Delonghi sells more coffee machines than anyone else worldwide so you know that they know a thing or two about coffee. This is a super cheap burr coffee grinder and you can expect it to deliver the goods when it comes to grinding your coffee beans.
You can easily spend upwards of £100 or more for a burr coffee grinder and you can also pay in the region of £30 for a top of the range blade grinder
For this Delonghi coffee grinder, you can expect to pay around the price of a top of the range blade grinder but you get a burr grinder instead which makes a BIG difference when it comes to the quality of coffee in your cup.
This product has been around for a good few years and it still does the same job today as it did then with the only difference being that the price has reduced dramatically over time. This used to sell for well over double what it does now and for that reason alone it makes it great value for money.
If you are serious about getting the correct grind fineness for your coffee machine then its well worth going for a burr grinder versus a blade grinder because blade grinders just chop up your beans with blades and that can result in different sizes of chopped up bean which you do not want.
Burr grinders actually crush your beans in between two “burr’s” or disks and that ensures a much more consistent grind and you can specifically choose the exact level of grind fineness to suit your specific brew method and you can also tweak it within that until you get it just right.
For cafetière, a coarse grind is best to allow all of the flavours and oils of the coffee bean to permeate the water during the brewing process whereas you should go for a much finer grind for espresso-based drinks such as cappuccino or latte as you are forcing the water through the coffee with a high level of pressure so you want to make it hard for the water to get through.
The biggest difference between the two grinder types is that with a burr grinder you have complete control over how your coffee is ground and with a blade grinder there is more guesswork.
The biggest benefit of this grinder is that you can control all of the variables in the grinding process for a very competitive price.
Overall Score 9.5/10
Design 9/10
This is the kind of product where functionality is more important than design but at the same time, you don’t want something that is going to sit on the worktop to be an eyesore and the best way to describe this coffee grinder is that it is non-descript.
It doesn’t really have any distinctive features or characteristics but it is pleasant enough finished in a matt black that will not attract fingerprint marks when you hold onto the side to remove the ground beans container.
The lid and beans container are both transparent allowing you to see the ground coffee amount and also the number of whole beans you have left to be ground.
It’s on the small side for this type of a grinder which is a good thing as it will remain reasonably inconspicuous wherever you choose to position it in the kitchen.
Overall measurements are 13cm wide, 16cm deep and 26cm tall.
This is a sturdy and durable product that feels like it has been made to last.
Functionality 9/10
There are 16 different grind options to choose from by turning the dial on the side of the machine. Furthest to the left will give you a fine grind best for espresso and furthest to the right a coarse grind best for cafetière. For filter coffee machines you can use something in the middle.
Tip: You will most likely only ever use one grind level once you find the right one but if you change the coffee beans that you are using then you may need to tweak it up or down one because every bean grinds differently.
The beans container will hold up to 120 grams of whole coffee beans which will last most households a good few days minimum. Adding more is super simple – just open the lid and pour them in.
Once the grind level has been set you simply select the number of cups you want from 2 to 12 and hit the start button. The grinder will automatically stop once the desired number of cups have been ground.
Safety is paramount with a product like this and unsurprisingly Delonghi has thought this through. If the bean container is removed or the ground coffee container is taken out then it won’t switch on so you won’t be grinding your fingers any time soon and nor can you grind any coffee into the bottom of the grinder by mistake without the container being in place.
Ease of use 10/10
If you are grinding the same beans and the same number of cups every day then once you have the settings fixed it’s a one-button press each day to get your freshly ground coffee.
Delonghi supplies a cleaning brush so you can easily brush away any residue coffee from the grounds container but this kind of product requires very little maintenance.
Value For Money 10/10
Quality and price = value and with this grinder you do need to remember that it is extremely cheap for this type of product. It does a great job for the price but you may not get exact grind granules every single time.
For complete accuracy and super fine grind, you will need to upgrade to something more expensive like the Sage Smart Grinder Pro but you will pay a lot more. This Delonghi grinder will do just fine for most peoples grinding needs.
This is priced extremely well especially for a premium brand. This is a great place to start if you are just starting to grind your coffee beans yourself or if you are upgrading from a blade grinder.
Supreme value for money.
Last update on 2024-10-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
