De'Longhi ECP35.31Traditional Barista Pump Espresso Machine, Coffee and Cappuccino Maker, Black

This review is for model ECP 35.31 only. For 10 years, a cheap but reliable Cookworks brand filter machine served me coffee each morning, till it broke this month. So I was looking around, and was initially hesitant at buying an Espresso maker due to the device cost and never having owned one previously. After researching online, speaking with friends who own similar machines, I decided to try one. All I will say is that this is the best thing I have bought myself and majority of my housemates love it too. You get shop coffee at home, saving £3 a pop. It makes cappuchino and other variants, is easy to clean, has a removable tray that I have put away as I don't need. Mine has a 2 year warranty, so if it breaks, the manufacturer can fix it. We make 6 cups of coffee a day with this and it will take about 2 to 3 days before you get your technique right for the flavour you like and this depends on the coffee grind too. For myself, I find the black Lavazza Espresso packet (strength 5) is now my coffee of choice, I pull a shot or two for 30 seconds, then top it up with kettle boiled water, a splash of milk. For others in my house, instead of adding the water, they use the machine to froth milk to make cappuchinos. The coffee tastes delicious with the crema it creates and the machine is compact, sturdy, not loud and very easy to clean. Definitely impressed and would recommend this model for ease of use and build quality. Just read the instructions fully and don't pull the shot for longer than 30 seconds otherwise I am advised that the less desirable flavours of the grind will pour through and may taste bitter. But it's all personal preference, so experiment to your hearts content. One thing I will say is that if you are in a rush, and have no time, then Espresso makers are not for you as you need to spend a few minutes to make a lovely coffee.

Brilliant, simple to use coffee machine. Easy to clean the bits that need it and reassemble them. Takes a few goes to master it especially if you don’t read the instructions, doh! One tip, always push the internal water holder fully down.

I’ve used this expresso machine now for a few months. Firstly, having gone back to a bialetti brewing method, I’ve decided to not use it again. The coffee flavour that the de Longhi extracts is excellent, barista quality. I drink mainly unsweetened expressi, so the flavour is to the fro. I tend not to use the frothing wand since I have a separate milk frothing jug. After a year the machine started malfunctioning and since then I've been blaming myself for it. Basically the compressor starts then goes very quiet, resulting in no coffee being delivered. I'll have to explore my options under any guarantee, but at least one in twenty pulls fails to deliver. I've revised my view since I now think that my problem was due to operator error. Basically the porta-filter that comes with the machine is a pressured one. Therefore if you overfill or over-tamp the coffee holder, you will cause the machine to have too much back pressure. The pressure in this type of filter is built by the outlet being a tiny hole in the base of the coffee holder. You also need to make sure the porta-filter and parts are clean so that no coffee grounds can get into the hole and block the coffee being expressed. So the moral of this is don't overfill and don't over-tamp. Revising my earlier view I think it’s a faulty machine. I clean the machine between pulls thoroughly and yet it still fails to deliver. So although it is probably an excellent coffee machine, unless it works properly it is at best frustrating. I decided to try another method: using the double shot puck with a puck screen, makes for a much more dependable shot puller.

Great little machine, not overly large so fits counter nice and neat. Coffee was delicious 😋 milk frother worked a treat …yummy 😁

The first machine blew the circuit breaker when I turned it on. Left it overnight and it was then ok. The coffee and froth maker were superb however I found that I was unable to turn the machine off and had to cut the power at the plug socket. I also found a puddle of water underneath the machine after each use. I think the leak was coming from the water boiler unit. Gave up after a few coffees and returned the item. Second machine arrived which then activated the fuse box circuit breaker after a few seconds whenever I tried to heat the water up for coffee or the frother. Unable to make coffee and again found a puddle of water under the machine after trying to get it to work six times. Gave up and returned to Amazon. Whether I was just unlucky in receiving two faulty machines I cannot say. There is however an earlier review with the same problems. The electrical problems are worrying, and yes, I did try another plug point with the same result.

I bought this last year and have used it everyday since. I would suggest upgrading the portafilter (doesn’t cost much), other than that it’s perfect. Very beginner friendly

I've been using this daily for over 5 years now. Makes consistently brilliant coffee. Seriously considering buying another for when it eventually breaks. Previously had a krups that didn't last as long.

So I had this for over a year now and overall my experience has been mixed. Like all things in life, it started off well. Made some amazing espressos, the froth was great and lattes came out exceedingly well. Perfect, couldn’t ask for more and was chuffed at how much money I saved throughout the year from buying from the hight street to get my caffeine fix. Then in the last couple of months things began to go haywire. The froth started to lose power and the espresso started to drip with no crema (I was it flow like it did in the beginning). Initially I thought it was the hard water in my area that caused limescale blockages in the pipes, so I started religiously cleaning with limescale removers, which worked initially. But after a while, it came exhausting, and it shouldn't have to this inconvenient. With a month left on the warrantee, I sent it off to De'Longhi for inspection and repairs - engineers said they could not detect any problems and sent it back with no works. So now I’m stuck with this machine that in all honesty needs to get binned cos I don’t think that I should have to clean it every 4 cups!!! I am now back on the hunt for a replacement.