Having an espresso machine at home can be an incredibly useful investment if you have always bought coffee from cafés, but didn’t know how to make equally good coffee at home.
The few dollars you spend every other day on purchasing cups of coffee can add up to burn a big hole in your pocket over the month.
Espresso machines can make your caffeine needs a lot more convenient and affordable to take care of. However, if you are a beginner with coffee and espresso machines, it can be challenging to decide which one to buy.
A wide range of espresso machines is available in the market with significantly different prices and features. It can be overwhelming and intimidating to figure out what it all means.
If you are looking to begin your journey of making better coffee at home, we’ve got you! We have put together this review to explain all the features of the DeLonghi EC155 15-Bar Pump Espresso Machine.
The DeLonghi EC155 is known to be an excellent option for beginners at an affordable price. Keep reading to find out whether this is the right machine for you in our DeLonghi EC155 review right here.
About DeLonghi
DeLonghi is an Italian company that manufactures a wide range of domestic appliances. Founded in 1902 by an Italian family known as the DeLonghi’s, the company started as just a small industrial part manufacturer.
Since then, the company has grown to manufacture nearly every small and big domestic appliance starting from air conditioners to gelato makers. DeLonghi is known for its excellently designed products and their espresso machines are one such product.
The DeLonghi EC155 15-Bar Pump Espresso Machine
The DeLonghi EC155 15-Bar Pump Espresso Machine is a compact and affordable espresso and cappuccino machine that packs efficient and convenient features at a great price. If you are wondering whether this is the right fit for you, keep reading to find out about the specifications and features of this machine.
Key Specifications
- The DeLonghi EC155 15-Bar Pump Espresso Machine has a height of 10.5 inches, a width of 7 inches and a depth of 8.25 inches.
- The machine weighs 6.7 pounds.
- The machine has 15 pressure bars.
- The machine’s input power is 1,100 watts.
- It has a removable water reservoir and removable drip tray.
- The capacity of the water tank of the machine is one liter.
- It has two filters for one shot and two shots of espresso, respectively.
- It is compatible to be used with ESE coffee pods.
- The maximum height of a cup that can fit under the espresso machine is 66 centimeters.
So Many Great Features
Compact Size
The DeLonghi EC155 15-Bar Pump Espresso Machine is highly compact and portable. It can easily be placed anywhere in the house and moved to different rooms. It is the perfect size for an espresso machine at home since it takes up very little counter space and can be used and maneuvered easily around the house.
Lightweight
At just 6.7 pounds, the DeLonghi EC155 15-Bar Pump Espresso Machine is extremely lightweight. For a lot of other models, it is a hassle to carry them around for any purpose. Most of the DeLonghi espresso machine’s body is made of plastic, with a few stainless steel parts. This makes it lightweight and also contributes to its affordability.
Removable Water Reservoir and Drip Tray
The DeLonghi EC155 comes with a removable water reservoir and drip tray. The water reservoir has a capacity of one liter and can be very quickly taken out and inserted into the machine with
a practical handle. This makes the DeLonghi Ec155 extremely easy to clean and maintain over time. Both the water reservoir and the drip tray can easily be removed from the machine and washed in the dishwasher.
Stainless Steel Parts
Though most of the body of the DeLonghi EC155 is made of plastic, there are some parts made of stainless steel which are much more durable. The boiler of the DeLonghi EC155 is made of stainless steel, as is the cup and filter system, including the drip tray. These parts then are very durable, hardy and resistant to damage.
Three-in-One Filter Holder
The filter holder of the DeLonghi EC155 has a very thoughtful design that is convenient to use according to your preferences. The filter holder can be used with a one-shot filter and a two-shot filter, both of which are included in the package.
The two filters have different depths and hence different levels of coffee grounds that they can ideally hold. The one-shot espresso filter has a recommended capacity of 7 grams of coffee grounds, while the two-shot espresso filter has a recommended capacity of 12 grams.
The filter holder can also hold ESE coffee pods so that you can still use the espresso machine if you don’t have the time to grind your coffee beans or if you run out of coffee grounds.
High Pressure
The DeLonghi espresso machine has an impressive amount of pressure for such a low price. Brewing an espresso essentially involves passing pressurized hot water through coffee grounds and then collecting the brewed coffee through a filter. The DeLonghi espresso machine has a pressure of 15 bars which is excellent for extracting rich flavors from the coffee grounds.
Milk Frother
There is a swiveling manual milk frother that creates foamy milk with steam. With this feature, you can quickly and conveniently whip up milked coffee drinks like cappuccinos.
Boiler and Integrated Thermostat
The DeLonghi EC155 espresso machine has a stainless steel boiler that can heat up to the desired temperature in 45 seconds. A thermostat for the boiler will notify you when the water is at the correct temperature. Ideally, the temperature will remain high enough for you to pull two espresso shots at a time. A separate thermostat also measures the temperature of the milk in the steamer.
Cup Warmer
Though the boiler may sometimes not be very effective at heating multiple shots of espresso in one go, this is compensated for by the cup warmer included in the DeLonghi EC155 espresso machine. The cup warmer ensures that the cup that receives the espresso is hot to avoid the usual drop of temperature that occurs when the freshly brewed coffee is collected in a cold cup.
Simple Controls
The DeLonghi EC155 espresso machine is convenient and easy to use, even for beginners. All the controls for the machine are contained in one large dial in the front of the machine. The dial can control all the functions and has four options for resting, heating the water, brewing the espresso and steaming the milk. The machine also primes automatically on its own so that you don’t have to go through the tedious process of priming the machine manually. Essentially, all that you need to do is press the button for your coffee to start brewing.
Our Verdict
The DeLonghi EC155 espresso machine may be a small machine with limited features compared to many other machines available on the market. However, machines with many features are often designed for people who are very particular about the minute details of the coffee they are brewing and want to customize many settings.
For someone who is not very particular about their coffee or is a beginner when it comes to brewing espressos, those machines are not only challenging to use but also a waste of money.
The simple settings and automatic priming of this machine ensure that you can’t go wrong with the coffee brewing process.
Not only that, when you don’t have the time for grinding your coffee, you can simply use ESE coffee pods. Convenience is king when it comes to this espresso machine so that you can enjoy your coffee without any hassle!
There is no painstaking maintenance of machine parts required and you can clean it easily by putting the removable parts through the dishwasher.
The small size means that the machine cannot contain a lot of water and the strength of the heating system is also not high enough to heat enough water for multiple espresso shots at the same time.
So if you live in a household with many members who would like to use the machine or if you’re looking for a machine for your office, this might not be the right fit for you.
However, if you are looking for an espresso machine for personal use that will allow you to quickly brew a cup of joe before you head out for the day, this is the perfect choice for you.
A small drawback due to the low price is that unlike many other espresso machines on the market, the DeLonghi EC155 has a body made primarily out of plastic. Unfortunately, this means that it is one of the less durable machines on the market.
However, if you are a beginner, it is your safest choice as it provides an affordable option for you to test out the process and use it without getting overwhelmed. You can always upgrade to a more custom and manual espresso machine more suited to your tastes later!
