Delonghi EC330-s Pump Espresso Maker
by Delonghi
Our Price: $157.57
Availability: Usually ships in 3-4 business days
Buy Used: from $79.00 (click here)
Category: Kitchen
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Product Summary
Manufacturer: DelonghiBrand: DeLonghi
Model: EC330S
Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Delonghi EC330-s Pump Espresso Maker
Customer Review: For the price, great, but not without it's flaws.
Summary: 4 Stars
For those not wanting to read the long and dull version, here is a quick rundown of the pro's and con's in my humble opinion:
PRO:
1. Price. This thing is a steal at around the $70 to $90 that it costs.
2. Aesthetics. Stainless steel on most of the front is a nice touch.
3. Ease of Use. In 10 to 15 minutes you can bust out a nice cappuccino or whatever your heart desires.
4. Reservoir. Nice size reservoir, lasts me almost a week before topping it off.
CON:
1. Heat. Heating unit takes a minimum of 30 minutes to fully heat up, unless you do the quicky flush.
2. Steam Wand. The thing is tiny and cramped. Not to mention it drips off the drip tray.
3. Steam Knob. It's cheap plastic and gets HOT when the steam is pouring. You can still touch it, but it's not a great feeling.
4. Plastic. Yes, there is stainless steel on much of the front, but there is also plastic in the base and on part of the top.
This unit doesn't seem to have ever officially made it to the US retail chain for some unknown reason. However, with a little searching these units can be had as refurbished or open box units. My open boxed unit set me back about $89 which included shipping and it was in perfect condition. Although on the UK amazon site it's listed for about twice that, a price point which might be a lot harder to swallow.
Unboxing the unit is pretty straightforward and the appearance is very nice. The stainless steel is a very nice effect, I just wish it covered the entire facade of the device. The base tray is plastic, the water reservoir is all plastic and parts of the top cover are plastic. It still looks good on any kitchen counter, but if people can't tell from the picture, plastic is still used extensively in the construction.
During the unboxing the manufacturer has a very urgent warning to read the instructions, which I did, multiple times. Once you go through them a few times they are pretty easy to follow. The instructions start off by saying that the unit has to warm for about 30 minutes or a quick flush can be done by just running the espresso maker twice, minus the coffee obviously. I am fine with the wait/flush option, but the sensor really needs to reflect this. The only indicator is a green light when the device hits temperature, but it turns green when it's not ready and when it is ready. I'd rather it just turn green after the flush or after the 30 minutes. Either way, don't try to pull a shot of espresso when it isn't ready or the green light will turn off prematurely before a full shot is released. All other espresso features are generally ok. Just order your own tamper, as the built in one is useless. It's cheap plastic built right next to the dispensing area, and actually applying pressure is difficult. I'd rather see it done away with entirely and not take up room on the machine.
Steam generally hits temperature fairly quickly and I was satisfied with the amount of steam produced. I was not satisfied with the steam nozzle itself though. It is very cheap plastic and has an extremely limited range of motion. Putting a cup, glass, whatever under it is awkward. Also the thing tends to drip since this does double duty as a hot water dispenser. Dripping wouldn't be an issue if it actually hit the drip tray, but it doesn't! They really should have made a rectangular extension on the drip tray to capture anything coming off the steam nozzle. It should also be noted that when it hits temperature the plastic control knob gets very hot. It won't burn you, but it's a little bit disconcerting and it's not something you would want to keep your hand on. But the plastic hasn't melted yet, so no worries so far.
As for making a decent espresso, I have yet to succeed. I first used grounds that were too course and now I'm pretty sure that my grounds are too fine. I have no doubt though that it is possible to have a good shot of espresso using this machine once you tweak all the variables. Thankfully my drink of choice is cafe au lait and this machine performs that duty very admirably and cheaply.
Overall, despite the obvious shortcomings, I am happy with this machine, especially at the price point. For under $100 I think this machine is a great value and I have no regrets. Once you get above the $100 range though, the listed retail, I might start to think the machine is overpriced for what you get.
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