DeLonghi EC155 15 Bar Espresso and Cappuccino Machine, Black

I’ve been using the machine for about a month, and I’m really happy with it. It’s not perfect, but for the price it seems great. I owned a Philips pump espresso machine for many years, and this one is better – though it remains to be seen whether it will last as long.

Previous reviewers have complained about the small space for the cup and for the milk jug. The space is a bit less than other machines, but this isn’t really a problem for me. Likewise vibration and noise (which some reviewers have complained about) haven’t been an issue for me.

The only issue I have experienced is that the holder is quite hard to get into place. The first few times it seemed like I was going to break the machine to get it in, but with time it has got easier. I read a helpful review that suggested putting it into place as far as possible, turning the pressure on until coffee just starts to flow, and then tighten the holder. This seemed to help a bit – though I don’t need to do it now that I’ve used the machine for a while.

I find that this machine makes a good crema – even with cheap coarse grind coffee. The steam wand works great – it seems almost impossible to not create a good foam (I use cold 1% milk and a stainless steel jug). I haven’t used the tamper – it looks a bit useless because it is attached to the machine – I use the hand-held plastic one that I had from my old machine.

All in, I’m really happy with this purchase. (And the Amazon purchase and delivery was faultless as well).

Reading a good amount of in depth reviews from people who were self proclaimed “espresso/coffee connoisseurs and watching product demonstration videos on the web, I was persuaded to purchase this item and return the Mr. Coffee espresso machine I was going to originally purchase for my father. I am by no means a connoisseur and occasionally drink cappuccino, and my dad almost exclusively drinks cappuccinos. So between the two of us, could we use this machine to create what we like that would rival that of our local coffee shops?

Design
The design isn’t too bad. the casing is plastic but there are some features such as the boiler and portafilter is stainless steel… it’s not exactly sleek like I have seen in the other product of the line, but its not unsightly. It is a small appliance that takes up very little counter space, which is good in our small kitchen. My dad still had enough space for it to be put proudly on display on the counter along with the various accessories we have purchased; it looks like a mini coffee shop in the corner of our kitchen.

Prep Time:
The machine is fairly to get used to but as some others said there is a bit of work involve. If you are looking for a machine where you just press a button and everything is made for you, this is not the product to buy. By the time you prepare the steamer for the milk, depressurizing and reheating for the espresso, adding the espresso to the portafilter and then pulling the shot, It’s roughly 10 minutes. If you are grinding your own beans (I recommend the 

Mr. Coffee IDS77 Electric Coffee Grinder with Chamber Maid Cleaning System, Black

review coming to that shortly as well) then add about another 3-4 minutes to the process.

Functionality:
The water tank was easily removable so I did not have to worry about filling the pitcher from the appliance but yet take it out to fill it. It probably doe not need to be said but make sure that you are using good water, if it is tap water then at least try to put a filter on it for better a better tasting drink. You can also see the water level when it is sitting inside of the appliance (just make sure you have good light in kitchen to see where the level is at).

The steaming wand for frothing milk is low towards the counter surface, and if you are using a milk frothing pitcher that is more than 10 ounces, you are going to have to lift the machine to pull it in and out (unless you want to spill the milk). I strongly recommend that you purchase a stable block for the machine to sit on; not too high, maybe 2-3 inches off the ground if you are going to use a 8 or 12 ounce pitcher. Some have complained that the bulky steaming wand tip attempts to be dummy proof but it gets in the way, but I didn’t see a problem with it. I followed careful directions on how to use it and it came out amazing.

There is a metal textured surface on top and from what I saw people could put glasses on top to warm it because that is where the boiler is. If you are a klutz like me, don’t do it. If you are not, then its pretty stable place. to put things.

There is little room for you to put a coffee mug as is with the portafilter being nonadjustable and sitting low on the appliance. Some of said to remove the drip tray from the bottom. If you are inexperienced like we were, it is best to go with thermal espresso shot glasses like anyway that way you can closely watch how much espresso is being pulled and turn it off in time. It may be one more item to rinse out but then you wont have to be bothered with removing the drip tray each time. You can buy them online, but I went to a nationally known import store and picked up two glasses for under $5.

There is a tamper on the side. some say that it sucks because you have to tamp up and recommend to purchase a tamper; others say it doesn’t really matter because you technically do not have to apply 30lbs of pressure to your coffee because the filters are pressurized. I went on ahead and purchased 

RSVP Terry’s Tamper

 to get used to the idea of manual tamper in case we upgraded later on down the line, and have been using that to tamp our espresso grounds.

The portafilter comes with two filters a single and a double espresso baskets. You can use the pods for single serving or you can free form it with grounded espresso coffee. With this as a single boiler it will take some time going between drinks for you to go back and forth between frothing more milk and making more shots. If it is just you and another person, this appliance would be absolutely perfect for purchase. If you are one of those constant entertainers and need to have your espresso drinks ready immediately and to more than 2 people, this is not the machine to buy.

The first time that you put the portafilter into the machine, you may feel as though you did not put it on securely because due to pictures and videos, you did not do a complete 90 degree twist on to the appliance and it is not pointing straight at you; from the forums I have read that is normal and it will take some wear for it to lock directly in front of you at such an angle. don’t be like me and almost panic because the seal is tight you are fine; as long as you make sure that it is secure and wont move then you shouldn’t worry about a leak from up top. Speaking of leaks, there will be a tad of water leakage at the bottom, but even the manual itself said that it may happen.

Maintenance
I haven’t really had much maintenance outside of cleaning the drip trays and portafilters and that was pretty easy. According to the manual, I still have some time before I have to go through the whole descaling and cleaning process, so I will give an update in a few months when it is time. From what I have read and watched, is ts really putting the cleaning solutions through the water tank and running it a few times (so its not as much work as you would normally do during one run of making an espresso several times in a row.

Is It Worth It?
Its not a perfect machine, but I think it is a very good one and its affordable. You might need to make adjustments due to the steam wand, and use espresso glasses to avoid getting frustrated because none of the cups in your cabinet will fit under the nozzle :). You will also need to not mind working a little for your cup, but that in itself may be something that you enjoy like my dad and I did. During Christmas, my dad and I spent all morning using it like we were barista’s; used samples from our coffee shop and enjoyed the process that we had to go through to get our “perfect cups of cappuccinos”. We taste tests and made various hot drinks such as cappuccinos, lattes, hot chocolate (steamed milk). It took a pretty good beating since we used about 10 times on Christmas. Shockingly, everything came out great, but not everyone may experience that on their attempts, but its not the products fault 🙂 that could be anywhere from the coffee bean itself to the human factor that never fails to creep up on us when we aren’t paying attention to recipe instructions.

So in the end did we rival the local shops by making it at home? Yes! Absolutely.

My wife purchased this for me. I have used a Steam Powered machine for a very long time until one day she told me that the steam machine wasn’t extracing very well, still had dry coffee in the basket. Wether I did a slight pack or not. She worked in a coffee shop for some years, so she would know. I was skeptical, as I always am about devices. But, I gave it a shot.

Plus, after trying a few other Iced Latte’s from good coffee shops (not $tarbuck), and trying to make them at home and finding they weren’t the same no matter what I did, or the coffee I used, I told her to buy me a good one. She found this one. For the price, it is a very good machine.

A Steam Powered Machine might give you the symbolance of espresso, all it really is, is a concentrated coffee. Not the true flavor of espresso. The problem is, it heats the water far too hot and powers the water through the coffee extracting more than just the essance of flavor that is espresso. Has a tendancy to burn the grounds as water is forced through the medium.

Pump Driven Machines, are far more subtle in that they allow a proper tempreture of water to flow more fluid, and not be forced by high pressure steam.

One other important factor. If you notice, Steam Drivem Machines produce a grit in the bottom of the pot. This doesnt happen with a pump driven machine. Or at least, not this one.

If you are like me and have used Steam Powered Machines for years. DO NOT treat this machine like one of those. Steam Powered Machines are extremely inferior. The amounts of coffee you use in those is far more and the extraction is completely different than a quality pump driven machine.

(Yoda Voice) You will need to unlearn what you have learned.

The build quality of this EC155 seems to be quite solid. I do get a whistle during extraction tht is caused by the frother valve. I can make it stop by turning the valve on top, but then water comes out of the steam tube. It can be annoying at first, but I don’t think it is doing any damage. I will work with it and see if I can make it stop.

Use Espresso coffee. A very good dark roast, not just any dark roast will do. If you don’t like a strong coffee, then you can use a dark or medium roast. But, for me, I like strong, so only a very good Espresso Dark Roast will do. Illy Coffee, or probably Lavazza. And use an Espresso Grind, nothing finer or courser. It is important. However, I did make a grind mix from turkish to espresso grind and that has worked well also. There are a lot of coffee blends out there, and it can take a few tries to find a good one that produces a good flavor. This has nothing to do with the quality of the machine, but the qaulity of the coffee. You can try the grocery store, but chances are, they won’t have a good quality espresso type bean there. None of mine do. I did buy a can of pre-ground Illy Espresso. It’s good, but far too expensive (approx. $30/lb). We have a local coffee roaster and thier Espresso blends are as good or better for $12 a pound.

Do not tamp too hard. I have been tamping a bit too hard. If you need to know, press on a bathroom scale to about 30 lbs, it is less and more than you think. The proper tamp does make a huge difference. Basically, I have it down to, place coffee in basket (single or double, they are the same motion), press slightly to level it out, then a bit more pressure and a twist to smooth out the surface. It takes a bit of practice to get a firm but level, smooth pack. Then just push any excess from rim into or off the basket and you are ready.

One other little thing,,, the shot splitter. I am not sure I am impressed with it. It doesn’t appear consistant enough to pull 2 equally single shots at the same time. I am skeptical of this feature on any unit, not just this one.

My machine is ready within about 5 min, I then pull an empty shot or two. Then load a shot and pull that one. It is not 15 to 45min like some, and even the book says. However, the book times may promote some nuances, that might make some difference on some level, that I personally just don’t really care about. Give me my coffee and shut up.

The diameter of the basket is 54mm

Buy a tamper. The built in one is not that great. Difficult to get a proper pack.
A 52mm Tamper I think is the perfect size. I am using a meat mallet (smooth side, duh)
that is 50mm and it works just fine.

On the bottom of the baskets is a knob that you can remove for cleaning. Loosen completely and then tighten to just the point of tension. This will allow better extraction.

Find, buy or get a 2 oz espresso shot glass. It makes measuring the shot much easier

When pulling a shot,,, depending on the pack and the grind, could be about 15 to 17 seconds for a double. About 7 to 10 sec for a single.

After pulling a shot and removing the basket, yes, you will see that the coffee is wet, with water on top, and sometimes a little soupy on top. But, it really is not as big a deal as others might make it out to be. It still pulls a very good shot. Again, this is not your Steam Powered Espresso Machine.

This is much, much, much,much better.

The lever to hold the basket in when emptying is a little quirky. But, once you learn how to use it, it really is helpfull in preparing a second shot quickly.

The frother, however, can be an issue. And I am still working with it. It’s not perfect, but it does work. Not something I will use often, as I drink iced mocha and iced latte. It does have a tendancy to pump water through, instead of steam, if it is not heated up properly. This may just be my unit. But, could be a deal breaker for some, if you experience the same. You do want to use an emtpy glass or something to make sure the tubbing is clear first. One it gets started, it seems to be ok for a bit. But again, it takes time to heat up, so, this may be where and why the book states those time frames. Again,, I can pull a fully hot shot in less than 5 min though. Steaming milk is a different story. I think (cause I haven’t tried this) if you turn it on the steam heat side for about 15 min, clear the tubing, steam/froth your milk, then pull the shot, it sould be fine.

With that said, if you still have your old steam machine, and it does a good job of frothing milk, if you find the steamer on this one inadaquate, then keep the other as a frother, that is what I am doing.

I say, buy the machine and test it yourself. The shots are Really, really good. Not a single steam machine out there can even come close.

Over all,, for the money,, it is not a bad machine. Yes, you can do better, but you will spend 2 to 10 times the money.
If you have the money to spend, then get a better Machine. If not, this machine is very worth it.

4 stars for ease of use, quality of shot, lost one for the frother and wand is short.

Iced Latte

24oz mug, cup, or something
2 x double shots espresso
2 1/2 scoops sugar (not splenda if you can help it)
If you want a mocah, use 1 1/2 scoops sugar (or to taste) and 1 scoop chocolate syrup
About 1 cup ice

Put sugar in mug, pull 2 double shots espresso, and pour in mug
Stir till disolved, pour in ice and stir till cold, then pour milk to full

Better than any Starbucks (or thier cra-frapaccino in a bottle), as good as Carribou Cafe, or any other Coffee shop. And cheaper.

This machine doesn’t have too many “bells and whistles” which was what I was looking for. You can manually control the process of making coffee, and decide how long or short you want your cup. I love that it has a dial on top and not a bunch of digital stuff to figure out. It is pretty sturdy, and the attachment to hold the coffee will take grounds or if you want, you can use those prepackage pods (I prefer using grounds). We tried it with a cheap coffee and Lavazza, and the Lavazza gave a better crema. The only downside is that you can’t put a big cup underneath; you have to remove the tray below to get a slightly bigger cup. It has inserts for one or two cups, which is really great and it doesn’t take up too much room on the counter. I got rid of the drip coffee maker and put it in storage to make a space for this machine in our small kitchen. Overall, I recommend it to anyone who just wants a nice delicious cup of expresso. There is a milk frother attachment, but seeing as we already have a very amazing milk frothing machine, I haven’t tried the steamer/frother thingy. Remember to give it at least 15 minutes to heat up before brewing.