Want to make espresso at home? or even cappuccino? Is this your first time? Don’t want to invest too much for this first coffee maker? Checkout this Delonghi EC155 review to see if this espresso maker is right for you.
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Delonghi EC155 Review: Who It’s For?
The Delonghi EC155 espresso maker is ideal for anyone who intends to make espresso, cappuccino or latte at home for their very first time. Naturally, you won’t want to spend too much money trying out your hobby.
The Delonghi EC155 comes not just at a low affordable price. It also comes with a powerful pump which is necessary to provide the pressure required to make good espresso. In addition, it has a steam wand which allow you to steam and froth milk to make foam for cappuccino and latte.
Delonghi EC155 Espresso & Cappuccino Maker
Before you make your decision, I’m sure you are keen to know the good and bad of this machine. Here are some pros.
Related: Delonghi Dedica Pump Espresso Maker
Pros of DeLonghi EC155 Espresso Maker
1. Ease of use
The learning barrier is always what stop us from pursuing further with our dreams. I have experienced that many times in my life. This is made worse as our ever-increasingly hectic life which forces us to have lesser time to overcome any learning barrier for anything. Hence, the ease of use of the machine is often ranked the most important.
Unlike the more complicated controls on the higher end models, this machine is good for beginners. The machine’s controls are easy to grasp. There are only 4 operation modes on the front dial. They are for steaming the milk, turning off the appliance, heating the water, brewing the espresso. There is also an indicator for the water temperature next to the dial. When it is red, it means that the water require heating up. Another controller knob can be found on top. This is used to control the amount of steam coming out of the milk frother.
For this machine, you also don’t have to perform any priming procedures before your first use or after a period of unuse as it has a self-priming feature to take care of this tedious preparation work.
2. Less Hassle
The water tank holds 35 ounces (1 litre) of water. You can make about 8 cups of espresso on a full tank. So less frequent for you to refill the water tank. The water tank and drip tray are also removable for easy cleaning.
3. Compact
What I like best is its small size. It measures only 8 inches (21 cm) wide, 10 inches (25cm) deep and 11 inches (28cm) high. It will be easier to clear out some space on your kitchen counter to accommodate this machine. And it does not weigh much. The weight is only 6.7 pounds (3 kg). You can easily move it around even with one arm!
4. Versatile Filter Holder
This machine comes with a 3-in-1 portafilter. You can choose a single or double shot filter if you are using your preferred ground coffee to brew your coffee. Or you can use the holder for convenience pods if you want to avoid the mess involved with dealing with ground powder.
5. Powerful Pump
The Delonghi EC155 espresso maker is equipped with a 15 bar pump. The higher the bars, the more pressure it is able to exert. With a 15 bar pump, it is able to provide the pressure required to force water through the coffee bed in the portafilter. High pressure is a requirement to ensure that maximum flavours are extracted from the coffee.
6. Milk Frother
You also get the capability to make cappucino and latte with this machine. It has a rotating milk frother which you can use to steam milk to make the thick creamy foam layer for your cappucino or latte.
Related:
Delonghi EC702 Espresso Maker Review
Delonghi Icona ECO310 Espresso Maker
Shortcomings of DeLonghi EC155 Espresso Maker
Single Boiler
There is only 1 boiler for brewing water and producing steam. So brewing coffee and steaming milk can’t be done simultaneously.
Temperature Stability
With only 1 boiler, the Delonghi EC155 has to rely on two thermostats to control the temperatures of water and steam separately. As a result, the temperature control may not be very precise.
As optimal brew temperature is an important factor affecting the quality of espresso, the taste of espresso may be inconsistent with every shot.
Indeed, this is one of the trade-off between price and performance. Most people use this machine as a starting ground. After they get more experience and knowledge making their own espresso, they graduate to higher end machines such as the Delonghi La Specialista.
Low Height Clearance
One design flaw of this machine is the height clearance for its milk frother and portafilter. The frother is pretty low and if you have a bigger milk pitcher, you have to tip it quite a bit. You also have to get a small cup to collect the espresso under the portafilter. So if you like drinking from a big mug, there is some pouring to be done.
Fixed Plastic Tamper
One thing I dont like is that the tamper is fixed to the machine and this requires you to tamp the portafilter upwards. This does not give you the right leverage to make a good tamp which also affects the quality of the espresso. To overcome this, most people just get a separate tamper to tamp the ground coffee.
Delonghi EC155 vs Delonghi EC155m
Basically, Delonghi EC155m is the same as the EC155, except EC155M has a chromed finishing. Also, Delonghi EC155m doesn’t come with the 2 filters which EC155 has.
DeLonghi EC155M Manual Espresso Maker
What is the difference between Delonghi EC145 and EC155?
Delong EC145 looks exactly the same as the EC155. The only difference is that EC145 uses unpressurized filter basket and has a body made up of totally plastic parts.
Alternative Products
If you want to avoid the hassle of pouring powder to your portafilter, fitting the portafilter to the brew head and frothing milk totally, consider a super automatic espresso maker. A value for money buy would be the Delonghi Magnifica ESAM3300. This machine allows you to make espresso from coffee pods with a touch of a button.
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Should I buy Delonghi EC155 Espresso Maker?
The espresso quality may be inconsistent at every shot. However, overall, the taste is still pretty decent. It is also easy to make good milk foam with the frother.
With a price of less than $200, Delonghi EC155 is one of the best inexpensive espresso machine for first-timers who want to experiment making espresso at home.
It is easy to learn how to operate this machine as compared to the higher end machines. It also does not take up much space on the kitchen counter. Its versatile portafilter allows you to use coffee pods too, thus making your life even easier if you don’t like the mess of handling coffee powder, especially in the morning when you are rushing for work.
Delonghi EC155 Espresso And Cappuccino Machine
These are probably the reasons for the DeLonghi EC155 Espresso Maker to be a number 1 best seller at Amazon. Don’t take my word for it though. Check out what others has to say here on Amazon and decide if Delonghi EC155 is a good fit for you.
