De'Longhi Magnifica Evo, Bean to Cup Coffee and Cappuccino Maker, ECAM292.81.B, Black

Product Information

You should think carefully about whether the foam-on-demand function is really a decisive reason to buy this machine. Anyway, what really matters is that the Philips 4300 LatteGo is an awesome automatic espresso machine that really impressed me during my review. So, when you’re trying to decide between the two, maybe a coin toss would be the best solution! If you’re after a longer coffee, however, then you may not always find the coffee and long coffee presets are to your taste. Where pricier machines pour an espresso (or two) and then add hot water to create a longer coffee, the De’Longhi simply passes more water through the ground coffee. The upshot is that it has a tendency to taste bitter. In addition, I have to report that the cappuccino isn’t too pretty – at least according to fully automatic standards. The foam cap is a bit puny, even if the mouthfeel is creamy and delicious. In most other regards, the Magnifica Evo One Touch’s design is entirely run of the mill. There’s a bean hopper positioned on top with a 250g capacity and a small dial for adjusting the grind size from coarse to fine. There’s also a ground coffee chute nestled alongside the hopper for making single servings of coffee if and when you run out of beans. A cup warming tray sits at the front.

Upgrade to the Magnifica S Smart here, however, and you get a far sturdier and more handsome machine. The strength dial is a really nice touch – it makes it easy for anyone in the household to adjust coffee strength and without needing to digest the user manual beforehand. I’ll leave it to you to decide whether we should talk about inspiration, homage or a brazen copy. Either way, my playful side, taste buds and coffee beans were all pleased by the Magnifica Evo. Featuring an awesome ceramic burr grinder and integrated milk carafe, the Magenta Prestige blew me away during my review. Not least because of the amount of control you’ll have over your espresso extraction. From where I’m sitting, Gaggia is making big waves in the North American market, so DeLonghi had better watch out! If you want hot milk without the froth, you simply slide the collar to the hot milk position, turn on the steam and wait. The results may not be top drawer, but it’s consistent and easy to use. De’Longhi Magnifica S Smart review: Verdict

Controlling the Magnifica Evo is simple due to a touchscreen that has a symbol for each of the functions and an option to make two coffees at once. The steam arm can also be used to dispense hot water if you want to top up your coffee or even make tea instead. This machine doesn’t come with a milk jug which was disappointing considering its price. Because of the design, we found a deep milk jug wasn’t suitable for use with the steam wand because it wasn’t long enough to reach into the cold milk. Still, as a concept it’s great. You have the option of programming milk foam settings or obtaining exactly the amount that you’ve poured into the compact carafe. You can easily remove the DeLonghi Magnifica Evo’s brew group which is definitely a bonus. If you’re new to the world of super automatics, you should know that the brewing unit is where all the magic happens. The DeLonghi Magnifica Evo has a fully adjustable dispensing unit with two spouts. You can move the dispensing spouts close to your espresso cups when you want to preserve that rich, dark crema.

Thankfully, it’s easy to adjust grind size on this machine: where some rivals require a fiddly tool, the De’Longhi allows you to simply turn the dial with your fingers. The only proviso is that it should only be adjusted when the grinder is running, and the manual advises users to adjust it one step at a time, giving the settings time to bed in. Once you add hot water or hot frothy milk to the Evo One Touch’s espressos, however, you’re unlikely to care: the result is a very drinkable cup of coffee. Any issues with bitterness are masked with the sweetness of the hot milk, or diluted by the hot water enough to make the flavour more appealing. Operating at 1450 watts, this espresso machine is energy efficient, carrying an A energy efficiency class. It is equipped with essential functions such as espresso, cappuccino, and latte macchiato making capabilities, allowing users to enjoy a variety of coffee beverages at home. Additionally, the machine comes with a built-in grinder, ensuring that freshly ground beans can be used for the perfect cup of coffee.Once all that’s out of the way, I’d recommend preparing a few coffees and throwing them out. That way you’ll season the machine and get rid of any factory residue that could be hanging out in the nooks and crannies. Drink Preparation Features User Interface Grinder Ground Coffee Bypas Milk Foam Specialty Drinks User Profiles Brew Group Cup Height Warranty Should DeLonghi orient itself more towards modern microfoam here? I don’t think so. The cappuccino is super hot, which indicates the milk has almost been denatured. Still, I know you guys like really hot milk, so that’ll be good news!

There is a steam arm and a coffee dispenser on the front of the machine and the latter is very easy to slide up and down so that you can fit a variety of mug sizes beneath it. This is a simple but very welcomed design element as many machines require you to move the drip tray to fit a taller mug beneath the dispenser. However, you should be aware that this kind of side-mounted milk flask with a long spout never works for two cups at the same time. Dark, chocolatey, full-bodied and also nice and hot: this is what I intended for my Coffeeness coffee and that’s how the machine presented it during my DeLonghi Magnifica Evo review. In fact, I would’ve been surprised if this fully automatic coffee machine had come at me with a particularly refined flavor profile. Included Accessories: Carbon filter, Measuring scoop, Cleaning supplies Removable water spout, Milk carafe. In other news, the latte macchiato from this machine gets full marks. Mine had all the beautiful layers I’d expect and the Magnifica Evo prepared it correctly – hot milk first, then foam, then espresso. User ProfilesFor starters, the front-loading water tank is easy to remove and rinse, as are the drip tray and used grounds container. I’d recommend getting into the habit of taking care of those components every day. While you’re at it, make sure to rinse the brew group at the same time. The milk carafe has helpful indicators showing how much milk is required for either one or two cappuccinos or latte macchiatos but if you’re using the My Latte selection, it will steam as much milk as you put into the carafe. This is handy for filling a specific cup or mug, as you can just pour in the amount of milk you want, and a sensor behind the milk carafe stops the steaming process once the carafe is empty. The automatic sensor is a welcome new addition, as most of De’Longhi’s older (and often dramatically pricier) machines used to just carry on squirting out clouds of steam after the carafe was empty, leaving you to prod furiously at the cancel button. I would like to tell you more – but there’s simply nothing more to say on this point. Here we have the great strength of this machine and similar DeLonghi models: no surprises, no challenges, simply decent coffee.