DeLonghi ESAM5500M Perfecta Digital Super-Automatic Espresso Machine

I am surprised that I am the first reviewer of this great machine. I just received mine yesterday. I bought it from another vender, but since I typically do most of my shopping via Amazon I thought I would share my experience thus far. Overall, this Super-Automatic is simple to use and makes great coffee, lattes, and cappuccino''s. My advice though....WATCH THE DVD BEFORE USING!!! I thought I had this thing in the bag.. how difficult could it be to use??....Well it isn''t difficult to use, but there are a few things I did that had I watched the video all the way through I would not have done. For example, when setting how fine or coarse you want the beans you have to adjust the dial one notch at a time while the grinder is running (still doesn''t make sense to me). I paused the video before waiting for the lady to finish talking on the topic and just moved it a few notches towards fine...oops! Oh well, doesn''t seem to have adversely effected anything, but now I know. Contrary to reviews I have read of super-auto''s, the burr grinder on this one is quiet when running. On a scale of 1-10 where 10 is extremely loud and 1 is basically silent I would rate this machine a 5 and my Cuisinart Grind and brew (the one that hold like a pound of beans) an 8. I was actually expecting something much louder.

Build Quality I would have to say I am impressed with the looks of this machine and its fit and finish. I am sure some people will complain of the amount of plastic, but seeing how this thing already weighs over 20lbs. why add more weight. I thought about the Gran Dama, but honestly this machine is better.

CoffeeI was also considering the Jura Z5 because I read good things, but the price was a stretch. Granted, this machine isn''t cheap either. I believe that I made the right choice. The espresso is great. I do wonder though what it tasted like from the factory, but since I changed the settings prematurely I will never know...ha! The Milk pitcher is ingenious...BRAVO! Latte''s and Cappuccino''s are a breeze and let me tell you this machine makes both very well. Sure a semi-auto can do better, but really I do not want to do the extra steps. As it is, Starbucks does not compare. I have read reviews that state the Gran Dama latte''s can be cold. I have to admit, the first one I made was, but after I made a couple and utilized the cup warmer they were perfect. I bought the Cinnamon Dolce syrup from Starbucks and I downed to many lattes....probably explains why at 0209 EST I am still up and writing this review.

My Opinion If you are in the market for a super-automatic I would say give this one a consideration. I bought this machine from a place that has probably the best return policy of all retailers, so if something does go wrong I will take it right back for another. Regardless, the people at Delonghi are great and I was amazed that as soon as I pushed (1) I was talking to a person almost immediately. I will probably just purchase the extended warranty from the manufacturer and extend the 2 years to 4...Extra $150. That is all for now. Look for an update in a couple months.

**UPDATE** 3/24/10

Well I overworked the first one, but the place I bought it from gladly took it back and ordered me another one. I made nearly 2,000 cups of coffee in 4 months with the first one. I have made nearly 1000 with the one I have now, but it seems to be holding up fine. As far as recommending it I still would. I love this machine. It is so nice that I can make everything Starbucks does without having to pay them $4 for every cup. I have basically every syrup they have and all my guests rave about the Delonghi. It is a lot of money to spend on a coffee maker, but I would do it again.

**UPDATE** 8/14/12

Well my Perfecta has been perfecta to date. No real issues to report yet.

The Good This espresso machine is very easy to use but can be intimidating at first. My husband and I use it several times a day and we have had no problems with it since we bought it at least 6 months ago.

The Bad It doesn''t make a hot cup of coffee. It makes a warm cup of coffee. I take coffee with me to work every day in a travel cup and by the time I get to work (15 minutes) I have to heat it in the microwave because it is cold. My last cheap espresso maker would make a cup of coffee so hot that I could savor it for an hour. Very frustrating to me.

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My wife and I have been making 6-8 cups a day for 6 months. We only ever make cappuccino and the ''fire and forget'' button is priceless. The froth is good albeit with slightly larger bubbles than from conventional froth. We always place the milk container in the fridge and so far we have had no problems with the seal. And, the milk container can be purchased separately at a reasonable price (so my wife says).

One slight niggle we have had lately is that sometimes the door opens during the coffee making process. I have cleaned several times but to no avail. And it is difficult to find out what is pushing on the door from the inside (it is closed :-). But I guess we eventually will figure it out.

Some reviewers have complained about the coffee being too cold. I currently live in Australia and previously lived 6 years in Italy where they serve the genuine cappuccino. Outside Italy I have often had the opposite problem, where inexperienced barista''s make the coffee far too hot. It is not supposed to be that hot. In Italy the barista will generally attempt to remove your coffee cup almost immediately as the coffee is supposed to be consumed right away. A cappuccino can last a bit longer but is also consumed in short order. Some coffee gourmet sites list the optimal coffee temperature and too high a temperature ruins the coffee. So I am quite happy with the temperature of the Delonghi.

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Length:: 0:46 Mins

Have had this machine for 15 months and 1534 shots of espresso and it still works great like the day I bought it. I only use distilled water and descale when it tells me to(shows up on digital read out). No problems ever and even though it''s expensive it has saved me $6 a day from star bucks (quad grande mocha $5 +$1 tip)

-andy

11/23/2010

2863 shots of espresso and still going strong!!! In these machines I believe distilled water is the secret to longevity success.

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I purchased this baby about six months ago and have already brewed 2,000 cups of cappuccino. I have settled on Illy beans and it is a real luxury to wake up, press one button, and have such a tasty treat. It does not create true coffee-house foam but it is close enough. Indeed, I am now accustomed to the slightly larger bubbles and find real cappuccino a bit too creamy. In any case, the beast has worked like a charm so far. It is expensive but life is short and little luxuries like this make it so much more enjoyable. I also bought an aerolatte electric milk frother, which makes much thicker and more authentic foam for when I really want creamy foam. But it is so easy to just pull the little milk frother that comes with this machine out of the fridge and press the button that I rarely use the aerolatte device, which is a shame because it was 90 bucks itself. But as I said, life is short and little luxuries make it sweeter. One issue is that it can be fussy to mate the milk jug with the machine: you gotta pull it off and push it back in sometimes to get the thing mated. The nice thing about a true super automatic device such as the perfecta is that you are not tied to coffee pods: it grinds whatever beans you give it. All in all, I am glad I bought it and paid off the credit card bill accordingly.