De'Longhi EC155 and what little I know!

mawil1013

New member
Jan 25, 2014
141
0
Charlotte, NC
Visit site
I bought my first espresso maker August 01, 2009 of Amazon for $32.00. I still use it, but took it to where I work. I just bought the same maker Jan. 15, 2014 for $3.00. A few months ago purchased a burr grinder for $15.00 plus shipping.

I'm still not positive that I'm making espresso correctly after all this time, I have read that the grind should be about the size of granulated sugar, and to use the double size filter, preheat filter and filter holder, fill up a 1\3 cup with a fill time of about 20 seconds which helps determine if grind size and tamp were good, use 2\3 cup milk for latte.

Anyone got praise or criticism?
 

peterjschmidt

Active member
Oct 10, 2013
1,158
1
Milwaukee, WI
Visit site
If that's the budget a person is on, and they enjoy the results of their equipment... HOORAY!

I would strongly contend that what you're producing is espresso-like, but is not espresso. Have you been to a coffee shop where they know what they're doing and have proper equipment?

Again, I'm not knocking what you're doing, especially if you enjoy it. I'm also not trying to justify the outlay of large sums of money, so I don't feel dumb for buying expensive equipment when it could've been done for under $100. I'm just saying you may not have a good reference point for what true espresso is and how great it can be.
 

mawil1013

New member
Jan 25, 2014
141
0
Charlotte, NC
Visit site
If that's the budget a person is on, and they enjoy the results of their equipment... HOORAY!

I would strongly contend that what you're producing is espresso-like, but is not espresso. Have you been to a coffee shop where they know what they're doing and have proper equipment?

Again, I'm not knocking what you're doing, especially if you enjoy it. I'm also not trying to justify the outlay of large sums of money, so I don't feel dumb for buying expensive equipment when it could've been done for under $100. I'm just saying you may not have a good reference point for what true espresso is and how great it can be.

I have been to a local barista, I didn't note any massive difference, I bought fresh roasted beans from her, my crema might not be as consistent but most of the time my creama is worthy. With the equipment that I have I'd wager if you get quality beans you'll be hard pressed to honestly note much difference from my experiences with local Barista's and what I can pull at home, get top quality beans with a set up like mine and most average folks will get along fine. Its kinda fun with my stuff cause it keeps you on your toes, it's do it right or no cream a and I've been there before! lol
 

peterjschmidt

Active member
Oct 10, 2013
1,158
1
Milwaukee, WI
Visit site
The caveat was a coffee shop where they know what they're doing and have good equipment. Your barista may be lacking in one or both.

Again, I'm sorry for sounding contentious or snobby, but do you think there might be a good reason (beyond speed and longevity) that a coffee shop will invest $10K (most likely much more) in a grinder and machine if they could produce a similar product by spending $100?

I know that you're right about the average person getting along fine w/ good beans and a set up like yours. I also can appreciate the fun you have keeping on your toes, and trying to wring every last bit of perfection from your equipment.
 

mawil1013

New member
Jan 25, 2014
141
0
Charlotte, NC
Visit site
I'd wager that a coffee shop would spend $10k on a machine would be for a machine that would hold up to frequent use and for ease of mass producing many copies in a day and maybe ease of maintenance.
 

mawil1013

New member
Jan 25, 2014
141
0
Charlotte, NC
Visit site
I see your from around Milwaukee, great town, I was there a few times a long time ago, Went thru Mitchell Domes, saw the peacockes in the zoo, the museum, and once during labor day, went bowling and hot dogs and beer were a buck each! Stopped at a place where they had great pastrami. Only town with paved Ally's! I lived in northern Indiana back then.
 

shadow745

Well-known member
Aug 15, 2005
1,816
70
Central North Carolina
Visit site
I bought my first espresso maker August 01, 2009 of Amazon for $32.00. I still use it, but took it to where I work. I just bought the same maker Jan. 15, 2014 for $3.00. A few months ago purchased a burr grinder for $15.00 plus shipping.

I'm still not positive that I'm making espresso correctly after all this time, I have read that the grind should be about the size of granulated sugar, and to use the double size filter, preheat filter and filter holder, fill up a 1\3 cup with a fill time of about 20 seconds which helps determine if grind size and tamp were good, use 2\3 cup milk for latte.

Anyone got praise or criticism?

Regarding proper grind, there is no perfect setting as every machine, grinder, coffee, household/commercial setting varies. A good rule of thumb on this to get you really close is to pinch a small amount of the ground coffee between your thumb and index finger, then pull apart. If the coffee doesn't clump and instantly falls away it's too coarse. If it clumps and sticks to your skin in one solid mass then it's a bit too fine. Ideally it should be right in between those "extremes"... Not sure if your machine relies on any sort of pressure enhancing parts... if so, a bit more coarse is what you need. Espresso is all about trial and error.
 

shadow745

Well-known member
Aug 15, 2005
1,816
70
Central North Carolina
Visit site
To the OP, I've had the pleasure of owning/using some high end\very capable equipment over the years, both at home and commercially. My current setup is a Kitchen Aid Pro Line espresso machine (made by Gaggia) and a Baratza Vario grinder. What I extract daily is at least 95% as good as the best double shots I extracted from commercial setups. As I have said MANY times, fresh coffee and skill trump everything...
 

mawil1013

New member
Jan 25, 2014
141
0
Charlotte, NC
Visit site
Regarding proper grind, there is no perfect setting as every machine, grinder, coffee, household/commercial setting varies. A good rule of thumb on this to get you really close is to pinch a small amount of the ground coffee between your thumb and index finger, then pull apart. If the coffee doesn't clump and instantly falls away it's too coarse. If it clumps and sticks to your skin in one solid mass then it's a bit too fine. Ideally it should be right in between those "extremes"... Not sure if your machine relies on any sort of pressure enhancing parts... if so, a bit more coarse is what you need. Espresso is all about trial and error.

Very helpful suggestion! Thanks and my espresso machine is a 15 bar machine if that's what you mean by pressure enhancing. I've taken it apart up above the coffee grind holder, there is a plastic plug held up by a metal spring where the water comes out. I've just recently started experimenting with the grind settings, I had been set at the finest setting but I think it may be what you said about too fine.
 

mawil1013

New member
Jan 25, 2014
141
0
Charlotte, NC
Visit site
To the OP, I've had the pleasure of owning/using some high end\very capable equipment over the years, both at home and commercially. My current setup is a Kitchen Aid Pro Line espresso machine (made by Gaggia) and a Baratza Vario grinder. What I extract daily is at least 95% as good as the best double shots I extracted from commercial setups. As I have said MANY times, fresh coffee and skill trump everything...

The way I figure my el cheapo espresso machine is probably wayy more better than the first espresso machine made! If it comes out perfect every time then wheres the challenge! Sometimes I can get a kick butt creama, other times it's, What the What, where's the creama! lol
 

shadow745

Well-known member
Aug 15, 2005
1,816
70
Central North Carolina
Visit site
The 15 bar hype is really for marketing as in "my pump is stronger than yours", lmao. The vibe pump may be capable of 15 bars of pressure, but 8-9 bars is the overall best range for extracting. By the time plumbing, OPVs, etc are factored in it's just a number. Flow rate and temperature are more important than pressure IMBHO.

By pressure enhancing I'm talking about pressurized baskets or portafilters.

I'm a fan of making what you have work. People want more automated interaction to the point of there being no challenge. Weighing coffee to .1 gram, weighing the actual extraction, setting PIDs to .1 degree tolerance, having auto-tamping, etc. takes ALL fun and skill out of the equation. Best experience I've ever had with coffee was having a 37 year old Olympia Cremina, a 60 year old hand grinder and a tamper I made for it.
 

mawil1013

New member
Jan 25, 2014
141
0
Charlotte, NC
Visit site
About my $3 De'Longhi, I guess the suggested retail runs $178? They are selling new around $78, I went for one that said it was used for $56, I had $43 accumulated in my Amazon credit card rewards which got it down to $12.99 with free two day shipping, well the invoice showed it was not going to ship two days, so I contacted Amazon to question the shipping, they replied a mistake had been made and they couldn't fix as it already shipped 5 day so they gave me $10 credit, so the De'longhi ended up costing me $2.99 out of pocket! Once the machine arrived I noted that it was actually brand new, just that the box it was in was mashed in! That's how you can buy a $178 De'Longhi for $2.99!

Mike
 

peterjschmidt

Active member
Oct 10, 2013
1,158
1
Milwaukee, WI
Visit site
To the OP, I've had the pleasure of owning/using some high end\very capable equipment over the years, both at home and commercially. My current setup is a Kitchen Aid Pro Line espresso machine (made by Gaggia) and a Baratza Vario grinder. What I extract daily is at least 95% as good as the best double shots I extracted from commercial setups. As I have said MANY times, fresh coffee and skill trump everything...

It sounds like you're equating your K/A and Vario to the OP's equipment, saying that if you can get shots 95% as good as commercial equipment, he can too. My thinking is that fresh coffee and skill are the top priority, but that is not to say it is possible to get great results with any equipment simply because you have fresh coffee and skill.

I've eased up on my coffee-snob attitude a ton over the years, and I currently say if a person likes their routine and their results, then they are doing 'it' right.

The other part of the equation is how a person's equipment is used in their daily routine. If they're only making milk drinks that allow a person to fudge on the quality of the espresso, lower-end equipment can suit their needs. Or, if they only making drinks for themselves or a SO, that makes sense too. But if you're having six people over for dinner and they all want a couple lattes or double shots, it won't be much fun on low-end equipment.

IMHO there is an imaginary line somewhere of what level of equipment a person needs to make good, genuine espresso. Also, not only will better equipment give better results, those results will be repeatable; IOW, sub-par equipment might give a person very good results once or twice out of ten attempts, whereas good equipment should give you good results all ten times.
 

Surfer

New member
Jun 18, 2011
160
0
Boca Raton, FL
Visit site
I'll just add I started with a Delonghi Bar32 few years ago, which is the same internally as the EC155. Doesn't make espresso, no Delonghi does, it's more akin to a shot of drip. They use pressurized portafitlers which force coffee through a tiny whole (hence why these are normally cheap wedding gifts etc) as majority of the population has no idea they should use a grinder or have a good grinder at that, they use preground stale coffee and the pressurized portafilters let them do that. No crema, what looks like crema is just the froth from the coffee being shot out through a tiny hole (imagine sticking your finger over the end of a hose and spraying the water). That's not to talk down the OP or their equipment, just is what it is, they also don't operate at the correct temps for espresso nor have any stability b/c the boilers are so tiny and there's no metal or anything to stabilize really.

You can depressurize the baskets by removing the pressure clip mechanism like I did, or swap in a Krups basket that fits. But if you do that, you'll need a far better grinder. There's no grinder for $15 except for a blade grinder or bean masher, actually really anything under 60 doesn't really have a burr set, they really just mash the beans, or in the case of a blade grind chop them up. If you really want to get closer to espresso, depressurize the portafilter and your looking at around $300 min for a real espresso grinder (Preciso or Le'Lit), as nothing below that range will have a good burr set for espresso, stepless dialing, or consistency and fines control.

if your gonna keep the $15 grinder, leave the machine as is. Unfortunetly the Delonghi are disposable as well, no parts, can't be fixed and even dealing with them under warranty you'd have better luck finding the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow lol. Mine started having issues after 1 year so I had to chuck it in the trash, same thing for two other people I know that started with EC155s.

I modded my Bar32 and even using a Preciso on it, my CC1 setup and same Preciso is far far far better for real espresso and drinks. Just to give you an idea. hate to say it but if your current setup is the same as your local coffee shop, they don't know what their doing and shouldn't be running a coffee shop (again no offense meant). Plenty of coffee shops and roasters that have no clue what their doing lol, so hard to go by that. But as long as your happy with your setup and drinks, that's what matters.
 

shadow745

Well-known member
Aug 15, 2005
1,816
70
Central North Carolina
Visit site
I've never had a snob attitude and encourage people to make the very best with what they have regardless of cost. Point I was making is my current setup is considered barely usable with the lame a$$ Coffee Geek/Home-Barista crowd, but I have dialed it in to the point of being exceptional. If you control the water temperature and pressure you will have good/consistent espresso. When I first joined a few forums all I read was you have to be willing to spend this much to achieve this, blab blah blah... hardly the case IMBHO. Fresh coffee and skill are first and foremost. People always want to rant about the grinder being the absolute most important part of the equation, but it's nothing without good coffee and some skill dialing it in. Put any equipment in front of me and I WILL tweak it to the point of extracting something worthy from it.
 
Top