De'Longhi Dinamica, Fully Automatic Bean to Cup Coffee Machine, Cappuccino, Espresso Coffee Maker, ECAM 350.35.W, White

Having previously used several manual coffee presses, with their own limitations, it was time to splash out on a bean to cup machine. Decided on this one without a milk facility as I only drink black coffee and if my partner wants a white one we have a steam/hot water wand.Really pleased with this machine as it produces magnificent coffee straight out of the box. There are grind/temperature/volume controls which I haven’t changed from the factory settings. Many reviews of other machine hi-light problems with coffee temperature but get really good heat without pre-warming cups.I like my coffee strong and black so for a large coffee I use 2 double espresso shots and top up with hot water from the wand. If you put the hot water in first you get great frothing on your coffee. For a smaller coffee I use the ‘Doppio’ preset, which dispenses a very slightly larger volume than a standard double espresso. Apparently coffee officianados use this to judge coffee tastings. Haven’t used the programmable set ups yet but you can use this to perfect your own set up.The coffee is so good that my partner has, finally, seen the light and now has her coffee black.The machine goes through a heat cycle which dispenses a small amount of water on switching on and goes through a rinse cycle after the machine has been dormant for a while, so we use a small plastic rectangular tray to catch the water, rather than letting it run into the drip tray - just reduces the hassle of emptying the drip tray regularly.Having done all my research I saw this machine in the flesh before buying. OMG the colour! Described as white - white it ain’t. It’s a sort of beige, especially when you hold something pure white next to it. Almost stopped me buying it. I might be beige sensitive as I am approaching a certain sort of age to which ‘grandad beige’ might be applied to my age group! BUT I went ahead with the purchase and in the kitchen it looks really classy and most people would describe it as white. Personally I think it looks much better than pure white.If you mainly produce black coffee but need the occasional white coffee this machine is excellent. There are cheaper models in the range which do the same job but reviews on these machines have flaws which are not evident on this machine (eg. Coffee temperature, grinding problems etc.Finally, if you buy a bean to cup machine, you really need to buy freshly roasted coffee beans rather than ‘dead’ foiled packed long life beans.Happy BaristaringUPDATE: One year on - hasn’t missed a beat! No issues whatsoever.

Got this in lockdown as missing good coffee. Expensive but very good. Still not tweaked any settings after over a month as good from first cup.The milk frother works well. Also like the hot milk function for hot chocolate.I didn’t want a machine with too many twiddly dials and the presets all work well.It reminds you regularly to empty grinds and fill water. It’s had one descale Reminder so far and this was easy to do - it included one descale pouch. I ordered some more but might make up my own descaler at some point as that is expensive. But overall much tastier, faster and cheaper than Starbucks or Costa who refused to open a concession in my kitchen during lockdown. It’s also super easy to keep clean and not too noisy. Love the way the beans are added - no spills so far - I keep a bag of beans in the freezer nearby that seems to work well and top up every few days. I’m getting through 1kg of beans a month delivered by Amazon but not gone out much...There are several youtube videos available on all the functions and cleaning. There is a side panel for infuser that can be cleaned that was also easy. I normally leave an empty mug under the tap as it rinses when you turn on - saves drip tray filling too quickly. I would reccomend

Pros:- Easy to use and clean- Water is hot enoughCons:- Very noisy when using the steam function

The real problem I have with this machine is that any other coffee I make just doesn't match up to the De'Longhi! I think it is because the drink is made from beans instead of ground that it keeps the aroma right to the end of the bag [of beans]... you know how ground coffee smells and tastes from a fresh packet - you get that every time.There were several comments from others about the first few cups [from new] being a bit off the mark, and I'd agree with those. 6 months or so on, this produces consistently fab coffee every time.I'm not a latte drinker normally, but I like a small amount of frothed milk on top, and of course you can make your favourite exactly as you wish. I think the only thing I would have liked is to compare with the automatic frother version of this machine.Making a drink takes a little while, and there's normally some beep to ask you to fill or empty something but I consider that, for a non-professional and frankly for the technology low-priced machine, a little time and effort is worth it for that steamy delight!

Arrived quickly and well packaged.Excellent coffee machine - infinitely easier to use than our last De Longhi which used the pods. Press a button and hey presto - a cup of jo!Not too large in our modest sized kitchen and looks quite swanky on the worktop.Great price from this seller too - better than we could find anywhere else.

Great coffee machine, super fast delivery, thank you!

Great features for a simple at home machine. Variety if settings to your coffee just right for you. I’ve been happy with it. Good lattes. 😀

This machine is no where near up to the standard of performance of our 12 y.o. Gaggia 'bean to cup machine..The rinse cycles are annoyingly and unnecessarily long and can.t be adjusted which wastes water and time. The grounds and (because of the above rinse comment) residual water recepticals are very small, but the water supply tank does, at least, provide reasonable storage and is easy to refill. We have yet to work out how to do the descaling - now referring to web page video since the 'book' instructions do not work (cannot remove the necessary inner part...?)All in all, a bit of a disappointment - but it does look nice on our kitchen bench and with patience and practice it does make the required good coffee...