I purchased this in 2004 as a Christmas present for my boyfriend. Since then it has been used at least once daily and has been wonderful! After reading the other reviews I felt compelled to write a review because I work at a coffee bar and feel that I am uniquely qualified to write a response.Pros: First let me start with the coffee maker, this machine makes PHENOMINAL coffee!! Many people have not only complemented the flavor of the coffee but also the style of this machine, it's not stainless steel, but that doesn't mean that it looks cheap by any means.The gold tone filter is wonderful because you will never have to buy another coffee filter ever again. As far as filter maintenance is concerned, you do need to dump the used grounds into the garbage and rinse it out with water after every use, but that doesn't take more than a few seconds. I do clean the filter every month or so with dish detergent so that the coffee stays just as good as it was the first day of use.Another reviewer mentioned that the coffee didn't stop dripping when they pulled the coffee caraf out.All I can say to that is yes, the coffee will continue to drip until it's completely done brewing. We have never once had ANY problems like this with the machine.
Now for the espresso side, I'm going to address a few concerns from other reviews.For starters it takes 5 minutes of preheating time before the machine is ready to brew the espresso NOT 30!At the coffee bar where I work, we only use espresso pods. Illy pods are only a few dollars more than their ground espresso and are deffinitely worth every single cent for not having to deal with grounds. When brewing the espresso on this machine I should mention that the water will not shut off on its own so it needs to be watched and measured while being brewed. Depending on the pod and whether it's a single or double will determine how many shots of espresso it is supposed to make.A single pod should be used for a single shot of espresso 1 1/2 oz. - 2oz.(1/4 cup).A double pod would be good for 3 oz. - 4 oz.(1/3-1/2 cup). We have not once had an issue with watered down espresso. If more water is used than that, then the espresso will be watered down, if using ground coffee beans instead of espresso beans, then it's not going to be as strong. Coffee and espresso are different in a few very important ways, trust me.
Cons: Something to keep in mind if you have a minimal amount of counter space is that this machine is somewhat bigger than your average coffee maker. Something also worth mentioning is the steam arm, although it can be detatched from the machine to be cleaned, if it's not cleaned almost immediately I can see it being a HUGE pain in the neck to clean.
Overall, we have been super happy with this machine and its quality.I bought it on ebay for $250 in October of 2004 and has been worth every single penny since then.
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Product Description:
Delonghi Caffe' nero Three in One combination Pump Easpresso, Cappuccino and Coffee Maker- Three in One machine prepares coffee, cappuccino and espresso. It can also make latte or hot chocolate perfectly.Dual Removable water tanks, easy to use controls, and anti-drop design.
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