EC702

Initially, I read the reviews of this machine, and had to shake my head. First observation ... if you are struggling to get good results with any espresso maker, the fault lies with two things: you and your grinder. You can buy the most expensive, tricked out machine (not including the automatic machines that do everything but wipe your rear end), and they STILL won't work right without properly ground coffee. Sure, buy the pre-ground Italian stuff (because it's politically correct) and know the moment coffee is ground it starts to lose it's essential flavor components, irrespective of how it is stored, because the purpose of grinding is to increase surface area (aerate) which, in turns, draws in water (moisture berry berry bad for coffee, until you make it, of course).. Spend you money on a GRINDER, such as the Rencilio Rocky, which is probably the most for the least; industrial quality, small foot print and built like the proverbial tank. From coarse grind for French Press, to super fine for espresso and all points between ... it can coax great results from modest machines. Now as to the "you" part ... it's COFFEE. You are not bound to religious dogma. Use your taste buds and experiment. That's half the fun. And (gasp) you don't have to use espresso roast to make espresso. I use a blend of Yemen Mocha (med.- light roast) and a bit darker city roast, Papua New Guinea from the nice folks at Coffee Bean Direct, and this is perfect for me. Your mileage may, and should, vary. Keep your machine clean and maintained. Filter the water (don't care what you think your ambient water quality is ... the more particulates you remove the longer your machine will last and the better your coffee will taste), and don't top up the reservoir ... rinse and fill fresh. Now to the machine. Looks great ... stainless where you need it, and not where you don't (to keep it under $200.00). Heats very fast for a boiler machine. Operation is simple (unless you are), and straightforward. I like the fact the frothing wand cover comes off so you can actually get it CLEAN. Yes, you will need to use a smaller pitcher. If you are making coffee for more than two or three people, move up to one of the megabuck behemoths ... and enjoy the bragging rights. No it's not automatic. You actually have to push buttons, watch the coffee being made (which I love to do ... seeing that creama form ... sensual), and pay attention. If this chafes ... buy one of those four-figure auto-machines and save yourself the arduous task of pushing a couple of buttons. The DeLonghi is a great buy ... and works perfectly. Save yourself some dough and buy a good grinder and find a good roaster. Experiment ... it's all Arabica ... the differences are subtle (beyond how the coffee is roasted). Paying more only guarantees you will pay more. Spring for some samples of Kona or Blue Mountain, and see for yourself if they are worth the huge surcharge. This is a great machine at a great price.

Being fairly new to Espresso machines I researched reviews on Amazon and elsewhere, and decided on a Krups XP5280. Too bad, no review ever mentioned the fact that, and this was confirmed to me by Krups Customer Service, you need to wait at least 15 minutes between successive cups of espresso, even longer if you used the steam wand! If you don't wait this long the water is diverted to the drip tray instead of the filter holder. WHAT!! Before this was confirmed by Krups itself I could only think I had a defective unit. Upon hearing that this is "normal", I promptly returned it to the seller, of course at my own expense. But I made me forewarned when looking for a replacement. I chose the DeLonghi EC702 15-Bar-Pump Espresso Maker, Stainless and called their Customer Service to make sure it would not be necessary to wait 15 minutes between cups. They told me as long as the ready light was lit, the water was hot enough, and the next cup could be made. They were exactly correct, and I have been happily using it every day at least twice for the last couple of weeks. What a pleasure, the espresso is delicious and it works like a charm. Although the manual says to "preheat" at least 15 minutes, the Coffee Ready light lights up in just a couple of minutes, and pushing the button when it lights produces a hot, dark, rich espresso with a perfect crema. And the only delay between making successive espressos is the length of time to load the filter holder and put it in place. If the coffee ready light is lit, you are ready to go! Another perfect cup awaits. Using the frother is perhaps even more remarkable. Having never developed the "correct" method for a great froth using other machines, I was amazed that it seems almost impossible to miss using this Delonghi. It has a very convenient rotating handle to release the steam and once you place your milk container under the wand it almost immediately produces a wonderful froth that expands 2-3 times in volume, as the manual states. The wand is very easy to clean without concern over it breaking. Another very well thought out design feature is the fact that the water reservoir pulls out sideways, not upwards. This is really convenient if you have the machine under cabinets that don't give you enough space to fully pull out the reservoir which, of course, was the case with the Krups XP5280! So, in summary, the price was great, the machine is very good looking and well designed, and is a pleasure to use. And it makes a great espresso!!

I bought this two years ago and since then it has been consistently used several times a week every week. Despite not cleaning it at all, the machine has held up well and still makes espresso as well as it did when new. It's fairly easy to use and both the espresso maker and milk steamer functions consistently work smoothly. For a relatively inexpensive machine I'm extremely impressed by the build quality and longevity!

Excelentes materiales y acabados, el único inconveniente es el espacio entre el área donde cae el chorro de café y la base para colocar la taza es muy pequeño y con algunas tazas debo retirar la bandeja donde se colocan para su llenado.

La calidad del café que prepara es muy buena. Hay que seguir las recomendaciones del fabricante en cuanto a agua, tipo de café y mantenimiento.

It's great for beginners, and it makes delicious coffee. I would recommend it as the first big purchase for espresso machines, but it was about 200CAD when I bought it. Here are the pros and drawbacks: Pros: - the cheapest option with everything in one, and don't think I'm compromising on taste - doesn't take up too much space - makes good coffee and with de-scale maintenance every 3-4 months, machine works really well - very easy to clean all the parts Cons - hard to dump out coffee because of the way the filter holder is designed - coffee tamper is not great, had to buy it separately - the tray is just about perfect for an espresso and cap, but wish it was easy enough to sneak in a normal-sized mug under there The only reason I would sub this out for a better machine is to (1) have a grinder built in and (2) coffee filter holder that's easier to dump out

No es completamente de acero inox, hay varias partes de plástico pintado de plateado en especial la charola de líquidos la cual tiende a rayarse bastante