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De’Longhi All-in-One Coffee & Espresso Machine Review: We Tried It Out!


Earlier this year, I had a thought: “I should become a coffee person.” I figured I should abandon my chemically-insane energy drinks and start drinking that mature bean water. Step one: acquire a coffeemaker. It took a little while, but when you wish upon a star, all your dreams will come true. The nice folks at De’Longhi sent over their All-in-One Coffee & Espresso Machine to see if I could finally grow up. (Spoilers: I couldn’t, but it’s still a very nice appliance.)

Key disclaimers: De’Longhi gifted me the machine used for this review and Death Wish Coffee was kind enough to send over a spread of coffees for me to test. And, while I am totally inexperienced in the coffee world, I do live with an ex-barista who was more than happy to give experienced notes and guidance through the beginning of my coffee journey.

De’Longhi All-in-One Coffee & Espresso Machine De’Longhi All-in-One Coffee & Espresso Machine
De’Longhi All-in-One Coffee & Espresso Machine ($379.95)

Pros: This machine looks good on the kitchen counter. De’Longhi did a good job putting two different machines with disparate needs into one concise package. While the espresso side won’t impress the snobbiest of coffee people, it’s a good starter system with a straightforward steam wand and swappable heads to customize the total volume of espresso you end up with. I personally loved the safety feature attached to the steam wand; you have to hit a button and turn a dial before anything is dispensed. One groggy mispress won’t introduce you to “authentic” high-velocity steam. The recovering barista in my life loved the 24-hour brew timer function. The coffeemaker takes a reasonable 5 minutes to brew a 12oz cup at default settings, so forgetting to set the timer doesn’t mean you have to reach for the instant coffee. Using the “BOLD” function that slows the water flow through the coffee grounds will take a little longer (or a lot longer, if you’re brewing a full pot), but the results are worth it. Timed brews can be made in standard or BOLD mode. We also absolutely loved the metal filter—less paper waste is always a good thing, and it’s easy to clean. And for the D.I.N.K.s with differing coffee needs, don’t worry: You can operate the espresso machine and coffeemaker simultaneously.

Cons: While many De’Longhi machines have built-in coffee bean grinders, this one doesn’t. If that’s important to you, you’ll want to look into De’Longhi’s other offerings. But this is the only De’Longhi combination coffee-and-espresso maker. You’ll be spending a bit more money on two separate machines if freshly-ground beans and espresso are that important to you.

Credit: Liv Averett / De’Longhi

Is the De’Longhi All-in-One Coffee & Espresso Machine worth the money?

Folks, that’s utterly dependent on how much of a coffee person you are—and how busy you are. If coffee addiction ranges from “I get Starbucks most mornings” to “I have to have perfect microfoam in my flat white or the whole day is ruined,” I’d easily recommend this machine to anyone in the middle. Since this is both an espresso machine and a coffeemaker, the cost is a step above “entry level” for either. The coffeemaker half of this machine is an excellent investment for folks with a consistent schedule who want their coffee the same way at the same time every day. If you’re an espresso fan, you will love this machine from a budget perspective. De’Longhi espresso machines range from $100 to over $1,000—this will run you a reasonable ~$400 or much less on sale.

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