I purchased the DeLonghi EC155 espresso maker over a year ago after my Black & Decker model stopped working. When I bought the Black & Decker I did not know anything about making espresso and thought all the machines were created equal. This is simply not the case with espresso machines. You do have to buy the more expensive models to get the features necessary to make a good espresso drink.
Pump Driven vs Steam Driven
The biggest price factor with espresso machines is the method they use to brew the espresso. The cheap machines that you see for <$50 are most likely all steam driven. A steam driven machine boils the water, creating steam, and forces the steam through the ground espresso, and into your cup. Experts critique steam machines because the heat of the water/steam can burn the espresso leaving a bitter taste. Steam machines also do not produce "crema," the thin layer of foam on the top of an espresso shot. Pump driven machines operate by heating the water until is is just warm enough to extract the coffee flavor and use a high pressure to pump the water through the espresso. Professional grade machines that coffee shops use employ the pump driven technology. This is generally considered to be the most superior method, and is also the most expensive type of machine.
Features and Specifications
The DeLonghi EC155 is a pump driven machine with a maximum pressure of 15 bars. It features a removable water tank that holds over 4 cups of water. It is equipped with an adjustable swivel jet frother for steaming milk – essential if you want to make lattes or cappuccino. Included with the machine is an arm for holding your pre-ground espresso with two different sized filters depending on how much expresso you will brew. The machine can also take E.S.E. pods filled with espresso, although I have never tried them. A tamp is built into the side of the machine. The tamp is necessary to pack your espresso tightly into the filter. The machine features a drip tray that is easy to remove for cleaning.
What is not in the box that you will need
As a novice espresso maker there were a number of tools necessary to make my espresso drinks that I did not own and did not come with the machine. The most important thing you need is a a short glass to catch your espresso as it comes out of the machine. The machine doesn’t come with any kind of carafe or pot for the espresso, instead you will need either a shot glass or little espresso cup, I use 2oz. shot glasses. A full size mug will not fit under the espresso machine. If you want to steam milk for a latte or cappuccino you will need a pitcher for the milk, I suggest a 20 oz. stainless steel pitcher and a thermometer for the pitcher. Of course, and this is the no brainer, you will need ground espresso. You do need to buy an espresso roast and not regular coffee.
How to use the machine
The machine comes with a removable water tank which you first must fill with cool water. The tank holds over 4 cups and I find that it needs to be filled after about four lattes. After filling the tank you need to turn the machine on to warm up. The manual suggests 15-30 minutes to warm up – I find 15 minutes is sufficient. Interestingly, there is a green ready light which will turn on and off during the process. I don’t really understand what this means.
While the machine warms up you can begin prepping the other pieces. Packing the filter just tight enough with espresso takes practice, too tight and the water will not be able to get through the espresso and if it is too loose the flavor will be weak. I usually fill the filter in fourths – tamping in between. To tamp the espresso you use the built in plastic tamp (a round flat circle) to push the grinds tightly into the filter. I repeat the process three more times until the filter is mostly full and then drop the filter into the arm and attach the arm to the machine. If you overfill the filter, the arm won’t be able tighten to the machine – once attached the arm should point straight out at you.
If I will be steaming milk I also place my stainless steel pitcher in the fridge to get it to the same temperature as the milk.
Once the machine is warmed up I place my shot glass (or glasses – you can brew two shots at once or just one) under the arm and simply turn the dial to on. Within a minute the espresso starts pouring into the shot glass. You need to watch the machine at this point and manually turn the machine off when your shot glass is full – it will keep going if you do not stop it.
If you are just having espresso you are now done. If you are making a latte pour your shot of espresso into a mug and now steam your milk. To steam the milk take your pitcher of milk and place it under the steam wand. The wand has a black cover that is about an inch long. I submerge the black cover about half way in the milk. You should then turn the dial to steam and use the knob on the top of the machine to control how much steam comes out of the wand. I open the dial most of the way. It is essential that you use a thermometer to determine the temperature of your milk. For a latte you want the milk between 140 and 160 degrees F. I find it takes about about 5 minutes to steam 16 oz of milk to this temperature. Once your milk reaches the desired temperature pour it into your mug with your espresso shot and enjoy.
My Impressions
I am very pleased with this machine. As I said in the beginning, price definitely defines the quality of the espresso you will brew. For under $100 I think this machine makes a really great drink. I really like that this is a pump machine and I would never buy a steam machine after owning this. I think 15 minutes to warm up the machine is too long and is prohibitive for daily use – making this more of a weekend treat. While the warm up takes a long time I find the milk steams very fast. My prior cheapo machine took forever to steam the milk leaving me standing at the counter with a pitcher of milk for ages. This machine steams the milk in about 5 minutes. The machine comes with some good features for easy clean-up including the removable water tank the the removable drip tray. The machine is also small and does not take up much counter space. It is under a foot tall and about 9 inches wide. However, the machine is not fully automatic and you can’t expect to make perfect drinks your first time out. I would consider this machine a good entry level machine for someone who enjoys espresso drinks from the local coffee shop and has some time and interest in creating their own versions at home.
Thank you for reading my review.
Pros: Good price, pump driven, frothing wand, easy to clean, compact
Cons: Long warm up, plenty of room for user error
