So, some years ago, I bought a DeLonghi ECP 31.21 noddy espresso machine from Aldi, at half price.
It's simple. Put coffee in the portafilter, press the button, hear grinding noises because you forgot to fill up the water, stop, fill up the water, wait till it gets hot, press the button again and get coffee out.
Adjust grind size and amount for the particular type of coffee.
It still works, but is getting a bit long in the tooth. One day soon, it will emit spitz 'n' sparkz instead of coffee.
It is essential that I have working coffee machine, otherwise the sky will fall in, the world will end and other similar disasters.
Looking around, I find that a later iteration of this class of machine is being discounted. Also, I have a gift card from many years ago that was still valid. A few tens of dollars later, this came home --
Eh, voila! A new EC885 Dedica now graces the kitchen. The other is stored in the garage as a backup for the time being.
Advantages of the new machine --
- It's narrower, so it takes up less room.
- The water reservoir holds more water.
- The portafilter now fits the grinder properly so you can grind just by pushing the button at the back with the portafilter.
- It has a better steaming wand.
- It pre-infuses the coffee in the basket. This is, apparently, a good thing.
- The portafilter baskets are larger, holding more coffee (never a bad thing).
- You can adjust the water temperature, too cold, just right, too hot.
- You can adjust the water hardness to soft, medium or hard. This puzzled me somewhat, as I thought it meant the water pressure, but a Youtube said that it referred to how often you de-scale your machine.
- It keeps the water hot for some time, so I don't have to wait between brewing cups.
In summary, it makes drinkable coffee, with a minimum of input from the operator (put coffee in portafilter, mount portafilter in machine, press button, remember to put cup under before too much spills).
, this was her cup.
