Top 5 DeLonghi Coffee Machines for 2018

If you’re looking for the top DeLonghi coffee machine for 2018 then have we got the article for you. We’ve compiled so much data to put together this top coffee machine list, it’ll save you hours of tiresome work. Whether you know your DeLonghi ESAM2800 from your Icona Vintage, or you’re at a complete loss as to which DeLonghi machine is best for you – this article will shed some serious light. Thankfully we’ve done the research, drank lots of coffee and compiled our 2018 top 5 list of DeLonghi coffee makers.

You may be thinking its best to simply buy the most expensive DeLonghi machine you can afford, however you’re likely to be spending money on features you’ll never use. Plus there are lots of older DeLonghi models that still rank really highly, some still entering our 2018 top list, because they’re well built, produce great tasting coffee and are packed full of useful design features.

All the machines below come highly recommended as great De’Longhi purchases in 2018.

The best DeLonghi coffee machine in 2018

TL>DR: Click here to jump down to our first of the top 5 De’Longhi machines we recommend buying in 2018

To busy to read how or why we recommend each one, jump to buying one right now.

All 5 are brilliant purchases.

How to find the best DeLonghi coffee machine

You’re here because you know other peoples reviews and opinions are key when deciding between online purchases, that is so true for coffee machines too. Despite what DeLonghi, Tassimo or Bosch marketing staff tell you – nothing compares to the voice of hundreds of people using it in their kitchens every morning.

These are the views we’ve collated and combined with our own reviews of these top De’Longhi coffee machines.

Although we know that the cost and style of the coffee machine will likely be the top 2 factors that grab our attention, we’ve also looked at the following important unique-selling points to help you differentiate one top performing De’Longhi from another.

Boiler Water Reservoir

One thing that constantly frustrates myself is not noticing when my water reservoir is nearly empty, causing the next pour to only extract half a shot of espresso as the boiler stops. This is easily done first thing in the morning, before anyone’s really functioning properly.

Absolute nightmare!

Now the extreme is to buy the DeLonghi with the largest water reservoir, but you don’t want water sitting in that tank for several days. That makes for bad tasting coffee and also leads to build up of minerals and limescale in your appliance.

All of the DeLonghi coffee makers below have good sized tanks that are easily removed to be filled. Some have low water lights too – so you won’t go running out mid-brew.

One aspect we’d like you to consider, is do you have storage (shelves or cupboards) above your work surface, and will they allow a water tank to be lifted vertically away from the machine?

Most tanks only need to be lifted up by a few inches before they can be slide to the side, but its worth factoring in the height of the machine if you have particularly low over-worktop cabinets.

Bean-to-cup Bean Capacity

Some of the higher end machines have the ability to grind beans and extract them all in one easy to accomplish process. These coffee machines are called bean-to-cup and have a lot more mechanically going on under the hood compared to a ‘standard’ espresso machine. A perfect example is the mighty ECAM44 (Save £230) we’ve included below.

For these machines to operate, they store your bag of unground beans in a hopper. Keeping them unground until the second they’re needed means you naturally lock in the freshness and tastes,

Bean-to-cup therefore tend to top out the market with a higher price tag, but its saving you buying a separate grinder while also helps keep the mess down.

The flip side being that De’Longhi bean-to-cup coffee machines are expensive to service and fix due to their inner complexities.

All decent De’Longhi machines listed below that have the bean-to-cup functionality have a good sized hopper or bean capacity. You normally fill the hopper similar to the water reservoir, although they tend to be fixed to the machine and therefore need access to the top panel.

Brewing Temperature

Reviews are key for this metric, as it can’t reliably be quantified. Yes they’ll quote a temperature that their coffee machine produces it’s glorious ‘worlds best’ tasting coffee, but how comes the online reviews go on to say it’s distinctively on the chilly side, every time.

Sometimes a manufacturers coffee maker just doesn’t live up to the spec, especially once several dozens coffees have gone through the boiler and portafilter.

We pay close attention to any machine making coffee on the wrong side of hot, as we cant stand a mild brew. Fear not, no De’Longhi coffee maker reviewed below makes cold coffee, they’ve been penalised heavily and dropped from our ratings altogether.

We love our little De’Longhi EC680.R (See below) for making perfectly hot espressos

Dimensions and Footprint

The majority of us live in either cosy or comfortable sized houses, we definitely don’t live in palatial mansions with huge kitchens. For this reason we appreciate that counter worktop space, whether its kitchen top or desk space, is quite the commodity.

Although we haven’t specifically dropped any De’Longhi machine from our top 5 list for having a large footprint, we have used it to steer our feedback.

De’Longhi ESAM2800.SB Bean to Cup Coffee Machine

RRP: £349.99

Cost: £266.10 (Saving £83.89)

Dimension: 36 x 28.5 x 37.5 cm

Water Reservoir: 1.8 litres

Pro: Bean-to-cup function with a 200g bean hopper, which is a good size. Fitted with a burr grinder, with 7 different coarseness settings. Huge water tank that’ll rarely need filling.

Good drink customisation: drink volume, coffee quantity, coffee strength and brew temperature. Exactly what you’d expect when in this cost bracket.

Con: One of the biggest De’Longhi models we have in our top 5, so expect to lose some vital work space to its footprint.  Also not the stylish looking unit in our list.

Verdict: 7 different settings is a bit overkill for the burr grinder, however we can’t knock the quality of the coffee that this bean-to-cup produces.

If you’re looking for an all in one, large capacity unit with good controls then this would be our recommendation from the top 5.

If you’re able to live without the bean-to-cup feature, you can save yourself £100 and buy one of the other fab units below.

Get the £83.89 saving and buy on Amazon

DeLonghi ECOV311.AZ Icona Vintage Espresso Machine

Cost: £220.52

Dimension: 23 x 26 x 30 cm

Water Reservoir: 1.4 litres

Pro: Great retro look that gets peoples heads turning. Easy to wipe down and large drip tray. Available in a variety of pastel colours – baby blue, cream and pale green.

Con: Cup warmer wont be nearly hot enough for most peoples liking, however we always use hot water to directly heat each cup. Lack of drink customisation controls, which for the price, is a bit of a let down.

You may struggle to get a large mug or tall glass under the portafilter without removing the drip-tray (something that is trivial to do) – this probably is also shared with the EC680

Verdict: If you want a coffee machine to match a certain look, or you have great memories of yesterday-year, this gorgeous looking unit is for you.

Yes you’re paying for the stylish looks, but it also makes great coffee too. Plus if you buy it now from Amazon you’ll get it for only £220.

You can buy cheaper De’Longhi’s, for example the EC680.R below, without losing any features.

View and Buy on Amazon for £220

De’Longhi EC680.R Dedica Espresso Machine

RRP: £219.99

Cost: £159.10 (Saving £60.99)

Dimension: 33 x 15 x 30 cm

Water Reservoir: 1.0 litres

Pro: The EC680 makes brilliant coffee and is quick to get upto brew temperature – mine takes around 30 seconds before the first brew is ready.

At 15cm wide, the EC680R has a tiny footprint on the kitchen worktop.

Con: This machine has one of the smallest water reservoirs of all the top De’Longhi machines listed here.

Similar to the Vintage Icona (above), you’ll find it difficult fitting large cups or glasses under the dual spout. This can be avoided by removing the drip tray, which is easily done.

Verdict: Available in fire engine red, black or stainless steel, this tiny little machine makes great coffee. If space or money is a virtue, get this De’Longhi and you won’t be disappointed.

It also can be bought for a fraction of the price of its bigger De’Longhi brothers.

Don’t let the small water reservoir put you off though, 1L is still a great capacity if you’re only making a few coffees at a time. If you think you’ll be making lots of drinks at a time, is an espresso machine really what you need?

Get the £60.99 saving and buy on Amazon

De’Longhi ECP33.21 Italian Traditional Espresso Coffee Maker

RRP: £159.99

Cost: £117.99 (Saving £42.00)

Dimension: 18.5 x 24 x 30.5 cm

Water Reservoir: 1.1 litres

Pro: Good small footprint, although not quite as small as the EC680 (above)

Con: Probably the least attractive of the top 5 De’Longhi coffee machines we’ve listed, thankfully it makes outstanding coffee.

Verdict: A smart little compact ‘basic’ coffee machine that turns out great coffee. If you’re looking for a small machine that still delivers, and you don’t like the EC680 in fire-engine red (above), then how about this great little cube of a unit

At time of writing this kitchen gadget also has over £40 off its normal RRP on Amazon.

Get the £42 saving and buy on Amazon

De’Longhi ECAM44.660.B Eletta Bean to Cup Coffee Machine

RRP: £829.99

Cost: £529.99 (Saving £230.00)

Dimension: 46 x 26 x 36 cm

Water Reservoir:  2 litres

Pro: Bean-to-cup with a whopping 13 adjustable settings. Great milk frother that combines with the dual spout to produce luxurious drinks

Con: Hugely expensive. A big unit too. Can take a while to warm up, but great once it gets going.

Verdict: Easy to strip down and clean, which is essential when milk carafes are involved.

Makes a large selection of piping hot drinks, such as long cappuccinos, espressos, flat white, macchiato and even hot milk for your hot chocolates.

Great options for customising your drink using the highly intuiative digital control system.

An amazing bean-to-cup coffee machine for the true coffee connoisseur. The best De’Longhi coffee machine available in 2018 – hands down.

Save over £230 and buy on Amazon

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