DeLonghi EC270 Espresso

In comparison to some of the other coffee machines we’ve reviewed, the DeLonghi EC270 at first appears rather unassuming. It’s rather small, there’s no digital programmer and, to top it all off, there’s a gigantic crater in the place where you’d normally put your coffee cup. Weird, huh?

In fact, this basic looking machine has more in common with traditional espresso making equipment – i.e., it’s better – than most of the machines you’ll find at even double the cost. It is a combi machine, allowing you to use regular grounds or ESE (Easy Serving Espresso) pods. Depending on how much of a hurry you’re in, you could grind your own beans and put them in the machine to turn them into delicious java. It has an inbuilt tamping device, so you’d be advised to grind ‘em fine for an exceptional espresso. The pod function is brilliant if you’re short on time or if you’re serving a lot of people and the rigmarole of refilling will try your patience.

The DeLonghi EC270 is a very well equipped appliance considering the low price. For example, it has a cup warmer and a steaming arm so you can make cappuccinos too. DeLonghi are accomplished coffee machine designers, and the EC270 boasts some quality features like dual thermostats to regulate both water and steam temperature. It is designed for quick and efficient coffee making – the self priming system keeps 1L water tank close to the boil for fast brewing, and there are only three buttons to choose from: on/off, one for coffee and the last for cappuccino.

Unfortunately my uncle Ben’s old saying is true: ‘with great coffee machine prices comes great responsibility.’ You’ll find that a lot of this machine is plastic, which is not really a problem at the start, but you’ll want to do some regular maintenance and cleaning of the DeLonghi EC270. Melted plastic makes foul coffee and a spurt of boiling espresso from a poorly maintained 15 bar pump is definitely something you’ll want to be out of the way for.