Delonghi EC330-s Pump Espresso Maker

Nice little espresso machine
I ordered this machine off amazon.com after reading the very positive reviews on-line about it. The best part was that amazon had it available for just $72 plus shipping (for a refurbished machine). Initially, I was going to order the EC155 (which is very similar), but then noticed that the EC330 was much nicer looking (more stainless) and only cost a few bucks more. Both the EC155, as well as the EC330, received very good reviews.

The basic consensus was that the EC330 was one of the best espresso pump machines around for under $200. This machine has a 15 BAR pump, just like much more costly machines. Pump machines are generally considered better, since they use a pump to produce their pressure. Not only do they provide more consistent pressure throughout the extraction process, but they don't burn the coffee (which produces a more bitter taste) as "steam only" machines do. Steam only machines rely on the pressure from stem in the boiler, which means the water has...

For the price, great, but not without it's flaws.
For those not wanting to read the long and dull version, here is a quick rundown of the pro's and con's in my humble opinion:

PRO:
1. Price. This thing is a steal at around the $70 to $90 that it costs.
2. Aesthetics. Stainless steel on most of the front is a nice touch.
3. Ease of Use. In 10 to 15 minutes you can bust out a nice cappuccino or whatever your heart desires.
4. Reservoir. Nice size reservoir, lasts me almost a week before topping it off.

CON:
1. Heat. Heating unit takes a minimum of 30 minutes to fully heat up, unless you do the quicky flush.
2. Steam Wand. The thing is tiny and cramped. Not to mention it drips off the drip tray.
3. Steam Knob. It's cheap plastic and gets HOT when the steam is pouring. You can still touch it, but it's not a great feeling.
4. Plastic. Yes, there is stainless steel on much of the front, but there is also plastic in the base and on part of the top.

This unit doesn't...

Great machine for the price
I had read some reviews on this machine and was a little hesitant to purchase it based on some of the reviews by folks that were not able to get it to work like they wanted. After making some espresso and some cappuccino with it now, I have to say, this is a very good machine and easy to use. It makes very good espresso with a nice froth on it. It's possible the folks having some problems with it are not letting it heat up long enough. The manual says it needs to heat up for 30 minutes, so that's what I did and it works great.

I was very impressed with how quickly and easily this machine steamed milk compared to my old (steam-driven) machine. My old machine required some practice to get the steam wand at the right depth for steaming the milk. This machine was just some much easier. The milk started to immediately froth up. No problem at all.

I would definitely recommend this machine to anyone looking for a reasonably priced pump driven machine.

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