Delonghi BAR 14 F Caffe Treviso

Delonghi 14 Bar Caffe Treviso Coffee/Espresso Maker

I purchased this coffee/espresso maker about a year ago from Argos for approximately £50, which I think is fairly reasonable. I have been using it on and off for that time and I really like this product overall. Although, in my opinion, there are a couple of flaws with this product unfortunately.

- Product description (from amazon.co.uk)

“This simple yet effective machine requires only three buttons to operate, makes both espresso and cappuccino and is an ideal introduction to the world of coffee, as well as offering a hands-on Barista experience at home. The swivel steam pipe mixes steam, air and milk to produce a rich froth for a perfect cappuccino.”

- Product/specifications

The specifications of this product are as follows:

• In built swivel steam pipe for frothing milk – for cappuccinos etc
• Built in coffee ground tamper (plastic)
• Steam/water temperature control
• 14 bar pump pressure
• Removable, easy to clean drip tray
• 2 size coffee ground filters
• Filter storage compartment (in the lid of the coffee maker)
• To be used with pre-ground coffee not coffee pods

- Appearance, weight, size

Firstly, the weight of this product, it is surprisingly light! It weighs just less than 3kg when it does not have any water in or attachments on and I can comfortably carry it (and I am only 5ft – fairly tiny). So it is light and the size is not that big. The front of the machine is approximately 17cm and it has a height of approximately 27cm. So overall, in my opinion, this product is fairly light, it is easy to move and it is fairly compact – so it is probably be great if you don’t have loads of kitchen worktop space, in my opinion. In terms of appearance, I really like the design of this product, I think it looks quite sleek and professional (ish) although I think because it is made of plastic, which is matte, it can look a little bit cheap – especially when compared to the shiny black Tassimo coffee makers (although they are double the price of this and then some). I think the removable drip tray, the steam pipe milk frother and the filter handle make it look great though. Overall, a great design, an easy to use design, it is light, easy to move and it is fairly compact, in my opinion.

- Setting up and using the product

This product is really easy to set up; for the first time using this product I had to run the water through the system to clean it before using it properly. So, remove the lid from the top of the machine and you will find the water holder which can be removed really easily and it holds just over one litre of water. After the holder is rinsed out and filled (you don’t have to fill it all of the way, especially if you are not using the steam pipe function, which you don’t have to). There are only really three buttons on this machine which makes starting it up really quite simple. So once the water is in the holder and the lid is in place you just plug it in, press the power button on (the third button) and then the water will start to heat up. While the water is heating up I collect all of the things I will need. For example: pre-ground coffee, sugar, milk, a mug - this product can only use mugs that are low, you cannot use normal sized mugs, it has to be espresso cups or cappuccino mugs otherwise they will not fit under the dispenser – well all of the normal mugs I have don’t fit. This point about normal sized mugs may be a negative for some or it may not be an issue for others as you can just dispense the espresso from the machine into a normal sized mug. You will know when the water has heated up as there is an indicator light on the front of the machine below the power switch. While the water is heating up (which takes a few minutes) I can take the handle and filters and assemble them. There are two filters that come with this machine, one is larger than the other and apparently the smaller one is to be used with the coffee pods but I have tried using this machine with the Nescafe pods and it does not work! I use pre-ground coffee (from Tesco if you are wondering, but you can buy it is all supermarkets and on amazon.co.uk etc) with this machine and I always use the larger of the two filters. I fill the larger filter with the pre-ground coffee and this machine did come with a scoop for this function but that has been lost for quite a while now.

After the pre-ground coffee has been dispensed into the filter (and the small mess from this process has been cleaned up) you then have to tamp the coffee in the filter down so that it is fairly compact (but not too compact). The tamper is plastic and it is located on the left of the dispenser area. Tamping the pre-ground coffee is important as it will affect the flow of water through the pre-ground coffee and if you do not compact the coffee enough the result will be a bitter cup of coffee – so you have to apply even pressure and make sure the pre-ground coffee is compact to ensure the hot water flows through the coffee evenly (apparently coffee tamping is an art…whatever it is, it is difficult to get right, so practice if definitely needed). Once the pre-ground coffee is in the filter and it is compact you can then fit the handle over the dispenser area – this can be a little difficult but you just need to stand directly facing the machine and slot the handle into the dispensing area (a skill that the staff at Starbucks have mastered, and now me, I do find this quite easy now but occasionally the handle will not line up/fit in easily). The handle does not twist all of the way, so it will not be centred and straight. Then once the light has appeared you can then switch the top button which releases the water through the pre-ground coffee in the filter and then into the espresso cup/cappuccino mug underneath the dispenser – there are two dispenser holes so you could make two cups and have the espresso cups placed right next to each other but I find it is just easier and less messy to just use a cappuccino mug under both dispensers – I just stop the water with the top switch on the machine when there is the amount of coffee in the mug that I want. If you do not want to use the in-built steam pipe milk frother on the machine then you can just switch the machine off and have a cup of joe; while waiting for the machine to cool down to a temperature where you can then clean the machine safely. Although if you want to use the steam pipe milk frother you keep the machine on, then you cannot use a cappuccino mug and obviously not an espresso cup for this – quite dangerous.

As the steam pipe if fairly long I have to use a separate plastic jug with a lot more milk in than I will actually use as otherwise the pipe will not reach the milk. Once you have a deep container with milk you then switch the second button on the machine which will turn the water in the holder into steam which in turn travels down the steam pipe and into the milk. The first thing you will notice if you use the milk frother is the loud and fairly unpleasant noise it produces, which I hate. As well as the horrible noise the milk frother can take a little bit of getting used to. At first you have to have enough milk for the pipe to reach, then you have to angle the container of milk so that the milk frother actually makes the milk bubble and froth and doesn’t just heat the milk up loudly. I find that having the pipe in the milk about 2/3 centimetres deep will work best but it is a bit difficult to use this function at first. Once the loud frothing feature has been switched off (and your ears have stopped bleeding) you can then add it to the espresso already made and then wait for the machine to cool down before cleaning.

Overall, I find that the set up process is fairly easy and the wait for the water to heat up is fairly quick – it takes about the same time as it takes my kettle to begin to boil, about two to three minutes maximum. The set up process, adding the coffee, tamping and actually making the coffee is fairly quick, easy and mostly messy free. Overall, easy set-up, easy to use as it only has three buttons and a simple set up process, fairly mess free and it looks great, in my opinion. The only negatives about this product I have so far in the review includes: the noise level generated by this product. For example, it makes some noise when the water is heating up (but probably the same amount of noise as a kettle), then the machine makes a buzzing/humming noise when the water is being filtered through the pre-ground coffee and then, if your ear drums are not perforated by now the noise made when the milk frother is switched on and used will definitely have some kind of negative impact on your ear drums. Also the time taken from putting the water in the holder inside the machine to the final cup of coffee (with milk foam) is a bit longer than I would like it to be – so as well as being fairly noisy, this product is a bit time consuming to use, in my opinion. Also a minor negative (or not for some) is that you cannot fit normal sized mugs underneath the dispenser area of this machine as they just do not fit – you have to use tiny espresso cups or a cappuccino mug (I always use my Starbucks cappuccino mug, from a boots Starbucks gift set, as it fits easily under the dispenser).

- Cleaning and storing

There are quite a few items on this machine and the attachments that need to be cleaned after using this product but they are all really easy and really quick to clean. Firstly, the handle/filter that has the now wet coffee grounds in; very easy to clean I just run it under warm water tap to get rid of the coffee grounds and wash with washing up liquid. Secondly, the removable drip tray, it is really useful for cleaning that this component is light weight, fairly small and removable. I just remove the tray which is very easy and again rinse it under the warm water tap to get rid of the very small amount of coffee grounds/coffee. The disperser area will also need cleaning which is a little bit difficult as you can’t really see it well. Also the water holder will need to be emptied and rinsed out after using. In terms of storing this product I alternate between keeping it on the worktop and keeping it in a kitchen cupboard. This product fits very easily on my kitchen worktop, with plenty of room around it and it also fits really easily with room to spare in one of my kitchen cupboards. Overall, this product surprised me by how easy it is to clean and maintain – this product is also fairly compact, in my opinion, so it is easy to store.

- Price and availability

I purchased this product about a year or so ago (maybe a little bit longer) from an Argos store for about £50 (maybe £55). I do not have the original box now nor do I have the instructions – although I do not remember this product ever having an instruction booklet. Although this machine is really easy to operate and there are instructions online too. This product is not featured on the Delonghi UK website anymore and it is currently unavailable on amazon.co.uk. Although you may be able to find this product on eBay.co.uk.

Conclusions

Positives

• Easy to use, works well and makes a good cup of coffee – unless you don’t compress the coffee grounds enough
• Surprisingly easy to clean/maintain – removable drip tray makes this product really easy to clean
• No maintenance/mechanical problems at all
• Looks great, in my opinion
• In built tamper and milk frother
• Fairly small and not very heavy
• Good price, in my opinion

Negatives

• Time consuming? Especially when compared to cafetiere, instant coffee etc
• Noisy, especially the milk frother
• Availability – not available on amazon.co.uk and it is not on the Delonghi website
• Does not fit normal sized mugs – only espresso cups and cappuccino mugs otherwise they will not fit under the dispenser (this may not be a negative point for some, as it isn’t really that much for a issue for me as I have espresso cups and a cappuccino mug)

Thank you for reading my review -