De'Longhi EC950M Dedica Maestro Plus Espresso Machine with Automatic Steam Wand, Stainless Steel

This is going to be a long review. But quick overview - if you have never used espresso machines and have the budget for this machine, there will be no regrets. Just go ahead and buy it. This machine is a "semi-automatic" espresso machine due to its amazing auto-frothing wand. I was stuck between purchasing the more expensive, more prone to breaking automatic machine (you also have to do more maintenance to keep them healthy) as I was a beginner and was afraid I won't be able to brew a good cup with manual machine. But this machine hits just the right spot. It gives you enough control to make you feel like a barista and it takes away just enough control so that you can never make bad coffee. :) Background: I'm not at all an expert in brewing coffee. So far, anytime I had coffee at home, I was using instant coffee. Eventually I got tired of the lack of richness in instant coffee, and I wanted to brew lattes, cappuccinos and anything coffee - right at home. With the real beans. This little machine helps me do just that - all while taking very little space and time. I have used the machine for past 5 days and I have never used one before. The quick start guide that came along helped me setup and brew the first cup in 15 minutes. That's it! The guide is so simple and machine is so easy to use you won't ever need to read the manual again probably. Looks and build quality: Beautiful metal finish. Very little plastic. Both metal and plastic are high quality. The black and metallic finish and the sleek build takes little space on your counter top. The number of components included are basically everything you will ever need to brew any kind of coffee at home. This is why I spent $100 more and bought this over purchasing other machines by competitors as they did not have everything I needed to brew a cup, so you would have to buy expensive third party parts causing you to end up spending even more than this machine. You get a scoop to measure ground coffee shot, a tamper, a tiny jug for frothing milk, portafilter (one and two shot, single and double walled) and even a tiny platform for smaller glasses that would cause splatters from dripping espresso. The water dispenser of the machine is big enough so you won't have to worry about refilling for a week or two if you make 1-2 cups everyday. Usage: Now lets talk about ease of use. To brew a cup - you get ground coffee (or grind it yourself like I do), and get some milk in the jug provided with machine, filled half-way. Now put the grounds in portafilter (with your desired filter plugged in), press it firmly with the tamper until you can see the 3 marks on portafilter, put it on the machine and hit the espresso button. That's it! Now for the frothing part (my favourite). Just put the jug under the frothing wand in the auto position. And twist the side knob to steam position. Based on the selected texture/temperature on the machine, you end up with the perfectly hot, perfectly frothed milk. Quickly wipe the steaming wand with damp cloth right after removing the jug after frothing (careful, it's a little hot). Otherwise the milk dries up and sticks to the wand, slightly messier to clean. Maintenance: If you clean frothing wand after each use, clean the water jug every time you fill it up again and also clean the drip tray once a week, this machine will not disappoint you. The only other part is desalination, which you usually perform at frequent intervals depending on the water hardness in your region. But these 4 maintenance activities are the only ones you need to perform to keep the machine healthy. Thanks for reading the review, I hope it helps you make good decisions. Cheers! :)

It product top quality and very strong and proper espresso also the automatic froth maker is also working good. The only thing to notice is that it uses US pin and the power requirement is completely different from india, so u must use a stepdown transformer or else it will burn the machine

Soy principante en la preparación de espressos y esta cafetera lo hace todo sencillo. Vean los videos "how to" de la marca en youtube para que la sepan usar. Sólo una observación: el portafiltro ya viene con un filtro puesto (no me di cuenta y estuve intentando meter otro por 30 min jajajaja). El papel para medir la dureza del agua viene en el manual. El espumador es súper práctico y espuma adecuadamente. Cómprenla sin dudar.

Both the machine and the accessories are easy to use, disassemble, and clean. Everything works perfectly so far. The included 3 year manufacturer warranty is a nice touch. I like that there are different temperature settings for different kinds of coffee beans/roasts and also for milk steaming. There are 1 and 2 shot perma filters included, with both vacuum seal for newbies and regular perma filters if you're experienced. They are easy enough to swap out. I've been running nothing but double shots with the vacuum seal filter and am pleased with the result, especially when making lattes. The one kind of crummy part is that the included steaming pitcher is really tiny and only foams enough at a time for a 250 ml cup, so I end up running the cycle twice. However the pitcher is solidly built, and the milk foamer has both automatic and manual operations, and the inside is self cleaning. The automatic setting doesnt let you hold the wand far enough from the milk to get good foam but the with the manual function you can. You can turn off the manual function with a quick flip of the switch you turn it on with. Overall I would still get this unit again.

Fácil de usar - viene con varias canastas y práctico tamper de metal