114 of 116 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Super Automatic, December 7, 2004
This review is from: DeLonghi EAM3200 Magnifica Super Automatic Espresso/Coffee Machine (Kitchen)
I have had this espresso maker for a week now and it is everything I have wanted in a coffee machine. I have owned 2 other super automatics in the last 5-7 years - a Saeco which cost about half this one and a Jura/Capresso which cost more than twice as much. I think the Magnifica so far is the best of the three for my needs.
The Saeco made good coffee, but was messy and difficult to clean. I splurged on the Jura thinking I would like all the electronic control over the process. I liked its automatic cleaning process and thoroughly enjoyed the machine - until it broke. With no user access to its mechanism, I could not repair it.
The Magnifica is a perfect compromise, and the compromise is in price only. I don't miss the electronic LCD readout of the Jura one bit. The signal lights of the Magnifica provide the same information. And I actually find the manual adjustments for coffee amount and strength to be much easier to use and change compared to the electronic settings on the Jura.
The Magnifica has all the features of the Jura, including the automatic rinse on startup and closeout. The main difference is that the brewing mechanism will need to be cleaned regularly. I actually see that as an advantage since I will have access to it and can maintain it.
I have never used the frothing mechanism on any of the machines so I can't draw any conclusions about them. But if you want a machine that automatically brews great coffee with a minimum of fuss, and doesn't cost $2K, this is the machine for you.
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53 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Reliable Machine = Great Espresso, February 8, 2006
This review is from: DeLonghi EAM3200 Magnifica Super Automatic Espresso/Coffee Machine (Kitchen)
This machine, in my opinion, is the best machine for the money. I compared and researched for two months, compared to Saeco, Jura or Solis the Magnifica line is well built and designed to last. I inspected the insides of all the machines and it seems that the advantage to Delonghi's late introduction to the "super-automatic" market was an improved brewing system.
The grinder is fast and efficient; the grinds are deposited directly into the brew system for brewing. In other machines, the grinder is far from the brew system, and the grinds are sent through a long tube before getting to the brew system. With ground coffee that sits in the tube, you are not brewing your cup of coffee, but the coffee the person before you requested. That defeats the whole purpose of freshly-brewed espresso.
The espresso is perfect on this machine, great color, texture and of course crema. The frothing is a no-brainer; just use a cold stainless steel pitcher with cold milk and you will create rich micro-foam. Make sure you use a large enough pitcher as the milk will double and even triple in volume. As other people have said, the frother might be too good, it would be nice to have some control on the frothing. For simplicity, the frother is very productive.
The Magnifica is so easy to clean; the inside of this machine is kept so clean all on its own. Just remove the drip tray and used coffee container to wash, then rinse the compact brew system under hot water.
The operation of the machine is a little tricky. READ THE MANUAL!! Many of the problems users encounter can be resolved by going through the manual. The espresso comes out hot, but with such a small amount of liquid (1-2 oz) in a cold cup, it will definitely cool down. Warm up the brew system by pressing the Decalcification button once before brewing, this will release some hot water. Also warm up your cups!! This is a must for any espresso machine. Also, if you need to brew again after frothing it will take some time to cool down the machine to the proper temperature for brewing. But as the user manual states, release some hot water through the frother while waiting for the brew lights to stop flashing. It takes me only 10-15 seconds to go from frothing to brewing again.
Anyways, my only dilemma now is trying to find the right blend of beans. After all the espresso doses I have had, I am starting to get very picky. The Magnifica comes with a can of Illy, and I find myself comparing every other blend to Illy, it is that good. But, I can't afford to spend $16 (CAN$) per can, which is more than triple the cost of other brands. I recommend finding a local roaster and trying their fresh blends.
My research included contacting two previous Magnifica reviewers that have had the machine for over a year now. They both stood by their 5-star reviews, and were completely satisfied with their machines. Thanks for your responses, Stephen and James.
If you are looking for a reliable good quality espresso machine, the Magnifica EAM3200 can deliver.
UPDATE (AUG. 5, 2008):
ALMOST 3 YEARS NOW AND STILL WORKING JUST AS NEW. I HAVE NO REGRETS AND WOULD RECOMMEND THIS PRODUCT TO ANYONE LOOKING FOR AN AUTOMATIC MACHINE. FRESH COFFEE BEANS IS A MUST, AND ONLY THEN CAN YOU ENJOY THIS MACHINE TO ITS FULLEST. ONLY CON IS THE GRINDER SETTINGS, I DON'T SEE MUCH DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ANY OF THE SETTINGS, SO TRYING TO MAKE A STRONGER ESPRESSO WITH CERTAIN BEANS IS DIFFICULT.
5 STARS AND HOLDING STRONG!!!
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51 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
High quality unit, affordable price, great espresso, May 6, 2006
This review is from: DeLonghi EAM3200 Magnifica Super Automatic Espresso/Coffee Machine (Kitchen)
This was the best price point I could find for a super-automatic espresso maker. It was also among the most highly rated by other customers. The unit has been great! I've had it for 4 months. My friends are always amazed by the quality of the espresso and they all want one of these machines too, now.
A few tips:
- DeLonghi does a factory test to make sure everything works right, so don't be surprised if you open the package and see a drop or two of water in the water reservoir and/or a few coffee grinds.
- The frothing wand doesn't swing out as far as I would like (it extends about 1.5" away from the unit, so you need to buy a milk frothing pitcher with a relatively small diameter so you can move the frother around in the pitcher with ease. I bought a 20oz pitcher (so I could froth enough for 2 lattes at a time) with about a 4" diameter and it's a bit of a challenge moving the frother around evenly.
- milk frothing takes some getting used to -- buy a gallon of milk and just practice.
- since the unit takes both whole beans and pre-ground, it's easy to switch between decaf and regular by just keeping pre-ground decaf on-hand and regular whole beans (or vice versa :-) ).
April 2011 update - 5.25 years later the machine works great. Two observations: 1) on-off knob broke. it is plastic. steamer cannot function now so I need to buy a new handle. appears to be easy to replace once I source the part - $5 or so. The steamer seems to leak a little water now when making espresso. doesn't seem to affect its operation though.
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