De’Longhi Eletta Review
One-touch cappuccino button and 13 adjustable settings
In-depth review for one of the top automatic bean-to-cup machines
Fresh, fast and fully automatic. Could this be the all-in-one coffee machine that has been missing from your home?
Overview of the new cappuccino machine by De’Longhi
The Eletta by De’Longhi is a sleek machine that uses advanced settings and automated features which can be customised to create coffee for your specific taste preferences.
With fresh coffee beans and milk, this machine can essentially bring you your very own in-house barista, so you can get your favourite coffee drinks at the touch of a button.
There is an integrated bean grinder which can be adjusted to change the coffee taste (making it stronger or smoother), plus it has a section to use pre-ground coffee. So, there are quite a few options here in terms of bean-to-cup customisation. You can also change the milk settings for milky lattes or strong, frothy coffees.
Pros
- Fully automatic with 13 adjustable settings to suit your preferences.
- Uses fresh milk and coffee beans (or pre-ground coffee).
- Integrated coffee grinder.
- Automatic milk frother.
- Auto shut-off and energy saving.
Cons
- The integrated bean hopper can make it hard to swap beans out (if you want to change to different/fresh beans).
- Quite a large machine.
Breakdown of the Eletta and its functions
It is an easily programmable machine, so even though it is fully automatic, you can make drink variations and customise pre-set drinks. A bonus is that the Eletta remembers these settings, so you can get your favourite drink whenever you want.
Want a larger cappuccino? Consider it done. Prefer less milk in your coffee? Go for it. It’s basically like having a barista on your kitchen counter.
Below is a breakdown of each function of the Eletta and how to use it to create great-tasting coffee.
A. This is where fresh coffee beans (or pre-ground coffee) is stored, ready for extraction. Just in front of the bean compartment, there is a silver rack which acts as a heated cup shelf. You can store cups here to keep them warm before making your drink.
B. LED screen and sensitive touch control panel. There are no bulky buttons and knobs on this machine, a minor detail but one that adds further sophistication to this machine. (Scroll down to see the control panel explained in depth).
C. This is where coffee gets expressed for single or double espressos. The spout can be adjusted to suit different cup sizes.
D. Milk container for the use of heating up and frothing milk. You can change the dial on the milk container to adjust the intensity of froth for your drinks (from a little to a lot of froth). Plus, there is a ‘clean’ setting to rinse the nozzle.
P.S. The benefit of this detachable milk container is that it can also be stored in the fridge when not in use.
E. This is the drip tray, where excess water and other spillages will go. It keeps things tidy and can be easily taken out for rinsing. It is also useful when the machine goes through rinse cycles (which happens when you turn the machine on and off).
F. Menu button – gives you access to the menu and is also used to exit the menu when needed.
G. OK button – select the function you require.
H. This button allows you to select the coffee quantity you wish to choose (if you prefer short or long coffee).
I. This button allows you to select the coffee taste you desire (you can choose to have stronger or milder tasting coffee).
J. Hot water button, which can be used when making an americano, a tea or simply to heat up a mug before using.
K. This button is used to create a quick, long coffee.
L. This is the cappuccino button for a quick, easy cappuccino. It is also an arrow button, so when you are in the menu you can use this button to scroll through the options.
M. This is where you select the type of milk you would like based on your drink preference. It is also an arrow button to allow you to scroll through options when in the menu setting.
N. One cup option.
O. Two cups option.
How much is it going to cost to buy and then maintain this machine?
The initial cost of this machine is around £499 (at the time of writing), a price that reflects the great quality it offers. It has everything you need for an automatic bean-to-cup coffee machine.
The only additional costs will be the products you buy to run the machine, such as: coffee beans, cleaning products and any extras.
This machine produces barista standard drinks at a fraction of the price you would pay in a coffee shop, so it is well worth the investment!
What have we learnt?
This review has shown us that the De’Longhi Eletta cappuccino machine can deliver a variety of drink options quickly and with pressing only a few buttons. Plus, with the customisable settings, you can tailor the Eletta to make your perfect drink, and the machine will remember those preferences!
The great thing about having a fully-automatic coffee machine is that you will get the same results every time you use it.
So, if you are happy with a machine that will deliver you quality coffee, every day without having to put in much work, then this machine will meet your needs.
But if you are looking for a bean-to-cup machine that allows you to have more control over your coffee-making experience, then you might want to have a look at the Barista Express which is a similar price range but certainly not automatic.