
First… I’m not an employee of Espressione…
I’ve read many reviews on this item, most of them, not very positive. I thought I would add my 2 cents as I have had this machine for a little over 2 months.
Let’s start with day 1. Dead on Arrival. Bummer. Well, it was easy enough to return to the place I purchased (Sams). They sent me a new one within 3 days, and I was excited to get started. Before you buy this machine, make sure you make this checklist:
1. I have a decent conical burr grinder ( )
2. I am aware that I need to buy fresh beans to get real crema ( )
3. I have a decent tamper in the 58mm variety ( )
4. I am not a total espresso geek, but I have owned a cheap machine or two ( )
5. I never pay retail for espresso machines ( )
If you’ve checked most of these, feel free to continue, if you haven’t, don’t buy this machine. It’s not for you. If you’re an uber espresso geek, go buy your PID’d Rancilio Silvia or your Le Lit. You don’t belong here. This machine has an aluminum boiler that has heat issues just like the rest of the lower grade machines do. It does hold heat better than most, but seriously, if you’re in the $600 market, you shouldn’t be looking at this machine. You can get this machine at “other” vendors in the $230 range. And for that price, there isn’t a whole lot that’s better. Maybe a Gaggia… but I’m sick of those pieces of plastic.
Physical Traits: It’s pretty… Very pretty. It’s also pretty solid and heavy at 24ish lbs. It is tall, and yes, you do have to hold on while attaching the portafilter. However, it’s not as bad as previous reviewers have stated. The portafilter is almost as heavy as my Reneka Viva single group commercial machine at work. It has a very nice (and handy) temperature gauge on the top of the machine that is very useful.
Espresso:
Probably the best part of this said portafilter is that it has options for brewing espresso. If you have a decent grinder, you can remove the “crema enhancing” disks inside and use it’s regular filter basket just like a higher end machine (a serious plus for me…). The pump has plenty of pressure to press fine ground espresso and make wonderful crema (as long as your beans are fresh). Some reviewers have stated the espresso is cold. Here’s my typical process:
1. Fire up the machine into the standby position (heats boiler to just about 100 degrees C)
2. Once the temp is up, for the first shot of the day I do a quick blank shot to keep the portafilter warm.
3. I warm my cup up with warm water
4. Pull the shot. Enjoy.
I’m guessing people find the espresso cold is the massive portafilter is cold. Once it’s warm, it stays warm. But honestly, I’ve had some pretty nice shots.
Steam:
Yup, it pretty much sucks in from the factory form. The machine makes plenty of steam for my latte’s, but not without modification. The tip they give you for the wand is awwwwfuuuullll. Replace it with somethign… or trim it down. I used my Delonghi Ec155 tip on mine and it makes nice micro foam. But the original allows too much air into the mix. Foul bubbly milk… no thanks.
Yes, the wand is too close to the machine, but I have got used to it. It’ not that big of an issue, and quite frankly I’m not that picky for $230 bucks shipped. If I were spending $700, I’d be furious.
Well I think that just about wraps it up. I really appreciate good espresso. Sure, there are plenty of better machines out there, but this one suits me just fine. Hope you enjoyed this review and that it is somewhat sobering.
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I needed to add this review after I purchased this product and reread the reviews that helped me make the decision to buy. It is now obvious to me that these were paid reviews. A few of them appear in exact or similar wording on several websites.
This is a nice looking machine but out of the box we were disappointed with the quality of most of the parts. The drip tray is a very thin metal and even worse are the plastic levers and steam wand. It does come with a quality portafilter and we did really like the temp gauge on the top as well as the slick blue lights.
If you have a good grinder, the espresso this machine produces is decent with some crema, but the bigger problem is the steam wand. It only moves forward and back, and is very short – you will either be holding the pitcher throughout steaming or you will need to stack something under your pitcher which is always likely to spill (and isn’t all of this fiddling and rigging one of the reasons you wanted to upgrade in the first place?). And the production of steam is just poor. You can pay much less for many of the budget machines and they will serve you much better.
Bottom line, please do not buy this machine unless you can find it for less than $300 (I haven’t seen it for less than $400 so I’m talking a closeout price here). We returned ours and purchased a Rancilio Silvia for $550 and it is a quality piece of machinery inside and out. If you are looking for a machine that is more practical (the Silvia has a learning curve), go with a Gaggia. This machine is lovely (from a few feet away) but not worth the money!
We absolutely love the Espressione Caffe Novecnto. It has the old world type of styling with modern convenient features. I love the pull levels like you would find in “turn of the century” (last century) type machines. Our units deliver perfectly brewed espresso coffee each and every time along with plenty of powerful, dry steam for creating milk based espresso beverages. A home run for us. Highly recommend it.
Love the look but have tried three different types of espresso, tight tamp, loose tamp etc. Have probably made 20+ espressos and cant seem to figure out the secret sauce to making it work,also cant find a customer service person to help me.
It looks absolutely great, but that’s not why you spend $400-500 for an espresso machine. This is my first machine at this level, so I’m not a complete expert, but I do know a good shot when I drink it. It took me some time to get used to it. The portafilter needs some serious muscle to tighten. I use the rail on top to provide leverage and it has actually gotten easier with time. The most important thing to know about the Novecento is that it has a powerful pump, so you have to use a fine grind and tamp REALLY hard. I bought a 58mm metal tamper Rattleware 58-Milimeter Round-Handled Tamper, Long and it made all the difference. The plastic one provided is almost useless. Properly ground and tamped, the espresso is excellent with plenty of crema. It takes a couple minutes to go from brewing temp up to steaming temp. The steam wand is close to the body and does not allow for a lot of room to maneuver the milk pitcher, but what can I say, it works! I just hold the pitcher there until it’s ready – under a minute. Overall, quite functional and as I said, beautiful.
I purchased this model from Fry’s in 2002 and today I’m still enjoying my morning cup of joe today like I have for 7 days a week for 7 years. There have been some issues like the water leaking out of the basket, but the fix for that is to clean the spray hole and the problem went away. We use the espresso side about 4-6 times per month and never had a problem with it. We get our coffee green and roast it at home and this coffee maker has been the best brewer, spoken from a true coffee snob..:) When I saw the low star rating, I had to provide my review to show that there are some longer lasting models out there. When or if my machine breaks, I’ll be replacing it with this same model: DeLonghi BCO70 Caffe Nabucco Espresso, Cappuccino, and Coffee Bar
This is the second exact coffee maker I purchased. I love to have a coffee lattee every morning and this maker provides that with ease. I loved mine so much I purchased the second one as a birthday present for my daughter. The fill tank is convienent and clean up is a breeze. I don’t drink expresso so this part of my machine has never gotten used. I have not had any problem pouring with this machine nor has any thing broken and I use it every day,
I bought this product about a month ago because I really enjoy coffee and I thought an espresso/cappuccino maker [...] isnt bad. when I received it in the mail I was really excited. About a week later was the first time that I actually had time to use it. The espresso part of the machine didnt work. The knobs to adjust the how strong of coffee you want didnt turn. It just looks nice in my kitchen. So basically I paid [...] for just a regular coffee maker. It doesn’t have a timer on it so when you wake up in the morning the coffee is already ready. It doesn’t have anything special about it. This was really a waste of money.
I am happy to say this company listened to the consumer. They have fixed the caraffe that dripped so badly. This coffee pot is great! My original coffee pot was purchased for me 6 years ago. The heating element finally went out. I purchased a less expensive one and hated it. I bought a new one of these and discovered that DeLonghi listened. On the steamer side I heat my water to use as steam for hot cocoa or a latte and can use it as I need to. It does not drip out as the water does in cheaper models. This is one product that you definitely get what you pay for. I can say 6 months of the local coffee shop costs will be saved if you buy this and use it at home.
I bought this machine strictly for cappucino-making. I’ve used the coffee part maybet twice since I’ve had it, so my review is specifically for the espresso/cappucino making aspect.
I had this machine for two months when the little red part in the milk tank broke (I believe they call this the emulsifier). Because it was so new, it was under warranty, and they were to ship me out a whole new milk tank assembly within a week. That was THREE MONTHS ago, and I still haven’t gotten a new red part, nor do I have any idea if or when I will ever get it.
The good news is, the thing makes DELICIOUS cappucinos. That’s about the only good news. The bad news is:
*The red part is cheap plastic and broke easily (I see I’m not the only one with this problem.)
*Getting the coffee to come out hot is a VERY tricky process. I’ve learned to turn it on and then wait four minutes, about the time the “cappucino light” comes on, and THEN turn the dial to get the espresso to come out. Once I have enough, I then turn the dial back, wait for the cappucino light to come on again, and THEN I let the milk froth. It usually comes out nice and hot at this point. But it took me a MONTH to figure this out, and this is NOT what the directions tell you–the directions do NOT make HOT capuccino or lattes.
*The clock is a waste. Even if I reset it, within a couple of days, it’s 8-10 minutes fast. Always.
*The markings on the caraffe are cheaply applied. There is NOTHING in the directions that say you can’t put the parts in the dishwasher except for the espresso grounds basket. But if you do, you’ll lose all your markings VERY quickly. I had to mark mine with a permanent marker because ALL my markings are gone.
If I could go back in time, I’d buy something else. I do a LOT of work to get cappucinos in the morning, and for $180, I should have to do VERY LITTLE WORK at all.
We included this item on our wedding registry and were excited when we received it as a gift. However, after only 2 months use, the plastic basket holder broke off. After much time, I found it impossible to repair. In addition to poor construction, the coffee maker was extraordinarily slow in brewing a pot.
If you need a coffee maker, go with Cuisinart (which is what our Delonghi was replaced with). It is 1000x better than this pile of junk.
The espresso maker on this one is awesome. I love the milk frothing mechanism. Mine took the temperature just fine. The coffee maker is fine. It has a water filter and everything. The problem with this model is that it is priced highly but it is cheaply made. The handle to the espresso cup broke within a few months. The swing out coffee filter holder on the coffee part is not designed to come out for cleaning. If you take it out, you will not get it back in without breaking it. I had this thing for about a year and I can’t use it anymore because it is falling apart. I’d stay away from this, but try to find an espresso maker with the same features.
I registered for this machine for my wedding. Within 6 months it was fried. The red power light started blinking and wouldn’t stop and then finally it just wouldn’t turn on. DeLonghi said that I had to send it out for repair even though it was under warranty. They gave me a service center somewhere in the back woods of PA. Every time I called to inquire about the machine I was told it was almost fixed or that the guy had arthritis flare ups and was backed up. When I asked how long it would take he said more than a day but less than a year. Never did get the machine back. After literally 9 months of complaining to DeLonghi and being passed around to several people including a supervisor that never calls back they got sick of hearing from me and sent me a new one and guess what? IT’S DOING THE SAME THING AGAIN!!! They charge an arm and a leg for CHEAPLY MADE PRODUCTS AND EVEN CHEAPER CUSTOMER SERVICE. Most companies these days have no problem sending you a free replacement for products under warranty, not these guys. Oh, and after they sent me to this repair center, they took them off their list and are no longer sending people there. Do yourself a favor and NEVER BY ANYTHING DELONGHI!!!!
For a low end machine it seems to work very well. The big drawback with a machine like this is that you have to time frothing and brewing very carefully. Would certainly be much better with a switch to move steam from brewing to frothing, but I guess what do you expect for [money amount]on christmas special. In any case, I use mine 7 days a week for lates and have had no problems for the last 7 months. Rubber o-ring pressure seals are much better than more expensive “cheap” models I’ve used. I’m still looking for a better maker but after reading reviews it seems even the expensive models blow pressure seals and heating elements. This works.
You have to watch this appliance carefully or it will melt and likely catch fire. The first time I tried it out I ran water through it with no coffee, as suggested in the manual to get rid of “any new smell.” I did not switch the unit off and after about 5 minutes it had started smoking profusely and the plastic was severely melted on the vertical front surface (presumably in front of the heater coil).
The manual does say to turn it off when done brewing, but it neglects to mention what will happen if you don’t!
This is a dangerous design; it’s an accident waiting to happen. Sooner or later you will get distracted by the kids, dog, phone or whatever, then watch out!