“It’s been 3 years since purchase so I can give you a long term opinion!
First, this is a superb machine. It doesn’t make 20 different recipes like some do, nor does it have fancy coloured graphics, it makes great coffee quickly and effectively, and I find the 4 basic programmes plus hot water and frothed milk quite sufficient.
It’s without doubt the most used kitchen gadget that I’ve ever bought.
The ability to make 2 cups at once is not to be underestimated - many other machines don’t do this. It’s also able to deliver milk or coffee first depending on the programme - a friend of mine bought a Delonghi and was disappointed to find that it could only do it one way around - and the order does change the flavour of the drink somewhat.
It’s never missed a beat in 3 years.
Like all bean to cup machines it takes a bit of experimentation at the start to get the settings how you like them but it’s worth the effort (and the caffeine headaches from drinking too much).
It’s easy to clean and maintain with automatic reminders.
There are a couple of annoyances - the drip tray needs emptying a lot, and as it’s shallow it’s easy to spill if quite full or you’re a long way from the sink. It also calculates when it expects the tray to be full, so even if you try to get ahead and tip it out when the little red tab pops up, it can still tell you to empty the tray after you put it back in. Top Tip: I bought a small black metal jug to keep on the drip tray, under the nozzle, which helps reduce the tray emptying and helps reduce splashing when the rinsing cycle engages after use. My machine is gloss black so helps keep it looking smart.
The split bean hopper is in theory a good idea, but I find that the small aperture can mean that the beans don’t feed properly sometimes. I rarely use two different kinds of beans so a single hopper would actually suit me better.
I have everything set to maximum heat because I prefer a warmer drink. The warm milk setting actually produces tepid milk so I don’t tend to use it - the frothed milk is much warmer. I would thoroughly recommend buying some twin-wall coffee glasses as normal cups can too quickly absorb the heat from the drink if you don’t pre-warm them. The glass cups keep the drinks nice and hot and the machine looks extra impressive as you see the drink being prepared. Delonghi Thermo glasses are the best, hands-down. I’ve tried several brands and no others have lasted regular use and the dishwasher.
I have prepared literally thousands of drinks on this machine in 3 years (it does keep count) and saved hundreds of pounds compared to using capsules.
This machine offers cracking performance and great value I think. It offers better features and build quality than the entry level machines but it doesn’t stray into the (possibly excessive?) gimmicks of some of it’s upmarket siblings. Highly recommended!”
