De'Longhi EC155 15 BAR Pump Espresso and Cappuccino Maker
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List Price: Our Price: $99.95 You Save: $40.05 (29%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $48.95 (click here) Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of De'Longhi EC155 15 BAR Pump Espresso and Cappuccino Maker
Customer Review: Barista artistry at home with this baby
Summary: 5 Stars
I am giving the DeLonghi EC155 Espresso Maker five stars because the problems I had at first were operator error. I will get to that later in my review. Now that we've had this Espresso Maker for a month, we've figured out how to make exceptional espresso drinks with it. I really can't believe the crema on the coffee shots. Heavenly.
The Delonghi is compact and well made. It doesn't take up much space, and it looks nice. I like that you can fill the tank, and not have to fill it each time. I don't find the complaints that the steam arm is too short a problem, we use a proper milk steamer jug, and it works just fine. The steam arm does spray jets of water when you first turn it on, probably the steam condensed from the last time we steamed milk. I just run the steamer first for a few seconds until the steam comes out, then put the milk under it. I initially made very bad coffee. I reread the directions, and realized that I wasn't tamping properly. That made all the difference. It is important too, to use good quality espresso beans. I love that the filters come in two sizes, and there is a storage place next to the water filter! Clever design. I haven't tried the pods that other reviews mention.
Another complaint I read was regarding the fifteen minutes heating up time. I don't see why this is a problem, turn it on first thing when you get up, get ready, and the water is hot before you know it. This is certainly faster than a trip to the coffee house. The directions give a quicker version, but I haven't tried that.
So to sum up:
Pros: Makes excellent coffee
Bargain price for a good little machine
Easy to use
Compact clever design
Cons: You must read the directions to use it best.
Customer Review: Worked fine for the most part. I'd recommend it.
Summary: 4 Stars
I think I had this machine for 3+ yrs before I decided to replace it even though the way it started to break down wasn't huge. It simply got to the point where, when I turned the front knob to get steam brewing to froth the milk, I would have to turn the knob on the top pretty tightly to the "closed" position to keep the wand from from hissing. I decided to replace it at that point so I could just put it away somewhere and have it as a backup in the even that anything went wrong with my newer one soon or down the road. This machine heats up water in about a minute (it's pretty quick). It also gets the steam ready pretty quick when you put it on steam setting. There was only two issues I had with this and it honestly one of them might be unique to me. One was that I wished it had lasted a bit longer. It seems like the espresso makers I've had in the past lasted a year or two longer. As for the one that might be unique to me, well I drink a pretty big cup of espresso. Actually that would be a latte and it's in a 32 oz mug. Because of that I have the machine pour into a 2 cup measuring cup. The problem is that, with the drip tray in place I couldn't get that under the spout at all. After I removed the drip tray it worked, but I had to slip it in at an angle. Getting it back out, once the cup was mostly full, was a bit more complicated. Tipping the cup enough to get it back out meant tipping the cup enough that a fair amount of espresso would drain over the measuring cup spout. To be able to get it out without that happening I had to tilt the machine itself in the direction I was removing the cup. Yes, that meant that every time I made coffee that way (twice a day) I would have to tilt the machine and it took mostly filling two of those cups to fill my mug. Aside from those things it worked fine.Customer Review: Some noted shortcomings and how to deal with them
Summary: 5 Stars
I was skeptical that a low- (or medium-low)priced machine could work well, but it turns out that it works brilliantly. Some previous reviewers have noted a few areas of concern (all very minor), and I will offer my solutions to them:
1. The spout doesn't allow for anything taller than an espresso cup or very short coffee cup: Not a big deal for me (our cups are short and wide and hold all the espresso you could handle and still hope to get to sleep that night), but if you want to use a standard-sized mug, simply pick up the perforated steel plate that the cups sit on and place your mug into the well below. If there's liquid in the well, just wipe off the cup when you pick it back up.
2. No cup warmer: Two solutions here. I use the "quick" warm-up method stated in the manual by running two cups of water through the machine before inserting the grounds, and the hot water easily heats up the cup. Otherwise, if you let it warm up for the traditional 15-30 minutes, sit the cups on the steel area on top of the machine, which serves as its cup warmer, just like it says in the manual.
3. Frothing spout too close to the countertop: Either get a shorter, wider pitcher (I've actually been using a 16 oz. Pyrex measuring cup and it fits just fine), or--if you're brave--find a place where you can put the machine at the left edge of the counter so that the spout overhangs. You could then use a pitcher all the way down to the floor if you like. But I like the short-wide idea better.
4. Built-in tamper: Yeah, kinda lame. Go spend 4 bucks on a metal one.
Anyway, even at full price (which I didn't pay), this machine will pay for itself after 25-30 cups of $4 fill-in-the-blank-coffee-shop cappuccino/latte/whatever, counting consumables.
Customer Review: Awesome little machine
Summary: 5 Stars
First off I have to disclose that I've only owned the EC155 for about a week now and I've only used to 3 times.
The machine makes fantastic espressos with a good amount of delicious crema. I owned a steam espresso maker that lasted 5 years and when it stopped working decided to get a machine with a pump drive.
I was a tad hesitant when I placed my order. There seemed to be mixed feelings about this espresso maker. After using it a few times, I honestly can say that I don't understand some of the bad reviews.
A good number of people commented that it took anywhere between 15 to 30 mins for the machine to warm up. Every time I've used it, it's taken approximately 2 minutes.
People have commented about he fact that you can't fit a mug under the spout. There's a removable grill that covers the drip tray and all you have to do is REMOVE it. Once removed you can fit a large mug or a small pitcher in there. If you plan to use the machine to make espressos, you shouldn't need to put a large mug underneath it.
Some reviewers complained about the tamper. I can't quite figure why. It's kinda convenient to have it attached to the machine.
The bizarre thing is that my machine had a little bit of water in it, just a few drops. It didn't seem like it was returned. If it was used and returned, the person who returned it did a fantastic job repackaging it. I simply assumed that perhaps it was tested before being packaged and the water couldn't evaporate.
As I mentioned before, I've only owned it for about 1 week and only time will tell whether it is a a well built machine. If it breaks down or malfunctions, I'll update my review.
Based on my experience, I would definitely recommend this pump drive espresso maker.
Customer Review: Great espresso maker for the money
Summary: 5 Stars
I used a DeLonghi Cafe Parme steam-driven espresso maker for about 8 years. My budget was under $100, and I feel this purchase was money well spent. After trying the boiler system, I'll never go back to a steam system. I understand that more expensive machines are probably nicer and deliver even better espresso, but I'm perfectly satisfied with this machine. I don't think the warm-up time is excessive. Honestly, I just turn it on when I come downstairs in the morning. I have two dogs, so I send them out and feed them. By the time I'm done with that, at least 10 minutes has past and I go ahead and make my espresso. I do wish there was more clearance so that you could pull the shots directly into a mug. I did as someone else suggested and removed the metal tray and put a small mug down into the base. I don't have any issues with the amount of clearance for the steam wand. My experience has been that the machine does an excellent job pulling shots, and does an awesome job frothing/steaming milk.
Here's my routine. Turn the machine on to warm up for about 10 minutes. During this time I get the ground espresso and filter ready, and put milk in my metal container and put it in the fridge. I put a small mug under the filter and pull my shots. I have another, larger mug ready so that I immediately pour out my shots and put the small mug back under the filter--it continues to drip a bit and I don't want the espresso to be watered down. Then I switch over to the steam function and take the metal container with milk out of the fridge. When the indicator lights goes back on I froth and steam my milk. Easy-peasy.
I'm perfectly happy with my purchase and highly recommend the machine. Like I said, more expensive machines may be better, but for the <$100 price, this is excellent!