I spent some time researching the different coffee machines and couldn’t understand the huge price difference. It comes down to whether you want the machine to freshly grind beans and whether it has a pump to push hot water through the coffee or uses steam pressure. Also automatic frothing makes a cost difference. The more expensive ones grind beans, then heat the water to about 85C and then pump it through the coffee and froth the milk. Steam often burns the coffee and the taste is not as good.
The most expensive De Longhi looks better with more stainless steel and digital settings. This model makes the same great coffee. It does take lots of experimenting to get what you want but I now enjoy, at the push of one button, a perfect cappuccino every day and finding it interesting to use different beans. This machine is really easy to maintain, clean and fill. Beware it is a big machine and can dominate a small kitchen.
July 18, 2010 | 
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I spent some time researching the different coffee machines and couldn’t understand the huge price difference. It comes down to whether you want the machine to freshly grind beans and whether it has a pump to push hot water through the coffee or uses steam pressure. Also automatic frothing makes a cost difference. The more expensive ones grind beans, then heat the water to about 85C and then pump it through the coffee and froth the milk. Steam often burns the coffee and the taste is not as good.
The most expensive De Longhi looks better with more stainless steel and digital settings. This model makes the same great coffee. It does take lots of experimenting to get what you want but I now enjoy, at the push of one button, a perfect cappuccino every day and finding it interesting to use different beans. This machine is really easy to maintain, clean and fill. Beware it is a big machine and can dominate a small kitchen.