De'Longhi15-Bar Pump Espresso Machine with Manual Milk Frother for Latte, Cappuccino, Black, ECP3420

I am very pleased with this cappuccino machine. It replaces a DeLonghi EC135 that I had for ten years and made nearly 7,000 coffees. This new machine heats the milk about three times as fast as the old machine. It is slightly larger and is more stylish than the 135. It looks sophisticated and not overly garish as some of the very expensive machines do.I still am modifying my coffee making process. Before, I merely left the milk in a stainless steel beaker to heat for three minutes waiting for it to reach 160 degrees. I would take over manually at the end. With this machine, the temperature shoots up in about a minute and I actually have to spoon off the milk froth to prevent it from overflowing while heating. It’s not a problem. I could easily adjust the steaming valve. The machine is also a lot quieter than my old machine and it does not vibrate on the counter. It has three coffee measures, whereas my old one had two.Overall I think it is a great buy and I am very pleased with it. I would buy another one even if it only lasts three years!

**** UPDATE AFTER 4 YEARS OF USE****Well it's May 2020 now, and I purchased this machine back in 2016. It has now been through 2 apartment moves, and STILL works like a dream... but recently it developed an inconsistent leak. I've woken up twice now to it having leaked on the countertop overnight. Not too much, and it hasn't done it every night. But still enough to be worried I'll someday have to replace it. For $100 or so dollars though, and especially after being used almost every single day for 4 years, this machine has STILL been one of the best and most reliable things I have ever purchased in my life.I still have to get my coffee beans ground at 1 notch more corse than espresso, however I've had a trusty coffee/spice grinder that gets a perfect grind every time (and its also cheap and over 8 years old).I'm pretty sure my last move (across 3 states) was the reason it has now started to leak, and I'm sad that I will one day have to part with it... but I'm writing this review because I truly just can't recommend this product enough. I have not been paid or given anything to write this or any reviews, I just want the amazon world to know it's a great machine for the price.Happy coffee making, espresso drinkers out there!______________________________________________________________I never write reviews for anything I purchase on Amazon (yet I read reviews for everything I purchase), and I'm so glad I chose this machine when looking for a new espresso maker. Personally, I am really hands on with my coffee in the mornings. I am not a "push a button and go" kinda girl, so if you are looking for that, maybe look elsewhere? This machine can be a bit finicky at times.It's so easy to use, and relatively mess free. It is a bit loud, but that doesn't bother me. It works like a breeze, and produces consistently great pours with beautiful crema markings. The milk frother works wonderfully with any type of milk (I only use almond or coconut milk). Being a barista years back I learned some milks are really hard to get a nice velvety foam, and this machine does just that with almond milk! It's not latte art quality, but juuuuust close enough that it could be.Here's my advice after owning this machine for a few months now...1. Start off with some Illy ground espresso in the can (like a previous reviewer had mentioned) so that you can have good tasting espresso while you get used to how your machine works. Tamp your espresso lightly!! Don't cram it in there or it will ruin the flow!2. Once you get used to how the Illy grounds work with your machine, then you can move on to local coffee shop beans. The reason being that the coffee grounds have more oils in them and are ground a bit more fine so it doesn't come out in a flow, but more of a drip. I typically put my cup right where the drip comes out, and it flows evenly for a perfect crema. Ask your barista for their particular choice in espresso beans when you go to your local roaster. I prefer Peet's Coffee or Philz Coffee's Aromatic Arabic, but make sure you ask them to grind 1 step more coarse then the typical espresso grind to make it a little easier on yourself..3. Always wipe your machine after use. I know I can be busy at times and forget to take out the tamp and empty the used espresso out, but try to always wipe the milk frother after use, and wipe down your machine. It comes apart easily so you can really get in there. At least 3 days I do a full rinse of the machine. I know I should do it after every single use, but I have had no problems thus far.4. Last but not least, make sure you get a ***small*** milk pitcher and tamp (I bought mine from the seller New Star Foodservice since it was priced right and well made). I know you get a 2 in 1 scoop and tamp with this machine, but look for something slightly heavy and stainless steel.

I have been meaning to write a review on this machine for a long time. I consider myself not just a heavy coffee drinker, but someone who appreciates the many forms you can make it. After a while drinking espresso drinks, like Americanos and lattes, I decided to invest in something for my home because I was spending too much money at coffee shops. Like most normal people, I don't have $500 plus to spend on one but I also was not interested in buying something completely cheap and wasteful for $35 like you will see some of these machines.When I purchased this machine it was about $200, and it looks like the price has dropped since then, but I will say that for someone on a budget, this was a really great purchase that gets you very close to what you would produce from a high-end machine if you learn to use it to practice. It took me a little bit of time to figure out exactly how to get my espresso the way I enjoyed it, but when I finally did I used it every single day for probably more than six months. It does not take very long to prepare when you turn on the machine so the water is hot and ready to go within a minute or two. It does come with a plastic tab and I do recommend getting some accessories to go with it so you get as close to high-quality espresso as possible. Through trial and error you will find how hard to pack the coffee, because if it is too compact you will not be able to run the steam through it as the pressure is not strong enough. It will come out dripping instead of flowing and when it comes out that slow it tends to be extremely bitter and usually ended up down the drain. Eventually you will find the Best way to pack the coffee, how much time to run the machine, and how to properly clean it. If at first you are not enjoying the product you were making I highly recommend continuing to practice until you find what suits your needs.When you turn on the machine after preheating, you flip the switch to make the espresso. It does not have an automatic off switch, meaning you can pull the coffee as long as you want depending on your preference. I discovered that the best way for me to make what I want was by using a particular size cop and when I reached the top of the cup that typically was the strength of espresso I wanted. It is a little difficult to clean, but it does have a function to run water through it to clean it and flush out remaining espresso grounds.I use this every single morning for probably at least six months. I made everything from quad shot Americanos to hot and iced mochas and lattes. The machine comes with two different kinds of cups to insert into the portafilter. I believe one is a 2 cup deep and the other is one cup. I always used the deeper cup so I could make strong espresso. One fun little tidbit about this machine is when you open the lid where the water reservoir is, there is a place to store the cup that you are not using. Removing the water reservoir and feeling it is completely simple. Occasionally if you do not press it into the machine well enough it will not seal and you will not be able to pull the water through, just make note of that when putting the water reservoir back in.One of the biggest pitfalls of this machine is the steam wand. It is very short, you can adjust length of wand to be made either for hot milk or cappuccinos. My big complaint about this is that it is a very small one. I had to buy the tiniest stainless steel frothing pitcher, because the steaming wand was so short you could not even reach the bottom otherwise. This resulted in your steamed milk exploding all over. In addition, there is a rubber seal inside the steaming wand and at some point mine just started to completely shoot off because the steam coming out was stronger than the seal so essentially, the steamy one was useless to me. Additionally, the steaming wand seemed to have trouble producing steam versus shooting out scalding hot water. It seems like you had to run it for quite a while before you would get steam only. This was the only part of the machine that I found to be too cheap to use. It was by no means a dealbreaker for me because I found that heating and frothing milk with a separate appliance was actually better quality milk anyway. If I could purchase a machine just like this and skip the steaming wanted to save money I would much prefer that. Next, is the temp that comes with the product. It is cheap plastic, and serves virtually no purpose. It is very cheap to just buy one here on Amazon. In the six months or so that I can use my machine every single day I never had to do a deep cleaning. However, I packed it up and moved across the country with it and when I attempted to use it one day it came out terrible. I'm hoping that although it was not used for quite a few months that it still has the ability to work by breaking it in again. If it doesn't, I still feel as though I got my moneys worth because of how much I did use it when it was working fine before I moved.Overall, I am extremely satisfied with this machine, keeping in mind that it is on the lower end of price but it produces relatively high quality espresso for being $200.To summarize:-Trial and error at the beginning is the best way to find your preference in strength and taste of espresso.-Part Of trial and error is figuring out how much coffee to put in and how hard to Tamp it.-If you remove the water reservoir to refill, make sure you press it back in very hard or it may not seal and you will not be able to suck up the water.-When pulling a shot, it does not turn off automatically. You need to watch it, and a few seconds before you decide the quantity of espresso is enough, you then turn it off, because it will drip for a few seconds longer.-For consistent espresso I recommend using a cup that you can use as a measuring tool so you know when to turn it off.-In my opinion, the steaming wand is useless, and you are better off getting a separate appliance if you are going to make cappuccinos, lattes, etc.-I did not do regular maintenance on cleaning and things turned out OK, but that could be why it does not work very well now that I have not used it in a few months. I'm eventually going to figure out if the espresso machine is completely useless after being retired or if there is a way to break it back in.-It can stand up to every day use, for how long I'm not sure, but for me it was 6+ months.-When you attach the Portafilter, take note that it has gone in correctly or it wilL not thread appropriately and it will make a huge mess, dripping out the sides.-When you thread the Portafilter on to the machine, eventually the handle can become loose from all the tightening and loosening. If the handle were to break I'm sure there are replacements that are easy to get.-It is relatively compact and I was very impressed with how little space it did take up on the counter.-If you want to do this "right" you will probably want to purchase other appliances to have the best experience possible.-If after months without use it no longer is functional, I will probably replace it with a second one similar or identical to this, because as far as I am concerned, I used it very heavily for a long time, which is worth $200.As many people will say, it does not make sense to buy a machine like this without investing in the accessories that really allow you to enjoy your espresso the way you should be able to. I'll put the recommended accessories below here:-Metal tamp (cheap on Amazon)-Small cup for your espresso. I like using one that is about the size of a small tea cup that you would use with sake or jasmine tea because it is the perfect size to gauge when I am finished making my shot.-Burr Grinder (I have Baratza Virtuoso for $229). This is obviously not necessary, but there is a reason why it is so expensive. It makes incredible ground coffee to your liking that you can adjust from extremely fine for espresso to extremely course for a French press. It was a big investment.-Automatic electric milk frother and warmer ( can run you about $30-$40 on Amazon)-Somethung to use to make boiling water. I prefer an electric kettle with various temperature settings because if you can't tell, I'm a pretty big enthusiast. But you can just boil water on the stove. I don't recommend running water through the espresso machine because I think it will come out tasting like old coffee grounds after you make your shot. I have a Cuisinart CPK-17 PerfecTemp appliance that was $85 but if he eats various temperatures for different kinds of tea and French press, and addition to boiling. It also has a keep warm function. I love it.-Espresso knock box for getting rid of used coffee grounds, but that is by no means necessary, you can also just use the trashcan but you might lose the little cup inside if you hit too hard (they are not very expensive, maybe $15, it may not be worth the space it takes up)-Torani syrups if you prefer flavored lattes. I buy the vanilla syrup because I use it not just in lattes but in making my own homemade whipped cream. It is especially delicious when making iced lattes.- when I made hot mochas I would use Penzey's Hot Chocolate Powder. I found it to be much more delicious than any kind of liquid syrup for chocolate, and really made incredible mochas, if not just hot chocolate alone-I decided to buy something to make homemade whipped cream, and an aluminum 1 pint whipped cream dispenser ran me about $40, but mind you, you need to purchase nitrous inserts. It seems like a lot, but when you love homemade whipped cream enough it truly is worth it. Sidenote, good organic heavy whipping cream with a splash of the vanilla syrup mentioned above is an excellent way to get thick delicious whipped cream. However, for whatever reason, you need to use all of that whip cream within a few days or it does turn sour fast. If you can't use it fast then I recommend getting a half pint dispenser.-Nitrous inserts are pretty cheap, inserts are pretty cheap, about $8 for a 10 pack. Each dispenser is good for 1 pint of whip cream.-Although I was really bad with maintenance, you will probably want to get a cleaning kit to remove hard water buildup etc. over time.Yes, that is a lot. Yes, the coffee grinder cost more than the espresso machine, yes those are a lot of accessories if you want to go espresso crazy. However, if you can maintain it you can have incredibly delicious drinks and stay out of coffee shops for a very long time. if you use it every single day like I did and pull anywhere from 2 to 6 shots a day that would have amounted to probably $4-$8 a day, if not more, and the best part is that I can always refill the whipped cream after I drink it off the top.This is a really great way to invest in being an at-home barista who not only takes interest in the art of making these drinks but also is looking to avoid expensive coffee shops. I hope this helps!