DeLonghi Magnifica S Bean to Cup Coffee Machine ECAM 21.117 B Review

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For the ultimate indulgence it’s hard to beat a bean to cup coffee machine. Literally, at the touch of a button, your coffee beans will be freshly ground and the drink of your choice will be delivered within seconds.

Delonghi sells more bean to cup coffee machines than anyone else by a long chalk. They are the undisputed kings of the coffee machine world but they have so many different models to choose from across a broad range of prices.

How do you decide on the one that best fits your budget and coffee needs?

All of the best Delonghi bean to cup machines have been reviewed in detail but let’s see how this Magnifica S performs in terms of quality and value.

Overall Score 9.8/10

Design 10/10

This is one of Delonghi’s mid-range bean to cup machines and it shows within the attention that they have paid to the design features.

The finish is slightly different to their other machines as it’s kind of a blend between a shiny “piano black” and a matt black which creates a really sophisticated hybrid that certainly leans towards being a contemporary appliance that will work well in most kitchen settings.

With the Matt silver buttons and dial combined with chrome coffee delivery spout and drip tray this is a really captivating coffee machine that can take pride of place on any kitchen worktop.

At 23.8cm wide, 43.0cm deep and 35.1cm tall its about average size for this type of coffee machine.

Functionality 10/10

Despite the sophistication of coffee that this machine will produce, Delonghi has the customer in mind when it comes to controlling the type of coffee you want in the cup.

There are six buttons and a dial on the control panel.

The dial controls the amount of coffee that gets ground before the coffee is prepared. Turn it to the left for a milder coffee and to the right for something stronger. It won’t take longer than a few go’s before you find what’s just right for your specific taste.

You then have 4 buttons with cups on them. The buttons on the left are for short drinks such as espresso and the buttons on the right are for longer drinks such as americano.

One or two cups can be made in one go. To get a good strong espresso we would use the two cup button for one double espresso.

The default should work fine for most people but if you want a little more water then all you need to do is press one of the cup buttons within 3 seconds of it finishing and more water will go into the cup until you release allowing you to tailor your drink exactly as you like it.

The grinder on some machines can make quite a racket but this one is noticeably quiet and almost goes unnoticed as it grinds through the fresh beans.

13 different grind settings will ensure that you get the perfect consistency of grind fineness.

At 1.8 litres the water tank is a really good size meaning less refilling than the average bean to cup coffee machine.

One of the gripes with some machines is that the temperature of the water is not hot enough. Not with the Delonghi Magnifica S. You can choose 3 different levels of temperature so if you like a really hot cup of coffee, no problem.

You can get hot water as well if you fancy a cup of tea but you don’t want to boil the kettle or if you want to add some hot water to an espresso to create an americano.

Steam to heat the milk for a cappuccino or a latte is dead easy as well. Press the steam button and turn the steam lever.

Ease of use 10/10

It’s one the reason’s that Delonghi outsells everyone else by three to one. They just make it so easy to get the drink of your choice with the minimum of hassle.

They really do keep the customer at the forefront of their thought process.

Once you have decided on the strength of coffee you prefer all you do is press one button and your drink of choice is delivered.

Quality of coffee 10/10

Coffee is everything when it comes to a bean to cup machine.

Buy the best beans you can afford as it really does make a difference. Go to a speciality shop if you can and buy beans that have been roasted in the last few weeks and avoid beans that have a use-by date but not a roasting date

Value For Money 9.0/10

We really like this coffee machine. It achieves everything that you would want from a bean to cup coffee machine BUT when you compare it to the Delonghi Autentica ETAM 29.510.B is does pretty much exactly the same thing but costs a little more.

At the end of the day it comes down to personal preference as the layout and buttons are slightly different but it’s worth checking out both before making a decision.

Last update on 2024-04-02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API