DeLonghi EC220CD 15-Bar Pump Driven Espresso Maker

Bought for my husband for Christmas and he loves it!!! I have not personally used this machine and have nothing to compare it to but i chose it because i didn’t want to make a big Finacial investment since it is our first espresso machine and i wasn’t sure how it would go. This machine had good reviews and costumers seem to think it’s is a great balance of quality and price. So far my husband uses it at least once a day and keeps telling me what a great gift it is. He was very excited to get it and is really enjoying making drinks for them both of us! Read more

After reading some reviews I felt I had to write a review and guide. I had the EC155 unit since 2007 and used it every day. After 8 years it smoked so I got the EC220 because of the taller space for larger cups. The unit is nearly identical except the water storage is a different shape and the taller space. I use this unit twice a day, every day and it works great but you need to use it correctly and use the proper coffee. I have a couple of tips and then some replies. 1. make sure the water container is properly seated or the water will leak or not flow. 2. turn the knob to the first position until the green light comes on, then turn the knob to the second position. 3. clean the strainer and the gasket where the strainer attaches. 4. use a descaler every so often to clean the machine. 4. use the proper grind. Turkish grind is too small and it clogs the holes and the coffee will NOT come out. You have to get Espresso grind or it will not make Espresso. Most coffee is not sold pre-ground to Espresso grind so you have to get it done right. 5. l don't bother using the steamer wand. Use a microwave while you make the espresso. Now to address some of the funnier reviews: From Sept 12, 2015 - it leaks water and can't push the water thru the coffee grounds. You need to remove the strainer assy and CLEAN the gasket area up underneath. You have coffee grounds stuck to the gasket and it doesn't seal. Aug 31, 2015 - forever to steam the milk. It might be because you have to turn the knob to the steamer setting and let it heat up the to the hotter temperature for steaming. I agree that the stupid plastic frother is hard to clean. I have found that I put my milk in the microwave for 63 seconds which is the same time for the espresso machine to fill my 240 ml cup. The EC220 makes such nice crema that it doesn't matter that the milk isn't steamed. July 9, 2015 - one of my favorite reviews. "It spews out about 8 oz of watery coffee during the heat up process before the green light comes on. I get around this by heating it up with no coffee basket in there but then I have to put a bowl down to catch all of the warm/hot water that sprays out, then I can place the basket in there and make espresso." Hahaha. You are supposed to wait until the green light comes on BEFORE you turn the knob to dispense the water. The hot water comes out nearly instantly if you wait for the green light first. June 4, 2015 - tamper is useless because the unit is too light. A bit of physics is involved here. If you want a 20 pound tamp you either need a 20 pound machine or YOU PUT YOU HAND ON TOP OF THE MACHINE when tamping. Read more

I docked Delonghi a star for not including decent instructions with the unit. You can find more detailed guides on their website. I suggest searching for the model of this machine on YouTube and you'll get some good tips from the folks there as well. Until you get this thing dialed in you may be disappointed with the brew. Grind is more important on this machine than some. The Lavazza very fine grind is what you need. I use this as an example because it is good coffee, I had some on hand, and it is what worked best out of the coffee brands I had on hand. It is readily available in many grocery stores and sold by Amazon to look at if you need to. I will just grind the other brands finer if needed and use them as well. My old maker took a bit coarser grind without an issue. The Lavazza used to send fine particles into the brew on that one. On this one that very fine grind is best. I used two scoops tamped gently and brewed it into a measuring cup to a quarter cup level. I pour that into a coffee cup preheated with hot water, then set that under the brew holes to let anything left drain into it as I use the steam tube to foam some milk in the cup I will use to pour the espresso into and drink the coffee out of. That steam tube has some power. You'll be messy until you can control it a bit. Immerse the tip before turning the steam on too much. Let it drain the bit of water out it will throw when you first turn it on too so the milk is not too diluted to foam well. I also foam a bit of plain water when done brewing through that tube to clean it well. Someone on YouTube suggested to flush it out a bit through the filter brewing some plain water as well as some coffee is still in there. I will just put a bit extra water in the tank to allow for the cleanup along with the brewing needs. Some spoke of tanks leaking. I set this unit on a wire baking rack used for cooling that raises it a couple of inches off of the counter. I want to observe it further and see if the water it leaves is from the unit itself, or just the water that steam feature spits out at the start of the steam. It is normal for water to accumulate ion the tray under the brew cups. It is a natural flushing the unit undergoes. But their documentation with the unit doesn't tell half of these things. I think many would not return this espresso maker if they knew some of these quirks/features. So I am going to test it on cheaper brews as well soon. For now using the double cup filter with two scoops of the size they provide gives a good dark brew with nice crema when I brew it to a two ounce quantity. I use around one third of a cup of cold milk to foam and make a cap drink. Some complained this machine refused to work at all before long. I hope I have better luck with that and will maintain it properly to help that along. As you can see from the length of this review the caffeine did kick in! Read more