I am surprised that I am the first reviewer of this great machine. I just received mine yesterday. I bought it from another vender, but since I typically do most of my shopping via Amazon I thought I would share my experience thus far. Overall, this Super-Automatic is simple to use and makes great coffee, lattes, and cappuccino's. My advice though....WATCH THE DVD BEFORE USING!!! I thought I had this thing in the bag.. how difficult could it be to use??....Well it isn't difficult to use, but there are a few things I did that had I watched the video all the way through I would not have done. For example, when setting how fine or coarse you want the beans you have to adjust the dial one notch at a time while the grinder is running (still doesn't make sense to me). I paused the video before waiting for the lady to finish talking on the topic and just moved it a few notches towards fine...oops! Oh well, doesn't seem to have adversely effected anything, but now I know. Contrary to reviews I have read of super-auto's, the burr grinder on this one is quiet when running. On a scale of 1-10 where 10 is extremely loud and 1 is basically silent I would rate this machine a 5 and my Cuisinart Grind and brew (the one that hold like a pound of beans) an 8. I was actually expecting something much louder.Build Quality I would have to say I am impressed with the looks of this machine and its fit and finish. I am sure some people will complain of the amount of plastic, but seeing how this thing already weighs over 20lbs. why add more weight. I thought about the Gran Dama, but honestly this machine is better.
CoffeeI was also considering the Jura Z5 because I read good things, but the price was a stretch. Granted, this machine isn't cheap either. I believe that I made the right choice. The espresso is great. I do wonder though what it tasted like from the factory, but since I changed the settings prematurely I will never know...ha! The Milk pitcher is ingenious...BRAVO! Latte's and Cappuccino's are a breeze and let me tell you this machine makes both very well. Sure a semi-auto can do better, but really I do not want to do the extra steps. As it is, Starbucks does not compare. I have read reviews that state the Gran Dama latte's can be cold. I have to admit, the first one I made was, but after I made a couple and utilized the cup warmer they were perfect. I bought the Cinnamon Dolce syrup from Starbucks and I downed to many lattes....probably explains why at 0209 EST I am still up and writing this review.
My Opinion If you are in the market for a super-automatic I would say give this one a consideration. I bought this machine from a place that has probably the best return policy of all retailers, so if something does go wrong I will take it right back for another. Regardless, the people at Delonghi are great and I was amazed that as soon as I pushed (1) I was talking to a person almost immediately. I will probably just purchase the extended warranty from the manufacturer and extend the 2 years to 4...Extra $150. That is all for now. Look for an update in a couple months.
**UPDATE** 3/24/10
Well I overworked the first one, but the place I bought it from gladly took it back and ordered me another one. I made nearly 2,000 cups of coffee in 4 months with the first one. I have made nearly 1000 with the one I have now, but it seems to be holding up fine. As far as recommending it I still would. I love this machine. It is so nice that I can make everything Starbucks does without having to pay them $4 for every cup. I have basically every syrup they have and all my guests rave about the Delonghi. It is a lot of money to spend on a coffee maker, but I would do it again.
**UPDATE** 8/14/12
Well my Perfecta has been perfecta to date. No real issues to report yet.
One slight niggle we have had lately is that sometimes the door opens during the coffee making process. I have cleaned several times but to no avail. And it is difficult to find out what is pushing on the door from the inside (it is closed :-). But I guess we eventually will figure it out.
Some reviewers have complained about the coffee being too cold. I currently live in Australia and previously lived 6 years in Italy where they serve the genuine cappuccino. Outside Italy I have often had the opposite problem, where inexperienced barista's make the coffee far too hot. It is not supposed to be that hot. In Italy the barista will generally attempt to remove your coffee cup almost immediately as the coffee is supposed to be consumed right away. A cappuccino can last a bit longer but is also consumed in short order. Some coffee gourmet sites list the optimal coffee temperature and too high a temperature ruins the coffee. So I am quite happy with the temperature of the Delonghi.
Buy DeLonghi ESAM5500M Perfecta Digital Super-Automatic Espresso Machine, Metallic Blue Now
The Good This espresso machine is very easy to use but can be intimidating at first. My husband and I use it several times a day and we have had no problems with it since we bought it at least 6 months ago.The Bad It doesn't make a hot cup of coffee. It makes a warm cup of coffee. I take coffee with me to work every day in a travel cup and by the time I get to work (15 minutes) I have to heat it in the microwave because it is cold. My last cheap espresso maker would make a cup of coffee so hot that I could savor it for an hour. Very frustrating to me.Previous setup:
I used to use a Rancilio Rocky grinder and a Lelit Espresso machine. Making me and my girlfriend a latte with 2 shots in each cup and frothing milk was very time consuming and messy. The Rancilio Rocky grinder spit grounds out side of the portafilter. Making espresso shots (4 for the 2 of us) required grinding coffee into the portafilter 4 times, and making the espresso, cleaning the portafilter and repeat these step 4 times.
The De'longhi Perfecta experience:
I was real nervous spending this much money on an automatic espresso machine and not knowing how well it will perform. First and more importantly, The taste of the espresso is excellent! In the manual it says to making at least 4-5 shots before the machine will produce satisfactory results. The grinder is preset perfectly but can be adjusted to your liking. I make double shots and it completes in 20secs which is perfect. The espresso is neither sour or bitter. It is the perfect balance in taste.
I only make either a double shot espresso or a latte so i can only review the two. Ok so the espresso is delicious so now on to the latte. Some reviews Ive read stated the milk was too milky and no micro foam or doesn't produce much milk when making a latte. From the manual it shows 4 different ways to work the milk. READ THE DIRECTIONS. It will explain how to obtain denser froth or less dense froth. Pushing the Cappuccino button once will make a cappuccino and you can adjust the froth on the container as stated before. To make a latte, push the cappuccino button 'twice' and it will only make frothed milk. So for me, i make the double shot espresso then hit the cappuccino button twice, then i hit the cappuccino twice again and for me it makes my perfect latte.
The machine itself has been described as loud but in my experience with other machines such as the Rancilio rocky and lelit espresso machine, the de'longhi perfecta is not any louder. The grinder is actually quieter than the Rancilio Rocky and reminds me of the sound the grinders in coffee shops sounds like. It sounds like quality and feels like a quality machine. Its extremely easy and quick to clean.
In Summary:
It produces quality espressos and quality lattes. It is a joy to use this machine!
Want DeLonghi ESAM5500M Perfecta Digital Super-Automatic Espresso Machine, Metallic Blue Discount?
Have had this machine for 15 months and 1534 shots of espresso and it still works great like the day I bought it. I only use distilled water and descale when it tells me to(shows up on digital read out). No problems ever and even though it's expensive it has saved me $6 a day from star bucks (quad grande mocha $5 +$1 tip)
-andy
11/23/2010
2863 shots of espresso and still going strong!!! In these machines I believe distilled water is the secret to longevity success.
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