Coffee & Espresso Makers Tips

I had purchased four other espresso machines within a three month period before I found a good machine, this one. The Delonghi L’espresso machine is wonderful! I have had it for about half a year now, and it makes wonderful espresso with a rich orange crema! It heats up very quickly, and dispenses beautiful dark espresso. I have made hundreds of cappuccino’s using it, and I even have fun using the frother. These can generally be tricky to use properly, but this model is easy to use. It doesn’t spatter hot milk all over you like some models do. I really love the removable drip tray, which has partitions in it. I wondered what these were for, then I understood that it keeps the liquid in the tray from sloshing out! Ingenious! It is easy to pack the filter, and insert it in the machine, and your espresso is ready in less than a minute! I would definitely recommend this model. Oh, yes, it also came with several filters and a coupon for free coffee pods from Starbucks.

Bought this to save counter space and because I wanted Espresso machine and price with coffee combined was close to the price of just the Espresso machine. I like the way it looks - classy and simple. It cleans up very easily (except the frother, which is nearly impossible to clean properly). The timer/clock is handy.

I always liked cappuccino, so I wanted this product. I found I like cappuccino made with the coffee, rather than the Espresso, so I never really use that part of it.

I’ve had this Mill & Brew since about 2003 and it has been great. So much so, we’ve thought other coffee makers might be as good or better. Wrong! I appeased my wife with replacements (she initially preferred something in white to match some other kitchen appliances); everything from Black&Decker to DeLonghi. They were all horribly disappointing; particularly the leaky pump espresso machines. White coffee makers only look good if you never use them; make a pot and the coffee stains will instantly make them look like garbage.

My mom bought me this coffee maker for Christmas. I love it! An inexpensive model that not only makes your coffee, but grinds the beans before brewing!

The only cons about this appliance are the loud grinding sound and the open bottomed coffee pot handle that fills with water every time you wash it in your dishwasher.

You can switch from grinding to brew only modes and it has a great digital timer so that you can have freshly brewed coffee waiting for you when you wake.

Before getting this cappuccino, espresso maker I did some research and was almost scared off from buying it. Some people loved it and others hated it and said it stopped working for them immediately or after just one or two uses. Other people however said they had used it almost daily for over a year!

Taking my chances I bought one. I was so nervous making my first cappuccino! The contents are under pressure to produce steam to make the steamed milk/froth as well as produce the quick hot espresso. Thinking of the old ‘pressure cookers’ of our Grandmother and Mothers days I was really nervous! I read the instruction booklet about 3 times before I had the guts to give it a try!

We drink a lot of coffee in this house–me, my husband, and even my five kids love their coffee-milk in the morning. Needless to say we go through a coffee machine once every 2 years or so. My Delonghi was much loved until it expired on its 2-year anniversary, so the same day on a whim I purchased the Melitta Grind and Brew from Target.

I never knew coffee could taste so good until falling in love with Douwe Egberts’ pods and the sensational Senseo Single Serve Coffee Machine. Up until now, coffee served as a reason to take a break and as a morning habit affording the added bonus of clearing those ever-present cobwebs.

Dear Mr. Coffee:

I have been drinking coffee since I was 10 years old, part of a Sunday-morning breakfast ritual in my childhood home. Back then it was a sign of impending adulthood to drink coffee, even if it was greatly diluted with milk and heaped with sugar — I loved my coffee then and still do today.

Eventually, I heard that there was to be a specialty coffee emporium in my area, an import from the west coast called “Starbucks,” and I couldn’t wait to try this specialty coffee that was getting rave reviews from friends and newspapers. Eagerly, I went to my first Starbucks and ordered the house blend, the stuff of legend according to my colleagues at work.

This is perhaps the ultimate affordable machine for espresso purists. That means infrequent cappuccinos, lattes, mochas, etc. Those drinks can still be made with this machine, but the single boiler design means that you will have a substantial wait after making your shots, as the boiler heats up to steaming temp for the milk frothing. If you plan to make lots of milk drinks, you’re better off with a heat exchange type machine, rather than the single boiler design in the Zaffiro.

I have to agree with maltipoo — while I love this coffee maker in general I too have had problems with the lid latch breaking off.

I chose this brand/model originally because I was limited in counter to cabinet space to 14 1/2 inches — the Krups and Cuisinarts were too tall.

The machine makes a great pot of coffee, no doubt about it; and little else in life gives as much joy as lying in your toasty bed and hearing the grinder go off on the timer, preparing your morning fix.

BUT: I had to replace my first unit when the latch tab broke off the lid and Krazy-Glue couldn’t get enough purchase to keep it back on. The same thing happened to its replacement about four months later. I still use it, but have to use a rubber band wrapped around the lid and brew-basket latches to make it work. Such a pity.

I also thought some of the operations are pretty counter-intuitive, like having to press the “Mill” button to turn OFF the grinder for using pre-ground coffee. What’s up with that, Melitta? Setting the clock/timer is a little funky, too.

While I can’t give this coffee maker an overall positive review, I should mention that I bought one for my 75-year-old mother, and she’s had no problem with hers.