The Delonghi Magnifica ESAM4200 is a bean-to-cup automatic espresso machine that also takes ground coffee or ESE (Easy Serving Espresso) pods in it. It has the professional 15-bar pump pressure, which you would expect of a machine in this price bracket, along with a built-in burr grinder with seven adjustable grind settings so that you can select the best one for your chosen grade of coffee bean. There is a traditional stainless steel milk frothing arm and also a double boiler system which enables you to steam your milk at the same time as your espresso is brewing. It can make two espressos at once.
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How Easy is the Delonghi Magnifica use?
The Delonghi Magnifica features a one touch system so what this means is that you press one button and the process starts. First fill the 1.8L water tank and put the beans in the grinder. Press a button and the process starts with the grinder grinding just the right amount of beans to your chosen coarseness, the ground coffee then gets tightly packed before water is pushed though it at 15 bar pressure and the coffee is poured into your cup with a lovely crema layer. You can adjust the settings to allow for more or less water and coffee so you will need to carry out a bit of trial and error until you get your perfect coffee.
If for example you want to produce a 50-60ml double shot of espresso, first try and get the amount of water right. Set the coffee strength to around two thirds and set the water quantity low. Tweak this until it is producing the desired 50 or 60ml – you will need to use a small measuring jug to check this.
Next set the grinder to around 4 and time how long the coffee takes to pour. A double shot should take 20 seconds. If it takes more than 20 seconds then the grind is too fine and if it takes less then it is too coarse. Again, keep tweaking this until you get it right.
It can be a bit of a faff to begin with but it’s worth taking the time as once you have the settings right you can be assured that you will be consistently getting your own perfect brew every time.
One thing to be aware of when using the grinder is make sure you only adjust the grinder setting when it is on – it does say this in the instructions but a lot of people seem to miss it.
If you run out of beans or simply prefer to use ground coffee or ESE pods instead then you just need to change the setting on the control panel and pop in a pod or add your ground coffee to the ground coffee compartment.
Drink variety and price of ESE pods
ESE pods are similar to teabags in that they are a pre-measured serving of coffee wrapped in filter paper, ready to be used into any ESE compatible machine. The main benefit of having a machine that uses ESE pods as opposed to other pod or capsules is that you don’t end up being tied to one particular coffee manufacturer. For example, Nespresso pods are made by Nestle and Senseo pods by Douwe Egberts. ESE pods are made to an industry standard and are available from all the major quality roasters such as Lavazza and Illy among others.You can generally expect to pay around 40-50p per pod.
Keeping Your Delonghi Magnifica Clean
The Delonghi Magnifica is fairly easy to clean. It come with a removable drip tray and brewing unit to make cleaning easier. There are also automatic rinse and descaling programmes. When you use the steam nozzle just make sure you wipe it clean immediately before the millk has a chance to dry on it.
Where Can You Buy the Delonghi Magnifica For The Best Price?
You can buy the Delonghi Magnifica at various high street stores but you will find it a lot cheaper online. Anything under £300 is a good price as the RRP is £399. Amazon usually have this machine at a competitive price (with free delivery included).
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Does it include a Warranty?
Yes, the Delonghi Magnifica includes a 2 year warranty.
What Other People Are Saying About the Magnifica
This coffee machine has received mainly good reviews from consumers on the internet with Amazon buyers giving it a 4.5 star rating. Here are some of the comments to date:
- “I don’t often write reviews, but this machine deserves every good word said about it.”
- “I purchased this machine about six weeks ago. I am impressed by its ability to produce excellent espresso amazingly quickly, no fuss and bother or excessive cleaning.”
- “Super coffee maker. Very simple to use, great results easily altered to suit your taste size of cup etc. All you have to do is find the coffee beans you like!”
- ” I am so thrilled with this coffee maker. It is simple to set up – and to maintain – and makes the most amazing drink ever.”
Any complaints?
Some people have complained about the temperature of the coffee not being hot enough but if you read the instructions thoroughly and you warm up your cup first you shouldn’t have a problem – I recommend pouring boiling water into your cup first to warm it up rather than relying on the cup warmer. People have also reported problems with the grinder but again if you follow the manual and only adjust grinding level when it is on you shouldn’t go wrong.
Read More Reviews for the Delonghi Magnifica
To read more reviews from people who own this product visit Amazon. Click here to read more reviews
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