Espresso Machines

The Delonghi EC330S

Advantages: Great tasting coffee, good at steaming milk. Easy to clean. Price
Disadvantages: Quite loud.

I recently bought this coffee machine after replacing a filter machine. The difference between the two is huge. Personally, I've only recently developed a taste for coffee, but it makes some of the best I have ever taster, even compared with some Coffee shops. Advantages There are many things while are brilliant about this product. The epsresso It produces contains a strong aroma, and it produces a perfect crema. I prefer to use ground coffee ...
...better result over all, However, with the version I got it also came with some free Illy pods so I have managed to test those aswell. The Steam arm comes with both a single, and double shot holder for the coffee. The look of the machine overall is brilliant. The silver produces a stylish machine, even if it does get dirty quite easily. Its also quite small, although make sure you have enough room for it to wobble slightly when making the coffee. ...

Kovu123 22.01.2009 · Read Full Review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Delonghi EC330S

Magimix Nespresso M200

Advantages: good looking, easy to use, high quality
Disadvantages: a little expensive

This is a fantastic coffee machine that makes authentic espresso coffee as well as americano, lunga, cappuccino and latte (with the detachable milk pipe). It is easy to fill up the water container and takes literally seconds to reach the correct temperature. The manual control means you can make your espresso smaller or larger - whatever you prefer - and then use the steam pipe to top up if you want a weaker, longer drink. It is easy to keep clean ...

saxyem 15.01.2009 · Read Full Review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Magimix Nespresso M200

Great budget performer

Advantages: Cheap, good pump pressure, easy as pie to use.
Disadvantages: Recent units use aluminium -can corrode

We drink a hell of a lot of coffee here and this is the culprit! It is cheap, its pretty well made and is a great introduction to a good espresso (or cappucino, frothy hot choc etc) The unit design has not changed much since they were released but some are now shipped with an aluminium coffee ground holder. This isn't a big problem but it wont last forever as the old bronze and chrome ones will. The pressure is good enough to pour a great espresso ...
...This is pretty much the same as many of the 'better' models- including an aluminium boiler- so descale as little as possible! The unit is fast to heat up, the pump pressure is good but it does have only one boiler- so multiple cappucinos can be slow- you need to let the unit heat up and cool down between milk foaming and drawing espresso. If you drink lots of milky espresso based drinks try looking for a unit with seperate steam and water boiler. ...

tyneman 29.10.2008 · Read Full Review
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Review of Gaggia Espresso

A corner of Milan in your kitchen

Advantages: Quick, simple, sturdy, stylish
Disadvantages: Can lose important 'bits' if not careful

So - I lost the whoosit for steaming the milk properly and now I only use the coffee making part, heating the milk up in the microwave. But, in the Gaggia's defence, I have had it for a long, long, time (5 years plus), moved house with it as well, hence the loss of the whoosit, and I still couldn\'t get through the day without the wonderful coffee it makes for me every morning. I could also replace the whoosit direct from Gaggia's site, but I have ...
...machine daily. It needs a good descale every now and then - I just use the same stuff you would use for a kettle, brew it through a few times and then rinse a lot, but I\'m pretty sure it came with some descaling instructions as well. Its also worth using filtered water to keep it happy, but that goes for every machine you can buy. If you are comparing this with the 'pod coffee' machines bear in mind how much you will use it and how much cheaper ...

anniej1543 21.09.2007 · Read Full Review
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Review of Gaggia Classic

Delonghi magnifica for serious coffee drinkers

Advantages: Heats up quickly. Takes coffee beans or ground coffee.
Disadvantages: A little noisy on automatic coffee grinding.

The machine does not do filter coffee. It grinds beans or you can use ground coffee. You cannot use instant, however with the cost of this machine one would not want to use instant! It makes a wonderful cup of coffee, or if you wish two at a time. The coffee is always hot. There are adjustments for coffee grinding strength and the amount of hot water used depending on size of cup. The arm for frothing the milk is superb and the milk gets really hot ...
...It has a light to let you know when it is time to descale the machine. The used coffee grouts drop into a container which is easy to remove and clean. A small light comes on when this container needs emptying. This machine is for serious coffee drinkers because it is quite expensive. Having had a similiar machine before I personally would only have the same again. The reason I needed a new one was the old was 20 years old and wasSwiss. The joy of ...

honeydo 19.04.2005 · Read Full Review
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Review of Delonghi EAM3200S Espresso