Review: DeLonghi Magnifica Coffee Maker
My mother has always loved a good cup of coffee and having coveted her coffee maker for some time my husband and I were very lucky to have been given a DeLonghi Magnifica Coffee Maker as a new home gift from my parents, and thank goodness because we have needed the caffeine to keep us going whilst un-boxing and settling in!
The DeLonghi Magnifica Coffee Maker is a bean-to-cup machine which can be used with coffee beans (it can hold up to 200g of beans) or ground coffee and has a traditional milk frother which heats the milk and produces some great milk foam. There is an integrated grinder which has 7 adjustable coarseness settings as well as settings to change the quantities of water to coffee so you can really customise your brew. You can also choose your size of cup depending on how you feel because the machine has an adjustable coffee dispenser to accommodate either full size or espresso cups.
The machine has a special function which means the core of the machine is heated, ensuring it is always at the perfect temperature for espresso, no matter how long the interval between cups. Another great feature is the fully removable brewing unit which makes cleaning the inside of the machine really easy. Not forgetting the automatic shut-off of machine which is handy for when certain husbands forget they have left the machine on!
So, what is it like to use? Well, I have to admit I struggled the first few times I used the machine and later discovered it was because I was being a bit too impatient and was pressing buttons when the machine was still warming up. After I realised my mistake and went a bit slower it was actually very simple – let the machine warm up and run a cleaning cycle and when the lights stop blinking select the one cup or two cup options and the machine will produce a shot of coffee depending on your setting choices.
The next step is to warm up your milk – press the steaming button and allow the machine time to warm up, again when the light stops blinking it’s ready, place the milk container under the frother and turn the knob to start the steam. My parents also gave us an awesome milk thermometer which tells us when the milk is hot enough – and when that happens simply combine the milk and the coffee! If you’re feeling cheeky you can add some flavoured syrup to the coffee for an extra boost.
The DeLonghi Magnifica Coffee Maker is certainly my favourite new home gift I have ever received and I look forward to many delicious cups of coffee in the months to come. I award it 4 out of 5 stars for producing delicious, hot coffee every time. I have taken away one star for it being a little slow which caused my confusion to begin with, but would certainly recommend it to any coffee lover!
