I included 10 products in the longlist that combine the best characteristics according to the main criteria.
De’Longhi Eletta Cappuccino ECAM 44.664.B.
De’Longhi Autentica ETAM 29.660.SB – for a small kitchen.
De’Longhi Eletta Cappuccino Evo ECAM 46.860.
Jura E8 is the best.
Kaffit KLM 1604A is budget.
De’Longhi Perfecta Evo ESAM 420.80.TB.
De’Longhi Dinamica ECAM 350.55 is optimal.
Level CafeRomatic NICR
Kaffit COM Nizza KLM 1604.
De’Longhi Dinamica Plus ECAM 370.95 T.
Optimal – De’Longhi Dinamica ECAM 350.55
With a volume of 1.8 liters, the coffee machine has a power of 1450 W – this is a good ratio, the machine will not work at maximum. Pump pressure – 15 bar.
You can prepare both bean coffee and ground coffee. The settings include cappuccino, espresso, espresso lungo, ristretto, lungo, doppio, black coffee, latte and latte macchiato. There is just hot milk with foam. You can prepare two small cups of espresso or espresso lungo at the same time. You can also adjust the volume and temperature of water, the amount of foam and program your recipes.
Additional functions include coffee pre-wetting, cup warming and auto shut-off. You can also set automatic shutdown and enable energy saving mode.
The coffee machine is easy to maintain, but everything will have to be done manually. The milk container must be cleaned after each use. The device will notify you that the coffee grounds container is being cleaned – a notification will appear on the display. Using the same principle, you will know that it is time to descale.
The drip tray has an indicator: if it goes beyond the cup holder, it’s time to empty the drip tray and clean it – otherwise water could overflow and damage the machine.
In the event of a breakdown, parts are easy to buy, but you will have to wait some time for delivery. A cappuccino maker costs about 9010 ₽ , a milk jug tube costs 1050 ₽. You need to take the car to the service center yourself; they are located all over Russia.
Users like the simple controls – prompts are shown on the display. There are complaints that the cup holder gets scratched easily. The reviews also note that the model does not have programmable drinks, where coffee is poured first and then milk foam. In all recipes, foam comes first.
Alternative. The De’Longhi Eletta Cappuccino Evo ECAM 46.860 will prepare more drinks than most coffee machines in this price category. You can heat the milk, choose latte macchiato, cappuccino, espresso, black coffee or lungo in the settings.
Users write that the cappuccino foam is thick and dense. You can make two cups of espresso, ristretto or espresso lungo at the same time.
You can set the temperature, water supply volume and program drinks. However, you cannot immediately adjust the level of milk and water in milliliters. Everything is done by eye: you yourself stop the supply of coffee or milk when it seems sufficient, and the coffee machine remembers this.
Otherwise, the coffee machine is similar to the De’Longhi Dinamica ECAM 350.55. The difference is that parts for this model are difficult to find on sale. But there are many service centers, they are located in many regions of Russia.
Alternative 2. Nivona CafeRomatica NICR 779 is valued by own
ers for the quality of coffee taste. Knows how to make drinks according to standard recipes and individual settings. There are adjustments for temperature, volume of water, milk and foam, and strength level. You can change the recipe or create your own.
The coffee machine is well automated. You can control it through an application on your smartphone via Bluetooth. The power is not the greatest – 1455 W with a water tank volume of 2.2 liters.
Spare parts are on sale , there are many service centers .
Budget — Kaffit KLM 1604A
The price of the coffee machine is from 42,000 RUR. This is one of the most budget devices that meet our criteria and is available in Russian online stores.
With a water tank volume of 1.8 liters, the Kaffit KLM 1604A has a power of 1400 W – this is enough for normal operation. Pump pressure – 15 bar. Suitable for beans and ground coffee. Control using buttons.
You can make black coffee, espresso, latte, cappuccino, Americano. The cappuccino maker has two modes – frothing and heating milk. Users love the outlet hose , which allows you to pull milk from any container, including a Tetra Pak. One of the disadvantages is that the device sometimes does not see coffee , although there is some inside.
Americano turns out correctly: first – hot water, then – espresso. To prepare a cappuccino, you will have to run two processes in sequence: first, espresso, then, frothed milk.
You can change the strength of the drink, increase or decrease the portion, adjust the temperature and volume of foam. You can only make two cups at the same time with espresso or black coffee.
Additional functions include cup heating, pre-aroma, coffee wetting and cup illumination. You can configure automatic shutdown at the desired interval – from 5 minutes to 10 hours after preparing the drink. There is also a setting for the operating time of the coffee grinder: if you want rich espresso, you need to set it to the maximum 9.9 seconds.
Taking care of the coffee machine is easy. There is an automatic rinsing of the cappuccino maker 20 minutes after the last start of any recipe with milk. The cappuccino maker can also be removed and washed manually. The milk hose is also washed manually: clean water is passed through it for 5 seconds with the “steam” mode turned on. There is a drip tray fill sensor – a rarity in this price segment.
Spare parts can be purchased. A cappuccino machine, for example, will cost from 5950 ₽. There are service centers in different cities of Russia, but there are not too many of them.