Customer Reviews: Read 17 more reviews...
 One of the Best Super Automatics Out There for the Price May 11, 2007
Vatsug (Boston, MA)
69 out of 69 found this review helpful
I have the EAM3200, which is the previous model version. The differences are slight but noticeable to the newer. These machines are the best in class for price and performance, produce a great espresso, and are maintainable in ways that other manufacturers models are not. The coffee from the Delonghi is just as good as from Jura and even some manual models such as Expobar and Rancillo. It is very close to what you find in Italy - not quite, but for the price it is worth it. Great crema, hot temperature, rich flavor. And the best part is you can pull out the brew mechanism and clean it - VERY key. This will ensure sound operation and function for many years.
In order to keep this machine is fine working order, you need to do a bit of upkeep each week and use the right beans.
1. Only use non-oily, 100% Arabica beans. If you use oily beans it will clog frequently and attract rancid flavors. It will also shorten the life of the machine. I use Illy, but any espresso will do (I actually get the Illy dark roast - it has more flavor when brewing a larger "americano" cup).
2. Clean the brew mechanism once a week. Just snap it out and run it under hot water.
3. Use spring water instead of tap water. This will keep any weird flavors from your tap entering the coffee. It may build up minerals, but...
4. De-calcify the machine when it asks for it - don't wait.
I, for one, would rather have manual controls over coffee amount, strength, etc. You are not losing out on anything by not having digital controls - other than not being able to have the machine automatically on and ready to go when you first wake up. As for the other models ability to do milk-based drinks at the touch of a button - how often do you really want a cappuccino? If it is every day, then get the 3500. If you are like me and need real coffee in the morning, then get this model. The milk canister can only sit in the fridge for so long. If you are planning to serve cappuccino at dinner parties, then you are committing Italian heresy - cappuccino is only served in the morning.
CONS
1. The cup warmer does not work very well, but get double walled cups and the temperature of the product will not be an issue.
2. You can't have it turn on automatically at a certain time. But it only takes a few minutes to get up to temperature.
3. It is NOISY.
My espresso settings - coffee amount at 10 o'clock, strength at 3 o'clock, single cup dispense. Super double espresso in an espresso cup. I may have 2 of these on a saturday.
My wife's "americano" settings - coffee amount at 3 o'clock, strength at 3 o'clock, double cup dispense. Full cup of rich coffee in a normal cup.
Bean grind at 5.
Nearly perfect. November 30, 2007
Dale Botkin (Omaha, NE USA)
15 out of 15 found this review helpful
I wish I could give it a 4.5. As others have noted, it is a bit on the noisy side. We went from a Bunn drip machine (best drip coffee maker by far) to this after being blown away by the one our hosts had in Germany. It's been worth every penny. Speaking of pennies, a 20% off coupon at Bed Bath & Beyond is the ticket for low price and a VERY good return policy.
We have used Starbucks and Pears beans, and will continue to try others probably. Cleaning is a snap, my only real gripes are the water reservoir - obviously designed with coffee-sipping Europeans in mind, not us coffee-DRINKING Americans. Still, we haven't used the Bunn since we plugged in the Magnifica.
Likes:
Superb coffee!! Great crema, better than coffee houses
Easily adjusted cup size & coffee strength
FAST warm-up
Easy to clean
Everything works perfectly
Dislikes:
A little noisy.
No automatic timer (not a big deal, since it warms up fast)
Cup warmer not of much use, and no way to shut it off
 Good espresso maker for the price with few negatives November 30, 2007
Eric Taylor (Southern California)
12 out of 13 found this review helpful
This is a good solid reliable machine that makes a good cup of espresso. I like the analog dials: the simplicity and elegance makes it easy for anyone to understand how to use it in just a few minutes.
Pluses:
1. Design simplicity
2. Good espresso
3. Easy to clean
4. Auto descaling indicator and simple to descale (comes with one Durgol descaler)
Minuses:
1. Noisy grinder
2. User's manual was obviously written by a nonnative English speaker, example: "the program of descaling is hour terminated and the machine is ready per do again the coffee" and as such, some of the instructions take some time to figure out.
3. The power on/power off cycles rinse the system causing brown fluid to drain into the drip catching tray - just keep a little cappuccino milk pot underneath to remedy this
4. Grounds bucket inside fills up irregularly so the warning light goes off before it's really filled to capacity (requiring more frequent emptying)
5. I could not adjust the setting for water hardness (not that big of a deal, but it might prolong the interval needed for descaling)
Overall, a good super-automatic for the price (I got it at Bed Bath and Beyond for $639 using their 20% off coupon, but then you pay tax)
Worth It's Weight in Gold November 23, 2007
Jon A. Williams (Seattle, WA)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
Truly a great espresso machine; consistent, easy to use, makes great coffee. I've been using only Illy beans with it, and I feel like I can hardly go out and buy an americano or a latte at commercial stores because it just doesn't seem to taste as good as at home!
I think the first review really covered most of the details you need to know, but here are a couple of my favorite features. I love that it's easy to get inside and really clean everything out, pull the infuser out and rinse off, etc. It also has a very nice amount of complexity vs. simplicity with respect to the settings for amount of water, coffee, etc. in each cup. My only negatives would be that it's a bit hard to make a latte that's really as hot as you'd want it, and i think the water reservoir runs out fairly quickly. Overall I would highly recommend. My wife and I figured that we would use once in a while after we bought, but it's bean over 3 months now and we have yet to make a pot of drip again.
Awesome Machine - GREAT COFFEE!!!! September 2, 2007
Robert F. Davis (Brooklyn Park, MN)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
We have one of these at work and I am saving up to get one for home. It is so easy to use. The Quality and Consistency of each cup is what I really like about it. You can decide how full you want the cup as well as how strong. And then you press a button.
We use Seattle's Best Coffee Beans at work and it makes a great cup of coffee. It reminds me of going out to a coffe house in Germany.
If I could give higher than 5 stars I would!
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