De'Longhi EC155 15 BAR Pump Espresso and Cappuccino Maker
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List Price: Our Price: $58.90 You Save: $81.10 (58%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days 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: Amazing little devil
Summary: 5 Stars
I just had the best cappuccino of my life.
I wasn't going to write a review for my new espresso machine since the Breville ESP8XL Cafe Roma Stainless Espresso Maker we have at our office was producing much better results. Even though the DeLonghi turned out to be quite a bargain, knowing that there were better machines out there had killed some of my excitement.
But this was until today, until I tried to make my first cappuccino with the machine. I had bought a pitcher and a frothing thermometer from Amazon along with my machine. So I filled the pitcher with milk, dipped the thermometer into the pitcher and started the machine. As I watched the thermometer go up to 160 degrees, I knew I was gonna get a good result. Because I had tried the Breville Cafe Roma we have at the office many times. With its weird frothing tube, I was never able to get good results plus it was much slower to heat up the milk.
The froth was simply amazing. Thinking to myself what could be making this much of a difference between Breville and DeLonghi, I realized that the DeLonghi had a plastic end to its frothing tube. And this end was not a simple plastic piece. It had two holes on it probably to allow the air get into the milk. At that very moment, I gave credit to the Italians for designing this little devil.
I have to give the upper end to the Breville for the taste of its espresso but if you are going to mix your espresso with other ingredients, look no further than the DeLonghi EC155.
UPDATE: As of last week after a little over a month our Breville has been returned to the store. It's plastic shower head just couldn't handle the pressure and broke off. I wonder whose idea it was to put a plastic head against 15 bars of pressure, now that's great design! On the other hand DeLonghi's metal shower head is in top shape as it can be expected. We got a Saeco 30013 Aroma Traditional Espresso Machine, Black but it's espresso is nowhere near those of Breville's and my beloved DeLonghi's.
So final decision is still intact: DeLonghi EC155 is an amazing little devil!
Customer Review: Great espresso, incredible price!
Summary: 5 Stars
I love espresso, and this little baby makes a great cup. Here are a few points that might be useful for you to know:
Good points:
*It doesn't take up too much room on the counter and looks nice with it's silver metal accents.
*The water reservoir is a good size, you can make about 8-10 shots before you need to refill it, which is very easy to do, and there is a clear section behind the basket which shows the water level.
*Fast heat-up time (only about a minute), good frothing wand, no wait time between frothing and brewing (though you do have to wait a little between brewing and frothing).
Be warned:
*Frothing wand is only 3 1/4 inches from the counter top. Not a big deal, I just went and bought a frothing cup that is about that height.
*Distance from grounds basket to tray is only 2 1/2 inches, I usually use a small espresso cup.
*Built-in tamper sucks, buy a good metal one.
*You don't end up with a nice dry puck, the grounds basket is a watery soup after your espresso is made, so I dump it down the disposal.
*You will end up drinking more espresso than you mean to, it's that good!
Seriously, I chose this machine after a lot of online researching, and decided on this one based on its outstanding reviews and great price. What led me to it were the reviews of another DeLonghi, the EC140B, which is an older and less attractive model, but had reviews from people who had owned theirs for 6 and 10 years! I'm hoping that this one will have the same longevity.
-----> UPDATE: I've now had this machine for 8 months and it started running very slow. I'd been using only distilled water, so I knew it wasn't a calcification issue, so I looked into it and it turns out machines like this one (no backflushing) need to be cleaned every month or so to remove built up grounds that work their way inside the machine. So I ran some cleaner through it and all this nasty brownish liquid came out, and now it runs great again! So remember people, take good care of your things and they will take good care of you. A lesson I am still learning...
- and to answer a question commented on this review, my tamper is 2 inches in diameter.
Customer Review: Great compact machine, a few tips
Summary: 4 Stars
I just recently purchased the EC155 from DeLonghi when I realized I was going to $tarbucks at least every day, which is quite expensive at that frequency, and the drinks were becoming less consistent by the minute. I consider myself to have pretty high standards for espresso and bar drinks although the convenience made me settle for the easy drive-thru.
This machine has all the features you need in an affordable compact pump-driven espresso machine. It has a slightly smaller footprint than my regular drip coffee maker and brews an amazing shot every time with a little know-how.
Tips:
-Dont use the built in plastic tamper. The machine is not a large enough weight, even when pressing down from above, to exert the good 40-50lbs of pressure need to tamp a good puck. The one on my machine is was already slightly warped and not flat. Buy a heavier metal one, like Terry's RSVP Tamper here on Amazon.
-Let the machine preheat for at least 10-15 minutes for the best shot. The 'OK' light will come on in the first few minutes, but dont believe it!
-Most should know, but steam your milk first, so the boiler temperature is hotter and you can pull a shot directly afterwards and add to the milk. Otherwise you will have to wait for the boiler to heat up to steam your milk while your espresso shots oxidize to bitter grossness.
-The steam wand is very short and has a small clearance to the counter. If you dont want to raise it onto a pedestal, purchase a shorter frothing pitcher than normal. Nothing larger than a 20oz Krups XS5020 will fit, but that is plenty for a good 16oz beverage.
Some EC155 owners complain about the used espresso coming out of the basket as a soup. In my experience it is directly related to the proper tamping pressure. If you temp the whole puck to the proper pressure to comes out as a solid used puck afterwards.
I havent had it long but the other reviewers that have owned the EC155 for a few years make me very optimistic. Overall I am very impressed with the machine at its current price. I was able to make a great Cappuccino on the second try with some fresh ground Illy Medium Espresso beans just like Italy.
Customer Review: I hardly go to Starbucks!
Summary: 4 Stars
I really love coffee. I drink at least two coffees a day.
Getting married recently, I first found this esperesso machine, when I was making a bridal gift registry. I went through the reviews and thought it was not a bad idea to give it a try.
The result was more than satisfactory. I ususally drink latte and cappuccio, and this machine is doing a very good job making them.
It needs some tricks to get good results though.
As previous reviewers mentioned already, this machine has some downsides. For example, the espresso is not enough to drink alone.
Fortunately, I rarely drink espresso, so I always make sure my milk is hot enough when making latte or cappuccio.
Also, the plastic part of frother is very hard to put it back properly, when taken out once for washing. What I usually do is, right after frothing the milk, I let it run with cold water for 10 seconds and wipe it with clean kitchen towel. Then you can stay in a good shape, by detaching & washing the plastic, only once in every three or four times of frothing.
I personally found no inconvenience due to odd design of the machine. Many people complained about not having enough space to place a cup or to use the frother. I just bought some espresso shot glass from Starbucks and small froth pitcher form Bed Bath and Beyond, and they totally solved problem.
You really do not need a very big froth pitcher anyway, since this machine is designed for making 1 or 2 espersso at a time. You cannot make coffee for a crowd with this machine.
Also, measuring your espresso with shot glass before mixing it with milk or water is one of ways to make good tasting coffee. Sometimes if there are too much or too little espresso, it does not taste right.
For the money I have invested, I am pretty happy with the results.
I saved tons of money by making coffee by myself with this machine, instead of going to Starbucks. My husband, who was very skeptical about the idea of cheap espresso machine at first, was really impressed with the taste and became a big fan of this machine.
I hope my review will help those who are looking for espresso machines to buy.
Customer Review: A latte lover's heaven.
Summary: 4 Stars
My wife and I are "half" gourmets. We are the people who love to browse through gourmet magazines and websites, oohing and aahing over fabulous recipes, only to cut them and file them for future reference. We, then occasionally, actually convert them into delicacies. One of our passions, however, is a good cup of coffee. I roam through Costco's coffee section, managing to purchase the latest "new arrival" (ie. Egyptian, Kenyan etc). When we hit Panera Bread, or treat ourselves to Starbucks on occasion, she usually orders a latte and savors every drop.
So when I wracked my brain to find a gift for the holidays, it was a revelation to think of ordering an espresso maker. I combed through the many available and wound up ordering the Delonghi EC155, because it seemed to have the right combination of positive reviews and reasonable price. I didn't want another white elephant to sit in a closet gathering dust. As it turns out, it was the best such purchase I ever made.
We have had the unit for six weeks and have not missed a day without our morning cappuccino. She, a total novice, has become a latte "maven". She has experienced few obstacles to an excellent outcome. The only areas which should be noted:
a) clean the unit after each use.
b) use a thermometer to control the temperature of the milk. (we are currently using an Oneida brand with a top display, enlarged to make reading easier)
c) use milk with some fat content (rather than skim). We are currently using 2% fat content but are going to try 1% to see if we can reduce the calorie content.
d) Instead of a stainless steel pitcher, one can use a pyrex 8 oz. measuring cup to steam the milk. This, however, limits the amount of froth to one cup at a time.
e) the compact size, with a small footprint, does make it somewhat awkward and requires the operator to lean over to properly control the process. Elevating the unit might be more comfortable, especially for tall folks.
e) When beginning the steaming process, collect and discard the first discharge of hot water to avoid diluting the final result.
Overall, try it! you'll like it. It really is worth the effort.