De'Longhi Magnifica S, Automatic Bean to Cup Coffee Machine, Espresso and Cappuccino Maker, ECAM22.110.B, Black [Amazon Exclusive]
De'Longhi Magnifica S, Automatic Bean to Cup Coffee Machine, Espresso and Cappuccino Maker, ECAM22.110.B, 1.8 liters,Black [Amazon Exclusive]
Freshly ground coffee from beans of your choiceIntegrated grinding technology with adjustable grinding levels according to taste and coffee type. Conical steel grinders calibrated with 100% accuracy per ultimate precision grinding.
” data-position=”triggerHorizontal” />Your coffee in one touchChoose your coffee beans and let the machine prepare your favourite drinks automatically: just press the beverage button and enjoy top quality, freshly ground, coffee as you like it
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Excellent quality in cup
Each one of our grinders is tested and calibrated to ensure precision for a perfect Espresso brewing
Ideal coffee extraction
It hosts single and double cups grinding quantity. Tamping is automatic for a consistent result.
Your perfect milk froth
Be your own barista by manually preparing your desired milk drinks thanks to the manual milk frother
Your favourite beverages
2 1-touch recipes: Espresso, 2x espresso many more manual milk drinks
Ease of use
Preparing any beverage has never been so easy thanks to the one touch technology
How hot is the coffee?
To release and preserve the full aroma of fresh ground coffee, the right extraction temperature of between 88° and 96° is fundamental and can be set by you
Can the machine deliver hot water?
Yes, the Magnific S can deliver hot water. To do this, please turn the lever on the left hand side of the machine anti clockwise to indicate water delivery.
Can it be used with pre-ground coffee?
Yes. The machine gives you the option to either freshly grind beans for your coffee or can be used with preground coffee, to offer for example a decaffinated alternative
| Weight: | 9 kg |
| Dimensions: | 42.98 x 22.99 x 33.99 cm; 9 Kilograms |
| Brand: | De'Longhi |
| Model: | ECAM22.110.B |
| Colour: | Black |
| Dimensions: | 42.98 x 22.99 x 33.99 cm; 9 Kilograms |
After reading all the reviews for this bean to cup coffee machine, we decided to take the plunge and buy it. So happy we did it produces a fantastic coffee and cappuccino.
The grinder is not as noisy as I had expected. The secret to keeping this machine in good order is to keep flushing and ensuring you clean the machine after each use.
My wife and I have been talking about a real coffee machine for some time so 400 later it arrived we chose one of the DeLonghi mid to upper range models and yes its brilliant a real cup of coffee at last, it’s easy to operate with very few knobs to worry about, it’s not silent especially grinding the coffee beans but that doesn’t take more than a few seconds so all good and the coffee produced is great and tastes great so fresh coffee every morning absolutely wonderful.
Go get one your self it’s great.
I am basing this review on a comparison with my previous machine, the Magnifica ESAM 4200.S
Other reviewers have said this machine is noisy but it is so much quieter than its predecessor. The start up sounds are quieter, the grinding is quieter and the dispensing is quieter. The steamer still ‘screams’ occsaionally, but only occasionally rather than most times.
It is much simpler, with coffee volumes pre-set, so you know you always get the same amount, instead of turning a dial.
The steamer heats up a little quicker but a great improvement is that you can switch from steamer back to coffee instantly without having to wait several minutes. This means you can make each coffee individually rather than having to make all the espressos before steaming the milk if there are several people having coffee.
The grounds tray is a better configuration and there is virtually no spillage compared to the ESAM 4200.S. I used to have to sweep grounds out of the base of the old machine – not any more.
There was criticism, in other reviews, of the clarity of the instructions. I found them quite understandable when standing in front of the machine and following the set up instructions in sequence. For example, the steamer light flashing is explained and turning the steamer on and off resolves it. The ‘little red plug’ mentioned in one review as being absent from the instructions is, in fact, included and is the condenser outlet for the steamer. The manual just doesn’t say that it is red!!
Remembering to empty the drip tray and grounds container at the same time is no hardship as I did that anyway and I especially like the fact that the drip tray is black – the old, grey, one got stained very easily and had difficult to clean nooks & crannies in it. This one is much easier to clean.
I also like the option for different standby periods before it automatically switches off. Very useful to be able to change it if you want it to stay on longer for any reason.
Yes, the descaling light does seem to come on quite frequently, but I live in a hard water area and use the machine several times a day so am happy with that. The interval can be reset for different water hardness or, as previous reviewers/comments have said, you can just run plain water through it alternate times!!
TL:DR:
It is more compact than the ESAM 4200.S, quieter and makes a better, more consistent cup of coffee. Cleaning it is no more complicated and it comes with clear instructions (if you follow them properly).
It is a great improvement on the previous model and I am very happy with it!
This Bean to Cup coffee machine is excellent – there are more expensive ones out there but if you like the bean to cup experience for an affordable price you won’t be disappointed – get it and it’s excellent quality too! Use it every day throughout the day and it’s grea
I really like this bean to cup machine, At Christmas I decided to buy a new one, to replace our 6 year old machine which is still working fine. We could not be happier.
The one thing to maintain the machine, is at least once a year, I grease the 3 orange, O rings. with food grade silicon grease. I hope it helps.
I bought this for my other half who is a real coffee lover. He has an industrial one for the caf he owns and has been through several smaller ones for home… He says this is the best one out of all of them…. The only thing I would say is now I have to get him to stop using it so much
I bought this coffee machine 22 months ago and it provided many perfect cups of coffee until something broke inside. I thought I was going to have a struggle to get it fixed but I contacted Delonghi, they arranged for it to be picked up and they returned it 3 days later in perfect working order. 10 out of 10 for prompt service. Thank you for the 2 year warranty
I’ve never owned a proper coffee machine before but I decided to treat myself. It’s very easy to use, and produces consistently good coffee at the push of a button. The milk frothed works well, it’s easy to empty the grounds and refill the beans and the water. I’ve only tried it with beans so I don’t know how well it works with ground coffee but overall I’m really happy with it.
Great values for coffee to cup machine, love the milk steamer. I can make creamy lattes or cappuccinos.
Simple to use, cant go wrong with this coffee machine. No plastic waste either.
easy to work and clean.. A nice cup of coffee but not strong enough for me.. Partner loves it though
Well after one month using it, I can say that this machine is as good as any other more espensive… Temperature is perfect… Extraction could be better.. But using good coffee can mask it… You don’t need anything more sofisticated or colourfull lcd panel.. Saving your profile would be only feature I miss. Save couple of hundreds pounds
choosing this one, you will be not dissapointed. Easy to clean and to use. Makes very good coffee.
Previously we’d been using the De’Longhi Espresso machine ECO310 for about eight years. No complaints, just a pain having to grind a bag every week and keep it in the fridge. This Magnifica S is so much better, although it took several attempts to get the strength etc. right.
The only bugbear is the steam wand, which is nowhere near as powerful as our previous machine.
Overall though, very impressed.
Cappuccino is very good because u can steam milk to your desired temperature, I feel this is an advantage over the auto milk frothing machines.
The devices double expresso and double long coffee buttons just doubles the amount of hot water sent through the single dosage of ground coffee so for me I find you need to have the coffee power dial set to max for this for each cup to get enough strength. You can program the amount of water used by holding the button untill it starts then tapping it again to stop.
To me the device is mainly an Automated expresso machine/coffee grinder all in one, it does away with having to grind coffee in a separate device and measure out coffee in a filter holder, it does this all for you and it is very good at that. Overall I’d still recommend it because I don’t think any other devices at this price range are any better. (300 black Friday deal) I made the mistake of buying a big 600ml milk carafe, I think a 350ml one would suit this machines spout better and produce better milk foam. REVISED… IVE FOUND A HACK! pour hot water from the spout then steam it, it raises the water temperature, then drop in an expresso for a great Americano!
Great coffee machine for the money, no wonder it has a high number of excellent reviews. Only thing it lacks for me is a pro wand for creamy stretched milk. But with the frother off then you can get it pretty close. Simple, easy to use and clean. Good tip to adjust the water hardness as they have this turned up from the factory to force you to descale each month. Which it should not need.otherwise love it and had it over a year now
Been after a coffee machine for ages and so glad I decided to get one, and this one is perfect I’m now having Lattes as good as the coffee shops make. Trialing different beans to find ones I prefer. Easy set up if I can work it then anyone can. Recommend this machine.
After doing my research I picked this bean to cup espresso machine and so far I am very happy with it. Simple instructions which are quick to understand and to set the machine up for use. I like milky coffees and this makes them very well indeed. My wife like espressos and both of us are satisfied with its production. No louder than a pod machine, and quick to produce a lovely hot cup of coffee. The milk wand is also great to use and makes that lovely soft floating milk on top of the coffee . This is my 1st bean to cup machine and I am so glad I bought it.
I’ve had a coffee machine before that took the pods which can be limiting if you fancy trying different types of coffee. So when it started acting up I decided to take the plunge and buy a “bean to cup” coffee machine. This Delonghi Magnifica S was reduced in price when I bought it, but the main reason for this model was all the great reviews. I watched lots of videos on youtube to get more of an idea what might be involved with ease of use and cleaning etc, so when it arrived I felt a bit more prepared. You must read the instructions on the correct setup, such as doing a water hardness test with the supplied test strip and setting the machine accordingly. The instructions do say that the first 5 cups of coffee you make will not be great so I just threw those away. I advise buying the small 250g bags of coffee beans to try it out until you find a particular brand you enjoy the most. Yes it will be trial and error but I have still enjoyed the coffee I have made so far. I like a cappuccino myself and I was a little worried about frothing the milk but it is actually really easy with this machine. I did buy the Delonghi 350ml stainless steel milk jug and I think the shape helps with getting the froth right. There is a dial on the front of this machine which alters the strength of the coffee and again it’s just a case of trying, to find the setting that suits you. There is more to cleaning this machine than my old pod machine, but I knew that going in, and it will need descaling every so often but the instructions are straightforward. It’s early days with this coffee machine, but already I am pleased with the results and I know it will be even better once I find the beans I prefer.
This machine produces a good cup of coffee. I would like it just a little stronger than it is at present but hopefully between stronger beans and changes in the settings I will be able to sort this ou
Only used the whole bean so far and can say I’m so impressed. The noise of the beans been ground transports you to a coffee shop and the smell and taste are just heavenly.
Instructions come through in a pretty simple way although I’m very grateful to you for showing the descale routine.
Oh when you order this I suggest you get the de scaler with it. Trust me, you will get hooked on fresh coffee and won’t want to be left without because you haven’t got the de scaler.
Happy coffee
The machine looks really good. Making coffee using the machine could not be more simple. Once loaded with beans it is no more than choosing the type of drink, cappuccino or espresso, and the size of drink, one or two. The actual amount of coffee dispensed can be changed if your cup is larger or smaller than usual. Simply press the button and 30 seconds later its done. Frothing the milk is just a easy. Great taste, hot coffee and no mess. Oh, and unlike me previous machine, it’s very quiet when operating.
We do like this particular coffee machine.
3 years ago paid over twice as much for our broken machine which, although had bells and whistles never did give good results and the drawers / trays were awkward to access.
This one has all at the front and froths so much better.
The single serve decaf facility is great.
A great coffee machine at this price our only problem was the Java beans we enjoy where far to oily for the machine so required pushing towards the grinder a bit difficult due to the grill/guard in place for safety reasons so all in all good product but use medium roast dryer beans
It’s easy to use, especially if you had another DeLonghi expresso machine before. If not, you will need the manual to do the settings. The coffee is good and strong but I’m using lavazza coffee beans. I don’t know if it’s the same with regular coffee beans or ground coffee.
It is a bit noisy. Easy enough to clean. Even easier to scratch the surfaces when cleaning the tray and refill the water tank. All in one, good coffee machine but far from perfect.
I really do recommend this machine and can’t see why you would want one of the really expensive ones in a domestic setting, it delivers a great espresso with a thick velvet crema. I left the machine on factory settings and get approximately 120 espressos from a 1kg bag of coffee beans, depending on the Roaster it’s about 14p a cup for a 17 kilo bag of beans.
Good quaffing 🙂
I have this coffee machine for over 3 years. It has made at least 4 coffees a day since then and has always worked as expected. Well worth it.
One unexpected advantage is how clean it is, no mess. Before when making coffee I’d always spill some on the counter, but with this machine it takes care of all that, for that alone it’s worth it.
The coffee tastes great, I’d often put two shots in a mug to have it a bit stronger.
I clean it with the de-scaler about once a year (not a problem where I live).
I don’t use the steamer, and I suspect it’s not very powerful, but doesn’t bother me.
Great investment.
I would imagine if you’re really into coffee, practiced a whole lot and got a nice manual espresso machine. Took time to dial it in, you could probably make a better cup of coffee.
However that’s not what this is for. Out the box, beans in, this makes a great espresso with almost no effort. And it’s not nearly as expensive as some.
Highly recommend. Good product.
As a novice to the world of coffee machines I just wanted something that was simple to operate, would make a quality cup of coffee/mocha, and wasn’t too irksome to maintain. This meets those criteria admirably and as a bonus also looks good in our kitchen. The only pain is descaling which takes a while but only has to be done once a month. All in all very pleased, albeit I have nothing to compare it against.
Easy to clean the only slight problem is the water tray fills up quite quickly because it self cleans everytime it starts and when it switches off.
Not cheap but worth the money
I spent a HUGE amount of time researching machines before finally opting for the Magnifica S. For me, it gave the best mix of features v cost as I didn’t want to spend more than about 450. It’s also fairly slim so doesn’t take up tons of room on the worktop.
Everyone has different requirements and I think doing some research about what you NEED in a machine versus what’s nice to have is a sensible way of not spending more than you need to. By all accounts, most if not all, of the De Longhi machines use the same basic grinding and brewing system. Therefore, the differentiating points between each machine start to become about how “automatic” you want it to. The Magnifica S is probably best suited if you regularly only drink espressos or Americanos, as I do. The milk steamer wand is fine for the occasional latte or cappuccino but if these are your drink of choice, perhaps spending a few quid more on a model with a built-in milk container and the facility to automatically add milk to the espresso could be worth thinking about.
Watch outs? Not many. It takes a bit of fiddling around to get the right adjustment of strength, using the bean grinding adjustment and the dosage adjustment. You can adjust how hot the coffee is, but even on the hottest setting I’m having to drink it faster than I might like. I make Americanos mainly, and although you can add hot water from the steam spout, I never find it’s quite enough either, so end up boiling the kettle.
Other than that, it’s perfect for me. If you live in a hard water area, buy a filter to shove in the water tank, although you’ll still be amazed how often the machine is asking for you to descale it!
I have had this almost three years and the coffee is good. I don’t know much about the milk frothing because we only drink espresso. The reviewer who commented on the descaling is spot on – we use water from a water softener. There is a setting for the water hardness and I set it to minimum. The machine still told me it needed descaling after a few months and I used the sachet that came with it. A year later it warned me again and I put it through a descaling cycle without any agent. It worked fine. Now I’m just going to ignore the next one. As the man said, it’s like an inkjet printer making you buy more consumables at the manufacturer’s price.
Cleaning is a bit of a chore but you don’t need to do it very often.
One more thing – the water used to heat the cups isn’t quite hot enough so I boil a kettle to make them hotter.
Otherwise it’s a great machine and I hope it lasts a long time.
1 – Not too expensive
2 – Great coffee
3 – Easy to use/looks good
The delonghi Magnifica S ticks all boxes.
I didn’t want to spend too much on my first bean to cup, so chose the Magnifica S. Its also so easy to use, once you have completed the initial set up, you just select your cup size (espresso/long) I use the 2 cup long option for a full mug of coffee. The coffee is really good and always has a good crema. I like strong black coffee, but you can easily select the strength and latte’s are very easy to make. The machine itself is compact and easily fits in my kitchen.
I did read all comments which had 3 stars and below, I have not experienced any problems at the moment. It does use water to clean itself, but I’m happy with this, as I don’t need to do it. It isn’t excessively noisy – and comes with a UK plug. I did pinch one recommendation, and do put a cup under the spout to catch the water as it cleans the machine.
The machine lets you know when to fill the water tank, empty the used coffee and drip tray and descale.
1 month of using the Magnifica S and I’m really happy with it. I’ve had to descale it once – but this is what I’d normally expect.
This is a good machine for the price and is easy to use. I would say it prioritises ease of use over quality of coffee which is a compromise I was willing to make. I don’t have time to learn all the skills of a barrister and I just want relatively good coffee at home.
One thing I would say is that I think the grind size could do with being able to go smaller. To get a full extraction I ended up setting it at its finest and using a fair quantity of water, which isn’t ideal. That said, I don’t really know what I’m talking about (refer to my previous comment about not having time to be a barrister).
Overall, it works for me and I have a nice, quick and easy cup of coffee every morning with minimum hassle and cost.
I had a Nespresso machine for years, it was ok but ended up just sitting on the worktop in the kitchen. Then a few months ago I tried one of the stove top machines, Godmorn Stovetop Espresso Maker, Italian Coffee Maker Moka Pot, this made nice coffee, but it wasn’t the coffee shop experience. Looked at the Magnifica S and decided to buy it based on reviews and the fact that it was bean to cup. I can honestly say that this machine makes the best cup of coffee I have ever had. Loads of videos on Youtube for support and operating instructions. I like a nice strong coffee and this delivers, so easy as well. It probably takes the same amount of time to make an instant coffee. I really do recommend this coffee machine.
For the first 2 months I was having to descale this machine every 2 weeks even with a water filter in it! I posted a question re descaleing on Amazon and ended up phoning De’longhi customer services who were brilliant.
My instruction manual DOES’NT have the part where it tells you how to set the water hardness/softness, neither did my machine come with a water test kit.
De’longhi sent me a water test strip and emailed me the instruction manual that does include how to set water hardness ( also the pdf manual below this item on Amazon DOES include how to set water hardness )
The machine was set to hard water but my water is soft. I’ve changed the settings and everything is great now!
I’ve had this Magnifica S just under 3 months and love it. I use it exclusively for lattes.
I’ve found 3 brands of beans (so far ) that this machine makes beautiful lattes with, I’ve also found lots of brands that were nasty!
The Magnifica S is easy to use, easy to clean and makes perfect coffee. 5/5
Enjoy 🙂
This seems exactly what we were looking for and does exactly what it promised.
We had a slight issue but the care line were very helpful and offered YouTube links for guidance. I think I’d caused the issue as the manual is very thin and not comprehensive and I hadn’t followed something properly. So its a fairly expensive product with a flinsy guide but I’m very happy with the machine.
One other thing, after 2 weeks it asked us to decalc the machine. We don’t live in a hard water area, so we had to change the water setting as it defaults to hard water.
Overall it’s simple to use, we use it a lot and wouldn’t swap it now, the coffee is perfect, we couldn’t ask for more than that.
Reassuringly easy to use and clean, especially the milk frothing side.
I can not praise this bean to cup machine e
Bill.
nough.
Bought to stop all the plastic waste my previous machine created, should have got this first. I used to spend at least 50 a month on the plastic pods, now I spend about a tenner a month on the beans, saving 40 a month. I’ve already had it 4 months so it has almost half paid for itself already, and the spent grinds go in my wormer rather than staying encased in a plastic pod in a landfill site somewhere. Only downside is you can’t vary the flavours easily like you can with the pods, but a small price to pay for all the benefits it brings.
Easy to use, easy to clean, good size, use it several times a time. Only thing I would change is the pressure to froth milk isnt quite powerful enough for me. Froths milk skimmed or full fat really well but not as quick as I would like. Not marking down for this as it is one of the cheaper bean to cup machines on the market and good value for money. I dont quite have the clearance to open the lid fully to load beans, not a problem as I fill with scoop so dont let that be a concern if you have same problem. Use need to factor in the cost of the correct descaler when purchasing and it is cheaper by buying a large bottle. Cannot comment on the filter coffee side as purchased for beans and still use my cafetire on odd occasions instead.
It can do pre-ground as well as bean to cup. (We are using it for pre-ground Decaf & real beans)
However
The instructions are poor.
I have yet to get into the water temperature menu – (9.4 in manual) the instructions say hold the single espresso button till it goes to the menu, but it just produces large espresso
UPDATE
The video on the support site is different to the manual. To change water temp
1 make sure power switch at back is on, and DO NOT press the front power button (it must be no lights on)
2. Press Espresso one cup till panel lights then tap same button till required temp is indicated. Then tap the Americano 1 cup button (As shown in the video but not as per the naration which calls it one cup espresso)
I am now verry happy 🙂
I suspect getting into water temp conflicts with setting the cup size (See 9.2)
Also Factory reset seems to be missing from the menu!
Great coffee machine.Arrived with minimal eco friendly wrapping. Instructions are clear and easy to follow. Checking water hardness is an important first step . Turning the machine on and warming up takes 20-30 seconds . Easy to use with several volume options . Takes time to adjust grinding settings but usually over several coffees the balance is achieved . The coffee produced is very good , with nice flavour and temperature. Using fresh coffee beans makes a huge difference. No regrets buying this machine
I bought the first one in September 2010 – since then, it has made c. 20,000 cups of coffee (5-6 a day on average). When it started playing up a week or so ago (not grinding enough beans to make proper coffee), I thought it didn’t owe us anything, but assumed that after 10 years there must be something better out there for the money… a little research suggested that it’s still pretty much top of the pile for the ‘lower end’ – but a machine that costs 3-4k still actually only makes coffee and not much else! The new machine that arrived yesterday is quieter, the coffee seems stronger and everything else is very shiny but familiar – I’m hoping the knob for the steam nozzle lasts better (my husband replaced this with some wood and a peg a few years ago, so he didn’t have to go without his cappuccino), but as for the rest, if this one lasts over ten years too, I’ll be pretty happy, and I’ll continue to do the regular descaling when the machine tells me it needs it – worth the money and effort!
A good machine and a big improvement on my previous De Longhi. The item is easier to clean and also fairly simple to set up. The grouts are noticeably wetter than those from the earlier Magnifica and I have not yet figured out why.
Now, if the company can produce an affordable coffee machine that allows a user to add water and beans without dismantling anything (as my old Gaggia Synchrony could), I would give it five stars.
This is quite a large bean to cup coffee machine but over the nearly 6 months we have had it (lockdown essential) it’s been reliable and consistent in providing great coffee.
The only niggles we have are that it’s quite noisy – especially during start up when it makes 40 or so loud grunting noises whilst presumably self cleaning. The grinder when making your coffee is also quite loud.
It should be noted that we haven’t used the milk frothed because we have a separate machine for milk foaming.
To summarise this is a great coffee machine and maintenance has been low/non-existent over the last few months. And we have used it multiple times a day, every day! Haven’t had to descale it yet as we have had to with other machines we have owned from other manufacturers. Just be mindful if you like a quiet kitchen!
To say coffee is perfect, is an understatement. Since this is my first bean-to-cup machine, I cannot say if it is thanks to this particular machine unfortunately. Nevertheless, instant and pre-ground just do not do it for me anymore. I like my coffee black, and its like discovering coffee taste all over again. I do not drink white coffee, but my mom who always drank instant, has been converted in just one day.
I can also say that, as long as I am concerned, it is as easy to use as it could be. Do not expect miracles, you have to empty drip tray, grounds container, refill water rather often, and clean milk froth each use. On top of that, you need to descale your machine from time to time. All of that is to be expected in any maker like this. So its not really easy like pouring some hot water over instant granules, but not rocket science neither. Removing and cleaning diffuser is also easy.
Consider to do some tinkering. I changed water temperature to maximum (Its not boiling hot, but enough for me) and ground setting to 3.5. Your experience may vary, but this is what I find most satisfactory.
The Bad:
Removing water tank, without removing the drip tray causes scratches on the metal plate. I think that is a design flaw. You could in theory keep removing drip tray every time you refill water, but water tends to run out more often that the drip tray needs to be emptied.
Also it appears that machine has no sensor in the grounds container, and it just keeps count of how many times grounds have been disposed. So if you do not empty container every time you remove the tray, you risk overfilling.
The Ugly:
Now the real problem. Machine has a descale light, that comes up every time it needs to be descaled. It asked to be descaled twice already, even though I had it for three weeks only. I am in the middle of my second 1kg coffee bag, and while I had not used De’longhi softener, I always poured Brita filtered water in the machine. I contacted the help line and it appears that machine has a water hardness setting, factory set to default level 4 (hardest).
Again, the maker has no sensor, and it just keeps track of how many litres of water has been used. That is not necessarily a bad thing, sensors tend to malfunction after some time. Keep in mind, that you need to use expensive De’Longhi Eco-Decalk, or you may lose warranty. Crazy thing is that water hardness setting can be changed, but the manual will not tell you that.
Even the nice lady I spoke with has been surprised that my manual does not mention it. She sent me another revision of the manual and voila, machine used to come with water hardness test and instructions how to change the setting. I changed the setting and the warning light (descale) is gone for now. Now I know how important it is to keep limescale off the equipment, but I refuse to spend 15 a month for descalers. Also it seems that the instructions to change water hardness setting has been removed on purpose to generate more income from after sales. I do not like to be tricked like that.
Verdict:
De’Longhi – you make the best home coffee makers, do not tarnish your brand with shady tactics.
The best feature for me personally is the fact that, despite the fact we take our coffees very differently (myself, more a cappucino style with the need to heat milk, previously I microwaved it!, himself straight black and as strong as possible) – it is so convenient for us to make our coffees exactly as we like them from the same machine. Added to this, I like to switch to green or white tea in the afternoon – the hot water option from the steamer spout actually makes hot enough water for this that I just use it now instead of the kettle.
Looking forward to when we can have guests over to really put it though its paces!
I absolutely love this machine. I’ve had everything from a drip coffee maker, french press, and several espresso makers. This machine is the best espresso / latte / Americano maker I’ve had. It does everything from grinding beans to frothing milk. The espresso is dispensed with a beautiful crema layer. If you like espresso, dialing the cup level indicator all the way down pulls a nice shot with that yummy crema, while dialing it all the way up pulls an Americano. The milk frother is excellent, giving full creaminess to the milk. The very best part is that you don’t have to pack your espresso then scrape it out of a handle, it’s all done automatically — the machine even ejects the spent espresso into a container and then flushes its own internal pipes! WOW! Some may fine that it is a little bit loud, but it does not bother us for the end result is magnifico. Highly recommend.
This being my first bean to cup coffee machine I didn’t want to spend too much on one, but at the same time I didn’t want to buy something cheap that I might want to replace soon. This machine suits me down to the ground, it does what I need it to and does it well. Now, I am no coffee aficionado but I do enjoy a good cappuccino and this machine makes them to the standard I would expect from a good coffee shop.
It was relatively straight forward to set up by following the instructions which also told me how to set the water hardness and change the temperature settings.
I’ve read a few reviews that say it is messy or hard to clean, but can’t say I’ve had any problems. I clean it regularly and most of the time there is a few bits of coffee grind to clean up, but what do you expect it’s a messy business grinding all those beans.
I would recommend this machine for those folk not wanting to spend a fortune on a bean to cup coffee machine who like a decent coffee without seeking the full barista experience.
I’ve used many Bean to cup coffee machines in shared workspaces and the quality has varied wildly, so I was careful to do the research before buying.
Overall, it’s a fantastic machine that dispenses coffee of better quality than any of the large chains and on a par with the best independent coffee shops. You could of course spend a few hundred more on a Sage but I doubt you’d see much of a difference.
Thank God I got it before the COVID outbreak, I used it occasionally before as I always visited the coffee shops but now i can make a Latte as good as a coffee shop at home.
i love that i dont have to load and unload the coffee, also it rinses itself when you turn it on/off which is great. it is already set on 30 min so i left it as it is because it suits me. the coffee is hot and creamy, it does make a difference when you change the amount of coffee and the grinding level. the machine has a few users in the house, we all know what we like so we change the settings all the time. we did have a few cups of trials and errors until we found out what we like. as with all delonghi machines, the steam is so loud! but the pressure is good and the temperature is high, all you need is one of those frothing cups with a narrow mouth or you will splash a lot. we like Lavazza beans, it is slightly cheaper when you buy 1 kg bags compared to ground coffee and the taste is a few notches up. we haven’t used the ground coffee function yet…
My dad has had this machine for 6 years (he loves it), and I have used it frequently over that time, so I bought it knowing what I was getting.
If you love americano’s it’s the easiest machine ever, and I can make my morning latte in less than two minutes. Now I’m no longer buying a coffee each morning on the way to work it has almost paid for itself in the 2 months I’ve had it
Yes its quite loud when grinding beans, so I would avoid making a midnight espresso if in close proximity to anyone sleeping.
I’ve been pretty impressed with the steam wand – given it’s a budget machine. It is however very slow to switch back to coffee making mode after you have used it – so make the coffee first then steam. Its easy to programme, not too needy on maintenance and simple to clean.
Buy yourself some good coffee beans, play around with the settings a bit and you will never look back!
I had a capsules coffee machine but I wanted to be conscious about the environmental issues of disposal of the capsules once used so I wanted to change to a normal coffee machine. My mum has health problems and she cannot close the Italian ones as she needs to put too much effort to close it and she should do any hard movements with her arms. I had this coffee machine at work and it has been working greatly for more than 8 years already so I decided to buy one for home. It works great, the whole family loves it and the possibility of paying it in 5 months without interests helped me to decide. No regrets so far. You can buy expensive coffee beans but you can also find cheap one at the supermarket. We use filter water to help the machine to be clean longer and so far so good. The foam from the milk is awesome! Like a proper coffee. My sister in law bought it too, together with a few colleagues from work and everyone is happy.
Great coffee machine – bean to cup is new to our household but much better flavour than Nespresso etc. Easy to clean & maintain, allows you to try a variety of coffee beans and makes great frothed milk for flat whites / latte’s / cappuccinos.
It is very large, it takes up significant space on the kitchen worktop, and is quite noisy whilst running it’s cycles – but considering you get all the functionality you need in one place it’s worth it.
If making multiple coffees, make sure to make all the espresso’s you need before doing the milk – as once you’ve used the steam wand once you have to wait 10 minutes for the machine to cool down before switching back to coffee dispensing.
I’ve had my coffee machine Magnifica for a week and finally found a good setting for my taste buds. I do buy the fresh beans and I also mix, just just to experiment so to find my perfect blend. So the machine itself is for me very easy to use and set up. The quality is what you should expect, for the price. It dose a job that it’s supposed to so I had no complaints until I bought some water tank filters, and unfortunately the filters are fairly big so take up water space in the tank which is noticeable when the tank needs filling more regularly, but it’s a small price to pay if you are keeping the machine internally clean and hopefully a longer life of the machine. I’m very pleased whith my decision to buy the Magnifica S and fingers crossed it will last until I get bored and want a more expensive machine.
I have been impressed by everything about this machine. First Amazon delivered it next day with Prime. There are video instructions on the product page, but just used the one about the water hardness so far. There are clear instructions on initial set up as well as detailed instructions for cleaning and maintenance and comes with descaling tablets.
Without changing any settings, right away the first coffee was hot but not strong enough. So I changed the strength settings and now it’s fine. The milk frother does what it should and heats the milk, you can do it a bit longer to produce a more creamy foamy mix.
The only other thing I would do is make the coffee it a bit hotter to match the coffee shops so I will have a play with the settings and see how it goes. You can easily change the strength, drink volume and fill 1 or 2 cups at the same time.
This machine is excellent, it’s only day one but I hope the machine continues to produce lattes, expressos, cappucinos and americanos for the next few years!
My son & daughter bought me an earlier version of this machine (looks pretty much the same) just over 8 years ago. It has produced excellent coffee ever since & is still working as it did when new. Clearly the quality of the beans you put into it determine you like the end product or not but the dark roast espresso beans we buy in bulk are perfect. The machine still produces good crema although I haven’t used the steam function for a few years now. 4 adults live in my house and we each have 2 or 3 mugs each per day and even allowing for holidays etc that must be more than 20,000 mugs of coffee so far!
It does require regular cleaning but it doesn’t take too long. The dump box can be a bit of a pain to clean due to internal partitioning but this seems a small price to pay for over 8 years trouble free coffee production. I used to own a pub/restaurant and only wish that the hugely expensive (c4K) Franke Flair bean to cup machine had been anywhere near as consistently reliable as the Delonghi
5 stars awarded for this great piece of kit. I would have to buy another if it gave up the ghost.
I’ve had my machine for around 2 or 3 years and it’s been absolutely fantastic. I prefer a flat white, so I use a small metal milk jug and a small temperature gauge. I’ve removed the milk wand cover and gone for the thinner piece underneath so that I’ve got direct control over the steam and it works really well. The settings for grind, water and amount of coffee give enough control to change the type of espresso that you get from it. I work from home so my machine gets a decent amount of use, at least 4 or 5 uses a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year.
I’ve ignored the cleaning light for the most part, but I do periodically give it a clean but just not at the frequency it suggests.
When you first turn the machine on it runs some heated water through the pipes for a rinse, this is great to warm the machine up and also gives you some warm liquid with which to warm your cup.
It only has one boiler so if you go from heating your milk to pulling another espresso then you will likely burn your coffee or have to wait too long so that your milk goes colder, it does have some intelligence though and doesn’t let you make an espresso straight away until it’s cooled a bit. Keep this in mind and do your milk last while your shots sit in your pre-warmed cup. Cannot recommend this enough. My coffee journey has been:
* Instant (dark days)
* Aeropress with pre-ground supermarket coffee
* Hario hand grinder – ceramic connical burr
* De’Longhi EC146B and a Dualit 75015 electric grinder
* De’Longhi ESAM 4200 (this one)
I’m sure I’ll upgrade to something else in the future, but I genuinely do not feel like I need to right now as this machine is doing absolutely everything I want.
Considering the abuse and use my unit has had since 2012 I’m surprised it is still going at all. Pretty much daily use for 2 people so around 8000 shots pulled so far. My only real design complaint is the steam wand. It only moves left to right and so can’t be lowered deep enough into the jug to properly steam the milk. Good if you want claggy surface froth but not so good for a smooth latte. The trick is to use a shot cup to boost the jug so the steam enters at the bottom. After all that, I am finding the grinder is now starting to show signs of wear and the auto-tamping of the grinds isn’t what it used to be. Starting to get a few failed “pucks” and a lot of wasted coffee inside the machine. I think its retirement will happen in the next 3 months.
The machine is not small and is very heavy. Make sure you have a suitable area.
Clear instructions meant that I quickly got to grips with how everything works. Takes a few experiments to work out what’s right for you.
This machine is easy to use. You need to keep the water topped up (this is an easy to remove reservoir), keep the beans topped up (just pour them into the grinder), empty the drip tray (slide out and poor down the sink) and empty the grounds bucket into your compost or food recycling. There are lights that come on to show you when these maintenance operations need doing. Once a month I strip it down and clean it a bit more thoroughly, putting drip tray, ground bucket etc in the dishwasher.
The machine has settings for water temperature so you can choose how hot your espresso is. I really like this as often find coffee comes out too cold from pod machines.
Eco setting turns the machine off after a period of no use that you get to define.
It does exactly what it says. Put the beans in the top, decide how strong you want your coffee and how much of it and press a button. Click, grind, snap, whirr etc, out comes very nice coffee. Is is noisy like some of the reviews say? Not having had a machine before I have nothing to compare it to but it hasn’t unduly disturbed anyone in the household. In a small kitchen in a small flat with neighbours all round, maybe it would be more intrusive.
Is it slow to use? Not really. It takes a minute or two to come to life, does an auto flush with hot water and then it’s ready for your coffee order.
You can also adjust the grind from fine to coarse, as you wish. And the water temp can be adjusted, ditto you can adjust for water softness/hardness. Read the instructions before you start using it so you get the set up right. If you don’t have a user manual in the box it is easily available online.
Depending on how much you use it you will be topping up coffee beans and water and emptying grounds every day/every other day. Keep a mug under the outlet when not in use so it catches the water from the auto flush through and saves the drip tray constantly filling.
The water reservoir will need a proper wash out once a week, ditto the grounds container and the drip tray.
It hasn’t asked for a descale yet, or any other maintenance.
I haven’t tried the steam wand yet.
If you want a bean-to-cup coffee machine that basically just makes espresso and has a steam wand, then this is the machine for you. This later version of the model has an ECO setting, on by default, but otherwise is just the same as the old version.
Would thoroughly recommend this machine to anyone, does the job well and is damned good value too.
I upgraded to this machine after using a single use machine and various other coffee pots experimenting with many types and styles of coffee (a Greek briki with super fine coffee grounds is still my number 1). The ratings are great along with the price which I paid 179.99 after watching this machine for years after reading it’s rating in Which magazine.
I’m in a very soft water area so the gauge strip in the pack barely registered a 1. However I still use a water filter to fill the machine so I can remove all the other impurities in the municipal water supply.
Set up went ok but hot water settings only on 2 which produced a warm coffee so I increased this to 4 (set up was conducted using smallest water volume and increasing strength accordingly).
MY personal set up was grinder set to 3 using Lavazza Rossa beans. Volume of beans ground on maximum and water volume set to just over half to 2/3’s of an espresso cup (approx. 9 o’clock or 270 degrees). This was strong just as I like it but not bitter and with a caramel colour crema that indicates it is on the edge of what’s acceptable. If this changes to bitter I will reduce the volume beans ground and see how that goes before changing the grind from 3 back to 4.
You may find yourself a little wired after set up if you keep drinking the coffee during this phase. I would suggest that you spit it out until you find your desired setting.
I’m sure I will keep tweaking away over the festive period (that’s a man’s prerogative, isn’t it?) And I’m aware from reading other comments that a change in bean may require a new calibration for desired taste.
So for now I am very happy with this coffee machine and I hope my insights will help others when considering this as a worthy option.
I did note from the instructions that if you use the steam attachment to make a cappuccino milk froth for example, the machine has to cool down, because of the high temperature generated, before you can dispense a further cup of coffee.
So far visitors have confirmed the quality of the brew is as good as the very expensive machine it replaced, so I am happy to recommend this purchase to others.
I must have tried ten different coffee machines in my time trying to find something that delivered a strong coffee consistently and this is it. It will take some experimentation to get it right for your taste and you should calibrate it if you change your coffee blend. You will need to make 2 or 3 minimal coffees to get the grind right to deliver the oils in the first few moments. Then its a combination of how much water you want to deliver against the quantity of coffee ground. You can press a button for two cups but change the quantity delivered to one cup by the dial to get a strong coffee.
Steam wand is too close to the body for my liking since you want to steam your milk while rotating the cup and you just have to get used to it. I make the milk first in a cup and then deliver the coffee. The technique is to get to the steam and froth the milk. Then unselect the steam button and draw the hot steam and water into a jug. The main pump noise alerts you the water will now be cool enough to deliver coffee and in it goes.
Best machine I ever owned.
Also really good that it clean itself everytime you turn on and off. No need it a lot of space and it’s really discree
Several months in: I still like this machine. It works consistently. You do get some wear and tear of finish on the front – the silver colour wears off a bit where you knock it with milk jugs. After requests for stronger coffee, I adjusted mine to give a shorter espresso shot with less coffee, and now use the two shot mode to make a cup. Since the two shot mode wasn’t much use for making two cups anyway, this has been a good move.
Setting it up takes about 15 minutes. Instead of trying to learn all the warning lights just have the manual handy and as time goes buy you will know about the few times these come on. ie machine warning lights come on when water runs out or grounds container needs emptying. It does stop working every 3 months when descalling. This takes about 20 minutes but very little work as all you have to do is add the cleaning solution to the water tank and let it do its own thing. Milk products from the machine are great but it does take a bit of time to froth up the milk the old fashioned way. Overall at the price you will not get a better product out there for the money. I have had several commercial coffee machines over the years and the quality of coffee coming from this machine is as good if not better and you will not have to spend the extra 5k. On a final note the cost per cup for a large Americano ii about 1/3 of the cost of a nespresso machine. When you use 8 cups a day this equates to 2 euros a day approx. which is approx. 700 per year not to mention the fact you have the chance to try all different types of beans..
I like playing and testing my kitchen helpers so I did few test for you if you want to know more read below.
First thing after de-boxing read the manual carefully it is very important to understand how everything is working, how to adjust things and also what those flashing lights mean.
So I read the manual and straight away switched ECO mode OFF and water temperature to MAX level. Then I tested my water with strip provided and our water is very soft in the area and I also use Brita it didn’t colour the testing strip at all.
First using was trial-and-error and it took me while to get right setting for almost perfect espresso and here it is:
– always pre-heat your cup with hot water
– flush your machine so everything is heated up inside
– set your grinder to level 1.5 (do this only when grinder is working)
– set the amount of water to about 11 o’clock
– set the amount of coffee just below 9 o’clock
– press single cup button on panel
This will use 8.5 to 9g (tested) of coffee ideal for single espresso, coffee will flow slowly into the cup and you’ll get 40ml in about 30 seconds.
I always stop it by pressing the cup button when it starts blonding to get ideal espresso.
You can also make double-shot (great for cappuccino or cafe late) by pressing two cups button but be aware now its gonna grind 14g of coffee (tested) and the water will flow much slower/harder trough the coffee so ideally set the grinder to 2 – 2.5 otherwise you’ll see drop at the time and the machine will suffer to push that water through very fine grounds.
Cleaning is simple I do it once a week for trays and every fortnight for infuser unit.
I can only recommend buying this machine, go ahead and enjoy great tasting coffee (I was instant coffee drinker before and now I cannot taste it).
I hope this will help some of you at home. Cheers
After taking a long time deciding on which new bean to cup coffee machine to buy and reading many, many product reviews this one was finally settled on. I was a bit dubious as my previous machine was a Gaggia, but I needn’t have worried at all.
The machine warms quickly and is ready to make that first cup in the morning before I have even said good morning to my dogs. It is also quieter than my old machine when grinding the beans, in fact it makes more noise when pulling the water through than in grinding, but this is only for a few seconds. People who expect a bean to cup coffee machine to be silent will be disappointed, as it is never going to be if you want freshly ground coffee beans in each cup.
The quality of coffee made is incredibly good and even has the creamy ‘Barista’ foam on top without having to do any magical pours and tips. Everyone likes their coffee slightly differently so De’Longhi have designed a machine with the strength & volume adjustments on the front of the machine, making this an easy task and not a chore.
Delivery and packaging of product was superb as was the customer service.
Will not be worried about purchasing a De’Longhi coffee machine again.
Had an initial problem with the very first step in setting up the machine. I kept getting the light on stting the water reservoir was not inserted correctly so I had a look an on the machine side it looked like an addition clear rubber washer was blocking where the reservoir should lock in. I checked all instructions to see if I needed to remove this and there was nothing anywhere so of course I was a bit hesitate to dig a round in case I broke something! However, I figured that the washer really should not be there and I could or should at least attempt to gently remove it. Lo-and-behold it pried out and the reservoir slid into place snugly.
After the initial hiccup the rest of the set-up went smoothly and without any further problems. The manual states it will take several cups to get it to your liking and so I made several to get it to how I like my coffee to be and first went too fine a grind but easily stopped that and brough it back up to make a lovely crema. So far I love this machine and it is the perfect step up from an espresso machine as a fresh grind of beans for each cup cannot be beat. Some will miss the ritual of doing it all yourself, grinding, tamping, tapping etc. as this does it all for you with the ony real maintenance cleaning and refilling the water and beans.
All-in-all I am extremely happy with my purchase and hope to have many an espresso and the like!
It has given us thousands of cups of great cofffee. Over the years I have had to replace the frother knob 3 times as the middle code tends to split. No big problem there are at least 2 online companies that stock these at reasonable cost.
At Christmas though it did seem it was dying and we seriously thought of replacing it. The frother wouldn’t turn off properly and steam kept coming out – and more seriously we were getting only about 1/3 the amount of coffee that should have come.. I managed to download a parts diagram and suspected it COULD be the valve that controls the frother. Delighted to find the whole frother unit was less that 15. Not only that it is really easy to replace. I decided to replace some other parts as well (water filter, pump and a valve) All of them really easy to replace. Total cost about 68
My hunch was correct – it was the frother valve. Its working again a treat and should be good for several years yet. SO the underlying comment is that this is a coffee machine that has served really well, is relatively easy to repair, spares are readily available and reasonably priced. In our throw-away society this stands out as an exceptionally great product
Back to my original review
We have had this coffee maker since December 2012 now and it is still working great. On average we make 4 cups of coffee a day. We have to run a de-scaling operation about every 9 months (we have a water softener which helps)
Obviously everyone’s taste in coffee differers and different beans need differing settings both in the grind (fine- course), strength etc,
It takes a bit of experimenting to get it right but once it is right make a note of the settings.
Our favourite is the Kenya beans from Waitrose.
On the rare occasions when we buy coffee out my invariable question to the person offering the coffee is. “will this be as good as what I make at home?” !! Some occasions it is but often it is not.
So if you want a budget bean-coffee maker I can highly recommend this – and so far its proved reliable and more than paid for itself.
There are adjustments for amount of coffee made, amount of coffee used, and how fine the beans are ground,
Delivers excellent Latte, cappuccino, express, americano (Big word for a mild black coffee), ……
You will need to experiment first few weeks until you get to the best results to suit your taste.
In the final analysis the end product will always depend on the coffee beans you use. Over the years I have settled on
Costa Rican and Guatemalan coffee beans I buy online (Not Amazon). Both are medium to dark roast.
Make sure your coffee beans are freshly roasted (Within days of despatch), slowly roasted and slowly cooled…. Beans should be shiny.
Once you get it right, you will not enjoy the high street coffee shops as much.
AN UPDATE – I have read several questions and reviews asking how hot the coffee?
Two tips, a) before making coffee, run a self clean, it heats up the internals of the machine..
b) I learnt this recently, boil hot water in kettle, fill you cup/mug with hot water and leave it for a couple of minutes.
Your coffee will stay warm for much much longer….. I am surprised how much difference it makes.
Update … I have now been using this coffee machine for an year… continues to make excellent coffee…going strong.
I have learnt to enjoy a mild black coffee, again will depend on your taste and which coffee beans.
Build quality – externally this machines feels like a ink jet printer – so I imagine will benefit from being treated with some respect when opening and closing the cover, removing/replacing the water tank etc. Internally it sounds robust and the parts that need to be taken out and clean eg the filter, feel robust.
Ease of use – do read the manual. There are a number of display and warning lights which indicate what needs attending to eg coffee ground container needs emptying etc. Once mastered the machine is easy to use to make coffee, and 95% of the cappucinos we produce are far better then the ones bought out in UK coffee shops. Foaming milk is a doddle and the steamer works really well compared with other machines. Do take heed of the other reviewers who recommend googling or watching YouTube videos on frothing milk to perfect your technique. Also it does take a few attempts to get the bean grind setting correct, and it will vary if you change the beans you use and take a couple of uses after changing the grind setting for the full effects of the change to work through. All this is in the handbook. At under 300 (and when we bought it was nearer to 200) this machine leads on the price front. The next step up takes you to nearer 500 and while the casing of those machines may be better and the controls more automated, and the possibility that the machine will sort of froth the milk for you, I doubt the expresso is any better. And in my experience none of the fully automatic machine froth the milk really well as the foam is always too “open”. We would certainly buy this machine again based on experience so far, and if it stands the test of time will be highly delighted.
The Good : The frothing device is good. Froths milk really well. Do look on YouTube to see how frothing milk should be properly done. There are different settings for grinding coffee (coarse or fine ). Makes two cups of coffee simultaneously.
The Bad : Has to be cleaned regularly, quite often, hence my 4 star. My husband only makes a maximum of 2 cups a day and has to clean it more than once a month. It takes around 5 mins each time,not exactly hard work but it’s not what you’d rather be doing when you feel like some coffee and unless cleaned it won’t work. That would really put me off buying it, knowing I’m not rigorous myself . The other is the warming tray. Does not even increase it’s surface temperature by 1 degree let alone warm the cups but that does not bother me at all and not the reason for the 4 star.
Overall : a good machine that makes excellent choice but needs TLC ofte
I have been looking for a bean to cup coffee machine for a very long time but they were either much too expensive or had bad reviews. This one was a reasonably good price and had some really good reviews,which persuaded me that this was the machine I was looking for. It is! The instructions are easy to follow and since it arrived it has made reliable fuss free coffee. It’s easy to clean and the various lights make perfect sense. The first time I used it (my husband beat me to the first brew!) I was slightly perplexed by its cleaning cycle, which it does every time it is switched on, but have quickly realised that not only does this mean we always get a fresh cup of coffee, if you use one of the cups you are going to make coffee in, it warms it up very nicely! The quality of coffee is lovely, it is delivered at the right rate so doesn’t take very long. I have a hectic morning routine, but there’s always time for a proper cup of coffee – can’t say exactly how long it takes but it’s usually ready before the toast if I put it on first! Very glad I bought this machine and I am looking forward to serving coffee the next time we have people round for coffee, without having to apologise for my inability to make a nice cup of coffee!
The coffee it produces is almost perfect. Setup was not that complicated, although several settings can be altered including water temperature and grind size.
Cleaning and refilling is simple, although obviously the build quality is not at the highest standard as this is the entry-level machine meaning that I’ve been careful not to damage the plastic components. However for quality of coffee and ease of use it would be difficult to justify the considerable extra cost of the more expensive models. I’ve also read that the internal workings are similar across the whole range, so it’s probably only the plastic drip tray and case which may be less robust.
I have used a variety of coffee beans and ground coffee; my favourite is Valiente from Spain which is a torrefacto variety (roasted with a little sugar to create a caramel flavour) but they only sell it there.
I don’t use the steam attachment as I have a separate milk frother, which uses a magnetic spindle to warm and froth the milk Severin Induction Milk Frother Silver, White . This is far easier, less messy and stops automatically at the correct temperature, so the idea of using a steam frother does not appeal. However, when tested the steam is powerful and hot, and much better than my previous machine.
From the above, you can see that I tend to drink cafe latte, so the coffee is usually with milk, but my assessment of the coffee shot produced is that it is better than most coffee shops with an intense flavour and good crema.
The machine is used daily, and although I am not a big coffee drinker, intemittent visitors mean it has a light to medium usage. So far the descaling program has not been required, although I got 1 free descaler in the pack and 2 more when signing up to the De’Longhi club online.
Cleaning the machine is straightforward, although getting into the corners inside can be tricky when you want to do a full clean – but there is actually only a small amount of coffee grinds which ends up outside the collection tray so it doesn’t need doing very often. Cleaning the drip tray is pretty easy too, although there is a specific channel between plastic edges which is difficult to get into. A small brush will work, but I try to limit the overspill into the tray to reduce the cleaning effort. I leave a jug under the spout at all times, especially to catch the water used to rinse the machine as it starts and when it stops.
It would be difficult to recommend any improvements on the machine as it is perfect for my needs and produces great coffee from beans or ground coffee.
I reccommend putting your cup under the coffee spout when the machine is turned on, as the pre clean (hot water flush) will heat your cold cup, making it perfectly warm for a hot coffee a mere 5 seconds later. ALWAYS STEAM MILK LAST, not first as the steam Mech takes time to cool down (de-pressurize) though this can be overcome (as stated in the instructions) by releasing some steam from the steamer after selecting the coffee button again.
I hope o’ve not over complicated it, but in summary, this machine arrived Fast, Looks Good, Works Well, Works Quickly, and does everything i want it to do. – The bespoke dial for strength and length (volume of coffee to dispense) makes the machine totally versatile, i’d say better than any i’ve seen so far, including a 1k Gaggia my Farther in Law has.
Just Buy and Enjoy!
Having owned a De Longhi Iconia for a few years it finaly gave up the ghost, not that it stopped working as it made great coffee but started to leak terribly and changing various washers did not cure the problem, so I decided to change it. I must admit that I didn’t even consider a ‘bean to cup’ machine but having read all of the specifications it seemed to tick all the boxes not to mention the glowing reviews it has had from this site so I took the plunge. After a mix up by Yodel (Amazon please note that they are not the best) I collected the machine from the local depot and brought it home and was unpacked, looking at it I was almost afraid to set it up but after reading the instructions carefully the machine was ready to make its first coffee, I know some of us don’t read manuals, me included, but this is a must even before you unpack the machine. What more can I say, all the reviews were correct, great coffee after experimenting to your taste.
Pros
Great looking machine
Great tasting coffee
Ground coffee can be used (good job as I still had a load of it)
So easy to clean and no mess
Once you get to know it so easy to use and foolproof
Cons
Only one I can think of, a bit noisy to use early in the mornings when others are still in bed, tongue in cheek!!
All in all a great machine, so glad I got one.
For me, the best feature of the machine is that it’s great for caf/ decaf drinks at the same time. You can go bean to cup with the caf and use the pre-ground funnel option for decaf or vice versa. Genius.
It’s a superb machine and a great addition to the kitchen. Money well spent.
WOW!
I have owned this machine for 8 months now and realised I hadn’t written a review for it, so I though I should.
It has been simply brilliant so far.
I worked upto this machine from starting with a French press, then onto a coffee pod machine, then onto a espresso machine, then finally onto this bean to cup machine. I have never looked back !
Plusses….
Zero mess and fuss – coffee grounds come out in neat ‘pucks’
So easy to clean and maintain
Easy access to water tank
Very solid feeling
Excellent frothing function
Superb ‘fresh’ tasting coffee
Cosmetically nice looking
Minuses…..
I really cant think of too many – perhaps a little on the noisy side, but it doesnt bother me too much
………Thats it really
Brilliant coffee every time. Use some good beans and you get coffee that is easily as nice as any specialist high street seller – in my opinion, my coffee is better !
OK, I wondered for a while about spending nearly double what I could get a nice manual espresso machine for, but I really haven’t looked back. No manual grinding of beans and I certainly don’t miss the coffee grounds which always found their way onto the kitchen worktops…… or the used coffee grounds swilling around the sink edges.
Go buy one, you wont regret it!
Yes, the machine is noisy, both at switch on and when ‘grinding’ the beans. It’s in the kitchen so this is no issue to me at all. Setting it up was a doddle, and the only mistake I made was to turn the strength onto full, as I really do like my coffee strong. Having filled up with Lavazza coffee (Lavazza Caffe Espresso Coffee Beans 250 g (Pack of 3)), the first cup of coffee just wasn’t right, but the instructions said that you had to try a few cups to get things right. I changed the ‘grind’ to number three, turned the strength down a bit and tried cup two – better. The third cup was excellent, and that was with the strength set to half way. I tried cup four, and it was exactly the same as the previous cup – the setting has remained the same since, and I get cup after cup of consistently good coffee. There is a proper ‘crema’ on the top, and I reckon the coffee is as good as I have had anywhere in any restaurant. I haven’t tried any cappuccino or latte or anything else – I thought I would be making some over Christmas, but everyone was happy with the straight expresso coffee. The machine ran all of Christmas afternoon and performed perfectly.
A few reviews suggested there were early problems when the machine was new, and others relate to future problems. All I can say is that my machine has certainly performed perfectly so far.
Although the Amazon price is much less than the list price, it’s still a bit of a luxury to me, but it’s really great to have decent coffee on demand, and a good, enjoyable cup every time.
It it worth tweaking the grind amount somewhat (I made it slightly finer). Although it is a large and not hugely pretty device on the kitchen work surface – it is worth it for NOT having the hassle that assembling and cleaning / refilling a manual espresso maker entails. IMHO – best to get grind setting, strength setting and water amount setting right for YOUR MAINLY USED fave (and small) CUP …. it is easy from there to add water from the kettle for people who require a ‘taller’ or ‘weaker’ strength.
** FEB 2018 – Many years after my purchase, this device is still performing BRILLIANTLY 🙂 Make sure you use Delonghi descaler when the machine prompts you to. Re-grease the infuser part using proper food-safe grease and replace the rubber O-rings (only just replaced these late 2017). Should anything need replacing or fixing I am 99% confident that I can repair or replace any part myself – YouTube is your friend!
My new Magnifica EASM4200 coffee maker was ordered from Amazon on Monday, dispatched on Tuesday and delivered to my home in Northern Ireland on Wednesday. Absolutely superb service from Amazon.
This is my second Magnifica; the first one died spectacularly, after three years of producing five cups of impeccable coffee every day. I make that around five-and-a-half thousand cups, so replacing it with a similar model was a no-brainer.
There are a number of small but significant changes in the new machine compared with the previous model. The control layout is improved; there are more setting-up options, including coffee temperature and auto switch-off time. Those who know the older machine should note two initial differences: i) When heating up, the machine dispenses hot water in pulses, rather than as a steady stream and ii) when the coffee is being tamped, a small amount of liquid coffee is dispensed into the cup. This is not a fault – it seems to be part of a pre-damping of the coffee grounds.
Setting the machine up was relatively easy. Do not forget to set the water hardness using the kit provided. The factory default `correct’ coffee grinder setting of 5 produced instant dishwater; adjusting it to 3 produced a slow, steady flow of great coffee, with an excellent crema. The strength setting knob produced the best coffee at the `3 o’clock’ position, i.e. nearly at the max setting.
Frothing the milk is even better than the previous model, but do buy the Kitchen Craft Frothing Thermometer, as recommended by Amazon – it makes frothing a dawdle.
There are two essential things to know; they are hidden away in the manual, so are not immediately obvious. i) Adjust the grinder ONLY when it is in the process of grinding coffee and ii) remove the infuser ONLY when the machine is switched off. Neglecting either of these instructions will damage the machine.
With everything set up, the machine produces wonderful, rich coffee, cup after cup. Sure, it is expensive, but compared with using pods, it saves its cost within a couple of years.
If you have just won the lottery, buy a Jura. Otherwise buy this machine – you will not regret it.
On the downside, the last one got a bit dribbly after a year (note that’s probably 5,000 cups or thereabouts), and needed some disassembly and cleaning. On the upside, I got to take apart the coffee machine 🙂
The new model doesn’t keep the heater powered up all day like the last one – it only powers it up to actually make the coffee (assuming you use the “ECO” button). The last one was on 60-70 hours a week, so I’m not surprised it failed early.
In summary, for the price, you get a darn fine cup of coffee, the last one stood up to far more use than it was designed for without falling apart, and I bought the same one again when the last one failed – probably the ultimate thumbs-up.
Had this Magnifica ESAM4200 for a week now, do I have any regrets spending a significant amount of money for a coffee machine???
NOT AT ALL – Best coffee I have ever tasted and, I DO like my coffee. So simple to operate and consistantly produces a very good cup of coffee.
I must reiterate other reviewers comments about reading the instructions thoroughly, it is well worth it and makes the whole process simple.
Am experimenting with different beans at the moment, having started with Tesco beans I have now purchased another couple of types and wil see if I can detect any significant difference – I will update this review in a few weeks to confirm, or not, my joy with this machine.
Not being a barista 🙂 I have yet to produce a really creamy froth/milk for my wifes cappuccino (she is enjoying them no matter!). Cant get the milk (semi-skimmed and out of fridge) to the creamy state that coats the back of a spoon as per youtube. ANY RECOMMENDATIONS WELCOME………
I have even grown to likethe looks of it, thought it a wee bit big when first out of box. It now looks good on the work-top in my kitchen.
Last word on this machine – if you are thinking about it then stop thinking and buy it……!!!! You will NOT regret it.
It makes perfect espresso every time as good as you would get in any coffee bar. My wife was sceptical at first and was dead against me spending so much money on a coffee machine but after a little practice i presented her with a perfect Latte (her own words)
i am currently using Lavazza espresso beans bought from Tesco which i am very happy with although i will experiment with other brands
I find setting size to smallest and strength to highest gives best results, my favourite is a double shot in a small cup with a splash of extra hot water makes a perfect Strong Americano !!
Big Tip ! Pre Heat your cups with boiling water i cant stress how important this is, You will have no complaints of coffee not being hot enough if you do this!!
My only complaint is i cant have a coffee before leaving for work in the morning as it wakes my daughter up !! Noisy but no more than any other `bean to cup` machine i guess.
Lastly i now drink way too much coffee now !!!!!!
Buy this machine now, you wont regret it !!
UPDATE !!!!!
ITS 2015 MY MACHINE IS STILL GOING STRONG !!!!!
UPDATE 2017
6 years I’ve had this Machine, I’ve used it regularly average 3 times a day and still going strong. I have had no problems at all. What better recommendation do you need ??
My opinion after a week of use is that it is a surprisingly good machine. If anything, the flavour, with the same beans is even better. Perhaps my old machine had been getting tired for a long time. The machine itself is sensibly and robustly built (much better than the Gaggia) and includes several really nice features, like the ground coffee spoon which is tucked neatly into the top of the machine under a coffee where the ground coffee is added (if required). The water container is really easy to remove and refill, and the drip tray and used coffee container are equally easy to remove, the used coffee container sitting inside the back of the drip tray.
It is quieter than the Gaggia, but slower. Having said that, it is worth waiting for.
In Italy, I would buy Italian blends, but the better ones are hard or impossible to find in the UK. I have shopped around in the UK to find beans in a flavour I like including expensive Italian blends that I could find, Portuguese blends (bought online and very expensive) and the ones in the UK supermarkets. My choice settled on and remains good old Sainsbury’s own continental style beans.