De'Longhi EC155 15 BAR Pump Espresso and Cappuccino Maker
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of De'Longhi EC155 15 BAR Pump Espresso and Cappuccino Maker
Customer Review: Thoroughly Impressed
Summary: 5 Stars
I never would have expected that one could buy an espresso machine for under $100 that makes espresso which can rival that of fancy restaurants and multi-thousand dollar machines. I was extremely impressed with how easy this machine is to use and how good the espresso is. You really can see all three layers of structure and I find that you get as good a level of crema and fullness of flavor as you do at Starbucks, upscale coffee bars, Olive Garden, or Macaroni Grill. You can control how much crema is produced by adjusting how hard you tamp the grinds. In a word the drinks are... Satisfying. Fully satisfying of a craving I didn't even know I had. Outstanding.
Several reviewers said that the on-board tamper is useless. I respectfully disagree. It's in the perfect place for on-the-go tamping (albeit with an underhanded motion of your arm instead of an overhanded pressing that many people might be used to) as you load and re-load for another shot. I took the advice of several reviewers and bought a fancy, heavy $6 tamper to use with this machine and it is sitting on the shelf collecting dust. It looks nice though. (The $6 tamper that is.)
I can understand how the compact design has some people frustrated. I purchased two Bodum 2.5 ounce insulated espresso cups and they are just the right height to squeeze under the nozzles. So you need an espresso cup (or cups) to collect shots that isn't too tall. A normal espresso cup should be low enough, but it's true that you cannot fit a mug under there by any stretch. I haven't had any space problems with the steam nozzle - it's not terribly long and you sometimes have to wedge your milk-frothing pitcher under the nozzle by tipping it at an angle, but I find frothing works better with the pitcher at an angle anyway. I would expect that a more expensive machine that takes up more space might be more convenient for some people. But not me. I'll take the compact design and lower price.
Re-loading is very quick and easy as well. I usually make triple-doubles with semi-breve frothed milk and the cycle of emptying the old grinds, loading in new ones, and pulling out another double shot goes much faster than I would have expected. I can make the most amazing tasting and textured beverages in less than five minutes (okay my wife makes them for me - she's the real barrista in the family.)
Overall I believe most of the reviewers are accurate on the key points: the espresso is delicious, the machine is compact (which can be good and bad for some), and it's an excellent deal for the money. I haven't used my coffee maker, french press, or Tassimo even ONCE since this machine arrived in the mail. I can honestly say that even if this machine broke down every 6 months or so and I had to replace it over and over again, I would still feel like I was getting my money's worth.
Customer Review: Wow, so many defects
Summary: 2 Stars
I received the DeLonghi EC155 today and tested it immediately. It was not bought from Amazon but from Lowe's. Here are the results.
1. Discovered that it had been returned by someone else because the plastic bag in which it came was all wet inside as was the espresso machine itself. So it had to be dried before using.
2. When I plugged it in to get the water warm, it spat coffee and water all over the counter top. (I had not put the coffee holder on yet) It was even more obvious then that the machine had been used and not properly cleaned when I saw all the coffee come spitting out of the machine. Then I turned it off and wiped the area inside where the holder sits and came away with a very brown paper towel filled with coffee grounds. I did this several times til the paper towel was fairly clean.
3. I tamped with my own tamper and attempted to put the coffee holder onto the machine. It was very, very hard to turn and I never got it on straight out as it shows in the picture. It was on an angle.
4. Espresso was lukewarm.
5. Frothing arm is very short and I got very little froth but lots of hot milk. The pitcher I use isn't all that big but in order to get froth I would have to fill it thereby wasting a lot of milk.
6. Espresso itself was very good but as with the machine I have now, I had to put it in the microwave to have a hot latte.
7. Water holder doesn't hold nearly so much water as the Krups does.
8. I could see why the frothing cap will not last long. It is made of plastic and constant removal will remove the threads. The Krups frother has a rubber cap and is easily removed and cleaned as is the entire frothing arm.
9. I found that when I turned off the machine the frother continued to spit out steam and covered the counter top until I realized it was happening since it was silent and I had turned away from the machine. The separate frothing button was also turned off.
10. When I tried to remove the coffee holder it was so tight I could not do so without holding the machine itself tightly to my chest and then applying a lot of hand pressure to get it to turn.
11. I did get a hockey puck in the coffee holder but it did not want to come out and it took several hard taps on the counter top (used a paper plate to catch it) to get the grounds to drop.
I guess you have already figured out that this machine is going back to Lowe's and I will continue to use the 10 year old Krups I have. I consider this to be a refurbished machine and should not have been charged the regular price, but that's a different discussion.
Eileen
Customer Review: Now Satisfied Customer
Summary: 3 Stars
Revised September 2009. Changing my rating to 4 stars. I am now quite happy with my DeLonghi after finally figuring out what the problem was. It is very important that the grind of the coffee beans is correct. After reading another espresso maker's manual, I noticed it stated the grind should feel like 'salt' not powder. The beans I was having ground at Starbucks (and like places) sometimes ground it into 'powder'. This is what plugs up the filter. I now grind the beans at home (for about 16 seconds) and the espresso maker works perfectly now. I still don't use the steamer, however.
Previous Review: I too am somewhat disappointed with my DeLonghi EC155. I previously owned a older model Krups and was satisfied with that. It always worked, even though I didn't know how to use it properly. And even though it didn't produce a proper crema, it always tasted good. I didn't even know you were supposed to clean the filter...duh.
In any case, my daughter wanted me to upgrade to a 'true' espresso maker so bought me the DeLonghi after doing research online and reading the reviews. Needless-to-say, it worked just great in the beginning. I stopped using the frother as it was a hassle to clean and I had to find a short frothing pot because of issues mentioned by other users. I just heat the milk in the microwave and use an 'Aerolater', which works just wonderful and it is easy to clean.
After about 2 months I started having problems with the espresso coming out in drips and water running over the top of the filter holder. I cleaned everything and it worked OK for a while, then started up again. I thought the machine was defective, but then decided perhaps the coffee beans were ground too fine. I even started grinding the beans myself to ensure it was an 'espresso' grind. It worked for a while, but would plug up again. I have had to clean the filters and boiler filter quite a number of times. I have also descaled it as recommended. You definitely have to use a needle to clean the tiny holes. I do use filtered water, so that is not the problem.
Bottom line, when the machine is working, the espresso is great. If you use it only occasionally, you should be OK. But if you like to make cappuccino's or latte's every day like me, it is a very temperamental machine and needs cleaning often.
UPDATE: Once again (after thorough cleaning) it just drips and takes about 8 minutes to get the eqivalent of 2 espressos with little to no crema. I don't know what to do at this point, other than trying to find an older Krups espresso maker. This DeLonghi is just too temperamental and frustrating. Hope this helps.
Customer Review: Be your own $-Bucks
Summary: 5 Stars
Having had this gem in my possession for a month now, I can give it highest marks for quality, performance and value. In reading the many other reviews that steered me to this unit, I think I might have a few solutions for common concerns.
1) Buy the Bodum cups, Terry's tamper and the Krupp's 20 oz short squat milk frother. You owe it to yourself to have some nice accoutrements and these will give you much bang-4-the-buck enjoyment with this unit. As you have gathered, the range of the nozzle and clearance of the cup space are compact; these items work perfectly with the EC155.
2) The coffee pods work well but are not the end-all be-all and I find grinding some French roast to a fine consistency (Mr. Coffee grinder) filling the "double" filter basket and tamping firmly provides a better cup of espresso.
3) I am currently using distilled water and do a flush run (basket with no coffee) once a week. Yes, some gunk will flush out.
4) I use the nozzle to pre-warm the Bodum cup as it shoots a bit of water when first activated. Once clear, I use the steam for cappuccino if desired.
5) I keep the Krupps frothing cup in the freezer and use Soy milk. I'm sure neither of these are essential but my wife is lactose intolerant. This works well for small quantities of foam and hot milk.
6) I pull a ~1.5oz shot with the crema being a ~1/2 inch in the cup.
Total time runs around 20 seconds (but who's counting)
6) Unlike other reports, I have yet to find a nasty puddle of grinds in the filter basket; a damp solid plug remains.
7) I may have a defective filter holder but when I use the thumb lever to hold the basket in place to dump the grings, a sharp piece of plastic is exposed. I plan to Dremmel grind this to avoid further cuts.
Well, there you have my review. I figure payback on a unit like this is 35 nice cups. I have 2 to go, never have to stand on line and the Bodum Pavina cups beat paper in function, form and style. While reviews of these cups suggest fragility, I have yet to ding one and wash them by hand. Don't imagine you'd want them near the microwave.
This is the fourth espresso machine I've owned since 1983 and by far, the best. The espresso consistently comes out dark, rich and very flavorful. I use a pinch of sugar and a twist of lemon peel to round out the flavors. My last Krupp's ran ~$200 and was problematic after a month of use. Reports here suggest these units have a reasonable life-span if cleaned and used correctly. Given the cost at gourmet coffee stands these days, I consider this both a luxury and an investment.
Customer Review: Great machine for the $$!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have to agree with the majority here. The machine works perfectly fine. Actually much, much better than expected! I even managed to pull two good, strong (well strong for my taste anyway) double shots from one full large basket (two scoops of coffee tamped fairly tight) and make my first homemade 4x shot white mocha! It was every bit as good as what I get from my favorite coffee shack, (The owner hand picks and roasts his own beans so I buy them by the pound or two from him) or at work from our in-house coffee shop. Probably helps that I have a burr grinder and can grind the coffee to my specifications right before I brew.
The steaming wand isn't that much of a pain. I found that a standard Krups 12-20oz frothing pitcher fits just fine under it. For the price, this machine cannot be beat! And right now it's $15 cheaper than what I paid for it! At the moment, I'm extremely happy with my purchase! Yes, I'm excited, can't you tell by all the exclamation marks?!?!?!! :P I'm also just a tad hopped up on coffee right now, LOL!
As a side note: I do not seem to get a soupy mess as some others mentioned in the holder when I'm done, I get a nice puck.
To Steve Smith:
Regarding your complaint about the grounds basket falling out into the trash when you empty it. The secret is, there's a plastic lever in the handle that you have to flip over and hold with your thumb while emptying it to keep the basket in the holder so it does not fall out! How could you miss that? Also handy if you like to wash the used grounds down the disposal.
Tips:
1. I highly recommend getting a good burr grinder such as this one: Capresso 558/01 Burr Coffee Grinder and grinding fresh before you brew, it makes all the difference in the world! Takes a little more time but it's well worth the wait.
2. To speed things up, I keep pre-ground coffee in the fridge in an air-tight container as well as my un-ground beans in a separate air-tight container. This keeps the coffee nice and fresh. DO NOT Store coffee or beans in the freezer or it will ruin the ground coffee/beans! Specially frost-free freezers!
3. If you love white mochas like I do, you can buy powdered white chocolate mix straight from Ghirardelli for only $19.95 shipped to your door via UPS. Mine got here within 2 days! They also make the syrup, but it's around $24.95 shipped for a 64oz. bottle.