De’Longhi Stilosa Manual Espresso Machine, Latte & Cappuccino Maker, 15 Bar Pump Pressure + Milk Frother Steam Wand, Black / Stainless, EC260BK, 13.5 x 8.07 x 11.22 inches

DeLonghi does not disappoint!
I researched lots of top notch espresso machines & found that this particular DeLonghi model was the right one for me. It makes a great cup of espresso with the crema (the lighter color of coffee on top of the dark) as it should be, and the milk steamer works really well (see the dollop of foam on top of the crema in the 2nd picture which turned my regular espresso into a macchiato). It’s not overly fancy so it’s easy to use, and the price is great. Sure, the drip pan shakes a little when the machine is getting ready to work it’s magic so I had to hold the glass until the machine got going, but that’s certainly not a deal breaker, nor is the fact that it’s kind of loud too because that’s just how espresso machines are. Also, keep an eye on how much you want to drip in your cup because it won’t stop on its own. I’m also working on perfecting how finely to grind the espresso beans & how firmly to press the tamper. The first cup I made dripped pretty slowly & when I removed the boiler outlet (the part that holds the coffee) there was some water on top of the grounds that spilled off, but that was because (& the instructions cover this) I’d ground the coffee too finely, filled the bowl too high & pressed the tamper down too firmly. I brewed my next cup doing none of those things & it came out much better. I’m having fun experimenting with it. Overall I’m very impressed. One last thing, the style and size of this DeLonghi is perfect.

Buy if Willing to Put in the Effort
This is a review of De’Longhi Stilosa Espresso MachineBottom line up front: Good beginner espresso machine at the sale price of $85. If you are willing to dip your toe in the espresso making waters at home and you have the time and patience, buy it. If you want a quick, hassle-free cup of joe, look elsewhere (I’m thinking drip, pour over, Nespresso, etc.).Amazon shipping: Amazon shipped it in its original box with a shipping label slapped on it. This arrived on the front porch, so beware. De’Longhi’s packaging was good. The machine was packaged in a pasteboard inside the box making it recyclable (no styrofoam).The good: It does what it says. I have not previously made any espresso drinks. I have about two weeks of experience and it makes espresso. Follow the directions (more on direction in “the bad”), use espresso coffee and you’ll get an acceptable shot of espresso (see learning section). The milk frother works after some practice. This machine is manual. You start the flow of water and then you stop the flow of water. You switch to steam and use the switch on the side to froth your milk. This is good because you are in control.The bad: Well it requires some education on how to make espresso and what exactly a shot of espresso is and a cappuccino recipe.The directions are kind of IKEA-ish with pictures and a sparse number of words. The machine is manual and you have to learn to use it and pay attention as you use it. I am apparently a messy barista. I find it necessary (maybe I”m obsessive compulsive) to thoroughly clean the machine every time I use it. This is a bit more intense than the directions that say to clean out the portafilter and clean the frother each use with thorough cleaning being every 200 or so shots. Overall, a Nespresso machine would be much easier.What I did: I’ve had this machine for about two weeks and have used it for about 10 mornings. The first morning my lovely wife dumped her cappuccino out and went for the keurig. I had some issues this day using the frother and ended up with very watered down steamed milk. The second morning I used the Cappuccino cups (2.9 ounces, kitchenables available here on amazon). Packed the double shot portafilter and made two nice, small cappuccinos. Then on the third day, I moved to a larger cup. I made my wife a decaf cappuccino in an 8 ounce mug using a double shot (2 ounces) of espresso, steamed milk and froth to fill the mug. Again, this was dumped out. I made myself a lungo using the double shot portafilter and filled a 12 ounce mug about half way. Mine was tasty and I drink my coffee black, in general. About the third day I was getting the cappuccino thing down. Double shot of espresso, equal amount of steamed milk (by volume) and equal amount of froth (1 part espresso, 1 part steamed milk, 1 part froth). This amounted to about two-thirds of the 8 ounce mug. What kind of coffee did I use? I bought a bag of the Gevalia Espresso Dark Roast and a can of Illy ground coffee espresso Classico Decaf Roast.Learning: It seems that a shot of espresso is one ounce and a double shot is two ounces. I got this information from Google search. You need to keep this in mind as you are making your espresso as this is how the two portafilters are sized. I also used google to find the cappuccino recipe and saw some other espresso recipes (americano, latte, flat white, lungo). Also I still need to experiment with different coffee brands. I have no intention of going all out to grind my own and weigh the beans.

Simple, pump driven, good boiler, affordable. MAKES BETTER COFFEE THAN THE $2000.00 “AUTOMATIC” MACHINES. Those machines need more maintenance, and are a bigger hassle than this little $100.00 number anyway. I’ve owned a spendy “automatic” machine and found that this little guy is far less of a hassle – no dealing with rancid milk, sanitizing hoses, learning technical algorithms, or other maintenance factors. Keep it straight ahead simple!

Setting the machine up was very quick and easy. Works very well and pulls good espresso shots. It also steams milk very well and makes good lattes. I would recommend for the price it is at.