De'Longhi Magnifica Evo Espresso Machine

The De'Longhi Magnifica Evo grinds fresh and brews six drinks at one touch, then hands you the frother for the milk. A conical burr grinder with 13 settings, a touch panel, an over ice setting and hot water for tea, on a machine 24 cm wide.

This is the straightforward one. No screen full of menus, no milk carafe to fill and refrigerate. Press espresso, coffee, americano, long or over ice and the machine grinds, doses and brews it. For a cappuccino you steam the milk yourself at the frother, which takes half a minute and is the only part that asks anything of you. For a lot of households that trade is exactly right: automatic where it is tedious, manual where it is satisfying.

Highlights

• Six one-touch drinks: espresso, coffee, americano, long, over ice and hot water, most of them available as doubles
• Conical burr grinder with 13 settings, grinding fresh for every cup and dosing it for you
• Traditional milk frother that you work yourself, for cappuccino foam and latte milk, with dairy or milk alternatives
• Over ice setting that brews shorter and stronger so an iced coffee does not turn watery the moment it hits the cup
• Hot water on the same wand, so tea and a longer black coffee are both on the menu
• Removable brew unit and dishwasher-safe parts, which keeps the maintenance from becoming a chore
• 24 cm wide, 9.5 inches, so it fits a normal counter rather than commanding one

Who it's for

• Anyone leaving pods or drip behind who wants fresh-ground coffee without learning to tamp
• Mostly-black-coffee households who want a good cappuccino at the weekend without paying for an automatic milk system they would rarely use
• People who want to learn to froth milk on a wand that is forgiving rather than unforgiving

Two things to be clear about. The milk is yours. There is no carafe and no one-touch cappuccino on this model, so every milk drink means holding a jug at the frother for half a minute. Most people find that is the good part, but it is not hands-free, and if you want it to be, we will show you the machines that are. And the over ice setting is not cold brew: it brews shorter and stronger so the drink survives the ice. Put the ice in the cup first and expect a clean iced coffee in under a minute rather than an overnight steep.

Living with it

Day to day, purge and wipe the frother after you use it, and empty the grounds container and drip tray. Milk left in a frother is the fastest way to block one, and it takes about ten seconds to avoid.

Then periodically, the panel tells you when a descale is due, and the brew unit lifts out to be rinsed under the tap. A water softener filter, descaler and hardness test strip are all in the box. Test your water and set the hardness on day one, because that sets the descaling interval.

FAQs

• Do I have to froth the milk myself?
  Yes. This model has a traditional frother rather than an automatic milk system, so you hold the jug and work the wand. Thirty seconds once you have the hang of it, with dairy or milk alternatives. If you would rather the machine did it, ask us about the one-touch options.
• Do I need to know anything about making espresso?
  No. It grinds, doses and brews on its own, so there is no portafilter and no tamping. The only hands-on part is the milk.
• What does the over ice setting actually do, and is it cold brew?
  It is not cold brew. It brews a shorter, stronger coffee so the flavour holds up once the ice melts rather than going thin and watery. Put the ice in the cup first. Under a minute, where cold brew takes a night.
• Can I make tea or an Americano?
  Yes to both. Hot water is one of the six one-touch functions and comes from the wand, and americano is a preset in its own right.
• Can I use pre-ground coffee or decaf?
  Yes. There is a pre-ground option and a measuring scoop in the box, so one decaf in the evening does not mean emptying the hopper.
• How much cleaning does it need?
  Less than most. The brew unit comes out and rinses under the tap, and the removable parts are dishwasher safe. Day to day it is the frother, the grounds container and the drip tray.
• What is the warranty, and who services it in Canada?
  De'Longhi covers this machine for 2 years, extended to 3 when you register it, which is worth doing the day it arrives. Warranty service is handled by De'Longhi Canada at 1-888-335-6644. We are here for setup, bean choice and any question about using it, before you buy and long after.

Specifications

• Type: Fully automatic bean-to-cup espresso machine with a manual milk frother
• Drinks: 6 one-touch functions, espresso, coffee, americano, long, over ice and hot water, most available as doubles
• Grinder: Built-in conical burr, 13 grind settings
• Milk system: Traditional frother, operated by hand, dairy and milk alternatives
• Control panel: Touch
• Pre-ground option: Yes, with measuring scoop
• Pump: 15 bar
• Bean hopper: 250 g
• Water tank: 1.8 L
• Grounds container: 14 servings
• Brew unit: Removable, dishwasher-safe parts
• Dimensions (W × D × H): 24 × 44 × 36 cm, or 9.5 × 17.3 × 14.2 in
• Weight: 9.4 kg, 20.8 lb
• Warranty: 2 years, plus 1 additional year with product registration
• In the box: Water softener filter, pre-ground measuring scoop, descaler, water hardness test strip

Why buy from Coffee Warehouse?

• Two Ontario showrooms, Markham and Richmond Hill, where we will put you on the frother and have you texture a jug of milk before you decide, plus live virtual demos if you are not nearby
• Help getting it set up, from water hardness to grind setting to beans, so it tastes at home the way it did here
• We will remind you to register it, because that is the difference between a 2 year warranty and a 3 year one
• Free shipping and financing available
• Toll-free support at 1-888-742-1777, before you buy and long after