De'Longhi ECAM22110SB Magnifica XS Fully Automatic Espresso and Cappuccino Machine with Manual Cappuccino System, Stainless Steel, Silver, 13.8"

It took me a long time to pull the trigger on this hefty purchase and because there was no indication that it was ok to use with regular beans I was hesitant. My sister has one in Europe that I loved and she uses drip German beans and assured me that I can use regular drip beans. My husband was not convinced. We nervously bought it(no returns) and I have to report that this machine makes the creamiest, smoothest, non bitter coffee ever. The coffee is that good. I use drip beans from Canada which also makes a difference. The machine was so easy to set up and I love how you fill the bean reservoir once a week and the coffee grinds into a reservoir that does not need daily emptying. It also self cleanse everyday after use. It is a big machine so needs a designated space on your counter but it’s a handsomely designed piece. I also love the little side arm frother that actually works on oat milk. I am very pleased with this machine.

Just received the Magnifica XS and am reporting my first impressions of this machine. Beautiful, streamlined well-made machine. Easy to setup. Truly bean-to-cup espresso. First sample was delicious and every bit as good as a Starbucks although I have increased the strength a bit for my next cappuccino. Fully automatic for coffee or espresso and manual for steamed milk, which is just fine at this price point. A breeze to clean the steam wand and the coffee machine cleans itself as needed. If you’re a Starbucks snob like me you like espresso and/or a latte/cappuccino that is not too bitter. So I also recommend Lavazza super crema, which create a beautifully smooth espresso. And if you read the other reviews you will find that the #1 complaint about this machine (and most other espresso machines BTW) is that oily beans can clog the grinder. So use a bean like Lavazza that is proven not to clog and also produces delicious espresso and you can’t go wrong with this machine. Update after 1 month of use: makes best lattes/cappuccinos I’ve ever had using the Lavazza super crema. No clogs in grinder whatsoever. Perfect combination with the Magnifica XS. Update after 3 months of use: still reliably makes best cup of coffee ever. But want to add a tip for maintenance of steaming wand. Repeated removal of plastic tip on wand to clean may make it difficult to slide it back on over o-ring. Suggest you get some food grade silicone lubricant for o-rings (available on Amazon of course) and keep the o-ring lubricated to allow easy reassembly of wand. I also ordered some replacement wand o-rings from eReplacements.com P/N 5313217751 to keep on hand.

I chose this to replace my 12-year-old Jura, which had a broken brew unit. Frankly, I was dubious that anything other than another Jura would make such a quality cup of coffee. What sets the De'longhi apart — and why I purchased it — is the reason I decided not to go with another Jura. Many of the things in a Jura that require maintenance or replacement aren't accessible to the average human. If it stops working correctly or breaks, you're in for an expensive adventure. The De'Longhi brew unit slips out for cleaning. That alone was reason enough to buy it, but further proof came from the espresso and coffee that are just as excellent as what my defunct Jura could produce.

I really wanted to like this machine. It was a replacement for a Gaggia Platinum that died on us after a few years. I liked that this machine was more compact and had a front loading water reservoir, and that WAS nice. Sadly, that is where the good stopped. I owned and operated a coffee shop for years and I know how to froth milk. This machine simply would NOT froth. I spent several hours on the phone with a very helpful customer service rep, and we tried everything, up to and including an all new frother wand with o rings, etc., but STILL it would not froth. I have returned it. And yes, I DO know how to froth milk, I've been doing it at home and professionally for 15 years. And if you are a lover of cappucino or "real"macchiato, you know how important the foamed milk is. Nothing can replace it's deep taste or silky texture. I have noticed a LOT of people commenting about the feeding of "shiny" beans into the hopper and how they do not pass through. Allow me to explain that the shine on the bean is the oil from the inside of the bean that has migrated to the outside of the bean. This means that the volatile coffee oils inside the bean that flavor the coffee do NOT flavor the coffee, but instead float on top of this. This makes for oily, bitter, coffee. A shiny bean is a bitter bean that is overcooked. Despite what everyone thinks because they have been drinking at Starbuck's for years, coffee is not supposed to be bitter. It is supposed to be smooth, not burnt and acrid. Buy a medium roast organic espresso bean that has no shine. You can thank me later.

After wanting one of these for close to a decade, I finally decided to purchase this DeLonghi Compact Automatic in early November 2015. It was my Christmas Present. As I spend most of the November and December at work, we usually work 80 to 100 hour weeks during holidays, I decided to bring it to work and let everyone enjoy it with me. It was also supposed to be a stress test for the machine. There is about 20 of us and none of us knew how to operate it, so I figured, if I got a lemon, we would use it in semi commercial setting and if it had any defects or weak spots, we'd find out really quick. To make a long story short, the machine is easy to set up, easy to operate, easy to maintain, even in office settings. It works wonderfully. More over, everyone in the office stopped drinking coffee at home and was looking forward to come to work and have their first coffee, there. WARNING: The coffees this machine makes do get highly addictive. I no longer enjoy a coffee made by a regular coffee maker. At the end of December I took the machine home. We all got back to work after our holiday break and the only complaints I've heard from the employees were that they miss the DeLonghi. I have it at home now. But I miss it in the office. Fortunately, my birthday is coming up in February so I have decided what I want for my B-Day: second one of these machines, so I can have one at work and one at home. Problem solved.

I did a lot of due diligence on YouTube and the internet when I wanted to buy a full range espresso maker. There were several finalists, I chose the Magnifica XS for what were basically personal reasons because the best coffee makers all have their plusses and minuses. The DeLonghi name, good references, and rugged good looks while providing the opportunity to 'tune' my brews helped me decide. For three months and 14 gallons of spring water filtered thru OEM filters I made great espressos, cappuchinos, lattes and Americanos. Then, bang, out of the blue the frother stopped working. Yes, I had been disassembling it daily into three pieces and surgically cleaning all parts. It wasn't clogged. I had even descaled the machine one time even though I have soft water and the machine did not request a descaling. When the hot water is turned on the water stream is no longer strong and continuous, instead it runs weakly for 5-15 seconds and then just sputters or even stops. The steamer function results in water drops and very light steam floating out of the wand. No sizzle, no blast, nothing with which to froth. Customer service had me start from Off and try different things. No luck. They said I probably had air in the pump but repeated cycling with eventually a gallon of water made zero difference. Now I have to send it in to a repair center where they do promise to turn it around it 24 hours. At least that is encouraging. However, I'll miss it when it's gone because itcontinues to make perfect Longos and Americanos.. As others remarked, oily beans are a big problem with this machine. They don't feed. I got around that by pushing the beans downward into the grinder after each cup. Realistically now, are oily beans a shock to DeLonghi? Shouldn't a machine of this price feed oily beans? Dry beans feed perfectly. Overall I would have given the machine 5 Stars, even with the failure to feed oily beans problem, but of course how can I highly rate the perfect coffee maker...which crapped out on me? Update: Customer service sent me return packaging and very promptly had my machine back to my house in less than a week from the day I shipped it! It has worked properly since then and I'm back to steaming and frothing like a pro! Why not 5 Stars? This machine needs a low water warning or shut-off. Otherwise you can get half or a quarter cup of coffee because there was not enough water in the reservoir. Yes, I know I could look each time, but you know how it goes... If you're better at checking than I am, well, you'd give it Five Stars.

We are 2 adults that drink on average 1-2 cups of coffee a day, mainly in the mornings, and we do enjoy a good cup of coffee. So after trying Nespresso cups, Keurig and few other cheaper espresso machines decided its time to invest in a real coffee/ espresso machine. After spending a good amount of time doing online research we have come to the conclusion this is the best machine for our needs. Placed the order, waited full of excitement for the delivery day, unwrapped the machine with great caution, plugged in, put some coffee beans, filled the water tank and waited for the magic to happen....Well....nothing happened...!..How can this be? its the best of the best... Well u can only imagine the disappointment seeing there is power in the machine since the light to notify about the empty tank of water are coming on but this is where the magic stops since the rest of the machine is dead as a door nail... a pretty damn expensive door nail.... Of course this happened on a Friday evening and DeLonghi customer service is M-F regular business hours. Thank god for the amazing Amazon customer service and so the next Monday we had a brand new machine at our door. This one worked from the first try....and what a machine it is... . Normally I would be pretty upset considering that such an expensive machine was faulty out of the box, but the coffee that it makes...makes up for any inconvenience. When you first start using it you have to read the manual...otherwise nothing makes any sense. Its a european brand after all and the various combinations of blinking logos for whenever something needs adjustment or cleaning are not very intuitive. Also programming auto shut off and calibrating for water type in your area requires following instructions. Once you start using it things are pretty straight forward. The great things about this machine: its very compact, quiet, warms up quickly, smooth grinder, makes amazing coffee. When I first bought it I thought I will be using the pre ground coffee a lot more, thinking it will be faster and quieter (when making coffee at 6 am). Honestly it probably takes 20 seconds longer to make coffee from freshly ground beans and it tastes so much better. Overall very happy with the purchase.

The DeLonghi Magnifica XS failed to deliver proper espresso: mainly, it extracted 2oz in just about 10 seconds, not 1oz in 25-30. At 20 seconds, it nearly fills a 10oz cup. This is more a coffee machine than an espresso machine. Despite meticulous adherence to instructions, multiple adjustments, and finest grind, extraction remained flawed. This is not what I expected nor what’s advertised. So, I called Delonghi customer care, and after a 40+ minute hold (Monday morning call), their "coffee expert" spent about 30 minutes troubleshooting, concluding: "…there is nothing else we can do, but we do have our own beans, try using our beans." Absurd, I did not know if I should laugh or cry! Feeling deflated, I decided to reach out to Amazon and requested a callback; my phone rang in just 2 minutes. I explained my issue, and they resolved the problem to my full satisfaction in under 10 minutes—yet another exemplary service example by Amazon, where I'll be shopping for another machine that can hopefully deliver as advertised. Highly disappointed in DeLonghi and thankful Amazon stepped up to take care of business.