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We were worried about purchasing this product after reading the previous review about the lukewarm results. However, we had read so many other reviews of similar machines that we thought it could easily have been user error. When we bought the machine, we actually read the manual very carefully before doing anything. (Not our typical style :) We followed the instructions. We did more than the minimum 5 recommended times of running the machine using water only; it needed about 10 times of this to get really hot -but only on the first time out of the box. The espresso itself can be pretty good, but probably only for a casual espresso drinker. Even for casual sippers such as ourselves, it is easy to pull a shot that is completely undrinkable. (Actually, my husband is less discerning, so we feed him the "bad" shots.) I know what a beautiful espresso tastes like since I work next to a famous Illy shop in DC, and this espresso is, sadly, not the same. But, it is still very wonderful and enjoyable. Very drinkable, if you take care. Overall, I am very happy with this purchase.
I would like to give another tip, which is that the first 10 or so times that you use the machine, the filter attachment (the thing with the handle) is extremely hard to get to its fully attached position. Fully attached is perpendicular to the machine; this is not indicated anywhere in the manual. So if your machine is LOUD, you may not have this fully attached. It gets easier after a few uses. The machine is not very loud when you use it properly.
Cheers!
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I fell in love with this machine--both its looks and its espresso quality--after being introduced to it by a DeLonghi employee in a department store. He pulled a great shot for me in the store: dark, rich taste, very hot, with a lot of crema, and for the past week I've had similarly great results at home. I was leery buying this machine after reading the Amazon reviews, but I took a risk and I couldn't be happier.
Lukewarm shots seem to be a common complaint for machines like this. They happen for a variety of reasons, but this 15-bar pump definitely produces all the heat you need. Problems occur, rather, when the filter (the scoop-like handle) and your espresso cups aren't hot enough. First, run the machine with just water at least once before you make a shot, every time. I also run the filter and my cup(s) under hot water just before using, and as a result my coffee both tastes rich and is very hot. You also, without a doubt, need coffee that's been ground with an excellent conical burr grinder to get a fine and consistent grind, which is crucial for the way machines like this work. Most grinders that do a great espresso grind unfortunately cost as much as this machine, but as a substitute you can certainly get it ground professionally at your local coffee shop, and use that coffee for a few days. Not as fresh, but the grind is more crucial. Keep in mind these two things (good grind + warm cups & filter) and you will produce fantastic shots with this machine. And its style definitely classes up your kitchen!
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I have to say that I love that I got this espresso machine. It has been a lot of fun making tasty espresso at home. This is my first espresso machine and before this I had never pulled a shot of espresso before. After only half an hour of explanation I learned how to easily pull a very tasty shot from this machine. There is a lot of good stuff about this machine, but also a few things I wish were improved upon.
The best thing about this machine is that it is easy to pull a delicious shot of espresso with this machine, if you do it right you won't fail. I like that the machine looks really good on my countertop. It has a larger water reservoir and a nice cup warming tray, although the warming tray won't heat up your cups but will keep them warm if you have already heated them up with hot water. Its really great that I can use either a prepacked coffee packet or tamp my own grounds for the espresso. The two spouts pour very evenly and it produces a lot of great creama.
There are a few things I wish were improved upon. One of which is the button interface, its nonintuitive if you are using it for the first time. I will go into detail later on how to properly use this machine. Another big annoyance is that frother wand only swivels side to side and doesn't rotate front to back like most machines have. The whole thing is made of plastic which gives it a slightly cheaper feel and makes it less sturdy when you are knocking the thing around. Another big annoyance is that the size of tamper you need is a really uncommon size, 52cm, and the tamper provided that is attached to the machine is awkward to use and you never really get a good tamp with it.
Here is how I have learned to make a cappuccino with this machine. If you have any other tips or recommendations, please comment below as I am still learning too.
1) Fill the water reservoir at least a quarter of the way full with water.
2) Turn on the machine by pressing the top button. The top red light should turn on. Press the bottom button to heat the water for steaming (disregard if you are not going to steam any milk). The bottom red light should turn on.
3) Grind your beans using a burr grinder on the espresso setting
4) Put a filter basket into the handle filter holder and fill the filter with one or two scoops of ground coffee using the provided scoop. (1 scoop if using the one cup filter, 2 scoops if using the two cup filter)
5) Using the handle of the scoop, level off the coffee grounds with the top of the filter. You can push the excess grounds off the filter
6) Tamp down your grounds with ~20 lbs of force. You will get a feel for how hard you need to tamp it after you see a few results
7) Turn the filter holder over and lightly shake out any loose coffee grounds. Make sure to hold the filter lock up so that the filter doesn't fall out
8) Put your filter holder back in your machine
9) Fill a cup or frothing pitcher with however much milk you want. I pour in about half a cup of milk.
10) Once the middle green light turns on, you are good to go. Open the steam, using the knob on the top of the machine, for just a few seconds to let any water out. It is good to have a cup under the nozzle to collect the water.
11) Now put your steam nozzle into your milk and open the steam. If you put the nozzle at the bottom of you milk you will make less foam, like a latte and if you keep your nozzle near the top of the milk you will make more foam, like a cappuccino. Steam your milk until you have the amount of foam that you like and the milk is just slightly too hot to the touch (140-160 F)
12) Close the steam and take the nozzle out of the milk. Now lightly tap the bottom your pitcher and swirl the milk to make the foam just right
13) Turn the steam function off by pressing the bottom button. The bottom red light should turn off.
14) IMPORTANT. Now you want to surf the temperature back down to the proper coffee pouring temperature. To do this you want to have an empty cup ready under the steam nozzle. I use the cup that I will drink my coffee out of to heat it up, afterwards I place it on the heating trip. Open the steam knob all the way and after this press the middle button (the coffee button). You should get all the steam out of the wand at first and then the hot water will start pouring out. Do this until the middle green light turns off. Now unpress the middle button and then close the steam knob. This will help prevent your machine from burning out its heating elements.
15) Once the middle green light turns on, place your shots under the filter and press the middle button. Espresso should start pouring out in a few seconds.
16) Once you have the right amount of espresso unpress the middle button.
17) Pour your espresso into your warm cup and then pour in your steamed milk slowly adding in your foam at the end.
18) Enjoy you delicious espresso.
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I had the same leaking problem with the DeLonghi 270 that so many others seemed to have. I had it fixed, but decided to give up when the frothing nozzle melted onto the unit and could not be removed for cleaning (right after the one year warranty expired). The DeLonghi ECO 310 seems to be a much better design. It has a larger water tank, easy to remove frothing cover and nozzle, makes a large cup of espresso fairly quickly, and doesn't look chintzy. Hopefully, it's built for the long term. The only drawback I found was that there is only 3.5 inches between the cup tray and the filter holder, so most large mugs don't fit. That seems to be common with these machines, however. Also, I would like to mention that the measurements in the product description are slightly off. It is 10 3/4 inches deep x 9 3/4 inches wide x 12 3/4 inches high (to the top of the steam knob).
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Purchased to fit the look and size of my small European kitchen, I use it with the little Deca Premium pads easily available here in Belgium for a reasonable price. Haven't yet tried tamping my own cup with ready-made, or grinding & using my own beans, but when I do, it'll be Illy or Lavazza, or Douwe Eggberts coffee, that I try. The coffee itself, and fineness of the grind, is 9/10ths of the equation when it comes to filter coffee or espresso, in my opinion.
Haven't had a bad cup yet using the Deca pads, and the temp has been just fine, every time, so no reason to go crazy trying everything under the sun. Around the corner, there are 8 caffes I can use for that, anyway! What I wanted was a way to get my caffiene fix, quick, here at home, without needing a degree in avionics or engineering to learn the ins and outs of the machine.
It was simple to use using the "quick card" pictures included to set up and get going, and in a few minutes--voila! Hot, delicious espresso.
The machine is brand new to me, so maybe over time I'll come to find some things I don't like about it. For now, it's exactly what we wanted at a price we didn't mind paying.
