Great espresso, incredible price!, April 23, 2007
I love espresso, and this little baby makes a great cup. Here are a few points that might be useful for you to know:
Good points:
*It doesn't take up too much room on the counter and looks nice with it's silver metal accents.
*The water reservoir is a good size, you can make about 8-10 shots before you need to refill...read full review
I love espresso, and this little baby makes a great cup. Here are a few points that might be useful for you to know:
Good points:
*It doesn't take up too much room on the counter and looks nice with it's silver metal accents.
*The water reservoir is a good size, you can make about 8-10 shots before you need to refill it, which is very easy to do, and there is a clear section behind the basket which shows the water level.
*Fast heat-up time (only about a minute), good frothing wand, no wait time between frothing and brewing (though you do have to wait a little between brewing and frothing).
Be warned:
*Frothing wand is only 3 1/4 inches from the counter top. Not a big deal, I just went and bought a frothing cup that is about that height.
*Distance from grounds basket to tray is only 2 1/2 inches, I usually use a small espresso cup.
*Built-in tamper sucks, buy a good metal one.
*You don't end up with a nice dry puck, the grounds basket is a watery soup after your espresso is made, so I dump it down the disposal.
*You will end up drinking more espresso than you mean to, it's that good!
Seriously, I chose this machine after a lot of online researching, and decided on this one based on its outstanding reviews and great price. What led me to it were the reviews of another DeLonghi, the EC140B, which is an older and less attractive model, but had reviews from people who had owned theirs for 6 and 10 years! I'm hoping that this one will have the same longevity.
-----> UPDATE: I've now had this machine for 8 months and it started running very slow. I'd been using only distilled water, so I knew it wasn't a calcification issue, so I looked into it and it turns out machines like this one (no backflushing) need to be cleaned every month or so to remove built up grounds that work their way inside the machine. So I ran some cleaner through it and all this nasty brownish liquid came out, and now it runs great again! So remember people, take good care of your things and they will take good care of you. A lesson I am still learning...
- and to answer a question commented on this review, my tamper is 2 inches in diameter. minimize
Awesome pump driven machine for the $$, March 24, 2007
I was always skeptical of expensive espresso machines and wondered why anyone would pay hundreds of dollars for an expensive machine. It turns out that the more expensive and quality machines are "pump-driven" rather than the typical "steam driven" found at your local Wally World and such. A pump driven machine will hit pressures 4-5 times...read full review
I was always skeptical of expensive espresso machines and wondered why anyone would pay hundreds of dollars for an expensive machine. It turns out that the more expensive and quality machines are "pump-driven" rather than the typical "steam driven" found at your local Wally World and such. A pump driven machine will hit pressures 4-5 times greater than that of a steam driven machine and gets much better extraction from the espresso grinds (better flavor) and are the only machines capable of generating the "chrema" foam at the top of the espresso.
The DelLonghi EC155 is an excellent budget machine found for under $100 that is pump driven. I was happy with my old steam driven Delonghi, but once I received this I realized that I didn't even know what I was missing. This espresso is as good or better than anything you'll get in a nice Italian restaurant or at your local Charbucks. The chrema that this thing produced is flat out great (you'll get a nice 1/4 layer of tasty emulsified foam). The convenience of pulling a single shot is great too, and you really only need the machine to warm up a few minutes before you pull a shot.
The best feature about this machine in my humble opinion is that it is E.S.E certified (easy serve espresso). This means that you can pick up the ESE certified pods from Charbucks or a good online pod retailer and not have to go to the trouble of grinding and tamping. This is a HUGE feature that even some more expensive machines do not have and is what eventually sold me on this unit. Having grown accustomed to the convenience of pod coffee, it was only natural to look for the same thing in my espresso machine. Do note that coffee (senseo style) pods will not work in here as those are much larger than the ESE certified pod. Try a nice blend from Baronet or another find espresso brand and you won't be sorry.
I highly recommend this machine. In short, it has fantastic features for the money, makes awesome espresso chrema, and it ESE certified for pod use. You will definitely not do any better than this machine for under $100. minimize
Reluctantly sending it back, July 12, 2007
I really wanted to like this machine, I thought DeLonghi had given us an affordable pump-drive cappuccino maker. And it just isn't quite.
(n.b. I'm trying to get customer images up. If the technical difficulty goes away please refer to my customer images for visual reference.)
Things to like:
1. Pump drive! So much...read full review
I really wanted to like this machine, I thought DeLonghi had given us an affordable pump-drive cappuccino maker. And it just isn't quite.
(n.b. I'm trying to get customer images up. If the technical difficulty goes away please refer to my customer images for visual reference.)
Things to like:
1. Pump drive! So much better than steam pressure machines. It works pretty well too.
2. The espresso comes out very good (though in small amounts, see below). All 3 proper layers are discernable, crema is especially satisfactory.
3. The removable tank is very handy. And large.
4. Price is right, I don't think there's a more affordable machine with such quality performance "guts".
These pluses are solid reasons to own this machine.
Why I am returning it:
1. The holder for espresso grounds is WAY too small. There are two of them and the bigger one is less than half the size of any standard equipment. Unless you only ever plan to pull 2oz at a time the espresso will come out weak. I usually pull 2-3 shots minimum and can't be bothered to pull, empty, and tamp for every 2 oz I want.
2. The frother is so low to the counter that even a small frothing pitcher won't fit under it. Boo.
3. The wand is so shallow that I cannot properly froth any decent amount of milk since the wand only goes down into the very top of the milk. Also boo. I can't make milk stretch with this gizmo and it's one of the reasons I picked this machine.
4. The only thing that fits under the espresso spout is a shot glass or espresso cup. 2 inches of clearance offers no flexibility for pulling into a mug or small pitcher. I could have lived with this if 1-3 were not already problems.
All of these issues, which I consider design flaws, could easily be corrected in a product redesign. The internal works are fine. A taller machine with a longer wand would fix all my problems. As is it takes too long to get coffee I don't want and there's always a clean-up mess.
I started with a super-cheap steam drive machine and upgraded to this one expecting an affordable way to take my coffee production to the next level. This machine should be great and instead it's just frustrating.
If you're only looking for a small shot in some modest foam and don't mind some hassle this is a fine machine. I regrettably will be looking for something else. minimize
Process of elimination, January 2, 2008
First, a couple of disclaimers:
1. This is the first pump-driven espresso machine that we have owned.
2. We generally drink cafe Americano, which is an espresso with a little added hot water (or cold water with an iced Americano). We make an occasional cappuccino and have thus used the steam wand, but not extensively.
...read full review
First, a couple of disclaimers:
1. This is the first pump-driven espresso machine that we have owned.
2. We generally drink cafe Americano, which is an espresso with a little added hot water (or cold water with an iced Americano). We make an occasional cappuccino and have thus used the steam wand, but not extensively.
After doing a cost/benefit analysis in regards to our current cafe Americano habit (~10 per week), we realized that there would be some justification to buying a home unit. We first considered the Breville ESP8XL Cafe Roma Stainless Espresso Maker, but reviewers consistently lamented the unit's tendency to clog the filter, necessitating time-consuming cleaning. Also, not being completely sure that we would actually use the espresso maker, we balked at the $250 price tag.
We also considered moving up to one of the superautomatico machines that grind, tamp, brew and dispose of the grinds, but we worried about the reliability of technology that had only recently hit the consumer-grade appliances. After reading zillions of reviews, we realized that every mid-priced machine had some glaring flaw and, in the end, we decided to buy an inexpensive pump-driven unit and wait for the technology to catch up before investing a huge chunk of change in an espresso machine. Moving our investigation to low-end espresso makers, we were impressed by the reviews of the DeLonghi EC155 and purchased it from Amazon.
I put off writing a review in order to make sure that the DeLonghi was going to last until we had at least broken even on it. We received it in mid-July and since then it has produced about 200 double shots flawlessly. By my reckoning, that's about $400 worth of Americanos at the local cafe. Even considering the price of the coffee, we have more than broken even. So, here's our pros and cons:
PROs
- Price--we paid $91.28.
- Crema Production--this unit consistently produces a thick layer of delicious crema.
- Powerful Stream Wand--Easily froths milk.
- Mechanicals--After six months of nearly daily use this mighty-mite works as well as it did the day it arrived.
- Easy Cleanup--Filter cleans easily.
CONs
- Ergonomics--As other reviewers have noted, there could be a little more room between the area where the cup sits and the output nozzle. Also the steam wand could be longer.
- Features--No cup warmer. Not a big deal to us, especially considering the price of the EC155, but it will put off some buyers.
SOME THINGS WE HAVE LEARNED
- Using a coffee especially made for espresso, such as Lavazza, produces a much better espresso. Lavazza has the added benefit of allowing you to go for hours without blinking.
- Preheating the unit for 15 minutes and warming the cups in the microwave improves the results and experience.
minimize
Great product for the price, September 22, 2007
This product will meet your needs if you are looking for a basic machine that delivers good espresso at a decent cost. After trying it with the 15-30 minute recommended warm-up (turned it on to pre-heat and hit the treadmill) and the quick warm-up (about 5 minutes running two cycles of hot water), the end result is the same either way. I've...read full review
This product will meet your needs if you are looking for a basic machine that delivers good espresso at a decent cost. After trying it with the 15-30 minute recommended warm-up (turned it on to pre-heat and hit the treadmill) and the quick warm-up (about 5 minutes running two cycles of hot water), the end result is the same either way. I've tried the single and double shot filters packing my own coffee, and the single filter using a pod. I will say that I much prefer the pods for the convenience and because I'm not good at tamping-- plus, you don't have the hassle of dumping wet grinds out of the filter. Either way, the ultimate taste experience is going to depend on the quality and type of coffee bean (or pod) that you use, and your ability to successfully steam the milk without scalding it.
I understand the complaints people have about the awkwardly positioned steam wand, but I purchased a 12oz pitcher and a thermometer, and have been able to manuver it under the steaming wand without much trouble. I recommend releasing the steam for a couple of seconds before putting the milk under the wand-- that will eliminate any water buildup from the wand going into your milk. If you're new to steaming milk like I was, I recommend reading an article or two on the proper steaming technique-- it makes all the difference. I brew into a marked 1 oz glass, so the small clearance space between the drip grate and the filter basket isn't a problem for me, but it is something to be aware of. minimize
(228 total reviews)