DeLonghi ESAM5500M Perfecta Digital Super-Automatic Espresso Machine, Metallic Blue

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.

My wife and I have been making 6-8 cups a day for 6 months. We only ever make cappuccino and the 'fire and forget' button is priceless. The froth is good albeit with slightly larger bubbles than from conventional froth. We always place the milk container in the fridge and so far we have had no problems with the seal. And, the milk container can be purchased separately at a reasonable price (so my wife says).

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.

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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.

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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!

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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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DeLonghi EC5 Steam-Driven 4-Cup Espresso and Cappuccino Maker, Black

I'm surprised at some of the negative reviews of this product. Perhaps the reviewers ended up with the occasional lemons. I've purchased two of these...one I bought for myself, and the other as a gift, and they've worked beautifully. The milk steamer is very effective (but as noted, the wand is a bit short, which would be my only complaint). It would be nice to have a separate bypass switch between brewing and steaming modes, but the lack of one is common in machines in this price range. Overall I'm very happy with mine and have had no problems at all. At the current price, I'd highly recommend purchasing one. If you want more features and better construction, then spend another $100 or more for a steam pump model, but for fast and easy coffee drinks from a functional, affordable machine, this is hard to beat.

January 2010 update: It's been over four years since purchasing two of these coffee makers, and both are still going strong. The one I purchased for myself is used almost daily, and still works perfectly.

This Espresso machine is great for people who love good espresso but can't afford fancy machines. In fact, I think I like this machine better than the fancy machine my mom has. It's super easy to use and quickI make a latte every morning before work. And in fact you CAN froth milk with the wandit takes a little finagling but the trick is to rotate the mug around the wand. It may take a couple of tries to get a routine down but by the third time you'll get the hang of it. And may I suggestif you're making lattes, make only one at a time to get good foam. Enjoy!

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I am far from a connoisseur of coffee, but I really like this machine. Unlike the Krupps that is similar priced (FND111 Allegro), it is make much more sturdy. I played with both in a feature to feature comparison and the DeLonghi is MUCH better made.

Best : Quality, quick espresso. Easy to clean, easy to use. Very attractive in the kitchen. Pretty darn quick. Great price for the quality.

OK : Frother is very short, so you need a short, stout cup to froth with. It is good for Cappuccino, but not really powerful enough for steaming a Latte's worth of milk. To get some extra steam, run it through an extra cycle just for steam.

Bad : Not really any for the price.

Overall, I am very, very pleased. I got it for only $39.99 here on Amazon and I think that is one heck of a good deal.

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All the reviews I read before I purchased this item said that the coffee maker was purchased to make lattes. Several reviews mentioned the steaming wand being difficult to use, but that they managed in the long run. Well, I feel that the wand is impossible to use as there is no way to chose between the espresso selection and the steaming selection. If you follow the instruction regarding the coffee and the water portions, you have great espresso, but if you want to steam milk, you need to put in more water, but since there is no way to select steam, you have to try and steam the milk while the espresso is brewing and you end up having watered down espresso or steam milk that is not hot enough. I have resorted to just heating my milk up in the microwave and have more of an espresso with hot milk as opposed to a latte. If you want to make lattes, I recommend looking for another espresso maker.

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After working at Starbucks and getting free espresso drinks for 4 years, I needed an espresso machine to support my habit. This one was the most affordable with the best reviews, and so we went with it. I am so impressed! First of all, don't follow the directions on steaming the milk, instead of moving the pitcher up and down just keep the tip of the steam wand right below the surface of the milk. It should just barely look like the surface is stirring. If you have too many bubbles pull the wand out slightly at an angle. That will make foam instead of bubbles. The quality of the espresso shot isn't the best, so if you drink straight espresso I wouldn't recommend this. But for lattes, cappuccinos, or flavored americanos, it's so worth it. The money we're saving is great. (Even for a pro barista like me it took a few tries to get it right to make two at a time, so don't get discouraged at first!)

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Ne-Cap Nespresso® Compatible Refillable Capsules for Machines Before and After 2010 (100 Capsules

Guys: Although I was a bit skeptical at first, I got to say these are pretty neat because you can fill it with your own coffee and it's also a one time use cartridge for about .20 a pop if you go to coffee cap shop (one word) and select the cheapest shipping (100 capsules at $18.00 plus $2.39 shipping). Nespresso has a very tight grip on the distribution of their capsules, but a slight design change in these allows them to work with the Nespresso machines while still not infringing on their copyright. Note: There are alternatives to this product which are re-usable called Nex-pod, and another referred to only as "3 Brown or 3 Black" or coffeeduck CoffeeDuck Refillable Coffee Capsules For Nespresso 3 Pods These Espresso Cups fit all Nespresso machines from after October 2010 Please make sure you have the correct machine before purchasing..... I haven't tried these myself, they are a bit more expensive and from what I've read in other reviews and have seen on YouTube, they didn't just didn't seem to be the best choice for me; you may want to go online and look at the Amazon reviews of these products to judge yourself. Also, it looks like the brown ones (which are out of stock) are the ones for Nespresso machines made prior to October 2010; the black ones (still available here) are for machines after 2010 (I have the old original C190 Concept machine (model c190) from 2001). Just as an aside, I've also seen videos of people simply re-using a used Nespresso pod and re-sealing the foil piece with a new piece of aluminum foil (I tried this once and the results were really crappy and watery, and coffee grounds ended up in my machine).

Anyway, back to Ne-Cap.....I fill it with my own espresso grind (illy or Lavazza) and I've got to say that the coffee was good and had a decent crema. They're pretty easy to use as well, although you might need to experiment a bit with the coffee, grind and amount you put into the capsule to ensure you get a nice rich cup of coffee. Take out a new capsule, using your pod as the "scoop", scoop it to the very top and then simply wipe off the excess so it is filled to the top but not overflowing the rim, then very carefully peel off the paper ring from the top of the cup (uncovering the sticky ring on the top of the cap) and then place the pre-cut aluminum cap on top of the capsule to seal in the coffee (note: you need to be somewhat careful when you're peeling off the paper from the cup to expose the sticky seal or else you'll also remove the sticky seal which is supposed to stay on the cup). Although the sticky seal for these capsules is not the same as the Nespresso air tight seal (which I think is only done to keep their packaged coffee fresh), the seal is good enough to perform the job and prevent coffee from exploding outside the capsules. I know their video shows them tamping down the coffee pods as they fill them, but for me, no tamping works best (and it's simpler).

After experimenting a bit, I noticed that if you want the richer coffee and thick crema, you should stick with a darker roasted, robusta beans, finely ground (espresso or fine grind...check out Lavazza Crema e Gusto Ground Coffee, Italian , 8.8-Ounce Bricks (Pack of 4) which is primarily robusta and is on sale with subscribe and save). And when tamping down on the coffee, don't pack it in too much before attaching the foil top or else you just get a little dribble of coffee coming out (and in all honesty, I've been using these capsules for some time, but every once in awhile, this still happens to me. The drink is fine, it just takes awhile longer to fill the cup). Along with the illy brand of coffee, Cafe Pico, Cafe Bustelo, Lavazza Crema and Pilon also do a very good job in these capsules. If you want to see how much coffee Nespresso uses in their capsules, you can also open up a new Nespresso capsule and see what the grind looks like and the amount of coffee they use so you get an idea. I'm too cheap to do that ;-) The other thing I've noticed in reading some of the other reviews is that these pods seem to work well in machines that are more "manual" and allow the user to close the door and clamp the capsule into place (e.g., my C190 allows me to manually clamp down the door mechanism, there is no automated mechanism that may not close properly over the capsule).....this is just a guess on my part for some reviewers that noted problems using this with a newer machine (e.g., the U).

I wouldn't recommend making these cups too far in advance (since you don't have an airtight seal once you make the cup), but instead make them when you're ready to use them that day. Although this may seem a bit of work if you're in a rush (and remember, you do have to buy your own coffee), it is sort of fun to experiment with the different blends (you can use any full or half decaff coffee for those last minute guests that want espresso without all the caffeine or you can experiment and add flavorings like sugar or equal, vanilla, spices etc.).

I will start with some helpful info..

-Nespresso machine: Pixie

-Ne-Cap capsules 100 pcs. ($23.29)

-Coffee: Lavazza Crema e Gusto 250g enough for 50 capsules ($5.75)

-Empty capsule weight: ~1 gram

-Filled capsule weight: ~6 grams

-One capsule preparation time: 60-70 secs

-Cost of filled capsule: ~$0.35

The main reasons for purchasing the refill capsules are, being able to enjoy the coffee I like and save some money.

I haven't encountered any troubles with the capsules EXCEPT that you dont get the best out of it, as most of the hot water is spilled into the used capsules container; although I had the capsules filled, pressed and sealed appropirately. Therefore, I had to reuse the same capsule, however, sometimes replaced it with another one. The reason of water spill/waste is that Ne-Cap capsules are shorter than Nespresso capsules. Thus I assume if they were the same size, the capsules will perform much better.

This option is somehow economical, nevertheless, sometimes you may need to use two capsules to enjoy your Espresso, or Cappuccino cup.

Conclusion, if you are not enjoying the taste of Nespresso flavours or you like to have your own ground coffee, and want to save some $$$, go for it..BUT dont expect the same performance and cleanness of Nespresso capsules.

Update 2/8/2012================

When I first used the Ne-Caps, I gave it 3 stars. After using almost 30 capsules, I got to believe that it's not worth it and that Nespresso capsules are irreplaceable. I tried all possible ways to enhance the performance of the capsules, I made more holes at the base, also I dilated the existing ones, but all my attempt were useless. The shape of Ne-Cap pods should be modified to look like nespresso ones. That way, I believe they would be better. So my advice is to stick to nespresso despite the price. Save yourself the time and headache and enjoy your easy, tasty coffee.

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Just filled a few of the capsules yesterday with my own coffee. It was a little messy but used the capsules this morning and they worked just fine. A lot less expensive than buying capsules from the company.

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Manufacturer refused to admit problem with their capsules when it doesn't work.

Problem:

1. 1/3 to 1/2 capsules ends in very dilute coffee/dirty hot water

2. seal by far not perfect

3. foil cap not reliable peforated

4. used capsule compartment becomes overflow hot water compartment and sometimes overflow

Since the manufacturer says the problem is not theirs, I tried many permutation to make the capsules work, including:

1. filling grinds to different level, full to not-so-full

2. compacting grind to different degree, from no compaction to hard compaction

3. using 1 or 2 rubber seal

Results remain unreliable. When it works it works great. That's about 1/5 of the time. 1/3 of the time it is acceptable, the rest of the time I wasted the coffee and money on the capsule. In the end, it turns out to be more expensive than the nespresso capsules. Not worth the effort and frustration to get a cup of coffee nicer than nespresso's own only for 1/5 of the time.

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Very time consuming to peel off paper around edge of capsule, usually pulls off sticky part, so push sticky ring back down around tiny rim in a circle, then try to separate foil lids one by one, add the rubber ring and gently push up around bottom rim of capsule (which fell off on half of the capsules I tried), tamp in expensive ground coffee I purchased, makes a mess, then insert in machine and lots of water pours into tray on bottom! Surely someone can invent some easier solution for more coffee choices for the Pixie machine. Waste of money and time all around!

Timothy's World Coffee Rainforest Decaf Espresso Extra-Bold for Keurig Brewers, 24 K-Cups with 2 Or

The decaf espresso has a great taste and is convenient to use. I was able to drink this espresso in the evenings, and it wouldn't keep me up at night. It works flawlessly with the Keurig B70 machine.

CAREFUL!! This is great coffee but for the price you only receive ONE 24-count box as opposed to TWO 24-count boxes as commonly offered with this variety and most other K-cup brands.

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It's hard to get excited about decaf. It usually lacks aroma and body of a good cup of regular coffee. However, there are times when you don't want the chemical stimulant and Timothy's Rainforest Decaf Expresso is a wonderful stand in for the regular stuff. Of course it is not caffeine free and part of Rainforest Decaf Expresso's great taste may be due to less processing to remove the naturally occurring chemical. Since I'm lacking any way to measure the caffeine level, suffice to say that it's more like reduced caffeine coffee with great taste.

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I've tried so many decafs for the keurig and this is literally the best one. My husband and I really enjoy this.

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I am a coffee-aholic and have never been able to find a rich decaf for those late night coffee cravings. Then came Rainforest Decaf Espresso. Very bold and fabulous!