DeLonghi EC155 15 Bar Espresso and Cappuccino Machine, Black

2021 update: it’s 10 years and this machine still works and I use it daily. I’m thinking of upgrading to a fancier DeLonghi but you can’t beat the simplicity of this one.I am Italian, born and raised. Moved to US at 30 yrs old. Moved to an area where there's no Italian-American influence, no chance of going out for an espresso. Only Starbucks... no thanks. Thought I could go by without espresso for 6 years (what was I thinking??? I don't know). Then sudden espresso cravings made me buy this espresso machine. De Longhi is a very common brand in Italy for any type of home appliances. I've had this machine for 6 months now, using it every day. It's awesome. Like the espresso cup you'd get in Italy "al bar". It gives a thick layer of "crema" on top of each cup.Here some answers to other reviewers' cons:* somebody wrote the water was not coming out and returned the machine: you need to bang the water tank real hard in position, otherwise it doesn't connect. It happened to me first time using it... I thought machine was defective too because coffee was not coming out. My husband banged it in there and started working right away.* ground basket is soupy: with espresso machines you have to fill the basket to its fullest, nothing like drip machines. You need to have coffee heaping out like an upside-down cone and then gently press it down with the tamper. Don't press too hard otherwise the water doesn't make it through.* built-it tamper sucks: this puzzles me. A tamper is whatever flat surface you have handy. In Italy people don't use tampers, considered a fancy thing for coffee shops. People just uses the back of a spoon to tamper the coffee down. The spoon that comes with this machine is perfect for that by the way. You just need a flat round surface of same diameter to have a great tamper. The built-in one works great. You only need a minor pressure otherwise you compact coffee too much.* takes long to heat up: maybe older version? Not sure about this. Mine is ready in one minute or less.* no cup warmer: in the manual says the top metal part is the cup warmer. It is warm if you let it warm up. I personally live in warm climate so don't need cup warmer, plus the coffee comes out very hot. True that there's no railing so cups can fall off easily (done that...).* frothing wand placement/length: I can't say much about it because I don't make cappuccino, I just drink straight espresso, black. One thing I'd say is that cappuccino in Italy is not what you know as cappuccino here, size wise. This may explain the wand dimensions. In Italy cappuccino is a single shot of espresso, with some frothed milk on top. When I say some, I mean really a little bit. The total output is less than one cup size for your cappuccino. That is very small. So when you need to heat up your milk, in theory you'd use a very small and short brick. If you'd see one of these you wouldn't believe it probably.* bitter coffee: this is very important. Espresso is supposed to be a very sweet cup of coffee. I never got used to the drip coffee or store bought cup of coffee just because it's too bitter. Not used to it. The difference is in the roast and grind. You cannot use coffee you'd use in the drip machine for the espresso machine. For your first espresso, just buy Illy ground espresso coffee. I recommend the black label. Just try it and that is your standard to compare other coffee to. That is the sweet taste you should get. I also recommend to buy pre-ground coffee, because the grind for espresso requires a serious (expensive) burr grinder, professional level to obtain a fine and homogeneous coffee suitable for these type of machines.To buy ground coffee, a cheaper option (cheaper than Illy) is Lavazza. I recommend "Crema e Gusto". This is the most commonly used brand in Italian families, that's all I drank in my family for instance. The "Crema e Gusto" variety gives a nice espresso.I think I covered all the points I wanted. I will add if realize I forgot something worth mentioning :-)Enjoy your coffee!April 2015 Update: we have been using this machine daily since our purchase in 2011 and it hasn't had a single issue so far.

My first one lasted just shy of 7 years.Will this make this a cup of espresso as good as a $600-$1000 espresso machine? Of course not! Will it make a great cup of espresso? Absolutely! Just make sure the grind is right. Too fine will burn it, too course it’ll lack flavor and won’t form a good creama. The previous machine used a blend of 2 grind sizes, this one works best using just one, which is nice…not sure why but it works.I grind my beans the night before, turn the machine on when I get up, let it warm up for about 10mins while I do other things, then make my mocha latte (or iced mocha when it’s hot).If making straight espresso let it heat up for 15mins or it won’t be quite hot enough. I’d probably get a better pull if I let it heat longer but I need my caffeine! The frothing tip is nice. I can even play with various decorative pours if I use it correctly. The foam is nice, thick and has a silky texture. Again, it will never match the foam from a $600+ machine but I don’t have the money or space for such a machine. I primarily use it to make mochas and lattes, but have used for Americao’s and espresso as well when I have guests that want something stronger, or if I do. The trick is buying a quality bean. I don’t like coffee from most places because they burn the beans to make them consistent every time. Coffee isn’t consistent! Flavor changes every harvest depending upon rainfall, temperature, small changes in soil and many other factors. I use beans from a local coffee shop that roast their beans to perfection every time. Each batch is slightly different, close but slightly different, as it should be. What comes out of my machine is very close to what comes from mine. Theirs is a touch better but most people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.I use this at least once a day and find it to be consistent and long lasting. I this with a damaged piece (the rubber around the single shot cup was nicked). I just called the manufacturer and they sent a new one out the same day, received two days after calling. The customer was great and they even took all the machine info while I was on phone for the warranty registration. Much quicker and easier than exchanging the whole thing through Amazon.If you have the money & space to buy a professional machine then by all means skip this one and go the high end route. If you just want a machine to make a great cup of coffee then this one is perfect.Buying the frother cup is a good idea since it’s small enough to fit under the wand. I didn’t think that little cup would fit enough milk for me but it’s actually the perfect size. I use 4oz milk& have used 6oz for a friend who likes more milk in hers. It’s also good for heating milk when making hot cocoa. Larger frothing cups don’t work well due to how short the wand is. Some people say this is a bad thing but I find it convenient and space saving. I do think it should be included, but I guess some people have another one already and don’t need it. Another negative I’ve seen is how short it is. Since the machine is for espresso there really shouldn’t be a lot of space between the cup and spout, if there’s too much space too much air will get mixed in and the crema isn’t as smooth on the espresso. It does make it a little harder to clean when you want to collect lots of water, but removing the metal plate will give just enough space to fit a short coffee cup. The last big negative I’ve seen mentioned is the tamper…I must agree that this is a pain. Due to the way this machine works there is no need to put out pounds of pressure in the grounds but it still needs an even tamp that’s hard to do using the one on the machine. I have a tamper that I use instead, I just don’t push really hard like would be needed on a different type of machine.I gave this five stars, vs four, because even though there’s a couple things I’d change it’s still worth it for the price, longevity and customer service. My last one died after 7 years. It was the pump that stopped working. If I wanted to take the time it would be easy enough to replace and would have cost around $60. I decided to just get a new one since it only cost a little more to replace. I still have the old and will one day repair it and leave it at my mother-in-laws place so I can have my coffee while we visit since that’s a few times a year. I’ve taken it with me before, but it’d be easier to have the extra there.In 5-7yrs when this one gives out I’ll get another one. I thought about upgrading to the one that’s just a little more than this one, but I don’t think it would be all that much better. I love this thing and am so glad I bought it years ago. No matter what I’ll be sticking with brand until we get a larger house where a professional one can be installed! (Just dreaming!)