pressure/temperature not as high as I would like (but acceptable--I've been spoilt with boiler-type machines).4. Machine is on the large side, though hard to see where they could have made it smaller without affecting functionality.Summary: I wouldn't hesitate in recommending it to a true espresso and cappuccino lover.

25.8.2016

I received my first De'Longhi Magnifica Bean to Cup as a Christmas present in 2015. I had done quite a bit of research into the various brands and models and I chose this based on almost universally positive reviews that cited above all its reliability and the quality of the coffee that it produced. This machine was such a success that I bought a second one as a gift for my coffeeholic father a couple of months later and I think that both machines have been used several times a day, every since day since. They have become completely indispensable.The machine is very easy to use. First, you fill the hopper on the top with fresh beans, this hopper contains enough beans for roughly a dozen cups of coffee.Then you fill the removable water tank, this seems to hold about two litres of water for your beverages.There are two knobs on the front to adjust the strength (amount of beans to grind) and the dilution (volume) of the final beverage. I usually set these at 50% strength and 1/3 dilution for beautiful espressos using Illy's Ethiopian Monoarabica beans.Finally, there are three buttons at the top of the machine. These are for a single shot, double shot and to prepare steam for the milk frothing head.You simply press one of the first two buttons to make your coffee and then if you want to turn your espresso into a latte, cappuccino or espresso macchiato, simply press the steam button, pour some milk into a jug, hold it under the steam head, open the dispenser knob until the milk reaches temperature and then add it to your coffee. It is really very easy to use.Pros- Very easy to use.- Versatile, this can make a very wide range of drinks including frothy hot chocolate and chai lattes.- The coffee is truly excellent and easily on a par with (or even better than) the drinks that you get from the best high street coffee shops.- Doesn't tie you into the beans from any specific vendor so you can experiment.- Excellent value for money for anyone who enjoys good coffee at home.- Can dispense two single espressos at a time.- Cleaning is quite straightforward and doesn't require much effort.Cons- Definitely scaled for a domestic situation. The hopper for the beans, the water tank and the bucket for grinds all get emptied and refilled for every 6-10 cups served. It would make a huge difference if they were all 50% larger.- The descaling process is quite tedious. I need to descale the machine for 30 minutes roughly every four weeks but sometimes I have to do this twice because the process fails to complete the final step.- Sometimes the machine takes longer than usual to heat the water and (very rarely) the machine refuses to dispense at all. This appears to be related to the descaling problem and the machine works perfectly again as soon as the descaling program has successfully completed.Final ThoughtsI cannot recommend this machine enough, if you enjoy good coffee, you will never look back after having one of these in your house.My advice would be to buy this with a steel milk jug and frothing thermometer (I use the Andrew James one) and a stack of the Descaling pods (assume that you will use one a month). Most importantly of all, you should definitely buy a selection of different types of beans before settling on one kind. I have tried a wide range of the Illy beans, Caffe Nero beans and Whittards beans. After trying all of these, I feel that Illy's range is the best on the market but you should definitely experiment for yourself.

15.7.2016

I have to say, I had my doubts initially. The only previous semi-serious machine I had was a DeLonghi Icona machine, that I loved and that lasted me the best part of 5 years. When it died, I decided to make the step up to bean to cup machine. As anyone else who has spent any time trying to figure out which one to go for will know, the options are endless. I decided to go for an entry-level / middle of the range machine. Having seen a number of different machines within this price range, I made the plunge.First off, the machine is pretty noisy. I'm not sure it's disturbingly noisy, but certainly it is loud. Personally it only bothered me initially, I'm now used to the noise and I find it normal.Also, making a coffee is really very quick. So while it might be noisy, it only last all in all about a minute max (from turning on, making the coffee, and then turning off).Setting up the machine is a breeze. Personally, I bought some cheap supermarket beans to begin with, as I heard that you needed to make quite a few coffees in order to calibrate it according to your tastes. That part is easy, and fun, and pretty soon the coffee will come out exactly as you like it. The most important tweak is probably the way the beans are ground. I find this made the biggest difference to the way the coffee came out, and it takes some time to get it right because the first one or two coffees after you've made the change aren't perfect.You're also able to specify how long you want the coffee, and how much coffee you actually want ground. Again, this will depend on your tastes. Though I find that if you like strong, Italian-style coffee, you'll want the coffee amount pretty much turned to the max.What's also really easy is making coffee with normal pre-ground coffee. My girlfriend drinks decaff and actually making a coffee that way is also quick and simple, and requires very little faffing.In fact I would say that's one of the things I like the most about this machine - it's practical, if a little bulky. Changing the water is quick, and easy. Changing the drip tray (which you will have to do fairly often) is simple, and when you do, you'll be able to empty the minibucket that collects the old coffee. It can all be done in a matter of seconds.What else? The coffee frother is a little disappointing. It works, don't get me wrong, but I find that you don't have the same amount of control over how much steam is expelled. It seems that you either have it full on, or no steam comes out. But it's likely that I still need some practice. The Icona machine had a very sensitive knob which worked well when you were steaming milk but didn't want the volume to be exaggerated. It also means you need to expel some hot water if you want to immediately make a coffee, as the machine will be too hot otherwise. This can be a bit messy. But I haven't docked a start for any of this because I'm being picky.Finally, for those of you who are energy conscious, I've noticed that bizarrely it seems to consume less electricity than my previous Icona machine or even the kettle. So thumbs up.Overall, I would really recommend this machine to anyone who is picky about their coffee, but doesn't want to spend crazy money. It comes with a two year warranty, which I think is a real plus, and frankly every coffee I've made has come out exactly as I wanted it.

16.8.2019

Since my Nespresso machine died, I wanted to move away from the disposable pods and get a bean to cup machine. Didn’t want to spend a crazy amount so went for this. It handles beans as well as pre-ground coffee so seemed like an ideal starter machine.Follow the instructions to setup the water hardness and grind and the rest is pretty straightforward. Takes a few attempts to dial in the settings to the way you like it but only needs to be done once assuming you use the same bean all the time and no one plays with the settings. A front loading water tank also means you can put it directly next to a fridge or cabinet without worrying about access issues,which is good for me as my kitchen is rather small and the flexibility on where it can go is useful. Especially since these machines are naturally much larger than any pod machine.It has a cup warmer hot-plate on top that I’ve never used and takes roughly a minute to warm up before ready to make the first coffee. I turn it on when I wake up, get dressed, and it’s ready to go. The machine is quite loud with the grinding and popping of the infuser but that’s to be expected. Closing just the kitchen door is enough to avoid waking my girlfriend in the mornings.Can make one cup or two cups simultaneously with an even amount of coffee coming out of each nozzle, which not every bean to cup machine manages to do. It does not completely fill one mug however, if you push the button again within 3 seconds of it finishing the initial pour, it will dispense more water without grinding more coffee until you release the button or you can top up with hot water from the steam lance. I just boil the kettle though as it’s faster and requires less attention.It has multiple warning lights telling you when it’s out of water, requires cleaning, or when the used coffee needs emptied. Cleaning is simple as putting a sachet in the water tank and pressing a button. I live in a soft water area so haven’t had the cleaning light come on yet but I’ve tried it without the sachet just to test it out. Takes a while but doesn’t require any interaction once started.The steam lance is another of those features that I don’t really use. Tried it once and it works well but a little annoying to clean. You can also get hot water for tea out the steam lance but it’s a slow stream so boiling the kettle would again be faster.I only found two complaints after nearly a month of daily use, with only one that bothers me. First is the water tank is a little small so needs refilled weekly. This is made worse by the fact that when you turn it on, a little hot water comes out the nozzle and another squirt when you turn it off. Presumably to warm the nozzles and clean them afterwards. While this has a functional purpose, it means the tank empties a little quicker and the drip tray fills faster unless you keep a cup under it when turning on or off, which is easily done. As it serves a purpose and results in the water being always relatively fresh as you need to fill it weekly, I can live with that.The second is that for a decent strength cup of coffee, I find it quite high on coffee consumption. One bag lasted me around 40 cups, which is higher than I expected. I’m going to play with the settings a little more and keep count of how many cups I get out the next bag to figure it out.

4.1.2010

Ultra-long term reviewOur machine has been with us for years now and still, daily, produces two or more cups of lovely coffee. I have always wished the coffee it makes were a little hotter, so I warm up in a microwave a quarter of a mug of milk first (to near boiling point), then use this to make an Americano. I was considering docking a star for this but, on reflection, the coffee is so tasty that I felt that would be unfair to De'Longhi. With strong espresso beans the result is wonderful. We're currently using Starbucks Espresso beans which were on a good offer from Amazon. They produce a good, smooth, strong cup. Similar coffee beans are made by Taylors, Sainsbury's,M&S and Lavazzo - all good.Long-term Review 2:My original review and revision are below, but as I was writing another Amazon review, and having just made a cup of wonderful coffee, I thought I would add another revision to the review as the machine is now about four years old. We use Lavazza Espresso coffee beans in it now, pretty much exclusively, since Amazon started selling these at a bargain price. These beans make a smooth strong cup using the DeLonghi - simply wonderful, and now such good value. Our machine continues to be used several times daily and is still fault free. It's clearly a very well designed piece of kit and if you enjoy coffee, the new lower price makes it well worthwhile. If it were to break tomorrow, we most definitely would get the same machine again.Long-term Review 2:I thought I would update my now rather old review as I've just spoken by phone to DeLonghi (part of Kenwood group now it seems). Our machine has been taking a little longer than usual for the two green ready lights to become stable, so I thought I would phone and enquire if it needed servicing. Well, the experience of phoning DeLonghi was an utter delight. The lady there told me to run the frother attachment for a while, and lo and behold it's fixed and, after three years of near daily use, seems to be back to being as good as new. Even better, she told me that DeLonghi charge just £50.00 to collect and repair the item, plus the cost of any parts - but that they always quote first, and if the repair is expensive offer you a new machine at a reduced price. This is what I call the very best service. Well done DeLonghi Kenwood!My original review:So much has been said already about how very good this device is that little can be added of worth. But...We have been more than thrilled with it. It's our first "bean-to-cup" machine. We soldiered on with a manual Gaggia for several years until the sheer hassle of it all got the better of us. This machine is simplicity itself and utterly simple to maintain and clean.It is ready with a perfect "Costa/Starbucks" style cup of coffee (espresso, Latte, cappuccino, cup, mug, etc.) within minutes and as many cups as are desired can be made with no delay between. It's not noisy and the cappuccino function works well.It is expensive but you do seem to get an awful lot for your money - and the result is a very, very nice cup of coffee.If it has a weakness, it's a very small one. The coffee is not as hot as I like myself (but everyone else in the family disagree with me!). For my cups, therefore, I heat up my milk directly in the cup in the microwave before use - then perfection!

19.3.2017

I've been a Nespresso user for years and raved like a loon about it, albeit with the warning that the price of the capsules would bankrupt anyone on a modest income. Sadly, my modest income became a paltry one some 2 years ago, so my beloved machine has only been fired up as a treat every now and again, with a trusty cafetiere or, dare I say it; a jar of defent quality instant!, taking up the helm ever since.Now...I'm pretty skint, but for some unbeknown reason, my senses left me when I spotted an ad for this at £209. £209 to me is, right now, a LOT of money, but somehow I ended up pressing "Buy" without so much as a second thought and boy am I glad I did!What other reviews fail to mention is the ease with which this machine works; you load the water,load the beans and then all it takes is the placement of a cup and the touch of a button to furnish you with a quality cup of coffee. There's no bashing coffee grinds out, messing about swapping capsules, painstakingly watching the machine as it drips each drop of beautiful coffee into your cup. No, you press that button, forget about it for a few seconds, then find a pure cup of heaven perfectly prepared for you. Just fantastic!!In terms of maintenance, if you ensure you pop an empty mug under the spout for fire up and shut down to catch the cleaning water, then all that needs doing is the topping up of water and beans as required, and occasional emptying of the used grinds box. The machine does spurt out a lot of water when cleaning itself, so having that mug underneath the spout removes the phaff of emptying the drip tray. Other than that, all you need to do is give it a thorough clean once a week (mop out stray grinds, wipe over the body and wash the drip tray out) and that's it! Fabulous!My only gripe is that getting the strength right is a bit fiddly. I'm yet to get the settings quite right for a "long" and "strong" cup, despite setting the machine to a "small" cup, of high strength, and then hitting the 2 cup button. However, if I just hit the 1 cup button, it comes out the right strength, but obviously not in the right quantity, which seems to prove that the 2 cup setting is a bit of a farce as it clearly doesn't provide twice the amount but at the same strength. I might need to phaff with the grind settings, who knows, but anyway, it's a very minor niggle and hitting the 1 cup button twice is hardly that distressing now that I do know how to get the right strength, albeit in half the quantity I require!Build quality is at first a tad eyebrow raising. The machine is VERY plasticky to the touch, but that being said, isn't cheap to look at. The reviews speak for themselves in terms of durability, so that's enough about that. However, at the full price of £460 odd, I'd expect a metal body and wpuld be mightily peeved at the plastic, but at £209 the plastic is expected and perfectly acceptable.I've currently got Morrisons's bog standard Italian beans in there and the coffee is spot on. To say I'm excited to get some "decent" beans on there is an understatement! In other words, "can turn mediocre beans into something rather special".Summary:If you like coffee and have ever even mildly contemplated yourself as perhaps being a bit of a coffee snob, seriously...just buy it!

9.4.2012

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.

29.12.2012

The plus side:* Setting up is straightforward.* It makes a truly magnificent cup of black coffee at the press of a button to your desired strength.* It makes a terrific capucino too (particularly if the milk is warmed up for 30 secs in the microwave before unleashing steam on it!).* On power up it flushes hot water through the nozzles and coffee hearth - very good to eliminate overnight germ build-up.* Whilst I've not done a full dissection, what I have taken apart is made of good quality components and fits together nicely. My belief from this is that it should be very durable.* Descaling is a prescribed and for the most part automated process.The minus side:* Your coffee consumption andattendant visits to the small room will increase for the above reasons.* It's quite an outlay.* Descaler is quite pricey, but can be bought in bulk.* The compressor makes quite a din for the five ish seconds it wets the compressed pod of coffee and fifteen-ish seconds it is driving the water through the grind - no secret coffee drinking with this one!* The monthly cleaning ritual is a tad time consuming (but straightforward).* The bucket with the discarded coffee pats has some awkward corners to clean (and you have to do so every few days or mould will grow).* The time-out function is good - saves it burning electricity overnight and flushes out the nozzles. However, this is also a noisy experience. We're used to it now but it is a bit of an unexpected tatoo while the rest of the house is quiet!The constructive feedback - a little room for improvement:* The less commonly used functions such as setting water hardness, descaling, changing water temperature etc rely on dual (and unlabelled) functionality of switches and flashing lights. Whilst this is all documented in the manual, the cost of a small display these days is peanuts, and all the computing power is already there. Not to have included a 2" square display for such functionality is spoiling the ship.* Descaling and other cleaning operations require a reasonable capacity utensil for discherged hot water, but one that isn't too tall. I use a stainless steel saucepan. Ideally the discharge nozzle for this purpose would have a further degree of freedom to swivel at an anlge and allow a jug an inch or two taller to be used.* Given the substantial size of this piece of kitchen furniture, I would have expected all the compartments for in and out to be about 30 - 50% bigger - for the beans, twice as big for the water, rubbish bin and drip tray. This I believe could have been achieved with minimal additional footprint, and saved (in my case) two trips to the tap and at least one to the rubbish bin daily, and allowed a full 8oz bag of beans to be decanted to save faffing around with clothes pegs (of course for those who do not have such a vivacious consumption they don;t have to fill it up...).Overall would I recommend it?* Yes. The above comments are quite nitpicky really. In fact have two now, one at home and one at work - but if you install it in a room any appreciable distance from a tap, do invest in a large water filter jug!For those teetereing on the edge... go for it you won't regret it.Roger

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