expired Posted by niki4h | Staff • Apr 30, 2025
Apr 30, 2025 1:32 PM
Item 1 of 4
Item 1 of 4
expired Posted by niki4h | Staff • Apr 30, 2025
Apr 30, 2025 1:32 PM
Sam's Club Members: De'Longhi 15-Bar Espresso & Cappuccino Machine
+ Free Shipping Plus Members$70
$120
41% offSam's Club
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Here is what I purchased for this model:
Bottomless portafilter: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09W5QY...in_ti
Portafilter Funnel: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJJYZ...le_11
Espresso tamper/distributor: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088TNV...n_tit
Would buy at this price again in a heartbeat as models that are above this one really only get better in the 400$+ range
BUT!
It won't do this out of the box. Here's why, and what to do about it.
The portafilter it comes with is pressurized. This means water flow is limited by the pinhole in the basket, not the grounds. With a pressurized filter, you can use just about any coffee, even pre-ground. You don't have to worry about tamping to the correct pressure. You can even use ESE pods, and it will still brew a cup of espresso-like substance.
If you want real espresso, you buy the bottomless portafilter and other items rahulabon linked on the first page. (I would add a 51mm screen and a needle distributor to the list.) Then you can potentially brew an excellent cup...but it's a lot harder. You'll also need a good hand burr grinder (look for "6-core stainless burr" or "7-core stainless burr", don't get the cheap ceramic ones) or an electric burr grinder to have even a prayer of successfully going bottomless.
This is because, with a bottomless portafilter, the coffee grounds themselves provide the back pressure, not the portafilter. If you grind too coarsely or don't tamp hard enough, the water will flush through too quickly and your shot will be watery and gross. If you grind too finely or tamp too hard, the water can't get through at all. Even worse, the correct grind size depends on the specific coffee, and you'll waste a shot or two every time you switch beans. But, once you get it right, you can pull a cafe-quality shot at home.
Here are the two tricks:
1. Either let the machine warm up for >20 minutes before pulling, or run a long shot of water through the basket, before filling the basket with ground coffee and pulling your shot. This will heat up the brew group. Otherwise the water is at the right temperature, but the cold brew group and basket will cool the water down before it hits the grounds ,and your shot will be weak and bitter.
2. Never buy coffee at the supermarket or from Amazon. It will be too old to produce good crema. You want coffee beans that have been roasted within the last few days, so you'll probably need to buy them directly from a roaster. Crema starts to fall off a few days after roasting, is noticeably diminished after 2-3 weeks, and is mostly gone after two months.
Don't let the snobs who paid $800+ for their machines tell you that you're not on their level. It's more work, but you can absolutely match that standard with this machine...if you go bottomless and keep the above in mind.
Happy brewing!
35 Comments
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Espresso is nice and all but there is also a learning curve to steaming the milk, so may not be the best for ease of use
Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank rahulabon
Here is what I purchased for this model:
Bottomless portafilter: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09W5QY...in_ti
Portafilter Funnel: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJJYZ...le_11
Espresso tamper/distributor: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088TNV...n_tit
Would buy at this price again in a heartbeat as models that are above this one really only get better in the 400$+ range
Thanks and ripped. I guess a simple keurig machine would fit the bill.
Espresso is nice and all but there is also a learning curve to steaming the milk, so may not be the best for ease of use
Thanks and repped
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And what mighty deep rabbit hole it is... 😄
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I never had an espresso machine and have been using drip coffee mahine for 20 plus years