De'Longhi Magnifica ESAM4200 15-Bar Bean To Cup Espresso/Cappuccino Maker

The De'Longhi Magnifica ESAM4200 15-Bar Bean To Cup Espresso/Cappuccino Maker, is a fantastic looking machine and makes great coffee.

My website is mainly about baking bread so you could be forgiven for thinking that a page about a De’Longhi coffee maker is a bit off topic, but there is definitely a link. Because I do a lot of cooking I spend a lot of time in the kitchen where I like to have two things to hand – a radio tuned to radio 4 and a good cup of coffee. Moreover whenever visitors drop in the first thing they do is say what a lovely combination of aromas there are (coffee and bread mingling together) and what a fantastic looking machine – the coffee maker not the breadmaker.

It’s only fairly recently that I’ve become switched on to the pleasure of a good cup of coffee; I used to be happy with a cup of instant Nescafe but then we went on a self catering holiday to Northern Spain and the house we stayed in had a Bialetti Moka Express Espresso Maker. I immediately liked the classic design of the maker and then I was knocked out by the coffee it made. In fact even before drinking the coffee I liked the whole ritual that went with it

Putting water in the base

Filling the percolator with ground coffee

Screwing the two parts of the machine together

Putting the coffee maker on to heat

Beginning to smell the coffee as the hot water passed through the coffee

And finally pouring into a cup ready for drinking

I found the procedure very therapeutic and quite relaxing – much better than boiling a kettle and pouring water onto instant coffee. And I haven’t even mentioned the taste yet. The reason for this is that I’m astonished how much difference there is in taste depending on what sort of coffee beans I use. All instant coffees seem fairly similar to me, but real coffee beans all taste different; there seem to be as many subtle differences as there are in wine.

Anyway I’m rather getting off the point. When we returned home we bought a Moka Express and were very pleased with it but by now I’d gotten the coffee bug and wanted to experiment further. I knew that I wanted to try a different machine to see if it produced even better coffee – although I knew that I didn’t want anything to do with coffee pods or capsules. I was ready for mixing and grinding my own beans!!

I looked all over the internet at different reviews and was surprised at how many different machines and models there are, and what an art it seems to be to make a good cup of coffee. I even discovered that staff working in the best coffee shops are trained as Baristas. Wow, I had no idea. I really was getting hooked into a new world. Then I saw the price of the better quality espresso machines ….and nearly reached for another jar of Maxwell House. How much??? I was stunned. But then I began to justify it in my own mind

Real coffee is so much nicer than instant

The preparation of a proper cup of coffee is all part of the experience

It’s cheaper than going to Costa Coffee or Starbucks

It can be one of the pleasures of working at home

It’s a nice way to entertain friends

There’s probably a lot of nasty chemicals in instant coffee

And then the clincher – I’ll give it to my husband for his Birthday present!

So I carried on looking and became more and more drawn towards the De’Longhi range (initially because of their fantastic looks). I particularly liked the bean to cup models which grind the beans before making the drink. I knew that I wanted to experiment with grinding my own beans and a buit in burr grinder would save me having to get a separate coffee grinder or mill (taking up more shelf space) and would also mean that the ground coffee would be as fresh as possible.

In the end I plumped for the De'Longhi Magnifica ESAM4200 15-Bar Bean To Cup Espresso/Cappuccino Maker and I have to say I think I made a great choice.

Until then it had never crossed my mind to buy an expresso machine. I preferred a long drink not a thimble full. It had never crossed my mind that the espresso could be used as the foundation for lattes, cappuccinos or just bigger cups of coffee. Pretty obvious really, but I’d never twigged.

I would add that I now enjoy the occasional double espresso, so long as I also have a separate glass of water, like the Italians.

Here are some of the things I like about my De'Longhi ESAM4200 espresso maker.

The machine itself 

It looks great. It’s silver and looks awesome.

It’s big but not too big: 28.5cm wide, 37.5cm deep and 36cm high, although it is quite heavy at 10kg. It’s something else that you’ll need to leave out on your work surface, but it will achieve many admiring comments.

Pump pressure 

The pump pressure is 15 bars.

A high bar pressure is essential to make a good “crema” – this is the dark reddish-brown foam that indicates you have a proper cup of espresso. It’s all part of the espresso experience ; if the crema is right so should be the aroma, the flavour, the long-lasting aftertaste and the general feeling in the mouth. 15 bars is enough to give a good crema.

It is the pump pressure that determines the speed at which the steam hits the ground coffee. If it’s too slow the coffee can taste bitter. Again, 15 bars is a good pressure.

Wattage 

The higher the wattage the faster the water heats. This isn’t usually an issue with me as the water only takes a couple of minutes to heat anyway. The ESAN4200 has 1.2kw which is fine.

Integrated Burr grinder 

I really wanted an integrated grinder, and the one on the De’Longhi espresso maker works great. It is a burr grinder which I’m told is better than chopping, pounding or rolling. I can’t really say which is the best way to grind coffee beans but I am happy with this burr grinder – which allows you to select from 7 different levels of coarseness. I never use the option that allows you to use ready ground coffee.

The grinding coarseness adjustment knob must only be turned when the coffee grinder is on or, apparently, the machine can be damaged. Not sure why; it seems a bit counter intuitive.

Warming Tray  

In order to make a great cup of espresso, that doesn’t cool down too quickly, you need to put the coffee into a warm cup. The Magnifica ESAM4200 has a silver coloured warming tray on top of the machine. Note that it doesn’t work on eco mode (which I use in order to save on electricity) so I just pour in a little boiling water from the kettle, swirl it round and then pour it away. The reviews on Amazon say that some people use the first cleaning water that is produced when the espresso maker starts up, but I prefer boiling water from the kettle.

Manual  

It has a good manual that is worth reading. It’s really comprehensive and easy to understand . It stopped me from making a lot of mistakes, but I was starting from a low point of knowledge.

Milk Frother 

This was one of the big selling points for me. Because I like lattes I wanted a coffee maker that had a built in milk frother. The steam that comes out of the frother arm is a lot hotter than the water that makes the coffee. The water that passes through the ground coffee should not be boiling or it will adversely affect the taste of the drink. Because of this you need to let the machine cool down after using the frother and before making another espresso. There are a lot of queries about this in some of the reviews but if you follow the instructions in the manual it really isn’t a problem. All you have to do is open the milk steamer knob for around a minute and then you can start making espressos again.

I think it would be better if the milk frother arm stood out a bit more, but that’s just a minor niggle.

The frother can be easily removed so that it’s easier to clean.

Coffee Pouring Nozzle 

The coffee pouring nozzle can be raised or lowered. This is important as the spout needs to go as far into the cup as possible in order to get a good crema.

Cleaning 

The coffee machine counts how many cups of coffee have been made and then tells you when to empty the grounds. Pretty smart although I find it a bit annoying when it tells me that they need emptying but the container is only three quarters full.

A thorough clean is needed once a month, but it’s quite simple to do. The drip tray, coffee grounds bin and brew unit can all be removed and then the insides just need to be wiped clean.

Conclusion 

The De'Longhi Magnifica ESAM4200 makes excellent coffee. I had to play around with the settings before I was happy with the coffee that was produced but I think this is inevitable as everybody is looking for something a bit different.  

It’s definitely worth trying out different sorts of beans, and grinding them to different thicknesses, because then you really will get a cup of coffee to suit you. 

I’m lucky that our water comes from a well and contains no added chemicals. You may find that you’ll get a better cup of coffee if you can use water that contains no chlorine or fluoride.

I really recommend the D’Longhi ESAM4200. The recommended retail price is £399.99 but it’s always a lot cheaper than this at Amazon, and I’ve found that they nearly always over achieve their targeted delivery date.