DeLonghi ECAM23210B Compact Magnifica S Beverage Center, Black

Machine worked fantastic for about 8 months until the frother would no longer work. A call to Delonghi support (Oct '11) resulted in a seven day wait for box to ship the unit to a repair facility (Nov '11). That facility determined within a week it needed a new frother, but Delonghi took two months and never supplied the part the repairer. After 2.5 months (Jan '12) of waiting I again called Delonghi and asked that they just send me a replacement unit so that I didn't have to keep waiting. Ten days later, a replacement (refirb) unit showed up only to arrive broken (this time leaking water into the grounds tray). Initial calls to Delonghi were met with scripted "you'll need to send us the unit and wait for our evaluation..." rather than them just shipping me out a replacement immediately and my returning the defective one. Sigh. Such an excellent product when it is working. Customer service just doesn't think a $800+ product deserves better care. Delonghi should study Apple to learn how good customer service builds a strong brand.

I spent a LOT of time looking at the different sites for expresso machines. Most suggested staying away from the super automatics. I dont doubt that you can make an even finer cup of coffee if you have full control and spend the time to do it, but for those of us that want to grab a cup in the AM before heading out the door, this machine does a really nice job. I had a manual machine once in the past but never spent the time with it, plus it took 5 mins of prep work and cleanup was drag, I ended up giving it away. Yes it made great coffee, but it ended up sitting on a shelf next to the ice cream maker (never buy one of those :-)). This is a much better device for me.

The Compact Magnifica (23210) works great out of the box. The machine comes with a coupon for a tap water filter, but they really should have included it for those that want to use tap water and live in hard water cities. If you have filtered water at your place (or use a brita etc) this will not affect you. Within a half hour you will be churning out really nice drinks. The frother works well with 1% milk. Consider grabbing this:Krups XS5020 20-Ounce Stainless-Steel Milk Frothing Pitcher. It works nicely in concert. After running perhaps 3-4 cups through the 23210, the quality of the coffee levels off and is excellent (dont panic the first cup might be weak or bitter as the beans cycle through). Assuming you buy decent coffee (I used HEBs brand), you will have relatively quick cuppuccino, easy coffee and strong and tasty expresso in a few minutes. I find the cup warmer to be useless and I did need to ramp up to the hottest setting for the coffee to be the right temp, but otherwise the 23210 was tuned perfectly with preset factory settings. Cleanup is a breeze the frother is insulated in plastic so the wand is MUCH easier to clean than the non insulated wands on many machines. The tank is plenty big enough for AT LEAST 10 drinks (even if you use some steamed milk a few times). The footprint of the unit is nice and it wont hog space.

Overall, Im quite happy with the quality and build while plasticy, it doesnt seem cheap, it has a more euro look to it than the picture indicates I feel. If you are looking for a nice automatic and you are willing to make the trade off to spend quite a bit more, and perhaps lose a bit of artisinal control, youll definitely be rewarded by purchasing this. I was worried the coffee would taste like Keurig or the other quick makers this is MATERIALLY better coffee. If you can afford it, treat yourself, this maker wont disappoint. I especially recommend for parents who have little free time and busy professionals who dont want to spend time cleaning. This is a good machine. I have no idea what MORE Id want from a machine, assuming it continues to work, I dont see why a person would need a larger machine.

Update: I've had it a few months now and I've got a routine I now use so I thought I'd share. I set the bean strength to the highest setting and the water to the middle size and I make a double shot each time. That seems to be the flavor/size balance that works best for me. The reviews that suggest using a dry, European roast like illy over an oily dark roast like Starbucks are probably correct. I've been using lavazza which is well priced via amazon. Illy is fantastic but very $$$ and frankly I don't notice the difference. Anyways after 5 months I'm still really digging this machine.Lavazza Super Crema Espresso Whole Bean Coffee, 2.2-Pound Bag

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One thing about this machine is that it makes great coffee. Great design that will fit most kitchen areas. Just decalcified the machine for the first time, also my first and it took about 40 min.. The directions in the manual were slightly different than how the machine prompted me but I followed the machines direction and all went well. I highly recommend this type of coffee maker, because of verity of coffee making choices, ease of use, and of course taste. I drink at least 4 cups a day.

I would buy this type of machine again.

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I studied different machines until I was dizzy. The only requirement: It was important to me to have a machine that loaded water from front. When you look at the dimensions, it is not much smaller than others. The product weighs a ton already, and I am happy it is not stainless.. It is reasonably as quiet as a coffee grinder could be and makes beautiful espresso consistently.. The DVD instructions are... well.. instructive.

To decide, ask yourself this question: If you were a smoker would you roll your own cigarettes, or buy a pack to smoke. That is the difference between a manual/semi automatic vs a superautomatic like this one.

You add one feature and the other and then you say do I really need all this?

Set expectations. It comes down to budget, ease of use, and space requirements.

The fact is that it was cyber Monday, I was going to buy a perfecta at a bargain price, the seller ran out, and gave me the compact which was more expensive for half the price. There is concern out there that super automatics in general break easily if you use hard water and don't change the filter. If it works for two years for me, I will be happy. If it breaks, we will be coffee addicts and buy a semi automatic to experiment with our addictive urges.

My smart busy wife pushes one button. She is happy, the whole family is happy.

The product came with a year of free coffee from Illy that was not posted on the merchant's web site ($140 value) :)

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I've had the compact Magnifica S for about a week now and have a good sense of what the machine delivers.

Pros:

Literal push-button automation/automagical coffee. Spend 15 minutes watching the video and reading the manual and you will have complete control of the machine.

Lovely frothing. As a cappuccino lover, good foam was at the top of my wish list. I won't be making latte art any time soon, so I can't speak to "pourability" of the foam. But for my milk-first, then espresso builds, it is ideal.

Really compact footprint. The unit takes up half the space of my old Krups duo.

Access to moving parts. It's very easy to get to the bean hopper, water tank, bypass chute, etc.

Cons:

General superauto price point. I love the indulgence of the machine and got it as a Gold Box deal. It will take 100s of cups before I hit my value/price happy place.

Non-oily beans. I have to step away from my beloved dark-roast Peet's in search of non-oily beans that won't clog up the hopper. It takes away a bit from the flavor profile I love. But I'm experimenting with medium roast beans on the strongest setting and adjusting the grind.

Bypass chute. It only accepts one serving's worth of ground beans at a time. Just a little extra effort to make a couple of cups of evening decaf.

Overall, "Maggi" and I have a good working relationship and I'm really enjoying the quality and ease of the coffee she produces. Sometimes I miss the more manual experience, but overall, this machine gives you the ease of a Keurig-style push-button set-up, but delivers a really good cuppa.

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