Now, back to the Delonghi. The first few days that I used it, I hated it. I was going to send it back, but didn’t get around to it right away. The coffee was anemic and the steamer didn’t quite cut it. I make two mugs of cappuccino in the morning, and had to keep closing the steam knob and wait for the OK light to go back on. I learned to just keep the steam on and to open the knob more than the 1/4 turn that is recommended. It steams the milk just fine that way. I also didn’t like having to dump the grounds and refill the filter basket in order to get a full carafe of strong espresso. ( I have switched to a french roast and espresso beans and use bottled flavoring. That seems to make the best coffee if I want flavored coffee). I do like the fact that I can make a mug of decaf for my wife, and then a cup of leaded for myself in short order. It just took some experimentation to get it right, since the instructions don’t cover the nuances of the machine. I am really glad that I gave the Delonghi a chance. Every time I use it, I like it more. The only reason that I didn’t give it 5 stars is that the filter basket really should be a little larger. Then I could make enough espresso for two mugs of cappuccino without having to refill the basket. The steamer is also a tad too low to be able to steam milk in any decent sized container. I like to use the mug that I drink the coffee from, and it just doesn’t fit. I can tilt the mug to get it under the nozzle, but can’t do that once the milk is frothed without spilling some of it. The machine has to be lifted a little to get the mug out. But I can live with that. I would definitely recommend this espresso maker. It works great once you get the hang of it.

Ok for small cups only – Photoknut – Raleigh, NC
Takes a long time to heat up, and you cannot steam the milk and make the shots at the same time. It does not have enough power to do the shots, then steam the milk, you have to wait inbetween them. Plus, you have to take off the foam nozzle (threaded on) to clean, and it doesn’t really foam very well.

Underpowered for a large travel mug or “Venti” sized latte. If you are just making small drinks it will work ok. Good price for small sizes.

Excellent espresso machine ! – Ramakrishna Gundala – fairfax, VA
I am the kind of person who would love to start a day with a hot cup of coffee. I usually take it with some milk and sugar. This is my first ever espresso machine. It’s been only little over 1 month since I got this machine but so far I liked it very much. The diagrams and instructions were helpful in understanding how the machine is to be operated. I tried making cappuccino the very first time I used it. From my limited experience, I have to say that the machine does make good espresso and can generate fair amount of froth from milk for making a cappuccino. I tried with 2% milk. Did not try with skim milk as they recommended. Haven’t had any issues so far. The waiting time for the machine to get hot is not that much (may be 2-3 minutes). I used the 2 cup filter and always press the powder in the filter very hard to make the coffee as strong as possible. The espresso itself comes with lot of air bubbles, so that when I just add milk, it remains frothy without using the steam pump. I am pretty satisfied with it so far. I use dark roast coffee. I need to experiment with some other coffee power. I would recommend this machine to any first time buyers. At the time of this writing, they lowered the price even more so this is a good bargain.

DeLonghi machines are great – Kathi Goodfellow – Utah
I love this machine. In fact, I needed a second machine for my office so I bought a second one exactly the same. It’s a great price and it makes a good coffee. After reading some of the other reviews I do have to admit that maybe the foamed milk isn’t really piping hot.

FIRE HAZARD!!! – D. O’Brien –
I have this coffee pot and it STARTED ON FIRE in my home this morning!! Luckily, I was in the same room and noticed the smoke and smell. When we saw the flames, we threw it out into the snow. Thank goodness the fire did not spread and we are all safe. It was a normal cycle…just finished brewing a pot of coffe. The coffeemaker was only about a month old.
Yikes!!!
I have reported it to DeLonghi and am expecting to hear back from one of their representatives.
I would stay away from this model!!

Ran out of steam…… – G. Lasswell – Spring, Texas
Like many purchasers I was pulled in by the great front loading feature. The swing out drawer for both the grounds and the water…..cool. The first few pots full were a little slow in filling but I figured it was just a different unit than I was used to. Programming was about the same as most. I set it for the time I wanted coffee in the morning and used it every day. After a few months I noticed that it was getting slower and slower. I did the cleaning and got lots of crud out. Ok. But surprisingly, there was no improvement in the speed. The aroma button was a waste. No change. I never did understand what that was all about (but I never make less than a full pot anyway). A short time later I had water leaking out onto the counter under the pot. I set the whole thing aside and let it dry out well. I took the bottom off and looked inside. No big deal there. Nothing out of place. I did another cleaning cycle and it took almost 2 hours to get the 12 cup pot of water to run through. I’m done with it and it is in the trash. I’ll be going back to Krups. The Krups Pro Aroma was the best pot ever made. I’ll be trying another Krups soon.

GMG – G. A. Scott – Iowa
The Coffeemaker is built well, and does a fine job of preparing coffee. I like the front loading of water and coffee. I like the way the pot spout is shaped. It doesn’t spill coffee like other pots do. Pouring water into the machine, or just poring a cup of coffee, is drip free. Using my last coffeepot required lots of towels around. The design of that spout has a lot to do with it. The mug warmer on the top, never really gets warm. I don’t think there is a real element in there to warm coffee mugs on the top,,,, I think it’s just the rising heat from coffee being perked. I find the draw backs are with the electronics of this device. After a short while it turns itself off. A lot quicker than any other coffee device I ever had. I can hear the clicking of the element keeping the coffee pot warm, but after about 30 minutes – my next cup of coffee, and the device is already off,,, and 3/4 pot of coffee is Luke-warm. The recovery to hot coffee again takes about 15-20 minutes to re-heat. This is the second coffee maker I have purchased for the office. Until this one just fails, I will learn to adjust to it’s electronic temperament.

Side Note: I have never used the frothing wand on this machine and have heard the milk steaming/frothing capacity is low. The steam pressure, in relation to coffee quality, creates the most flavorful shots the first 2 runs. Give the machine a break of 10 minutes or so before turning on another steam cycle. For us at home, this is the amount of time it takes to drink our first cup, so the timing works out perfectly.

Great quality, bad engineering – Mark Kreitzer –
The build quality of this model is amazing. I just purchased a similar Mr. Coffee model which is cheaply built. It broke and I had to return it. This DeLonghi feels solid. Only problem is that it is almost impossible to froth milk with it. If they could make the frothing mechanism more flexible like the Breville models, put it higher up, this would be amazing… I’m really sad I had to return it. I could see that this would be OK if you have a nice frothing beaker that is fairly small, but otherwise, I would not recommend this product. I hope they read amazon reviews.

Couldn’t make it steam milk. Finally gave up. – Susan Douglas – Somerset, Ky
The first one of these that I ordered was returned because it didn’t heat up. Its replacement was just as bad. I tried several times to make cappuccino and there wasn’t enough steam to even heat the milk, let alone froth it. The last time I tried (about the 4th), there wasn’t any steam at all, even though I put in water way up past the steam marking on the carafe. I’m sending this one back for a refund. It did work fine for expresso, but that’s not what I bought it for.

DeLonghi EC5 Cappuccino Maker – tbogart2003 –
I sent this cappuccino maker as a gift to my daughter. Once she figured out how to disable the safety feature, she really loved it.

Better than starbucks – C. Quigley –
I love having my own homemade espresso machine. We get the pre-ground espresso ground beans from local grocery stores. I’ve had the machine for about a year and we probably use it once a week or more. You’ll want to get a spoon if you plan to make lattes/cappucinos (or if you use the steaming option for drinks). We didn’t want to spend 00 for one of the nicer machines because we might as well go to a coffee shop twice/day every day for that money and not have to clean up after ourselves.
Honestly, I think this machine makes better lattes than the generic coffee shops. Homemade is almost always better. I don’t drink straight espresso. I have made lattes, cappucinos, americanas, and used the steamed milk for hot chocolate. It’s all gonna depend on your espresso beans, but (to me) they all tasted great! The machine works better with fattier milks (its harder to use skim milk for the froth).

Do not buy the EC 140B – Diederik J Thiers – Sag Harbor, NY United States
I have been using a Delonghi BAR 140 F for about 6 years, about 10 espresso’s each week no latte’s (don’t like them), so no experience with that). That was a splendid machine, simple construction, good crema, and little maintenance. I was very happy with it. Last week the pump stopped working so I ordered an EC 140 B Execution: C, which on the surface looked like the same machine. Why change when you are on to a good thing. Right? BIG MISTAKE!
I used it for the first time this morning and it is a disaster! The problem is the Filter Holder design.
Some smart engineer decided (as they are wont) to improve the Holder and Creamer design. Instead of the old simple two-piece assembly and rubber disk, it now has 5 parts with a difficult to clean complicated screw-together assembly and a rubber gasket, which is bound to fail. On top of that IT DOES NOT MAKE ESPRESSO.
When handle is normally tight, it runs (i.e. dribbles) very slowly. When tightened lightly to have the coffee run normally, steam escapes on side of Filter Holder. Coffee looks like drip i.e. no crema. Filter is full of coffee/water sludge when you take it off i.e. not the nice dry “puck” I got on the old machine.
I am really disappointed and to rub it in, Delonghi has changed the diameter of the holder attachment so I cannot use the Filter Holder of the old 140 F.
I am returning the EC 140 B. Does anyone have a lightly used 140 F that I can buy?

DeLonghi EC140B Expresso & Cappuccino Maker – S. Whitworth – Texas
I just received this item promptly yesterday and began using it this morning. I am on my second shot of expresso and am loving the simplicity of it all. This is the first machine of this type I have owned, so I can not impart a comparison of any sort, but can say this machine is easy to use and makes a nice cup of expresso with ample crema. It also steams milk like a little champ. The unit is small and will not take up a lot of space on your counter. My expresso bean of choice is Lavazza.

Update: 11/22/2009 This little champ is still going strong and I have no complaints. Be sure to have a good grinder. When this machine goes to expresso maker heaven, I will buy another DeLonghi!

* best with Dunking Donuts whole bean coffee!
* Awesome to dial your strength by the cup!
* Hot water and steam features are beneficial to us when were in a hurry and need some snacks!

in short, you cannot go wrong with this bad boy. I may purchase another for my parents for xmas, so I can have great coffee when I am visiting home as well!

3 years and still makes decent espresso – michelle michelle – Blauvelt, NY United States
I’ve had this machine for over 3 years now and have used it daily with whole beans only (self imported from Brazil or Vivace from Seattle). Makes a decent espresso every time. I’ve never had to do any maintenance on it except for a weekly 1 min cleaning. I only wish that it could make a stronger espresso shot. I always have it the on max setting, but the espresso comes out slightly on the watery side. Still much better than starbucks and cheaper in the long run, but doesn’t compare to the high end coffee joints like Gimme Coffee. For the price level though I think it’s the best out there in a one-button automatic machine. I would lose patience with using a manual machine every morning when sleepy even if it gave better espresso.

Very Happy! – C. Costa – Portland, OR USA
My wife and I have never been a big coffee drinkers, but this machine has definitely made us more excited about drinking coffee. We’re very happy with the quality of the drinks it makes and the ease of use. The only issue we have is that it’s quite noisy. It’s hard to turn this on without waking someone up in the morning. Although the amount of maintenance / clean-up / refills it requires is quite manageable, it bothers me that ti asks to refill the water when there is still about 1/4 left.

Anyway, apart from the noise this is a really great machine. I’ve very happy with the purchase!

Nice machine – Ezio Insinna – Vins sur Caramy – France
After nearly one month this machine is performing nicely.
Better use grains instead of already ground coffee, it tastes better…

Meticulous cleaning of the machine is so important. Run water with vinegar through the machine once a month. Then run plenty of water though it to remove the vinegar. Seven parts water to one part vinegar is what I used. Run this though the espresso maker and the foaming tip. Clean the plastic tip with a pin frequently as milk will plug it even if you soak it.

I was frustrated with the intruction booklet, but I read alot of reviews for ideas and I now make a drink to rival a good coffee shop. It is a learning curve that has been alot of fun. This has been a very rewarding purchase, literally at the price of a latte!

satisfied – Tamara L. Moro –
We are very pleased with the quality of the espresso that comes from this relatively inexpensive machine. We also have a semi automatic espresso maker and the DeLonghi is a great competition. Havent tried the frothing wand so cant comment on it. For straight espresso shots, this is fantastic.

Best purchase for the money – –
Very good inexpensive espresso maker.
Since I had it, I get much more and better espresso than before.

Frothing Wand – PG –
For all the people who have problem frothing because of the wand size might wanna try increasing the height of the machine. I have a book wrapped with the aluminum foil and set my coffee machine on the book. It really helps!!

Best Expresso Machine, for the money! – Big Angel Fan –
I purchased this machine 4 months ago, and absolutely love it! It’s my first expresso machine, so I’d never made expresso previously. However, after reading the machine’s instructions and a few posts on this site, I was quickly making wonderful cappuccinos and lattes. And the taste is just as good as what you get at Starbucks! This machine is fully self-contained and very easy to operate. There is a slight learning curve when it comes to steaming and frothing, but I perfected my technique after the first couple of trys. The frothing wand sits a bit low, so you’ll need to purchase a frothing cup to match that height. I’ve tried the LaVazza pods, but prefer the Starbucks expresso roast coffee. I buy it at my local Starbucks and have them grind it! As expected, the fresh ground coffee is much tastier, although cleanup is much easier when using the pods. For under 0, you won’t find a better expresso machine than the Delonghi EC155!

not good – Larry D. Thompson – Alaska
After opening this product I found some of the pieces were missing,so I contacted the seller and maker to get the parts.After 6 weeks I finally get the parts and was able to start using the machine,this was a christmas gift that I had given.After waiting for parts to arrive I found the machine did not work good at all.We tried it several times and we ended up with more coffee on the outside of the machine than in the cup.That was 2 years ago and the machine has been sitting on the shelf since.We took our 15 year old espresso make back off the shelf and have been using it since.

It’s great when it works – andrey – Tucson, AZ
We had Delonghi BCO264B combination for over a year. Last week, once of a sudden, the drip coffee part simply stopped working. No warning, no signs..

However, when it worked it was good. We’re looking for a different combination machine now, but it most probably won’t be another DeLonghi product.

Dont waste your money! Breaks or stops working in a month or so – Is – Joliet, IL
I went through a few of these within a month of owning it. I received it damaged got a replacement and that one lasted less than a month then another and another and finally one worked for almost a year and that one broke too. You have to ship the unit at your expense every time as well and at 20+ pounds its expensive to ship and my closest place was a 2 hour drive.

it doesnt make quality espresso at all its more like coffee even with premium beans that are ground just before brewing.

Their customer service is useless as well they dont know anything about their units or making espresso.

spend a couple hundred more and purchase a higher quality one that will last.

Breaks too easily – J. Michel – Nashville, TN
The espresso maker on this one is awesome. I love the milk frothing mechanism. Mine took the temperature just fine. The coffee maker is fine. It has a water filter and everything. The problem with this model is that it is priced highly but it is cheaply made. The handle to the espresso cup broke within a few months. The swing out coffee filter holder on the coffee part is not designed to come out for cleaning. If you take it out, you will not get it back in without breaking it. I had this thing for about a year and I can’t use it anymore because it is falling apart. I’d stay away from this, but try to find an espresso maker with the same features.

Horrible machine – broke after only 2 months – JKH – Nashville, TN
We included this item on our wedding registry and were excited when we received it as a gift. However, after only 2 months use, the plastic basket holder broke off. After much time, I found it impossible to repair. In addition to poor construction, the coffee maker was extraordinarily slow in brewing a pot.

If you need a coffee maker, go with Cuisinart (which is what our Delonghi was replaced with). It is 1000x better than this pile of junk.

HORRIBLE MACHINE – STAY AWAY – L. Sofia – PA
I registered for this machine for my wedding. Within 6 months it was fried. The red power light started blinking and wouldn’t stop and then finally it just wouldn’t turn on. DeLonghi said that I had to send it out for repair even though it was under warranty. They gave me a service center somewhere in the back woods of PA. Every time I called to inquire about the machine I was told it was almost fixed or that the guy had arthritis flare ups and was backed up. When I asked how long it would take he said more than a day but less than a year. Never did get the machine back. After literally 9 months of complaining to DeLonghi and being passed around to several people including a supervisor that never calls back they got sick of hearing from me and sent me a new one and guess what? IT’S DOING THE SAME THING AGAIN!!! They charge an arm and a leg for CHEAPLY MADE PRODUCTS AND EVEN CHEAPER CUSTOMER SERVICE. Most companies these days have no problem sending you a free replacement for products under warranty, not these guys. Oh, and after they sent me to this repair center, they took them off their list and are no longer sending people there. Do yourself a favor and NEVER BY ANYTHING DELONGHI!!!!

Find something better – Stephanie Hawkins – Newport, MI USA
I bought this machine strictly for cappucino-making. I’ve used the coffee part maybet twice since I’ve had it, so my review is specifically for the espresso/cappucino making aspect.

I had this machine for two months when the little red part in the milk tank broke (I believe they call this the emulsifier). Because it was so new, it was under warranty, and they were to ship me out a whole new milk tank assembly within a week. That was THREE MONTHS ago, and I still haven’t gotten a new red part, nor do I have any idea if or when I will ever get it.

The good news is, the thing makes DELICIOUS cappucinos. That’s about the only good news. The bad news is:

*The red part is cheap plastic and broke easily (I see I’m not the only one with this problem.)
*Getting the coffee to come out hot is a VERY tricky process. I’ve learned to turn it on and then wait four minutes, about the time the “cappucino light” comes on, and THEN turn the dial to get the espresso to come out. Once I have enough, I then turn the dial back, wait for the cappucino light to come on again, and THEN I let the milk froth. It usually comes out nice and hot at this point. But it took me a MONTH to figure this out, and this is NOT what the directions tell you–the directions do NOT make HOT capuccino or lattes.
*The clock is a waste. Even if I reset it, within a couple of days, it’s 8-10 minutes fast. Always.
*The markings on the caraffe are cheaply applied. There is NOTHING in the directions that say you can’t put the parts in the dishwasher except for the espresso grounds basket. But if you do, you’ll lose all your markings VERY quickly. I had to mark mine with a permanent marker because ALL my markings are gone.

If I could go back in time, I’d buy something else. I do a LOT of work to get cappucinos in the morning, and for 0, I should have to do VERY LITTLE WORK at all.

Dont Buy – D. Boykin – Brooklyn, New York
I bought this product about a month ago because I really enjoy coffee and I thought an espresso/cappuccino maker [...] isnt bad. when I received it in the mail I was really excited. About a week later was the first time that I actually had time to use it. The espresso part of the machine didnt work. The knobs to adjust the how strong of coffee you want didnt turn. It just looks nice in my kitchen. So basically I paid [...] for just a regular coffee maker. It doesn’t have a timer on it so when you wake up in the morning the coffee is already ready. It doesn’t have anything special about it. This was really a waste of money.

Great coffee frother – Sandra K. Hartin – St. Louis, MO
This is the second exact coffee maker I purchased. I love to have a coffee lattee every morning and this maker provides that with ease. I loved mine so much I purchased the second one as a birthday present for my daughter. The fill tank is convienent and clean up is a breeze. I don’t drink expresso so this part of my machine has never gotten used. I have not had any problem pouring with this machine nor has any thing broken and I use it every day,

DeLonghi Listened – AB – CO
I am happy to say this company listened to the consumer. They have fixed the caraffe that dripped so badly. This coffee pot is great! My original coffee pot was purchased for me 6 years ago. The heating element finally went out. I purchased a less expensive one and hated it. I bought a new one of these and discovered that DeLonghi listened. On the steamer side I heat my water to use as steam for hot cocoa or a latte and can use it as I need to. It does not drip out as the water does in cheaper models. This is one product that you definitely get what you pay for. I can say 6 months of the local coffee shop costs will be saved if you buy this and use it at home.

All in all, this is one of the best buys I have ever made. I’m glad it all worked out so well. I can truly recommend both the product and also the seller.

LOVE THIS MACHINE!! – ESPRESSO LOVER – RI, USA
I bought this machine used on Craigslist and love it. I have had it 8 months now and have had no problems. It makes an excellent espresso. I use LaVazza espresso beans and Lavazza dekaf ese pods (tear pod open and pour in as it is already measured)for the best espresso you can find in Rhode Island. I had owned a Briel espresso machine before and it was a lemon. I would definately buy this machine again…at full price if need be.

easy, fun, tasty – D. Demers –
I researched the superautomatics pretty well and went with this one. It is very easy to use and has plenty of settings to play with. I specifically did not buy one of the newer digital models figuring that that would just leave more of a chance for something to break. I purchased mine from a popular auction site, it was listed as “refurbished” or returned. If it was either, I could not tell except for one small ding that is hardly noticeable. For the price I paid it was an awesome buy. The frother does work well, just make sure that it is on correctly and that the o-rings are present. If you happen to be missing an o-ring or need a new one, go to a hardware store.
I simply wipe the attachment down and run steam and water through it to clean it.
The pre-ground bin leaves something to be desired but I dont really use it anyway.
The instruction manual is ok, it takes reading more than once to get certain things correct, something probably got lost in the translation.
Overall this machine is the best toy Ive had in a long time.

Great coffee – shame about poor reliability – Moore Paul Patrick – Antwerpen Belgium
I bought this machine in 2006 after an almost-endless trawl through the internet reading owners’ reviews – after all, we are talking about the search for the perfect expresso here!

The coffee quality is indeed great. The only misgivings I would have about using it are that the knobs have no user markings, which means that if there are several people in the house using the machine, it is impossible to select the previously-selected individual settings. Also, the time before the machine switches itself off is fixed at about three hours. I couldn’t find the power comsumption in the user manual when in “idle” mode, but I think it must be substantial since it keeps the cup preheater hot during this time. Not that the preheater is any use – I warm my cups by first wetting them and then putting them in the microwave for 30 seconds.

More seriously, I have had the machine for 16 months, and it has broken down twice, the first time after six weeks, and the second time last week. So far, it can be fixed under guarantee, but I fear that maintenence will be an expensive business when the guarantee runs out after two years. I think the problem is that the environment these machines have to work under is probably the most severe to be found in the home: high-pressure boiling water, grinding, and the transport of the coffee grains within the machine. Maybe the build quality of the cheaper machines is such that they cannot cope?

Update Nov 2008: The machine broke down again, for the third time. Each time the reason for the breakdown has been different:
- stopped working during the decalcification cycle
- stopped in mid-cycle when the mechanism jammed
- no flow of coffee through the machine, even when thoroughly cleaned
Not impressed.

Update April 2009: The machine has finally broken down. Since there appears to be no way to repair it, I decided to check out its internals for build quality (I’m an engineer). De Longhi has used cheap thin plastic everywhere. The coffee transfer path is not well isolated from the rest of the machine – as a result coffee powder had dropped into the moving motorised assembly at the back of the machine (I think this was the reason why the machine ultimately had failed). If this is Italian engineering at its best, then never again.