Dual Purpose Espresso/Coffee Machine – It Basically does Everything, Automatically
Even though I want to make my espresso quickly while I’m headed out of the house in the morning, that’s a little harder to make happen then it sounds. Even with all of the bells and whistles that come on a lot of espresso machines, they aren’t necessarily fast. Espresso making requires the right amount of heat and pressure to percolate through the grounds and make the delicious drink that makes me so happy.
Well, they aren’t very fast unless you put out the money to buy one that is made to be super charged. They make them, but you’re going to pay for them.
The DeLonghi ESAM3300 Magnifica Super-Automatic Espresso/Coffee Machine actually serves up both coffee and espresso so that you can get way more from it then just a latte a day. If you have people over and don’t want to individually make drinks, you can still serve up some delicious coffee while you chat.
All Of The Options
You may notice from looking at the front of the Magnifica that it kind of looks like a spaceship with all of the buttons and dials. It gives you the kind of control that you should have considering the amount of money that you’re spending on it. You can control the heat, the consistency, the speed and about a thousand other things by just pushing a button.
Burr With Me
Even though it’s not obvious just by looking at the machine, the Magnifica comes with an on board burr grinder so you don’t have to buy a separate one that costs an arm and a leg on its own. You can decide how you want your coffee ground, and it grounds them up with just a touch of a button. From there, it transfers them seamlessly into the brewing area so you don’t have to do much other than watch the magic happen.
Boiling Times Two
A lot of machines make you wait to stop making the espresso in order to steam up the milk for your drink. This one has a double boiler that can heat two different things at once so that while your espresso is brewing, your milk can be frothing and, before you know it, your whole drink is ready to go.
Missing Something
When you look at the front of the Magnifica, you will realize that something is very much missing that is apparent on most other espresso machines. The portafilter that you usually have to fill with measured out espresso grounds is no where to be found. That’s because the grinder and the brewing mechanism work together on this machine to measure out the beans to get the right amount of grounds, and then get them brewed up without having to hand tamp a single thing.
Boil It Up All Clean Like
The boiling unit is removable on this machine, which means you can clean it down really easy and make sure that you don’t end up with buildup throughout the machine that can be the culprit of a broken unit. A clean espresso machine lasts way longer than one that ends up with gunk on the innards. You’ll want to take care of something that you spend this much money on.
Warm More Than Your Drink
If you’re using a reusable cup to make your drink, you may run into a minor problem that I have always found kind of irritating. The cup that you’re pouring your freshly brewed and piping hot espresso into can be really cold, which pretty much instantly cools down your drink from the hot coffee that you love to something, well, not quite so hot. The Magnifica actually comes with a warming tray that you set the cups on, and it will keep them warm before and during the making of your tasty drink. It keeps your drink hot for longer and you don’t lose any flavor to the cup itself.
You Can Adjust Everything
No, but really. One of the must frustrating things that I’ve found about a lot of the espresso machine I’ve seen is that they just aren’t tall enough to support a cup that is larger than a small coffee cup at best. This one lets you adjust the height of the spigots so that you can use a small espresso cup or a tall coffee cup so that you don’t have to get more stuff dirty and then pour it in to your bigger travel cup for the road. That would help me a whole lot.
You can also change the strength of your coffee, how long you want it brewed, how many beans get used in each shot, and about a thousand other tiny and interesting things that just serve to make this pretty much the most versatile thing in the world since duct tape.
Instant Reheat
As if there already wasn’t a ton of stuff to love on this machine, the fact that it heats up right away is pretty stellar. I don’t have a lot of time in the morning, and I want to be able to hit the road without sitting around and waiting for my espresso machine to catch up with me. This one does just that, and it will probably be ready for me even before I’m ready for it. I don’t think I can complain about that at all.
Staying Power
The only thing that concerns me about this entire machine is that there are some concerns as to how long they hold up. Most of them are great for years, but every now and then a unit comes off of the assembly line and just doesn’t have the life cycle of its similar buddies. At almost $700, this thing better last without issue for years and years, until I WANT to replace it and not until I need to replace it.
That being said, it seems that with proper cleaning you can get the Magnifica to last a long time. Plus if there are problems, the company does honor the warranty pretty well, which makes me feel better about putting that much money anywhere.
DeLonghi Love You For A Long Time
I still haven’t decided if I want to drop quite this much money on a espresso machine since I’m trying to quickly save money and not have to use it a bergillion times for it to pay for itself. That being said, there is nothing that can replace good espresso from an easy to use machine that is user friendly and versatile – all things that this one has going for it. Overall, I’m pretty gung-ho on this bad boy.
If you’re ready to drop some serious dough on a machine that you will never regret buying, then you’re in the right place.
