I bought my espresso machine a little over a year now and have never looked back...
It all started when my daughter came to visit and took me to that coffee place(I won''t name it but cups are over $5 each!!)and had my first taste of espresso!!!then after also seeing the alton brown(good eats) episode on making espresso yourself started the spark in me to learn about the different espresso machines out there on the retail market(and there are a lot of them)One of the MANY things that led me to this machine is the frothed milk feature where instead of frothing a pitcher of milk at a time and wasting whats left, you have a separate container that holds the milk that detaches and stores in fridge till next cup....a VERY handy feature!!!and the quality of product and ease of setting different features(all explained in instruction manuel which can be a bit overwelming but take it slow and keep book close by till you can memorize certain steps)
The money i am saving alone has earned my cost back already if you figure average $3 bucks a cup compared to the other store (star who???)and no you won''t get a cup to taste like theirs but i am pretty close after experimenting with different coffee creamers and sweetners....
The ease of cleaning the inside (which to me should be done every few weeks) and the automatic notifier(which you set to your own water hardness with test strip enclosed)for the descaling process (with fluid you buy separate,(Durgol brand is best)which averages me with my own use at once every 3 to 4 week...and is VERY easy to do(i bought a 4 cup measuring cup which fits under water spout to drain in.....very handy)
Last thing for me to say about the one person looking for o-rings to replace one that broke...I had same one break on my frother and all i did was go to my local hardware store and found that (after searching)that the o-rings used for certain water faucets worked perfectly!!!
Thats it for this review i hope it helped.....
Let me express my extreme unhappiness with the handling of a replacement part order by DeLonghi itself, not Amazon.
Two weeks after we received the coffee maker, one of the three O-rings broke which means that the frothed/steamed milk feature is deactivated ever since.
I ordered three replacement O-rings three weeks ago from their web page, get a link that tells me that I can always "find out the current status", which is total bogus because the status never appeared on the web page.
I sent an email to this same address 1 week after the order (Dec 11) to inquire what the status is. On the web page and in the phone message under the service number DeLonghi prides itself that any email would be answered within 1 business day. I have not received any reaction to my email.
I called the DeLonghi customer service number on 12/15 to inquire the status of the order. I was told that there are not 3 O-rings available at this point and this caused my order to be blocked. I was told that 1 or 2 O-ring are in stock and that I would get at least 1 O-ring shipped that same day.
I called the DeLonghi customer service number again on 12/20 to inquire the status of the partial shipment. The person on the phone was unable to find out about the real status, was unable to find the supervisor but promised me that she would personally ask the supervisor for help with an expedited shipment when (s)he becomes available again.
Another phone call today, 12/27, resulted in more of the same, more postponing, no explanations.
The DeLonghi web page trumpets the following:
White Glove Service Guarantee (Available in U.S. Only)
"Your choice of the Magnifica super automatic espresso machine reveals that you have the highest standards, and we at DeLonghi strive to always exceed those expectations. Our specially trained DeLonghi espresso experts are here to serve your needs in any way we can."
Given the history of my order of 3 little O-rings, this sounds like an extremely bad joke.
We are happy with the machine (even though we did not expect its first flaw of a broken O-ring to happen so soon) but extremely unsatisfied with the worst customer support we have experienced in a long time. A real shame given that we paid $1500 for a coffee machine "with the highest standards" and I shudder at the thought that I would ever have to ask for more significant customer service than a little black O-ring.
We will never again buy another DeLonghi product!
Buy DeLonghi ESAM3500.N Magnifica Digital Super-Automatic Espresso/Coffee Machine Now
I am very happy with this machine. Very easily it produces very good cappuccinos or espresso style coffees. The milk container is handy and there is a clever mechanism to clean the frothing spout without having to empty and wash the milk container, allowing me to return the container back to the refrigerator for the next use.
I''m impressed with the design, since previously had two Saeco automatic espresso machine (both which died after 3 or 4 years of heavy use). When the bottom drip tray is removed, it also contains the grounds container and the catch for stray coffee grounds. The Saeco machine required vacuuming to find remove the grounds that largely missed the small tray to catch them.
The buttons and menu are very straight forward. The messages appear in clear English and are much easier to follow than the Saeco machine. The help manual is also very clear. Other machines in the past seem to have poor translations from Italian.
The descaling process is relatively painless. Once you are notified, you simply go to the menu and start the process. You are guided through each clear step
I had one question where I contact customer service. Very quickly I reached a person and my question was addressed.
The machine is much more compact and takes up much less counter space. The design is very clean and isn''t as bulky as my old Saeco machines. Because the machine is smaller, I do have to fill up the water, beans and remove grounds more often, but this is worthwhile compromise for a much better and smaller machine. It also seems that the water, coffee beans and ground removal has been designed so that these all happen at about the same machine, allowing one simple replenishment step instead of different steps on my old Saeco machine.
Overall, I''m extremely happy with this machine.
Read Best Reviews of DeLonghi ESAM3500.N Magnifica Digital Super-Automatic Espresso/Coffee Machine Here
I received this machine as a gift (thankfully, ''cuz I wouldn''t have been able to afford it for myself). Before this I had a Capresso CoffeeTEC machine. The Magnifica is so easy to use and to clean, it''s great not to have to deal with filters, grinders, frothers, etc. My husband is a stickler for using freshly ground coffee beans for his coffee. It''s such a joy not to have to sweep up the coffee grinds from the floor now! Anyway, here are some things I like about it:
Amazing tasting coffee; freshly ground at the touch of a button. Several people have told me that it tastes better than Starbucks coffee
Machine rinses itself after turn on and before turn off
Tells you when to clean the coffee grind container (makes ''em into little hockey pucks)
Wide range of coffee strengths from which to choose: extra mild, mild, regular, strong, extra-strong
3 cup sizes from which to choose. You can change the settings so the cup sizes are customized for you. I use the "Long" setting. If you press it twice quickly, it will make 2 ''long'' coffees for you
Love the frothing pitcher. Just attach it, press the cappuccino button, sit back and watch it make you a steaming hot cappuccino with thick froth. Frother puts frothed milk directly into your cup and then makes the espresso and puts it in the cup.
There''s a pre-ground "bypass" button. I use it when I want to have decaf. I add ground decaf beans and use the frother to add frothed milk.
Machine tells you everything that it "needs." "Fill Beans container, descale, add water...etc."
You can use the water spout for instantaneous hot water for tea, hot chocolate, etc.
Starbucks will sell you bottles of their flavored syrups, so I bought several of my favorite flavors for my little "at home cafe"
Update Sep 2008: About a month ago I opened the front door of the machine and it was empty. I thought to myself "who would''ve broken into my house and only stolen the infuser to the coffee machine?" I examined the machine and was able to see that the infuser was stuck in the housing at the top of the machine. An internet search showed that other people had had the same problem but no solutions were posted. I called DeLonghi and went through a few troubleshooting steps with a friendly customer service lady. Finally we gave up and she said I had to send it in to get it fixed. They sent me the boxes, labels and packing materials, which was nice. I sent it to an appliance place in NY. After 3 weeks I called to check the status and they said, "It''s on the shelf; we''ll get to it." Within a day or two the machine was delivered and working again. It was a bummer to have to ship it out to get it fixed (took a month) and my other gripe is that it came back dirtier than when I sent it (coffee grounds everywhere, etc.). Would''ve been nice if they wiped it down. Anyway, DeLonghi customer service handled it well.
Want DeLonghi ESAM3500.N Magnifica Digital Super-Automatic Espresso/Coffee Machine Discount?
This is my second DeLonghi Magnifica Digital Super-Automatic Espresso/Coffee Machine I have owned within the last 2 years. I got my first model 4500 from Starbucks and it lasted about 2 years. My warranty expired on my old machine so I bought this one on Amazon. I have checked all the online vendors and Amazon has the best price on this machine. Free shipping and no taxes saves you about $250. I found this machine on Ebay for less but DeLonghi will not honor Warranty service on Ebay stores. So beware.
DeLonghi customer service has been top notch, I had to repair my first machine 7 times. Yes, seven times due to pump failure and thermostat issues. I got this machine for an office so it gets used alot. This machine is meant for home use only. I brew about 50 cups a day, so the average home user wouldn''t use more than 5 cups a day.
My repair shop says all automatic Espresso machines no matter what brand in this price range use all the same parts. He also said they all fail at least 4 times within 2 years due to the nature of the machine. I told myself that I wouldn''t buy DeLonghi anymore but he changed my mind and told me that DeLonghi has more repair shops open for Warranty service than any other vendor.
This model ESAM3500.N is nice, since it is an overall better model than the other 5 models listed for sale. Don''t spend your money on the $1999 or $2500 model because they all have the same features and will all break down no matter how well you keep your machines up to date!
If you do need to make repairs on your machine, make sure you find a repair shop near your home. I was able to get extra parts and service O-Rings for my machine cheaper than from DeLonghi webstore.
Also note, the O-Rings on this machine do break down after 3 months of use. It is the because the milk container, you can also find these O-Rings at Home Depot for $10 bucks and if you have problems with the milk function don''t send your machine into repairs for some O-Rings you can replace yourself.
I have made over 30,000 cups of Espresso & Coffee with DeLonghi machines and I am glad that I bought it. Even at $3 a cup you can see yourself saving a lot of money.
Also note you should Descale this machine at least once every 2 weeks or else your pump on this machine will fail. Don''t wait for the machine to tell you clean it. Only use the Durgol cleaner also, all other cheap cleaners DO NOT work with this machine. Do waste your time, I learned my lesson well!
Low fat or no fat milk works best with the milk spout. Do not use milk that isn''t at refrigerator temperature. The coffee mill grinder should be set at number 5, I found this to be the best tasting and best setting for this machine.
Keep in mind if you do need this machine repaired they can have your machine up to 3 weeks, due to a shortage of spare parts. All vendors use the same parts since this is an OEM type of build. The Generic Alarm code is the last breakdown I got. To save you a phone call this means your machine is dead, it needs a new pump and thermostat so hence I came to Amazon to get another!
Amazon was qreat with shipping, price, and product was new as listed! Rated 10 out of 10!
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I recently bought a foreclosure home. There was a reverse osmosis filtration unit under the sink already. Not sure how long the unit was not in operation, I replaced all filters and RO membrane just for sure.
