Delonghi Magnifica 3400 Espresso Maker

Pros:
- Ease of use,
-high quality results

Cons:
- Difficult to clean,
- somewhat loud Rating:

Rating5 out of 5

As cliché as it may sound, the Delonghi Magnifica automated espresso machine has changed my life. I save a TON of money making my espresso drinks at home, and I’ve been inspired to try many different high-end coffee beans rather than just sampling the limited variety available at my local coffee shops. The Magnifica offers a perfect combination of automation and adjustability. There are settings to modify how finely the beans are ground (on a scale of 1 to 10), the desired espresso strength (weak, regular, strong, or extra strong), and even the temperature of the beverage (warm, hot, and extra hot).

While I always like a very strong grind and strength, it’s very convenient to change the settings to accommodate guests’ preferences. And the temperature setting is great for brewing a cooler “warm” drink that can be quickly chilled for iced beverages. Delonghi now also offers a model with automatic milk frothing, but I’m actually glad my machine is set up with this as a more manual process, as it gives me more control over the amount of steamed milk and/or froth I add to each drink. Using the machine is simple.

One simply dumps beans in the hopper (which can hold a small bag of beans, though I prefer to use smaller batches and instead keep my beans stored in a sealed container), fills the water tank, and chooses the desired shot size (short, regular, or long). Upon making the size selection, the beans are ground and the espresso is generated. For the frother, the vacuum pump and large reservoir tank ensure a constant supply of steam. The biggest problem I’ve encountered is that the machine can be challenging to clean, but this is the case with any similar item. An automated process does let the user know when a descale cycle should be run, and this is very easy to do, but the interior parts can be difficult to get at for a really thorough cleaning.

The only other thing I’ve noticed is that the grinder is very loud – though this is the case with any coffee grinder, it does mean that my husband is reluctant to use it if I’m still sleeping for fear I’ll be woken up. These are really minor observations though, and I would wholeheartedly recommend the Delonghi Magnifica to anyone.