DeLonghi BAR32 Espresso Machine

***see below. Simply put I see this as a great stepping stone machine. The price is perfect (if I were to buy one now as I received this as a gift). If you like espresso..I would recommend skipping the steam-driven and going with a machine like this. I have only made doubles. Usually I will make two before work and the speed of heating the boiler is excellent (having caused a small explosion with my old steam-driven one- i was wary when I removed the portafilter to make the 2nd double the first time i used the machine). I have read reviews criticizing the machine's ability to make a double...and I cannot comment on this. I can say that the quality is far better than steam-driven espresso and moka-style espresso. I have also read where the steamer is poor too...but as a simple straight espresso drinker again I cannot comment. Advice: I also have read where people do not like the rattling of the tank when the pump is working. I simply lift the lid of the tank during this process and the sound is greatly reduced. ***A brief background to put my review in perspective. I received this as a birthday gift...asking for a real espresso machine. I had a steam-driven machine that was getting old. When i received this gift, my dad had also bought a tamper...which to be honest I had no idea espresso was tamped.....so in sum I am a newbie to espresso...even though I have loved espresso for some time.

After 4 years of daily use, my Bar32 finally died. It made gurgling sounds and the water leaked down thru the machine instead of coming out where it's supposed to. I wanted to do surgery on it to see if I could fix it, but alas DeLonghi doesn't want us working on their machines because they put them together with weird screws.

How Long Have I Been Using This Product?

More than 1 year

What's Best About this Product?

Value. Reliability. Nice foamy espresso!

Some Helpful Tips For Using this Product:

I used water from my under-sink reverse osmosis filter. I suspect this contributed to the long life of the machine.

My Experience With Using This Product:

Beginner

The Coffee I've Tried With This Product:

Costco

Some Improvements I Would Recommend for This Product:

The water reservoir makes a rattling noise when the pump is on.

Some of the Other Machines I've Used:

Mr. Coffee ECMP10

Well built, and stylish machine for $150, but unfortunately the espresso is not hot enough. It might be okay for some (140), but I like my quad latte at 160+, and since I am using a shot of room temperature flavor, and 1/2 (nonfat) milk, even if I heat the milk to 170, I still end up with 140 degree latte that is luke warm about halfway to work. This is my only gripe after using the machine for a couple weeks.

How Long Have I Been Using This Product?

Less than 1 month

What's Best About this Product?

Ease of use, and excellent construction/style for a $150 machine.

Some Helpful Tips For Using this Product:

Read the section here about achieving the 20-25 second pull, it works, and remember this machine uses a "light tamp" because it has the idiot-proof filter. I find that this machine cannot pull water in less than 20 seconds, and I actually prefer a 30 second shot the best, and setting of 4 on caprese burr grinder gives that, and thick crema.

My Experience With Using This Product:

Coffee Lover

The Coffee I've Tried With This Product:

Starbucks Itallian Roast

Some Improvements I Would Recommend for This Product:

The temperature of the brewed espresso in (pre-warmed) cup is too low (140), even after pulling blank shots first. They should be in the range 160 - 164.

Some of the Other Machines I've Used:

Krups FND111

The Type of Grinder I've Been Using:

burr grinder

The Make and Model of My Grinder:

Caprese

After my X3 broke, it so happens that I had to buy a replacement in a hurry and this is all my local store had. I had vouched to never buy a Delonghi again after my old Delonghi broke right after the warranty expired. Well, after the X3, it is very hard to get used to this machine. The portafilter is very, very light, small, plasticky and worse of all, there is no way to knock the grounds out of it. I've tried everything and the only way to clean it is under running water and that means used coffee grounds into the drain. Also, if you need to make couple of espresso shots, you better buy several filter cups. In terms of espresso, for some reason it makes a weaker shot than my X3 and I've tried using Illy, Lavazza in Blu and Lavazza Qualita Rossa. The Qualita Rossa in my experience works best with this machine, I get somewhat a decent cup of espresso. It seems that the Lavazza in blu is too finely grounded to work with this filter and because of the filter size, I haven't been able to find a better quality replacement.

How Long Have I Been Using This Product?

1 - 6 months

What's Best About this Product?

nothing really

My Experience With Using This Product:

Coffee Lover

The Coffee I've Tried With This Product:

illy, lavazza

Some Improvements I Would Recommend for This Product:

portafilter

Some of the Other Machines I've Used:

Francis X3