De'Longhi EC 330 S - Kaffeemaschine mit Cappuccinatore - 15 bar

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 to be closer to 212 degrees. This is really above the ideal temperature (more like 200 to 203 degrees) for making espresso. Also, steam driven machines generally only produce 4 or 5 bar of pressure, while pump machines produce the full 15 bar needed to make true espresso (well, technically only 10 to 12 bar are needed I believe). In any case, a 15 bar pump machine is considered a much better machine for making espresso.I ordered this machine in order to play around with making espresso vs. using a french press. With the french press, I brew the coffee on the stove for 5 or 6 minutes, then press it. I use a Bodum manual milk frother to froth the milk (see my review on the Bodum frother, btw) and this system produces a wonderful latte/mocha - easily blowing away anything you find at coffee chop shops like Starbucks, etc.Anyway, prior to plunking down $1200 for a La Pavoni or something, I wanted to see if using a 15 bar pump type espresso machine would make any major differences over the French press method. I also liked the idea of being able to make an espresso vs. just strong black coffee as the foundation for my caffe latte or caffe mochas.Anyway, the EC330 arrived today. If I'm not mistaken, this machine is mainly sold to the European market. However, it's available as a refurbished unit on amazon.com - which is great. As mentioned, it's much nicer than the EC155 and only a few dollars more. Our unit arrived in the factory box, with the factory manual. After taking it out and checking it over, you would be hard pressed to tell it wasn't brand new. It included a factory manual and also a printed sheet with some additional instructions. The sheet said the unit had been tested before leaving and I did see some water around the water tank fitting that tended to support this.My first impression of the unit was very good. The machine is high quality and well made. While it's not all metal, it does have a nice stainless drip tray and some satin looking metal on the front, etc. The push buttons that control everything have a very nice and smooth feel. There is a warming tray on top and then a removable plastic water tank on the back with a little flip up lid. The overall design and layout of the machine is quite nice. I especially liked how you can take out (and take apart) the drip tray. It removes so you can wash it off quickly. Clean up on this machine is very easy.There is a steam knob on top. The steam knob feels a little cheap (it's plastic), but certainly not enough to detract from the overall quality feel of the machine (especially given the cost). There is also a steam nozzle on the side for frothing milk. I've used it a few times and it seems to get the job done. I think I need some more practice on steaming milk however. I also need a pitcher like they use in the coffee shops. BTW, the unit does not come with any shot glasses, so you will need to supply your own. I ended up walking across the street and buying some from the brewing company around the corner.The portafilter is aluminum and plastic. It's fine, but certainly not as heavy duty as a higher quality pro machine. It has two plastic drip spouts on the bottom. The filter basket (the machine comes with a 1 shot and 2 shot size, as well as a little coffee scoop) is nice and can be taken apart for cleaning. Construction seems pretty good. Again, for the money, you can't really complain - especially when you consider you can almost spend as much for just a naked portafilter as this entire machine costs :-)The unit has a little plastic tamper on the under side. I am planning to get a separate tamper to use. The diameter of the filter basket (which inserts into the portafilter) is about 53 mm across from what I can see. I measured it and it's a little under 2 1/8th inches - so I'm guessing a 52 or 53 mm tamper would be just about right (don't quote me on that however).I've pulled a couple of shots with this unit. I got some decent crema by using the finest setting on my coffee grinder and by tamping as hard as I could with the little plastic fitting on the underside of the machine. I'll upload some pictures showing my results in the user photos. As far as taste, the espresso seemed pretty decent (good flavor, a little bitter/sweet taste as you'd expect). I'm no espresso expert, but it seemed pretty good to me.As far as operation, they directions suggest allowing the machine to warm up for 15 to 30 minutes. However, they say you can pre-heat things faster by running a couple of "water shots" through the unit. The functioning is pretty straight forward. You turn the unit on with the top button, then when it's ready, a light goes on. Each time you pull a shot, the light goes off. Then the unit warms back up and is ready to go again (just takes a few seconds). The machine is more or less manual as far as the time to run the shot goes. In other words, you push the button, the pump turns on, pressure builds up, the shot comes - then it's up to you to turn it off. If you don't turn it off, you can run water through the portafilter for pretty much as long as you wish. Also, when you turn the button off, the residual pressure keeps the water flowing for maybe 4 or 5 additional seconds. Clearly it will take a little fiddling around to get that perfect 25 to 30 seconds shot. With that said, I think I like the manual on/off approach over a preset time. I like having the control over how long the pump runs frankly. Kudos to Delonghi for not forcing me into some pre-programmed time limit.As far as the steaming wand, it's all right. Again, I'm no expert when it comes to frothing milk, but I've seen it done a few times. With a little practice, I was able to get a pretty nice combo of steamed/frothed milk; made a couple of lattes in short order with no problem at all. One thing to note is that because this unit has only one boiler for both making both the espresso as well as making the steam, you do have to take into consideration the difference in temps that result. In other words, if you push the "steam" button, then the unit heats up the water a little more. When it's ready, the "ok" LED goes on and you can turn the knob on top to force steam out the wand. Once you are done, then you turn off the steam button and it takes a minute to cool back down to the proper temperature for making coffee. Of course, you could probably just pull a "water shot" (i.e. with no coffee in the basket) to drop the temp more quickly. The result is that if you heat up the boiler to make steam, then decide you want to quickly make more coffee, the water in the boiler is going to be a few degrees too hot (and this could cause you to burn the coffee during the subsequent extraction if you don't allow things to cool back down a bit). Myself, I didn't find this to be any problem however. And, as mentioned, running some water through to cool things down (and clean things up) is easy enough.All in all, it's a great little machine. Maybe it doesn't produce the crema that a $2000 machine would, or a lever operated La Pavoni will, but I was actually pretty impressed with how the first couple of shots turned out. As mentioned, I plan to buy a separate hand tamper so I can press the coffee down a bit harder. I don't think Delonghi suggests that, but I'm still gonna do it :-) Also, I think using a slightly finer grind might increase the flavor a bit further as well.I was happy to see that, after pulling the shot, the grinds in the filter basket are pretty dry. You aren't going to drop out a totally dry puck, but it's close. The grinds are certainly not floating around in a liquid or anything. Just be careful getting them out, because there is a rubber washer in the filter basket. Knocking the portafilter on the side of a trash can worked fine as far as getting the grounds out.I rated the machine 5 stars. I think for $72 plus a few bucks for shipping, you just can't go wrong here. As far as appearance, I think it stacks up to some of the nearly $500 Breville machines I have seen in the stores. At the end of the day, 15 bar is 15 bar in my opinion. Can you spend more on an espresso machine? Of course... however, for under $100 including shipping, I think this machine will fit the bill for most people. It looks great on the counter and is obviously very well thought out. It produces quite a tasty little cup of espresso without any complaints.What more can you ask for? I can't think of much.I'm very pleased with my purchase - and I'm not always easy to please ;-) This machine really hits the mark.

I really like this entry level espresso maker. If you want an automatic pump driven easy to use machine with moderate effort this might be the machine for you.The Look: Sleek, stainless steel and plastic parts. I was unsure how the plastic would look, but it actually blends in seamlessly. It takes up minimal counter space on my breakfast table in the kitchen. A keurig K70 (on the kitchen counter) actually takes up more space.The product: I use espresso ground coffee I discovered in the dominican republic a few years ago and have been buying from amazon ever since. I don't have a grinder, nor do I want the chaos that will ensue if I wake up my two minions at 6am to grind my coffee. I get a perfect 2 ounce espresso with crema about 95% of the time with 25-30 second brews. I usually turn it on as soon as I wake up in the morning but don't make my espresso until 45 minutes later when I'm dressed for work so I've not had any problems with temperature. I find that running once and interrupting the brew actually heats up a bit faster when I'm in a rush. If I had to find something to complain about, its the frothing wand. It could be longer and more angled, but I don't make a lot of cappuccinos any way. It froths well in about 60 seconds but you will need a small container because of the length I think...not a big deal.The Price: I think for a STEEL boiler (This is important, brass is too expensive and run from aluminium) 15 bar automatic espresso machine this is well well priced. I got an open box one because this was my second foray into owning an espresso machine (boo nespresso) and I didn't want to waste money or time returning a product. It was a display model and not previously used. I ended up paying $89. Considering that I used to regularly order large dark roast, "double turbo" from dunkin 5 days a week, I think I am saving $25 a week.Overall: This machine is excellent. I would give it a 4.5/5. For an entry level machine, it is non-snobbish, well priced and delivers an excellent product. You might have to practice a few times to get your crema right, but thats what google, youtube and your local coffee shop is for. It took me about two days to get it right and I'm loving it.Cheers.

Was happy with it until it suddenly stopped working. Had it for 3 years with little problems and one day the pressure pump just stopped working and stopped pushing it out. Wish there was an easy fix. Used it everyday at least once a day and sometimes more when friends were occasionally over. Guess it's time to upgrade. Will try a different espresso machine, most likely from a different brand which will hopefully last longer.

This unit has been my absolute dream besides a threesome with 2 hot chicks.Easy to manipulate and always fun and entertaining and ready

One of the best affordable coffee machines out there.if you have any barista experience you can remove the outer part of the steamerto allow real milk fostering.Definitely recommended.

Love the quality of the espresso that this machine produces. Creamy & smooth. It even froths the milk better than my previous model.

Didn't last very long - broke quickly.

Ha ! notre Delonghi, c'est une longue histoire d'amour entre Elle et nous . Celle ci elle la 3ème de ce modèle que nous achetons, pour les 2 première ( qui ne sont pas tombées en panne ) il y a eu un problème de vis remise de travers et impossible à enlever . A cause de ça difficile de détartrer les machines sans enlever le filtre, obligés de les jeter alors qu'elles fonctionnaient encore . Nous avons donc été très agréablement surpris de trouver, des années plus tard notre machine expresso préférée . Comme le veut l'adage, on ne change pas une équipe qui gagne .

Wer eine günstige Espressomaschine im LowCost-Bereich mit Siebträger sucht, dem kann ich diese Maschine empfehlen.Ich kenne mich mit Espressomaschinen gut aus, behaupte ich mal ;-) und kann auf Maschinen wie diese und an der Arbeit auf eine italienische Faema zum Gesamtpreis von zirka 15.000 € zugreifen und vergleichen.Diese Maschine sieht hochwertig aus, ist recht gut verarbeitet und die 15 Bar Druck reichen offensichtlich aus, um einen vernünftigen Espresso rauszulassen. Das Ergebnis kann sich sehen lassen - ich bin mit dem Espresso sehr zufrieden, wobei ich aus praktischen Gründen nur noch E.S.E Pads verwende. Bei Bedienung nach Anleitung erhält man einen sehr heißen Espresso mit guter Crema. Auch das Milchaufschäumen und die Heißwasserbereitung gehen gut von der Hand. Der Tankinhalt ist groß genug, so daß man nicht ständig nachfüllen muß. Auch das Ablaufbehältnis ist groß genug und sehr einfach zu reinigen.Wichtig ist, daß man den Siebträger wirklich fest andrückt und festdreht, denn ansonsten kann das Wasser seitlich an der Brühgruppe herunterlaufen. Den Fehler macht man einmal und dann nicht mehr.Was die Vibrationen angeht, so kann ich mich den vorigen Rezensionen überhaupt nicht anschließen. Auf einer glatten Arbeitsfläche aufgestellt, vibriert bei mir überhaupt nichts - nicht einmal, wenn Tassen oben auf der Vorwärmplatte stehen. Festhalten muß ich die Maschine im Betrieb ebenfalls nicht. Das liegt im Einzelfall vermutlich eher an anderen Faktoren, wie z.B. einer schiefen Arbeitsplatte oder Unebenheiten. Der Tipp mit den Lautsprecherdämpfern könnte dann Abhilfe schaffen - das hatte ich zunächst auch geplant, erscheint mir aber nun unnötig zu sein.Was mich etwas irritierte war, daß ich in der Bedienungsanleitung eine kleine Metallschraube vorfand. An der Maschine scheint aber keine zu fehlen...wie auch immer.Insgesamt habe ich nun also wieder eine Espressomaschine, die ihren Zweck erfüllt und die ich behalten werde. Ich kann diese nur weiterempfehlen. Endlich wieder einen guten Espresso nach dem Essen :-)

I've been after an espresso machine for quite a while, but did not know where to start. However, my daughter recently got the Icona ECO 310 and after having a play with it, I was very impressed. I dids some research on the DeLonghi website and on Amazon before eventually deciding to go with the EC330S, as it was £50 cheaper (a really good price from Amazon). We've had it for nearly a week now and so far, it has been excellent. Making a coffee is a little more faff than our old Senseo machine, but also more fun and a better coffee. It can be a little noisy, but I think that is just the nature of the beast; its an espresso machine.First off it looks the part; stainless steel, not too big, but neat and clean looking. It is easy to use and I managed to make a decent espresso on my first attempt. I have since successfully made a few cappuccinos. The steam wand is easy to use and also easy to clean (something I was a bit concerned about). The whole process of make a very tasty espresso takes a little over 2 minutes from turning on the machine. As said, it is a bit noisy and the cups tend to vibrate around a bit, but nothing dramatic. The whole machine is easy to keep clean; the drip tray just lifts off the base (it is plastic and again is easily wiped clean with a damp dishcloth). The coffee holders are again easily cleaned and for the more deep cleaning easily taken apart and put together again. The water reservoir is quite simple to remove and re-fit, although we tend to just pour water in from our Brita filter jug as it seems the easier option.We are now having great fun trying out different coffee types and roasts, (I suspect my caffeine levels have increased a fair bit recently),For £80 this machine seems a real bargain.All in all a very successful purchase and hopefully, I will have a long career as our family Barista using this machine.

Die Maschine hat uns über fünf Jahre täglich mit gutem Cappuccino/Esspresso versorgt.Länger hat sie aber auch nicht durchgehalten. Jetzt ist sie kaputt und nicht sinnvoll reparierbar.Die Ergebnisse waren zum Teil besser als das, was man in der Gastronomie serviert bekommt und sind (meiner Meinung nach) auf jeden Fall besser als das, was man mit einem Esspressokocher für den Herd und eine Topf zum Milchaufschäumen hinbekommt.Jetzt sind wir zu einer echten Siebträgermaschine gewechselt, die mehr als drei mal so viel gekostet hat und anspruchsvoller in der Bedienung ist, dafür sind die Ergebnisse aber auch deutlich besser.Vorteile:- günstiger Preis- mit etwas Geschick kann man mit jedem Kaffee gute Ergebnisse erzielen. Die Siebe haben keinen direkten Auslauf sonder besitzen eine "Verwirbelungseinrichtung" (soweit ich weiß nennt man das Crematore), die eine (Fake)-Crema erzeugt. Das schmeckt besser als es klingt und funktioniert mit jedem Kaffee nahezu idiotensicher. Wir haben in der Anfangszeit fertig gemahlenen Esspresso verwendet, dann sind wir dazu übergegangen, in einer altern Krups-Häckselkaffeemühle selber zu mahlen. Aber auch normaler Filterkaffee lässt sich verwenden, wenn man jeweils ein bißchen den Tamper-Druck variiert.- Aufschäumen von Milch ist durch den Panarello sehr einfach.Nachteile:- keine "echte" Crema (s. o.) - für den Puristen nicht ausreichend.- Da das, was bei einer teureren Espressomaschine die Dampflanze ist, durch den Panarello gehalten wird, kann nur mit diesem Milch aufgeschäumt werden. Latte-Art ist somit nicht möglich.- Nach ca. 4 Jahren ist das Dampfventil undicht geworden. In der ersten Zeit war das kein großes Problem - lediglich etwas weniger Druck bei der Esspressobereitung, weil halt ein Teil des Wassers durch die Dampfdüse abgeflossen ist. Nach einiger Zeit hat dann der austretende Dampf dazu geführt, dass regelmäßig die Sicherung herausgeflogen ist - mit Ausschalten der Maschine bei "Dampftemparatur" konnte man aber immer noch Miilch aufschäumen. Schließlich hat sich das Ventil komplett zerlegt. Leider ist die Maschine offensichtlich nicht dafür gedacht, repariert zu werden. Es ist mir nicht gelungen, den Drehknopf abzunehmen ohne ihn zu zerstören (gibt es aber als Ersatzteil). Ohne Abnehmen des Knopfes lässt sich die obere Abdeckung aber nicht entfernen. Das Ventil ließ sich dann auch nicht ohne weiteres ausbauen, so dass ich dann die Selbstversuche abgebrochen haben. In Anbetracht des günstigen Anschaffungspreises und dem Alter der Maschine haben wir auf eine professionelle Reparatur verzichtet.- Der an der Maschine angebrachte Tamper ist nicht geeignet, man muss sic also selber einen besorgen (Das ist meist allerdings auch bei sehr viel teureren Maschinen der Fall). Das Innenmaß der Siebe ist 52 mm.- ein weiteres kleines Manko: die Maschine ist relativ laut. Das hat uns aber nie wirklich gestört.Fazit: wenn man ohne großen Aufwand aber auch ohne besondere Ambitionen leckeren Esspresso oder Cappuccino herstellen will, ist die Maschine gut geeignet. Und wenn man sie nicht wie wir täglich - manchmal mehrfach - benutzt, wird sie auch sicher länger halten. Für eine Ferienwohnung würde ich sie durchaus wieder anschaffen.Für den ambitionierten Barista ist sie eher nicht geeignet, dafür ist die Maschine aber auch sehr preiswert.

I chose this machine based on price, thinking that it would make a good interim choice while I saved up for a better model. While I'm still in the initial stages of owning and operating it, I have to say that I'm pretty impressed so far. The water tank is easy to access (I pour filtered water directly into it - but you can pull it out if you want to fill it from the tap). I was sceptical about the button-operated functions, but they're logical and do what they're supposed to.The steam wand only tilts out of the machine, so it's a little restrictive, and I miss the steam lever that my last machine had, but it does the job (and I've managed to get very close to a flat-white microfoam with a little practice).If you like a large coffee, you may find the height of the grouphead a little restrictive - with the portafilter attached, you'll struggle to get anything taller than a cup underneath.I've only tried it with one type of bean so far, with less than perfect results. I suspect that this may be down to the Peru Tunki beans I'm using being old, rather than a fault of the machine - I'm getting very little crema despite using a fine grind. I'll need to tinker with different varieties and grinds - which is half the fun of having a coffee machine, right?Not impressed by the portafilter itself (my last DeLonghi suffered from poor construction here, too). I doubt if it will last, and the hinged plastic tab (which is presumably to hold the basket in place while you bang out the used grounds) is next to useless. Hopefully I'll be able to replace this with a different part.That said, this is a cheap machine with a lot going for it, not least of which is a stainless steel boiler, which will hopefully last longer than the all-aluminium thermoblock in my last machine. I'm very happy with it so far, and am confident that I just need to get the beans, grind, tamp, and draw right before I can sit back with the perfect flat white.