RATED: Delonghi Magnifica ESAM4200

You should never settle for second best when it comes to your bean to cup coffee and with Delonghi, you very rarely do.

For all-round specifications and understanding of what the customer wants, Italian company Delonghi get it right and tick almost all the boxes.

With over 116 years’ experience of manufacturing portable heaters and then later moving into the food preparation and cooking, it is not hard to see why the company headed up by president Giuseppe De’Longhi, and CEO Fabio De’Longhi has turned that hand at making some of the best coffee products on the market today.

So, what makes the Delonghi Magnifica ESAM4200 so good?

Price

Price is not everything, but it is a determining factor for many and the ESAM4200 is arguably the best value for money coffee machine on the market today.

Remarkably, the ESAM4200 is also pretty much the same as the ESAM4200s only a fraction of the price making it the perfect buy for someone looking for their first bean to cup coffee machine or for someone who just does not want to spend the earth when a perfectly good machine is available on a budget.

The Delonghi Magnifica can be picked up on Amazon in the region of £350 and that is superb for such a capable machine.

Key Features

As mentioned at the top of this review, why settle for second best? And when it comes to making a coffee to tickle the taste buds, the pressure is everything when it comes to gaining that perfect brew.

Fortunately, the ESAM4200 has this area well covered as it comes with a professional grade 15 bar pump which will enable you to get the similar results to those coffee’s in your local chain coffee shops (without naming them of course but we are sure you know who we mean).

The 15 Bar Pump will give you ample pressure and is one of the better stand-out features for Delonghi as well as being a vital component in brewing the perfect cuppa.

Another strong capability of the Delonghi Magnifica is how easy it is to use.

One touch programming means there are no complications as pre-configured cycles enable you to get the coffee you want from bean to piping hot mug quickly and easily.

However, if you do get stuck, Delonghi do provide a simple to understand instruction manual which those of you familiar with bean to cup coffee machines will no doubt have any need for.

Another key feature is the nifty Milk frothing arm, so you can really act like the professional barista.

Perfect for heating up milk and gaining that smooth froth on top, the arm is a smart addition to an already pretty smart machine and well worth the investment.

Maintenance and Reliability

One thing few of us actually like to do is clean the thing after our brews.

This is also one of the key factors that will put people off from purchasing bean to cup machines and it is no surprise to learn that Delonghi has got it as close to perfect as possible.

However, the ESAM4200 utilises its smart ability to pre and post-steam blast itself in order to keep as clean as possible without a thorough going over.

When it does require a good clean, a de-scaling light will come on to inform you that the machine requires attention and if you don’t your coffee’s will suffer as a result.

However, even the descaling process is simple enough and only takes about 15 minutes when using de-scaler liquid as the machine helps flush the system from the water tank all the way through the frothing arm.

Keep on top of this and one of the things Delonghi are known for is their ability to make durable machines that almost never cause issues.

Plenty of customer reviews have stated that even after use for a number of years Delonghi products are yet to let them down and that is a vital trait in attracting new customers.

Experimentation

The pursuit of coffee perfection is almost never-ending and one thing to consider when purchasing the Magnifica is that you can play around with the grinder settings in order to find the right style for you.

Many people assume that the settings it comes with is the only one but that is not the case.

So, experiment and play around and you will find the results can be truly magnificent.

Makes a Mean Americano

Although Delonghi market the product primarily as a cappuccino and espresso maker, it does provide the opportunity to make an Americano as well which often goes underlooked by marketing departments when trying to sell their product to the mass consumer.

This makes the machine adaptable and great in a social situation when you have a number of guests around who’s coffee tastes vary substantially.

Anything wrong with it?

We may well have raved about how great the ESAM4200 is and that s because there are very few flaws.

The only thing customers have picked up is that the cup warming can be slow which really is only a minor point and you can cheat a little by using some hot water from the kettle.

And that is really the only negative to come out about the ESAM4200, after all, you can’t quite have everything.

Conclusion

Delonghi have once again shown that they are market leaders in the bean to cup coffee makers and the ESAM4200 is the perfect machine for those households not wanting to spend the earth but still want the highest possible quality coffee maker you can get.

Another strong addition we did not mentioned above in the raft of key features is the two-year warranty the machine comes with as standard from Delonghi and that can play a major role in a purchase.

All in all, for value, reliability and features the Delonghi Magnifica ESAM4200 is arguably the best budget bean to cup coffee machine available to on the market today.

Available at sites such as Amazon, we thoroughly recommend you check it out when making your next coffee machine purchase.