Customer Reviews

De'Longhi EC155 15 BAR Pump Espresso and Cappuccino Maker

5 star:		(498)
4 star:		(285)
3 star:		(82)
2 star:		(47)
1 star:		(95)

 

 

I love espresso, and this little baby makes a great cup. Here are a few points that might be useful for you to know:

Good points:
*It doesn't take up too much room on the counter and looks nice with it's silver metal accents.
*The water reservoir is a good size, you can make about 8-10 shots before you need to refill it, which is very easy to do, and there is a clear section behind the basket which shows the water level.
*Fast heat-up time (only about a minute), good frothing wand, no wait time between frothing and brewing (though you do have to wait a little between brewing and frothing).

Be warned:
*Frothing wand is only 3 1/4 inches from the counter top. Not a big deal, I just went and bought a frothing cup that is about that height.
*Distance from grounds basket to tray is only 2 1/2 inches, I usually use a small espresso cup.
*Built-in tamper sucks, buy a good metal one.
*You don't end up with a nice dry puck, the grounds basket is a watery soup after your espresso is made, so I dump it down the disposal.
*You will end up drinking more espresso than you mean to, it's that good!

Seriously, I chose this machine after a lot of online researching, and decided on this one based on its outstanding reviews and great price. What led me to it were the reviews of another DeLonghi, the EC140B, which is an older and less attractive model, but had reviews from people who had owned theirs for 6 and 10 years! I'm hoping that this one will have the same longevity.

-----> UPDATE: I've now had this machine for 8 months and it started running very slow. I'd been using only distilled water, so I knew it wasn't a calcification issue, so I looked into it and it turns out machines like this one (no backflushing) need to be cleaned every month or so to remove built up grounds that work their way inside the machine. So I ran some cleaner through it and all this nasty brownish liquid came out, and now it runs great again! So remember people, take good care of your things and they will take good care of you. A lesson I am still learning...
- and to answer a question commented on this review, my tamper is 2 inches in diameter.

First, a couple of disclaimers:
1. This is the first pump-driven espresso machine that we have owned.

2. We generally drink cafe Americano, which is an espresso with a little added hot water (or cold water with an iced Americano). We make an occasional cappuccino and have thus used the steam wand, but not extensively.

After doing a cost/benefit analysis in regards to our current cafe Americano habit (~10 per week), we realized that there would be some justification to buying a home unit. We first considered the Breville ESP8XL Cafe Roma Stainless Espresso Maker, but reviewers consistently lamented the unit's tendency to clog the filter, necessitating time-consuming cleaning. Also, not being completely sure that we would actually use the espresso maker, we balked at the $250 price tag.

We also considered moving up to one of the superautomatico machines that grind, tamp, brew and dispose of the grinds, but we worried about the reliability of technology that had only recently hit the consumer-grade appliances. After reading zillions of reviews, we realized that every mid-priced machine had some glaring flaw and, in the end, we decided to buy an inexpensive pump-driven unit and wait for the technology to catch up before investing a huge chunk of change in an espresso machine. Moving our investigation to low-end espresso makers, we were impressed by the reviews of the DeLonghi EC155 and purchased it from Amazon.

I put off writing a review in order to make sure that the DeLonghi was going to last until we had at least broken even on it. We received it in mid-July and since then it has produced about 200 double shots flawlessly. By my reckoning, that's about $400 worth of Americanos at the local cafe. Even considering the price of the coffee, we have more than broken even. So, here's our pros and cons:

PROs
- Price--we paid $91.28.
- Crema Production--this unit consistently produces a thick layer of delicious crema.
- Powerful Stream Wand--Easily froths milk.
- Mechanicals--After six months of nearly daily use this mighty-mite works as well as it did the day it arrived.
- Easy Cleanup--Filter cleans easily.

CONs
- Ergonomics--As other reviewers have noted, there could be a little more room between the area where the cup sits and the output nozzle. Also the steam wand could be longer.
- Features--No cup warmer. Not a big deal to us, especially considering the price of the EC155, but it will put off some buyers.

SOME THINGS WE HAVE LEARNED
- Using a coffee especially made for espresso, such as Lavazza, produces a much better espresso. Lavazza has the added benefit of allowing you to go for hours without blinking.
- Preheating the unit for 15 minutes and warming the cups in the microwave improves the results and experience.

I was always skeptical of expensive espresso machines and wondered why anyone would pay hundreds of dollars for an expensive machine. It turns out that the more expensive and quality machines are "pump-driven" rather than the typical "steam driven" found at your local Wally World and such. A pump driven machine will hit pressures 4-5 times greater than that of a steam driven machine and gets much better extraction from the espresso grinds (better flavor) and are the only machines capable of generating the "chrema" foam at the top of the espresso.

The DelLonghi EC155 is an excellent budget machine found for under $100 that is pump driven. I was happy with my old steam driven Delonghi, but once I received this I realized that I didn't even know what I was missing. This espresso is as good or better than anything you'll get in a nice Italian restaurant or at your local Charbucks. The chrema that this thing produced is flat out great (you'll get a nice 1/4 layer of tasty emulsified foam). The convenience of pulling a single shot is great too, and you really only need the machine to warm up a few minutes before you pull a shot.

The best feature about this machine in my humble opinion is that it is E.S.E certified (easy serve espresso). This means that you can pick up the ESE certified pods from Charbucks or a good online pod retailer and not have to go to the trouble of grinding and tamping. This is a HUGE feature that even some more expensive machines do not have and is what eventually sold me on this unit. Having grown accustomed to the convenience of pod coffee, it was only natural to look for the same thing in my espresso machine. Do note that coffee (senseo style) pods will not work in here as those are much larger than the ESE certified pod. Try a nice blend from Baronet or another find espresso brand and you won't be sorry.

I highly recommend this machine. In short, it has fantastic features for the money, makes awesome espresso chrema, and it ESE certified for pod use. You will definitely not do any better than this machine for under $100.

I really wanted to like this machine, I thought DeLonghi had given us an affordable pump-drive cappuccino maker. And it just isn't quite.

(n.b. I'm trying to get customer images up. If the technical difficulty goes away please refer to my customer images for visual reference.)

Things to like:
1. Pump drive! So much better than steam pressure machines. It works pretty well too.

2. The espresso comes out very good (though in small amounts, see below). All 3 proper layers are discernable, crema is especially satisfactory.

3. The removable tank is very handy. And large.

4. Price is right, I don't think there's a more affordable machine with such quality performance "guts".

These pluses are solid reasons to own this machine.

Why I am returning it:
1. The holder for espresso grounds is WAY too small. There are two of them and the bigger one is less than half the size of any standard equipment. Unless you only ever plan to pull 2oz at a time the espresso will come out weak. I usually pull 2-3 shots minimum and can't be bothered to pull, empty, and tamp for every 2 oz I want.

2. The frother is so low to the counter that even a small frothing pitcher won't fit under it. Boo.

3. The wand is so shallow that I cannot properly froth any decent amount of milk since the wand only goes down into the very top of the milk. Also boo. I can't make milk stretch with this gizmo and it's one of the reasons I picked this machine.

4. The only thing that fits under the espresso spout is a shot glass or espresso cup. 2 inches of clearance offers no flexibility for pulling into a mug or small pitcher. I could have lived with this if 1-3 were not already problems.

All of these issues, which I consider design flaws, could easily be corrected in a product redesign. The internal works are fine. A taller machine with a longer wand would fix all my problems. As is it takes too long to get coffee I don't want and there's always a clean-up mess.

I started with a super-cheap steam drive machine and upgraded to this one expecting an affordable way to take my coffee production to the next level. This machine should be great and instead it's just frustrating.

If you're only looking for a small shot in some modest foam and don't mind some hassle this is a fine machine. I regrettably will be looking for something else.

Having had this gem in my possession for a month now, I can give it highest marks for quality, performance and value. In reading the many other reviews that steered me to this unit, I think I might have a few solutions for common concerns.
1) Buy the Bodum cups, Terry's tamper and the Krupp's 20 oz short squat milk frother. You owe it to yourself to have some nice accoutrements and these will give you much bang-4-the-buck enjoyment with this unit. As you have gathered, the range of the nozzle and clearance of the cup space are compact; these items work perfectly with the EC155.
2) The coffee pods work well but are not the end-all be-all and I find grinding some French roast to a fine consistency (Mr. Coffee grinder) filling the "double" filter basket and tamping firmly provides a better cup of espresso.
3) I am currently using distilled water and do a flush run (basket with no coffee) once a week. Yes, some gunk will flush out.
4) I use the nozzle to pre-warm the Bodum cup as it shoots a bit of water when first activated. Once clear, I use the steam for cappuccino if desired.
5) I keep the Krupps frothing cup in the freezer and use Soy milk. I'm sure neither of these are essential but my wife is lactose intolerant. This works well for small quantities of foam and hot milk.
6) I pull a ~1.5oz shot with the crema being a ~1/2 inch in the cup.
Total time runs around 20 seconds (but who's counting)
6) Unlike other reports, I have yet to find a nasty puddle of grinds in the filter basket; a damp solid plug remains.
7) I may have a defective filter holder but when I use the thumb lever to hold the basket in place to dump the grings, a sharp piece of plastic is exposed. I plan to Dremmel grind this to avoid further cuts.

Well, there you have my review. I figure payback on a unit like this is 35 nice cups. I have 2 to go, never have to stand on line and the Bodum Pavina cups beat paper in function, form and style. While reviews of these cups suggest fragility, I have yet to ding one and wash them by hand. Don't imagine you'd want them near the microwave.

This is the fourth espresso machine I've owned since 1983 and by far, the best. The espresso consistently comes out dark, rich and very flavorful. I use a pinch of sugar and a twist of lemon peel to round out the flavors. My last Krupp's ran ~$200 and was problematic after a month of use. Reports here suggest these units have a reasonable life-span if cleaned and used correctly. Given the cost at gourmet coffee stands these days, I consider this both a luxury and an investment.

This product will meet your needs if you are looking for a basic machine that delivers good espresso at a decent cost. After trying it with the 15-30 minute recommended warm-up (turned it on to pre-heat and hit the treadmill) and the quick warm-up (about 5 minutes running two cycles of hot water), the end result is the same either way. I've tried the single and double shot filters packing my own coffee, and the single filter using a pod. I will say that I much prefer the pods for the convenience and because I'm not good at tamping-- plus, you don't have the hassle of dumping wet grinds out of the filter. Either way, the ultimate taste experience is going to depend on the quality and type of coffee bean (or pod) that you use, and your ability to successfully steam the milk without scalding it.

I understand the complaints people have about the awkwardly positioned steam wand, but I purchased a 12oz pitcher and a thermometer, and have been able to manuver it under the steaming wand without much trouble. I recommend releasing the steam for a couple of seconds before putting the milk under the wand-- that will eliminate any water buildup from the wand going into your milk. If you're new to steaming milk like I was, I recommend reading an article or two on the proper steaming technique-- it makes all the difference. I brew into a marked 1 oz glass, so the small clearance space between the drip grate and the filter basket isn't a problem for me, but it is something to be aware of.

This machine is fantastic and after i ordered (over great deliberation) and received mine, I could not wait to review this and rebuke other reviewers who clearly have trouble following simple directions or have no experience making espresso (point being, don't go so out of your way to bash something when you are clearly no expert). I was pretty put off by the bad reviews by seemingly well meaning and "intelligent" people. I've owned a really good espressso machine and the issues they were describing sounded like the sort of issues one might have if you didn't know what the heck you were doing. So I gambled ($60 bucks) and got this little thing. It ROCKS.

Here are some tips:

1. It's all in the grind, grimsy. You still want it slightly grainy - about cornmeal but I actually have ground it into virtual powder, just to test it, and this thing still has no problem pumping the hot water through - amazing.

2. The level and compression of the coffee grinds are CRUCIAL and I have found, after much use, that the single most important thing, is how hard you twist the "basket" on (no idea why they call it a basket but it's the thing that holds the coffee). I have found the ultimate way to make this work!!! I figured out the problem that everyone was having:

IN ORDER TO MAKE THIS PRODUCE PERFECT SHOTS WHeRE YOU END UP WITH ROCK HARD LITTLE PUCKS OF SPENT COFFEE AND BEAUTIFUL, CREAMY JET BLACK SHOTS - LIKE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO WITH A GOOD MACHINE:
- FILL THE THING WITH COFFEE, PILED WELL ABOVE RIM, TAMP AS HARD AS YOU CAN TO RIM LEVEL
- TWIST IT ON FAIRLY FIRM (IT TAKES BOTH HANDS)
- THEN TURN IT ON AND THE SECOND YOU SEE A DRIP OF COFFEE COME OUT, TURN IT OFF
- ONCE MORE, TWIST THE COFFEE BASKET ON EVEN HARDER - YOU WILL FIND IT IWLL MOVE QUITE A BIT.
- TURN IT BACK ON, AND IT WILL MAKE A BEAUTIFUL SHOT

This helps settle the grounds a little so you can compress them even more.

What I noticed is that, because this machine is so small and light, it's really hard to twist the basket on hard enough (the first time) without just yanking the whole thing off the table - you have to wrestle like a little piggy! So you just can't compress the coffee enough and, if you don't, it won't pull a good shot and, that's where this "soupy mess" comes from that everyone complains about. I have it down now and don't need to do the turn it off and on thing - when I twist mine on the first time, it seem fine and there seems to be no diff in the product that comes out. I am strong however so for those of you who may not be able to bear hug their machine as well as i do - do the method above.

One thing that might also be happening is, I ONLY use the larger "double shot" coffee basket but the machine comes with a smaller single shot basket. I haven't even used the smaller basket (because uh, who drinks "one shot" of espresso) and it might actually be a little harder to get the right compression and all that with the smaller basket but honestly, I would exclusively use the double basket, and you will get a richer shot.

I also bought the metal 2 inch tamper that others recommended and I feel I could not be without it now after using for months. You need something hard and shaped like this to really really tamp the coffee in very very hard. I can smash a mountain of coffee down with this thing so it is in fact important.

If you pulled a good shot, you will get a nice, thick, crema (tan foam) with a buckskin or carmel color (this will settle more and more the longer the shot sits there). When you fill your shot glass and turn off machine, the crema should be around 2-3 mm high. If it's really high (say, half the glass) you probably didn't tamp it hard enough or your grind is too course. If there is no crema, you didn't tamp or compress coffe hard enough).

When you pull the basket off to clean it, you should have a hard, fairly dry coffee puck that is slightly resistant to coming out and has to be dug out with a little wooden stick (use chopsticks or similar blunt, wooden device or you wll harm rubber ring inside).

3. You can remove the little silver tray (it's superfluous and serves no great purpose) and just put a larger cup in the catch basket underneath - problem solved for all the whiners who complained about "no room." I love how small the thing is whereas at first I thought "Oh god, it's a toy." It's not.

4. My machine seemed to heat up in no time (under 10 minutes) and my shots were scalding hot (I have no idea what to say to those who complained that their coffee didn't get hot - mine would give 3rd degree burns and the cup is far too hot to hold). I admit there seems to be some confusion in the literature about warm up times (15 mins, 30 mins - what is it guys?) but I guess it involves the fact that you can preheat it (by actually using it to cycle water only, with no grinds involved) and reduce the actual "ready time" and by practice, this seemed to work (though, again, the instructions actually say "preheat for 15 mins, cycle water...and it should be ready... now wait 30 minutes" - what??? This is clearly a typo - text left in when it should not have been and as I used to be a technical writer (computer manuals, etc) I can tell you that's a common mistake - typos are eazy to see but sensible text, mistakenly left in is not since it does not at first blanch appear out of accord.

Look, once i was in a hurry, I turned it on (I always turn it on to steam first and make steamed milk, BTW) and 5 min later I made steamed milk and espresso, no problem.

After a full year of use, I routinely wait just 3-5 minutes for warm up but my trick is i always put it to "Steam" because that makes it hotter initially.

5. My steamer doesn't work, it only makes hot water, whaaaaaa!!! Yes it does, you just havn't had your cup of joe and you're still ASLEEP. You have to turn the knob....get ready for it, here it comes...to "STEAM." It does not make steam when the knob is in the "I want espresso" position - it makes hot water. Mine makes plenty of steam. The knob doesn't say STEAM, or, I WANT ESPRESSO, but the little pictogram showing steam blasting out of a nozzzle that suspiciously looks like an espresso steam nozzle - should be enough, even for sleepy heads.

This thing also takes the pre-made "pods" of coffee and as far as I am concerned, I would never use something like that. Old school for me, all the way and I guarantee you my shots blow those hugely overpriced poodle pods out of the water.

So, there is a tiny little art to this but it's not that hard to get it right so long as you know the importance of how hard you tamp it in. Have a little patience or you will be going back there to have teenagers make your $5 cup again which i don't really mind except I don't have time to stand in line for 30 minutes.

That's about it. have used for (over a year) now and it's awesome.

This is my first pump machine, until now I have been steam driven. Wow, what a difference. I choose it based on price + reviews + past experience with DeLonghi. The reviews were the major factor.

I have fed a variety of coffees through the machine, used an incorrect grind etc, just to test it. It provides perfect creama every time.

Starbuck's stock may just go down as I now make really good espresso at home.

My only complaints, and I think with time they won't be complaints any more, is that when fitting the coffee basket to the machine it is pretty easy to cross thread, and I would prefer the steam wand be mounted just a little higher. The steam wand by the way foams well and easily. I have only my old steam machine to compare to, but this machine is a joy.

Amazon as usual provided a highly competitive price, and better shipping than I had any right to expect.

5 stars all around

I have been using this machine for 3 months now and I still use it often. It makes very good espresso, but I'm still trying to refine my technique. The only other espresso machine I have owned is a steam driven machine, but I never used it because it was tough to use and it just made strong coffee. This machine makes a nice espresso and you can get a good crema.

Other reviews have noted that the steam wand is too close to the counter. It is close to the counter, but I don't think it is all that tough to use. Get a steaming pitcher that is not too tall and it will work just fine.

The machine has a built in plastic tamper that is nearly impossible to use. I don't find I can put the 40 or 50 lbs of pressure on my puck by pushing upwards, while also pushing down on the machine. When you push down on the machine, you push down on the cup warmer. If you always have cold hands, you might enjoy this aspect of the machine. I bought a metal tamper from an Amazon reseller, the 2" size works wonderfully.

The grounds basket is poorest of all designs on the machine. The basket is too easy to remove from the handle, so when you try to dispose of the puck, many times the basket goes right into the garbage with the grounds. Now, you have a basket that just had 190 degree water run through it in the garbage and you are trying to fish it out. Many times, I just run water over the puck and send it down the drain. Ugh!

I find the water reservoir size to be adequate for my coffee drinking needs. It is also very easy to remove from the machine and fill up.

The basket issue is the only design flaw I haven't found a work around for. I give this a machine a thumbs up based on the price and quality of espresso that comes out. If you would use this machine every day, I recommend spending a little more money on a better designed machine. I use this on the weekends and I find the flaws acceptable for paying so much less than other machines.

To begin with, I'm happy with this machine. I bought this model after carefully reading lots of online reviews. I will not repeat the good things that I agree with in other reviews. It makes great coffee and the steamer doubles the milk in no time at all. It makes a GREAT frothy latte that is much frothier than my local coffee houses make. For the price and quality of coffee, this is worth the purchase. There are a few problems, however, that I've not read in other reviews that I think are of note and there are two easy fixes for problems mentioned in other reviews.

Steam wand problem- Here's one of the problems I've not read about, and it's a big one. After using the steam wand with milk you are supposed to unscrew the plastic piece and wash it. Makes sense right? Well, the threads on the inside of the plastic piece are plastic, not metal. That is a BIG problem. After washing it for the first time I cross threaded it even though I was being careful. It's easy to do because the wand's threads are metal and a lot sturdier than the plastic piece. DeLonghi should invest a few cents and countersink metal threads into the plastic piece. This one inexpensive piece is definitely the weak link in this machine. Be very careful!

Temperature of coffee- Be careful that you heat this machine up for a minimum of 15 minutes before making coffee. I heated it up for 25 and the coffee was still not as hot as I'd like it. If you're making latte, get the milk super hot if you like your coffee hot. Definitely invest in a thermometer.

Time frames- This machine will not work if you want to make coffee for a crowd. After using the steam wand you need to re-heat the machine before making more expresso. From the get go, waiting 15 minutes before using the machine is also kind of annoying. If you are making coffee for several people, be sure you get a larger pitcher and steam your milk all at once.

Steam wand height fix- The steam wand is said to be too close to the counter. I've really not had problems with this. It easily works with a 12 ounce pitcher. For a large pitcher it's simple enough to raise the expresso machine off the counter by placing it on something else. Not a perfect solution, but an easy solution nonetheless. As mentioned above, if you are making expresso for your friends, you will need a large pitcher to steam your milk all at once, so have something handy to elevate the machine.

Clearance for coffee cup- I've not found this to be a big problem. My fancy coffee cups that came with my dinnerware fit just fine without removing the grate. I've got to bend them slightly, but since I don't completely fill them up, this is not a big deal at all. By the way, it is NOT a problem to remove the metal grate to fit a larger cup. It lifts right up easily. You will not be able to fit a standard size mug no matter what, but demitasse cups fit fine and fine china cups also will fit.

Even though I'd buy this machine again, I'm only giving it three stars because of the blatant engineering problem with the plastic steam nozzle that gets a high amount of usage. For a machine that seems to be built very sturdily, this mistake is inexcusable.