De'Longhi ESAM3300 Magnifica Super Automatic Espresso & Coffee Machine, Silver

Why did we buy it? Our purchase was based on wanting to improve our morning coffee without the mess of a dirty coffee pot and often wasted coffee, using harmful plastic capsules, or committing the time and effort needed to use a manual expresso machine. What do we love about it? We love everything about it. You simply set your grind preferences, turn it on and after its ready (maybe a minute?) you hit one button and your hot amazing expresso comes out! That's it! And it's very easy to clean and maintain as well. But we don't drink Expresso? Keep in mind, we are traditional coffee drinkers, but this makes wonderful coffee by simply adding your frothed milk to the expresso, and we enjoy adding a little sweetness too. I was surprised to find I'm using less sugar now because the coffee has no bitter taste. We were not even aware our old coffee was bitter until we got this new De'Longhi, and my husband has completely stopped adding sugar all together. What kinds of beans do we use? We use Lavazza Espresso Italiano Whole Bean Coffee Blend as several reviews suggested. The coffee that comes out of this machine with these beans is simply delicious, but sure you can use any quality coffee or expresso beans of preference. We also enjoy using this same brand of expresso beans too, both are excellent. What features are helpful? This automatic machine has smart and helpful light indicators to let you know when it needs water, beans or dumping of grinds so your coffee will never again stop pouring mid-stream. It's well designed and takes us only a few minutes to maintain each week. There are controls for grind preferences and strength. They made everything super easy, which is great because to put it kindly, I'm not technically inclined. Is frothing difficult? Since we are not baristas, and both drink regular coffee with creamer, we were happy that the steam spout is powerful and needs no fancy maneuvers to pile up a quick cup of hot creamy froth. Any Negatives? There is nothing hard or difficult about this machine, with the exception of leaving home, as it will be very 'hard' to pay for a pricey cup of Starbucks as you will find it 'difficult' to go without your wonderful morning coffee! How long do we expect this machine to last? Lastly, we researched different manufactures and discovered Delongi has been around over 200 years and they have shops all over the US that will help maintain your machine to last a lifetime. My sister has same Magnifico De'Longhi machine but a manual model she bought over 20 years ago and it's still going strong! Doubting new automatic machines will last as long as the manual ones (which I think with proper care will last a lifetime) but for the convenience of automation we will be happy to replace it after a decade or so. Imagine by then they will have "touchless" where you just talk to it and tell it what you want, and it will automatically put your cup under the spout and pour it out for you. Then in the not-too-distant future, a robot will bring it to you! (How lazy can we get?) Do I think it's worth the price? We purchased this machine used 'LIKE NEW', which we guessed was an unused return, and we saved half the retail price! When it came, you could tell it was Brand new/ never used, and it worked perfectly! If you'd like to save a small fortune like we did, I suggest you wait for Black Friday or search now for a similar 'like new' return. We knew Amazon would take it back if there were any issue in 30 days at no cost to us as prime members, so it was a 'low risk' for an inconvenience, to save over $600. Would I pay full price for it? Not if I could save a bundle like I did, but if I couldn't and if I could afford it retail, yes, in a heartbeat.

Let me state this up front: We're coffee snobs. We buy our our own fair-trade green coffee beans and roast them in a Hottop coffee roaster. That's largely because we prefer a "city roast" rather than what we perceive to be "burnt" (which is why you won't find me at a Starbucks). So it's no surprise that we have gone through several coffee and espresso machines; and travel with a small brewing setup. We even bought a Bonavita BV1900TS 8-Cup Carafe Coffee Brewer for the occasions when the "real" machine is on the fritz. So yeah... kind of obsessive, maybe. So when Amazon Vine offered me the Saeco HD8911/47 Saeco Incanto Classic Milk Frother Super Automatic Espresso Machine , I said Yes with alacrity. For the last several weeks, it's been sitting next to the DeLonghi ESAM3300 Magnifica Super-Automatic Espresso/Coffee Machine , which we've owned for two years. That's given us an opportunity to do true side-by-side testing. Or, to put it another way, it gives us an excuse to drink twice as much coffee. Let me set a context, first. Although these are both espresso machines, in point of fact we rarely make espresso and even more rarely use the milk steamer. Our goal is one-touch "give me a cup of coffee to drink NOW," because making a whole pot means either (a) you don't finish the pot, which means you're wasting good coffee or (b) you run out when you want another cup but don't want to invest the time for just a single cup. While we have an Aeropress and another independent Kickstart-provided unit for travel, that's still far more fussing, particularly when the aim is to grab another cup before yet another online meeting, not to wait around in the kitchen for water to boil. In any case, I have had the opportunity to use both these machines, which are in the same general price range, and I like to think my opinion can help you make a better decision. And thus a two-for-one review, with a bit more attention to the newer unit and to comparisons rather than standalone feature descriptions. Let me start out with the most important point: These are both excellent units, and each deserves a 5-star rating. You won't be sorry if you choose either one of these machines. Both fulfill their god-given (or at least manufacturer-given) role, which is to make good coffee appear at the touch of a button, and for that I am grateful. Rather, what follows is an intentionally nit-picking analysis. Because I know that when _I_ spend several hundred bucks on a kitchen item, I want to choose equipment that matches my needs. Let's see if yours match mine. The DeLonghi is a solid piece of equipment. As most other reviewers have written, it does an excellent job of grinding and brewing. It holds most of a bag of coffee (should you eschew the hipness or time-consuming process of roasting). It does require a bit of daily maintenance, and we've found the machine to be a bit fussy. It already went back to the shop once under warrantee (thus the backup coffee machine, when I realized I'd be stuck for weeks); since then it objected to a failed de-scaling, and now we have a red light stuck on. This has made me just an eensy bit cranky. Another dumb-but-real annoyance: A regular coffee mug fits fine under the spout of the DeLonghi; however, you're out of luck if you have an extra-tall mug (I've a favorite that says "Troublemaker" OH SURE ACT SURPRISED). Those quibbles aside, it takes 42 seconds to emit a cup of steaming "keep me awake juice," and I had no thought of replacing it. The Saeco Incanto is narrower than the DeLonghi, which means it doesn't take up as much room in your kitchen (though they're essentially the same height). I can use my tall mugs. It's faster to turn the unit on, and it doesn't insist that you clean things up quite so often. It has a visual display screen rather than buttons, which implies that it's easier to understand status messages (though in point of fact it isn't any more helpful). The Saeco's water tank is slightly larger. You can pour water into it rather than having to pull out the container for refills, which is a nice convenience. It's a good thing, too, since it's awkward to pull out the container. The Saeco also shuts off the grinding process when you open the lid on the coffee side ("Oh hey was I out of beans?"); it's a good safety feature, even if I've never been drawn to poke my fingers in the mechanism. The Saeco's default coffee setting uses less coffee than the DeLonghi. By eye, the coffee puck (biscuit? what do YOU call those things?) is about 10% smaller. The result is coffee with a bit less intense mouth feel, by which I mean, "I like the coffee from the DeLonghi a little better" and by which my husband means that the DeLonghi's cup is slightly less acidic. But I think that's only noticeable side-by-side, in the way that you'd never see the differences in two TVs unless you're looking at both of them in a big showroom. You can adjust the Saeco settings from its default (probably 5 oz) up to an 8 ounce cup of coffee but then it tastes over-brewed. It's probably better to adjust for a 4 ounce shot and do a double shot. When you do so it makes a pretty good cup of coffee! Initially, the Saeco seems a lot less fussy. But in reality it's just spreading out the fuss. For example, by default the unit turns itself off really fast. Even if you adjust the setting to the maximum, it shuts off in an hour. We often wander into the kitchen a few times in a morning to get a cup of coffee before a meeting starts, and it's annoying to wait for the Saeco to start up again when it's 8:58 and I've a 9am meeting. Worse, on each startup it shoots water to clean itself up, so it wastes more than the DeLonghi. Plus, removing the tray underneath the Saeco (to clean out water and pucks) is a bit of a pain. You have to push buttons on both sides of the unit and pull out the tray for cleaning, which (depending on your counter arrangements) can be inconvenient. There's a bit more jiggling-things-around than I like, and that's when the unit is new. On a slick countertop I'd be concerned about the whole thing sliding off. And it's necessary more often. The Saeco is touchy, displaying a message that the waste bin is full very early; sometimes it complains after two biscuits. That may be a failure of user interface, as we think it's saying, "Open me up!" rather than giving an explicit indicator. The DeLonghi accomplishes that with DasBlinkenLights, with which we've already become familiar. I read through this and conclude, "She must hate the Saeco." Honestly, I don't. I like both these machines quite a bit. I'm used to the DeLonghi, and I might have had more criticism of it when it was new (and likely did, because it replaced another espresso machine I'd liked and which no longer was made). But given an opportunity to compare-and-contrast, I find myself analyzing the merits of each one. Again, both of these are quite good and deserve 5 stars because they deliver what they promise. But if I was forced to keep only one, I'd hold onto the DeLonghi.

I like the DeLonghi Magnifica line of superauto espresso machines. I have one on my boat, one at my GF house, and now yet another one, on my ship, just received day before yesterday, the ESAM3300. This model seems to not be built quite as sturdy as the ECAM and older ESAM machines. Took a lot longer to prime the machine with water, too. I don't like the grate over the bean hopper, which is kinda small. I wish these machines would accept a taller mug, too. Don't they know that Americans like a nice tall mug? It is REALLY hard to find a mug of decent size that is under 4.5" tall. Especially a clear one so I can see the layers. I can't vouch for durability yet of course, though I have now owned four DeLonghi superautos and none of them have let me down yet. The one on my boat is over 4 years old and still going strong with not a single failure. I hope this one lasts as long but I am not overly confident. On the plus side, the grinder is much improved. The grinder is WAY quieter than any of my other DeLonghis. On my ship this is important. I am the Bosun and I get up at 0430 every morning and want my cappuccino. A noisy grinder would wake up my next door neighbor. Also this grinder grinds finer. My other machines have to be set on finest or next to finest setting. With this one I set it there on the first use. The machine wouldn't work, said it was out of water. I knocked it down to about 2/3 fineness and it performed beautifully. On fine, the pucks weren't pucks, just watery black paste or goop. Now the pucks look healthy and cylindrical. Nice and neat. Good crema from my usual bean, great cappuccinos. Seemed to run out of steam for me a couple of times. Hopefully was just due to air trapped in the system. Made a bunch of coffees yesterday getting the settings right. Should be ready to rock in the morning cause the last few were delicious as reported by others and as tasted by me. For the money, this is a fantastic machine. But I only got it because I am on a ship, and if I get off and don't go back again, it will get left behind. If I were getting another one for my boat or my GF's house, I would spring for one a bit more upscale than the ESAM3300. GREAT option for a newbie entry level superauto, IMHO. Looking for your first machine but intimidated by the prices for a full blown pushabutton espresso machine? This is a good one for you. I was tempted to give it 5 stars but then how could I then give the same five stars to a markedly superior machine? So four. I was buying cheap but didn't want to mess with a Saeco. I like it, but I like their other machines better. UPDATE I got to take ALL the stars away. Already this thing is broke down and will not make a DROP of coffeee. Here I am on a ship and no way to send it back or know where to have it sent back to me, so over $500 down the drain. It appears that the mechanism that pushes the infuser up and down is cocked sideways and not vertical. It is about 4deg out of vertical. Wasted money. Shoddy construction. I am so totally pissed and in retrospect it was stupid to buy this thing with no way to send it back in event of malfunction. This isn't just a malfunction. It DOES NOT FUNCTION AT ALL. Well Amazon won't let me take away the last star. So they get one star but they do not deserve it. Go ahead, roll the dice. If you are at a fixed address where you can easily send it back and have the repaired machine resent to you, then go for it. For me, it is a couple days wages totally wasted wasted wasted.

I have had two of these espresso machines. The first lasted over nine years. This is an Italian-designed, manufactured in China, super-automatic espresso machine. When it comes to espresso machines, “super-automatic” means that at one push of a button, it grinds whole beans, tamps the grind, and sends pressurized near-boiling water through the grind to make the espresso coffee. <b>Dimensions – “Will it fit on my kitchen counter?”</b> Unfortunately, there’s some contradictory dimension info in this listing. Product Description states “17 by 13 by 18 inches.” The listing’s Comparison section and Product Information section both state 15.3 x 11 x 14.4 inches. None of these matches my own careful measurements of my two machines: Width 11” (27.94 cm) Depth 14.75” (37.47 cm). This is from the center of the bow-front drip tray to the rear of the machine. For spacing, recommend adding 1-2 inches (2.54 cm – 5.08 cm) to give space for the power cord, which protrudes from the right-rear part of the machine. Height 14” (35.56 cm). Here are some additional things to think about on height spacing: Opening Bean Reservoir Lid (left-top of machine). You need another 4.25 to 4.5 inches (10.795 cm to 11.43 cm) of height clearance beneath your cabinets if you want to be able to fully open the bean compartment lid without rotating/moving the machine. I don’t have such additional clearance above my machine, but it’s not been a big deal for me to pull it out and rotate when adding beans. BTW, the bean reservoir lid will not stay up without holding it up. <b>Using the Cup Warmer.</b> On the right-top side, there’s a heated chromed rectangle for a couple of espresso cups, so if you want to make use of that you will need about 4 additional inches of height clearance. <b>Using the Ground Coffee Chute.</b> The top has a narrow door in the middle that you can use to put in already-ground coffee. The lid only sticks up a couple of inches when open, but you will want at least 4 inches of additional space to use it. Otherwise just pull the machine out/rotate from under the counter when you want to use this feature. I tend to just use whole beans so I hardly ever use it. I suppose if you had a friend or family member that wanted to put flavored coffee (ick 😊) in the machine they could use this. <b>What’s in the box?</b> Well, there’s a coffee machine. 😊 And a one-use bottle of cleaning solution. My previous machine had an instruction DVD in the box, but the latest one did not. <b>Construction</b> Body of machine and drip tray are silver-grey plastic. The slotted cover on the drip tray is polished stainless steel. The polished metal scratches easily from the bottoms of ceramic/porcelain cups and over time can show signs of wear. Wish they had an optional non-scratchable titanium tray (for only an additional $400 😊). <b>Noise</b> It’s loud when grinding the beans, making the coffee, and when using the steam wand to froth milk. No stealth cups of coffee here – everyone in the house is going to know you are making a cup and come around asking for some! But this is normal for this type of machine IMO. <b>Water</b> Best to use bottled water (unless you are fortunate to have good soft water). I used tap water with my first machine and mineral scale caused problems. I did descale each time the indicator light machine told me to. For my new machine, I buy a few $0.99/gallon jugs of drinking water at the grocery each week and that works well. <b>Water Reservoir</b> You can’t hook the machine to a water line or incorporate a filter unless you are into serious coffee machine modding. The one-liter water container is on the right side of the machine and pulls out from the front. The container is smoky-transparent only on the side. If your machine will be situated against a wall on the right side, you will not be able to view the water level without pulling the reservoir out (unless you are completely out of water, in which case there will be an indicator light, and most tellingly, your coffee cup will be dry 😊). Unfortunately, because the machine will not show a water-level alert until completely out, it is possible to push the two-cup button and end up with half a cup of (very strong) coffee. <b>Coffee Bean Reservoir</b> There is a lid on the top left of the machine that you open to add whole coffee beans. It is not airtight. I tend to put in a smaller amount of beans from a separate airtight container rather than fill the bean reservoir to the max and have the beans exposed to air for a long time. If you are a heavy user maybe this strategy is not for you, as you would go through beans quickly enough for it not to matter. There is an adjust knob for the coffee grain size inside the bean reservoir. Best not to touch this if you don’t have to; it’s been set by the manufacturer. If you need to adjust, please refer to manufacturer’s guidance. You can’t easily get beans out of the machine once you have put them in. If you want caffeinated espresso coffee in the morning and decaf in the evening, you could perhaps grind some decaf beans and put a scoop in the ground-coffee-compartment in the top. If you want a half-caf espresso, the only ways are to blend the beans to be 50-50, or to separately make a “bean” espresso and a ground coffee espresso and then mix them. <b>“Does it make normal Coffee?”</b> It’s espresso and IMO that’s normal coffee, dontcha know. 😊 This makes espresso-style coffee, meaning that it uses steam that passes through finely ground and packed (tamped) coffee beans. It makes one or two cups at a time (not randomly – you can choose!). Some have inquired whether this makes “regular” or “normal” coffee; presumably asking about brewed or drip coffee. Drip coffee uses hot water (less hot than espresso) that drips through a coarser grind of coffee bean than espresso. <b>Making Coffee</b> A push of the one-cup button gets you a 6-ounce (about 180 ml) cup of coffee. For more coffee, you have two choices. Push the two-cup button, or push the single-cup button and then quickly right after the machine stops, push-and-hold the single-cup button. The machine will continue to make coffee until you let go. There are two knobs you need to know about. The “beverage size” dial on the far left varies the amount of water that goes through the grounds. If you want a traditional small, strong shot of espresso, put the dial at about the nine o’clock position (thinking of analog clocks here). Less water through the same amount of coffee makes for an intensely flavored shot. The other knob is the “beverage strength” dial, which determines how much bean it will grind for the shot. Honestly, I just turn mine all the way up and leave it there. <b>Can you make two shots at a time?</b> Sure. I almost never do this because I am greedy and want all the coffee. 😊 But if you are the sharing type, there are two nozzles. Just position a cup under each. The nozzles can be raised or lowered a couple of inches to accommodate different cups. Note that coffee always comes out of both nozzles even if you select a single cup. You may want to experiment with the one or two-cup buttons as well as the “volume” knob to get the size and strength of coffee desired. <b>Can it make a Caffe Americano?</b> Yes. A caffe americano is one or two shots of espresso diluted with hot water to make it like the size and taste of a brewed cup of coffee. There are a couple of ways to go at this. One is to use the steam attachment (and hit the hot water button) to fill the cup 3/4 full of hot water, then set the beverage size dial pointer to about the 11 o’clock position to make a shot of espresso directly into the cup. Adjust beverage size pointer up or down according to desired strength. You could also try simply turning the size and strength dials to maximum, and push the single cup button – but hang around while it is working because when it just gets to the end of making a cup, quickly push and hold the single-cup button. The machine will continue to run hot water through the ground-coffee-puck, making a larger cup of more dilute espresso coffee. <b>Can it make a Caffe Crema?</b> Oh yes. For most people when they refer to a caffe crema or crema espresso, they are talking about a really long shot of espresso. Crema is that flavorful tan froth that sits on top of a freshly -made cup of espresso. The amount of crema will vary depending on your choice of beans. <b>Type of Beans</b> I’ve used many types of beans in this machine over the years. You don’t need beans labelled “Espresso Beans” to make espresso! Remember, espresso is about the way you make the coffee, not about the type of beans. I really like medium-roast beans from Guatemala, as they have good balance. But this is a place where individual tastes vary. OK. On the oily-bean question. I have used oily and non-oily beans and have had no issues with the machine. Others indicate that oily beans have caused them problems, presumably with gumming up the grinder. <b>Built-in Frothing Wand for Making Cappuccinos, etc.</b> The frothing wand swings out to the right of the machine. As with the comment on viewing the level in the water reservoir, if you intend to put the machine flush against something on the right side, you are going to have issues using the frothing wand. Where does the milk go? Is there a reservoir for milk? Use a flat-bottom container; there is no reservoir for milk. I use a Pyrex glass measuring cup but you can buy frothing pitchers made for this purpose. BTW, use cold cow’s milk (cold milk – the cow is hopefully at a comfortable temperature). For some reason best milk to use is 2%, not whole milk, but it all works. Does it come with a frothing container? No, but I use a glass measuring cup and it works fine. How does it make the frothed milk? When you swing the wand out and turn the lever, steam comes out of the wand. However, I have observed that the first 10-15 seconds there is just water coming out, until it builds up enough temperature to be solid steam. So, it’s better if you wait and pour that initial water off and not let it run into your milk; when it turns to steam, stick the wand into your cold milk and froth away. I’ve not yet been able to make the cool designs in the cups that I see on TV, but by accident one time mine looked just like Kramer on Seinfeld. <b>Can it make hot water for tea?</b> Yes, but it is not optimal. It comes out as mostly steam from the frothing wand. Extend the frothing wand, put a cup underneath and turn the dial on the far right until steam/hot water hisses out. <b>Some Maintenance is Advisable</b> There are things that you must do to keep things working tip-top. It requires more maintenance than a drip coffee machine. Coffee pucks. Each time you make a cup, the machine will push the used coffee grounds “puck” into an internal reservoir on the left side of the machine. When the container fills up, a light comes on and you can’t make more coffee until you dump them out. A word of caution here – the machine “counts” the number of pucks from the last time that you opened the front door of the machine. It assumes that when the door is opened, that the grounds are emptied and resets the count. So, don’t open the door without emptying the puck-reservoir. Otherwise, it will overflow and cause grounds to spill out into the floor of the machine. Cleaning the Infuser. You should periodically clean the infuser (this is what pushes the steam through the puck of ground coffee). I do mine every Sunday. Don’t try this with the machine powered on – it simply won’t work because the infuser moves to a place where it cannot be removed. With the machine powered off, open the front door and pull the drip tray out. Remember to always empty the pucks and water from the drip tray anytime you open the door. To clean the infuser, look for the red buttons in the middle. Using your thumb and forefinger, squeeze the buttons and pull. The infuser should come out in your hand. It will probably have coffee grounds and other shmuckus on it. Just rinse it off and use a paper towel to clean and dry it off. This is good opportunity to clean out any other coffee grinds that might have accumulated in the bottom of the machine. Then push the infuser back into place. The red buttons will click when it is fully seated. I believe you can find a video on the internet on cleaning the infuser. Descaling. The minerals in your water will build up over time and can cause issues if not removed. The machine will indicate with a blinking light that it must be descaled. This light comes on after a manufacturer-determined number of cycles. I recommend using bottled water if you have hard water. I used hard water on my first machine and while it lasted nine years, I battled mineral scale. Please use the descaling sequence described in the owner’s manual. The machine comes with a one-use bottle of descaling solution. I find it more economical to buy the four-use bottles of EcoDecalk on Amazon, which are currently about $15 per bottle. <b>Not Really Intended for Business Use</b> This is intended for residential use, so it is not built for the kind of duty cycle that commercial machines undergo. As far as I know, the machine does not have a National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) rating. Commercial espresso machines are typically in the thousands of dollars. <b>Programmable to turn on in the morning?</b> Not an option. But it makes your coffee on demand, so it is nice and fresh.

Really do like this machine. Has got some quirks, but I can handle them. My findings: 1st quirk is how much water it uses for cleaning - cleans coffee spout both on turn-on and turn-off - wasting lots of water in a drought, and making a harder decision to make 1 quick cup of coffee. But it is automatic, that I like - but you have to remember to replace a catch bowl - which is also a quirk - catch basin is too small and I find I need to use a glass measuring cup for catching rinse water. 2nd, Milk jug is removable and must be stored in refrigerator - not a big deal but takes up extra space with the spout that has to stay on in order to have the milk jug covered in the refrigerator - wish there was a separate top for storage. 3rd, Milk jug also has a plastic straw inserted into the milk - impossible to clean and I've found it can get smelly after I left it out a few times accidentally. This makes the whole milk container smelly, and I end up dumping and washing the container - a waste of milk, so therefore we keep the milk level small enough to just cover a day's worth of coffee. 4th,There doesn't seem to be any way of manually cleaning the motorized milk steamer, you have to rely on the "milk clean" function, which it tells you to do after each cup (uses more water). I've recently found that you don't really have to do the "milk clean" after every cup if you're doing back to back cups, but you have to remember to do it after your last one. Also this "milk clean" function is a manual one, it doesn't automatically do it upon turn-off. 5th, the De'Longhi machine can grind very fine beans, but it can't make coffee with it. I ground the beans really fine, then tried brewing - milk foam was fine, coffee dripped out over 5 minutes as the machine chugged along, not even sure I got a full shot. Turning the grind level down, coffee comes out in a stream again. But begs the question, "can I even get creamy espresso shots with this machine?". 6th, this is not a real quiet machine. Grinding is noisy, water pumping is noisy - but coffee is great enough for me to be happy. 7th, a statement - water jug needs refilling every 6 cups or so, grounds collector needs to be emptied about every 8 cups (and then washed, mold builds up in bottom grounds every time). 8th, I like that I can interchange pre-ground beans, but I can only do this 1 cup at a time - wish it could hold more. One of the reasons we bought this machine is so that my coffee area stayed cleaner -we had a single manual espresso machine before, and always a grounds mess after we filled it. Having to add the pre-ground beans 1 cup at a time doesn't solve this at all. 9th, This machine makes a very good cup of coffee! I am not what I'd consider a coffee connoisseur at all, just someone used to getting SB's that is trying to wean off of buying all the time, and instead making it at home. I've found that adding in flavorings, or chocolate afterward brewing with the De'Longhi is an excellent replacement to the chain.

I now have two of these and couldn't be happier. I originally bought one of these over 10 years ago for my office and it is still going strong! I bought a second one recently for my home as the price had dropped to within my range. It works fantastically for espresso and couldn't be easier to operate. Press the on button, wait about a minute for it to warm up and flush, then press the one or two shot buttons for a quick and easy espresso without all the work. There are various adjustments from grind size (inside the hopper), to grind volume and water volume (the two knobs outside). You can adjust from espresso-size to full on watered-down Americano-style cup o' coffee. The nozzle is height-adjustable so that you can put a full-sized mug underneath the spout, which is a plus as many espresso machines are difficult to place larger cups underneath (note that some XL mugs may not fit). A few tips to make your experience better: * Empty the drip tray periodically, but that should be pretty obvious. There is a little floating red "post" that is supposed to float up and prevent you from sliding a cup under the spout when the tray is too full, but in practice it's just easier to see that it is full between the slats in the tray. * Empty the used coffee puck bin when the light comes on. After rinsing the tray and puck bin, it's a good idea to make sure that the two sensor trigger tabs (one on the silver plastic tray, and one on the black puck bin) are clean and dry. These insert into sensors inside the machine so that it can sense if everything is in place before operating. Making sure that they are clean and dry will keep the sensors from gumming up or failing (it has never happened to me in practice, but better to be safe than sorry) * On a weekly basis or so, you should rinse the easily-removable brew assembly (the gray assembly with the red tabs). It is fully immerse-able, but I would not recommend putting it in your dishwasher. A simple rinse and check to see that the piston moves freely (push down on the silver metal filter cover) is all that is needed. If the piston is having trouble moving, you may need to add a thin layer some food-safe lube to the inside of the cylinder. It's also a good idea to vacuum out any spilled coffee grounds inside at this time. To replace, make sure that the the assembly is fully compressed (as it is when you remove it) and it will snap back into the machine easily. The instruction manual describes the whole process in detail. Note that the machine should be fully turned off in order to do this. * Beyond that, there are 3 O-rings that are part of the brewing assembly (two on the removable assembly, and a fixed one inside to the upper right) that will need to be maintained periodically. At first, you can extend the O-ring life by applying a food-safe lubricant to the inside of the depressed piston shaft without having to remove the clasp or piston, but ultimately you will need to replace them. There is a plastic retaining clasp at the bottom of the piston on the brew assembly that will need to be removed to access the rings, which are on the inside around the piston. Be gentle as the part is plastic, but so far has been durable for me (note that it fits back only one way and you may need to flip it over to re-attach - pay attention when removing). Don't worry. All you need is a bit of patience and no tools will be required. You can find replacements by searching for "DeLonghi O-Ring" on the web. The ones on Amazon are expensive and there are other online options (look for German-made if possible). You will need to replace them about every 2 to 4 years depending upon use. If you notice that your coffee grind "pucks" are crumbly or are ejected watery (with the grounds gumming up the brew assembly) or you find grinds falling below/behind the brew assembly, it is time to lube or replace the rings. If it takes excessive pressure to move the piston, it's also time to lube or replace the O-rings. Besides the periodic maintenance, the only technical issue I have had was with the original 10+ year old machine. I had a water tube inside the machine start leaking on me (I noticed steam coming from the vents on the side). It was not difficult to replace, but required some more mechanical know-how and tools than the simple O-ring replacement. Fortunately, there are plenty of instructions on the web and the replacement parts are readily available. I used ereplacementparts (search the web) for the exact replacement part. Once I had the part, it took all of about 30 minutes to replace it and I was back in business. That was about 5 years ago and it is still going strong. This is a great machine for the money and I would recommend it to anyone.

I researched a lot of espresso machines and have had this one now for about 2 weeks. It makes terrific espresso after some tweaking of the settings. If Starbucks makes a C espresso then this machine makes A- espresso for my palette. I don't drink "milky" espresso drinks so this review focuses on espresso only and I have no opinion about the frothing wand and how well it foams milk. I'll offer you my conclusions up front: - If you are finicky, don't like to maintain things, don't like to read manuals or google search results, don't like to experiment or think an espresso machine should be as reliable as a blender or a dish washing machine: Go and find a good espresso cafe and tip the barista well until you get your espresso exactly the way you like it. - If the above does not apply but you want to be able make a quick espresso without making a science out of it then get this espresso machine. 1) Turn the dosage (potency) knob all the way clockwise. 2) Turn the beverage size knob a bit below the most counter-clock tick on the dial. 3) Turn the grinder setting to 2. 4) Find some fresh medium-roasted beans that are not too oily. Enjoy a quick (3 minutes) rich, strong, hot double espresso with delicious brown, viscous crema. - You are not the coffee shop type but you want the best possible espresso made at home. Then invest in a $200+ grinder and get at least a Gaggia Classic Pro or a Rancilio Silivia and go to town. You probably know a lot more about espresso and the machines that make it than I do. Why are you reading this review? After reading a lot of the reviews my head was spinning. When that stopped I was left with 3 choices. 1) The Delonghi Esam 3300 based on feedback on reliability and quality of espresso. 2) The Breville BES870XL based on quality of espresso and ease of use (it's not a super-automatic but it has an integrated grinder). 3) The Gaggia Classic Pro based on quality of espresso and the use of standard components. I assume that the Gaggia can make the best espresso after some experimentation and trial and error. It uses an industry standard size porta-filter and an industry standard type bypass valve. This allows customization and maintenance beyond what superautomatic machines offer. But it requires a separate burr grinder (I own one but the hopper is full of our standard pour over coffee blend). Additionally warm-up time and the manual process of making the shot precludes a super quick, mess-less espresso. Unfortunately, I need a machine that can make a shot for me in the early morning when I am not yet in a state of mind where I want coax out the best quality -- I want it fast. That eliminated the Gaggia for me. The Breville was quickly eliminated because aside from a bit of a cost advantage over the Gaggia (based on buying a new grinder along with the Gaggia) it has all it's shortcomings and on top of those does not use industry standard parts. Additionally Breville owners complain that Breville refuses to sell parts for the machine. It's a pretty machine and the integrated grinder makes it practical but not easy enough for me to use in the morning. I chose the DeLonghi Esam 3300 over other superautomatic espresso machines simply because it has enough fans that like the espresso quality it makes and seems to be one of the most reliable superautomatic machines available (which unfortunately does not mean that much). For me it makes a close to perfect, strong espresso in about 3 minutes after turning it on. I heat a cup for use with it and the double shot is delicious and very hot. The single shot is maybe just a bit better but its temperature is a couple of degrees cooler than I like. I am planning on making two singles some time in the future to see if that combines best temperature and flavor but I have been in too much of a hurry to do that so far. I learned to like espressos when I grew up in Italy. Additionally I have traveled pretty extensively for business. The US is a poor place to enjoy espressos. In most high-end cafes what would be a pretty good espresso is usually served as a ristretto -- good but not my favorite. If I were served an espresso of the quality the DeLonghi makes in a good US cafe or restaurant then I'd be perfectly happy or even delighted. In a good cafe in Europe or South America I would expect that quality and some places will make better espressos. As mentioned before to me Starbucks makes a C espresso and the DeLonghi an A- (after tweaking of settings). Now the bad news. This is a complex machine. I'll be happy if it lasts 2 years. Based on reviews that seems to be the realistic expectation for super-automatic machines. I also plan on stripping it down every 6 months and hopefully fixing early problems before they cause real damage. Fortunately parts are available and do-it-yourself videos are available on the internet. Currently I completely clean the machine every 2 days or so - which is very easy. The machine is also not too great looking and very plasticy --but personally I couldn't care less if it continues to do what I ask it to do.

This is becoming a nice machine, but i had a very frustrating start with it. First I’d like to say, the difference in taste between good espresso machines and cheap ones is tremendous. I learned that when I bought my other delonghi, which was a manual one. It worked great, but obviously much less expensive and restricted to ground espresso only, I yearned for one with a grinder for each pour. I finally decided on this one. I will add though, that this machine is a MONSTER! It is nice, but much bigger than I expected it to be. It’s easy to learn your way around it. PROS: This machine is SO EASY to clean, use, and take care of! I love that about it. The front opens up and you pull out a little bin to empty every so many pours. It auto ejects the used grinds into this bin. The main device (idk what it’s called) also has little buttons u can push and pull the whole piece out to clean, and just pop it right back in. The convenience is amazing. Not only does it do whole beans(which is ideal) it can also use pre ground. The grinder works great. You can adjust it however, but only move the dial while the grinder is running. It heats up super quick and only requires the press of two buttons to brew. The cup warmer on top also works well, it’s does get pretty hot, but not enough to burn you. Borderline though lol It’s brews a great espresso. I personally use ILLY INTENSO which is the only brand I’ll buy, fabulous. I can taste the difference between my 200$ machine and this one. Definitely better. CONS: I have one gripe with this machine. I tried out different dial settings for the quantity of liquid and coffee. I found for me the notch right before halfway brews the ideal amount. However, the dial that adjusts how much coffee(potency) is used for the pour is lacking. I started off around halfway, and went up a couple notches each time. Ultimately I had to set it to max. EDIT: 1/1/2024 I have had this machine for a full year and a half now, I purchased July 2022, and I have used this machine every single day since I’ve purchased it. Typically it gets used 1-4 times a day, with the average daily use being 2-3 times. This machine to this day still works excellent, better than ever even. Once you find the ideal settings for how you like it, it works great. I haven’t changed the settings in a year. I have not had one issues with this machine, knock wood, but I have also descaled it on a routine basis whenever the light would appear. If you are diligent with the maintenance and cleanliness of this machine it will last. This has been such a quality purchase for me. I have to strongly recommend this machine unless you are looking for a more advanced one with a higher price tag. EDIT 6/23/2025: This machine is still going strong. Still functions just as well as it did brand new out of the box. It gets used every single day, usually several times a day. I’ve had it for about 3 years now with daily use. It’s been a fantastic machine. Honestly I’ve low-key been waiting for it to stop working so I have an excuse to buy a new one 🤣 this was wel worth the investment. If you take care of it, clean it regularly (i wipe it down after every use and clean it more thoroughly everytime the tray gets full of coffee grinds). I also descale it everytime the light comes on which is probably about once a month. Don’t neglect descaling. It will ruin your machine. Take care of it and it will take care of you. Will update again next year !