Customer Ratings & Reviews

This coffee machine is substantially smaller than our last Gaggia, and about half the price. It is quieter, coffee taste better, easy to use. Actually an improvement. There’s not too many options, but everything we need. Ability to just turn switch for hot water and not deal with a cycle is great. Cleaning is also very convenient. 0 complaints.

This is my first espresso machine, and after about a month of using it, I’m really happy with my purchase. I love how automatic everything is. It makes great espresso, is easy to use, and cleaning is pretty simple. I did have an issue with my original machine. It leaked about an ounce of water every time I made espresso. It was still usable, but obviously not something I wanted to deal with long term. I contacted De’Longhi, and their customer service was incredibly helpful. They provided a prepaid FedEx return label, and I received a replacement in about 10 days. Interestingly, the replacement actually seems to work better than the original. It came with a water filter and doesn’t leave nearly as many loose coffee grounds inside. With the first machine, I was constantly cleaning grounds out of the interior. The milk frother is decent. It can froth about 12 ounces of milk before running out of steam, and then you have to run another cycle. Not a dealbreaker, but something worth knowing. Best Buy also deserves some credit. I’m a member and received free two-day shipping. The delivery arrived around 11 PM, but the driver was extremely nice and apologized for the late hour. I appreciated that they still delivered it as promised. A few days later, the price dropped again, and Best Buy credited me another $107.25. Overall, I’m really enjoying this machine. The espresso tastes great, it’s convenient, and I’d definitely recommend it. Even with the initial problem, I’m happy with my purchase.

I first purchased two of these De'Longhi espresso machines. I returned one, seeing what seemed to be a cracked line on the drainage tray. I repurchased another one to replace it, but found a similar cracked line. I also found that all three of them have these cracked lines. These cracked lines do not appear on the bottom side of the tray. One of the supervisors at Best Buy did say it was not a crack, but it was just the way it was made. I've been using it for two weeks now, and they seem to be functioning okay. I do notice a squeaky sound when I turn off the machine, which I did not hear on the similar previous model I used for over six years.

ITs a great, space efficient option for a Full auto Machine! There are finally more options for compact Fully auto machines, and this is at the top of the list. I am still adjusting to the right grind etc, MAke sure to use Quick start to turn on machine for first time. I somehow misread the bigger manual and started with the step that installed the Water Filter, thinking that was the initial requirement to get the water tank installed, etc. The manual Could be a little more clear whether the water filter step is even necessary.

We were debating whether it was worth the money to upgrade our cheap old espresso maker. The answer is yes. We like how you can just fill it with beans and it does all the grinding. It makes a pretty strong cup but you can turn it down if you need to.

I like it, but one that i got came with mistake from manufacturer. Wrong button display options.

Excellent coffee machine for espresso. Good quality

Very fresh coffee each day! Fantastic to have it ground for each cup!

We have a De'Longhi at my office at work that is one of the few reasons I missed going into the office everyday during Covid. So when I had the chance to try out the Magnifica Start, of course I was thrilled at the opportunity because the coffee and espresso from these machines is top-notch. The Magnifica Start looks fantastic in stainless steel accents and piano black body. It is nearly identical in size to other De'Longhi Espresso machines and these fit comfortably under standard sized cabinets and allow you to access everything with minimal effort. De'Longhi has clearly found a winning form factor and they stick to it. The water reservoir is on the right side and slides out easily, its clear so you can see water level and holds about 1L total. The top of the unit holds WHOLE coffee beans which are then ground up with an integrated conical steel burr grinder that allows you to adjust to from 13 different grind settings. This is the same level of granularity as the more expensive brother. The option to choose drinks is also more limited to coffee, espresso, and americano, which just adds more water to espresso ratio. If you want anything with frothed creamer/milk, you need to use the steam function and frothing wand. I only use this maybe once a month, more often than not I am just using the coffee 2x function and adding my Caramel Creamer to my tumbler for my one coffee trip per day. Only minor complaint on the touchscreen is having to press buttons multiple times to toggle through the options for stronger coffee, instead of just pressing the display. Also, you can adjust the amount of liquid produced by programming the machine if you know you want more or less per serving. In terms of coffee/espresso quality, I would say the quality is nearly identical which is very impressive considering this Magnifica costs 1/3rd as much. There may be a slight difference in grind time that also impacts how much coffee is in each puck, but I haven't been able to 100% verify that by comparing the work puck to my home puck. The other major difference as noted is that this system does not have the auto frother Latte Crema system that does a wonderful job of automatically adding frothed milk and cream to your coffee drinks and opens up your Lattes, Macchiatos, Cappucinos etc. Is that feature worth the difference in price? Depends on your needs. For roughly $500 this is an amazing value, especially if you stick to coffee and espresso. You're going to save a ton of money using your own whole beans. I buy whole beans for work and now I'll probably buy some different speciality beans for home, and I definitely don't miss paying $6 for a Grande Latte. This also produces much better coffee than cups and pod coffee makers. You get a lot more grounds per shot of espresso, your grounds are fresher, and overall just a much better drink. The only minor annoyance I find on both of these units is they do not accommodate a 20oz Tumbler that I use for work. I can use my 12oz. Hot shot mug, but I prefer the larger tumbler. I can use my 14oz double walled glass as well as my heated mug. Apparently only the highest end Elite unit has the pull out portion on the base to allow you to fit a tumbler. Was hoping this was just an oversight they fixed but apparently not. Also, make sure to warm up your mugs or espresso shot glasses if you like your drinks hot. Just some hot water from an instant hot, or hot water from the wand will work.

This espresso machine is the perfect size for my household. We are a family of 5. Two adults and 3 non coffee kids. We occasionally get visitors, one or two coffee drinkers every 3 days. We prepare coffee in the morning and in the afternoon before meetings, depending on our mood. I prep mine the same, Americano, black. My partner does hers with varying degrees and options everyday, depending on her mood. This machine gives us the right amount of flexibilities to enjoy our daily fix, without too much complications. The machine is well-designed. It's slim so it enables us to have enough counter space for creamers and sweeteners. The finish is elegant although it's a little bit of a dust magnet. With everyday use though, we regularly wipe it down, so this is not an issue. It took me probably 20ish minutes to set it up. It comes with a pretty good manual so it makes me more familiar with the buttons, plus other supporting items like hard water checker. Each component is easy to figure out. Like the water tank for example, I like that you can remove the lid, os it easily slides into my fridge water dispenser and fill up water that way. Placing beans on top is easy with easy-to-understand grinding settings, because yes, auto grinding is great though a little loud. We can put ground coffee too when we want to switch to different beans on other days. Making coffee is straightforward. The buttons are simple and easy to recognize, from increasing concentration to the type of coffee. The buttons are actually very responsive. I've experienced others where it will take you to almost dig your nail in to activate any button-- for this one it is very light to the touch. The manual helps with the programming which needs close attention because there is no screen to do it. It was very descriptive so it helped me set up the amount of concentration on the button presses, etc. Frothing is awesome too. I like this better than automatic frothers because automatic dispensers mean we need to keep milk on an active reservoir by the machine, and we all know how fast milk goes bad. Just put an amount of milk, and you can froth it with easy settings, flat or fluffy, which are also easy to understand. Cleaning is easy. The removable tray catches everything and can easily be dumped in the sink, washed and dried. The grounds container is easy to clean too as it comes out when you pull the drip tray. There are some ground coffee that spills though when we use ground coffee. It comes under the tray when I pull it out. Maybe I am not using the right amount, but it's something to be addressed? Otherwise, it ieasy to clean, even the water tank. Oh and I like this feature that you can take out the brewing contraption for easy cleaning. This is a convenient way to have great coffee at home without too much frills. I know I will get to the day that I need to descale and all that, but the easy-to-understand manual is here to help me out when that day comes. There is some level of maintenance required but given the coffee quality right in my kitchen, it is all worth it.

I have to say I am very impressed with this espresso machine. It brews the best espresso I have tried in a home compared to the other coffee machine I've used. I also have the DeLonghi true brew but this Magnifica Start makes way better espresso using the same coffee beans. The machine is not hard to use and is very straightforward, although you’ll end up reading the manual to learn all the functions and how to enter its settings, since it doesn’t have a display. It is taking me a bit to get used to the steamer. I used to use an automatic milk frother but it didn't heat up the milk the way the steamer does. I like my coffee very hot. With this machine you can use coffee beans or pre-ground coffee. I really like how they incorporated the pre-ground dispenser together with the bean dispenser. The opening has a lid and is wider, making it easy to fit the entire scoop and minimized spills. That was an issue I had with my previous DeLonghi machine. The control panel is touch sensitive and simple. You can choose from three brewing options: expresso, coffee or americano. There’s also the option of coffee intensity, pre-ground, discailer button, settings, power and the double button. Another great thing about this machine is that you can adjust the mill grinder. That makes a big difference. Also the coffee spouts can be lower to prevent drops spills. I like my coffee strong so I mostly use the espresso option. It comes black with a beautiful even spread foam on top. I tried the regular coffee option as well and it is very good too. However, I'm more the expresso type drinker. I made a white chocolate mocha and honestly it tasted better than Starbucks. There are a few drawbacks, from my personal perspective, that I'd like to point out. This machine requires a bit more maintenance, not in the intensive sense like descaling, but you will need to empty the water drip tray frequently. Despite its large size, the machine automatically flushes during startup and shutdown, which fills the tray fairly quickly. Additionally, the steam spout needs to be cleaned after each use. While the grind container is quite large and can hold a lot, I’ve found that leaving ground coffee in it for several days can lead to mold. Another downside is that the machine can’t be programmed and lacks a clock display, which is something I really missed. Overall the DeLonghi Magnifica Start has been the best home brewing machine I've used so far. It's very easy to operate and takes up minimal space on the countertop. While it does require more frequent cleaning, its versatility allowing you to make everything from espresso to regular coffee using either coffee beans or pre-ground coffee, makes it an all in one solution. The included steam spout eliminates the need for a separate automatic milk frother. Despite a few drawbacks, what ultimately matters is a good taste of coffee, and this machine is a winner for me. Please be advised this model does not include the water filter to soften the water. In the box you get the espresso machine, expresso beans bag, scoop, descaling solution, and manuals.

The De’Longhi Magnifica Start Espresso machine is one of those kitchen appliances that you didn’t know you needed until you tried it. I’ve always been a daily coffee drinker with the occasional afternoon cup. I also indulge in a weekly latte, cappuccino or macchiato at the local coffee shop. After several days with the De’Longhi Magnifica I realize there are levels of coffee, espresso, and cafe Americano that I haven't experienced yet. The De’Longhi instructions offer guidance on how to get the proper “honey brown” color, but more importantly also provide the detail you need whether you’re a pro or this is your first espresso machine. Best of all, I’ll be saving money in the long run by handcrafting my drinks at home. *Build Quality/Design The design of the De’Longhi Magnifica make it easy to brew a coffee, espresso or cafe americano, but just as important, it’s easy to clean up afterwards. The Magnifica measures about 17 x 14 x 9 inches in a rather compact design, perfect for my kitchen counter. It weigh in at about 20 pounds so even though you see some hard plastic, it’s rather sturdy. Coffee grinds fall into an easy to remove black tray and there’s a small tray to catch water, milk, coffee, etc…There’s a water reservoir that holds 60 ounces so you can get 3 to 5 days of use depending on use. The water reservoir pops out easily to fill. You can add a water filter but it does not ship with one. I use filtered water from the refrigerator so it’s not necessary for my setup. There’s a grinder up top where you can fill with your choice of beans. Top center is an alternate location to use ground beans. There’s a manual frothier that helps with the handcrafted drinks. If you want to clean any of the removable parts you can hand wash or their dishwasher safe as well. *Features* Bean Grinder - You can customize the settings on how fine you want to grind the beans. It grinds them quickly, in less than 10 seconds. There are buttons for Espresso, Coffee, and Cafe Americano, but also a 2x switch if you want to double the serving. (This only works when you’re using beans.) These are one-touch and then sit back, wait a minute, and Voila! A steam button allows you to manually froth too. For cleaning, there’s a rinse button that will help maintain the machine. They recommend running it if you’ve let the machine sit a few days. There’s a hard water test that comes with the machine. My water tested a 2.5 out of 4. After testing, you can actually dial in your setting and the machine compensates. The ancillary benefit is now I know if I need a water softener! It also ships with a descaling solution for cleaning as well. *Performance* I’ll admit, I love coffee, lattes, cappuccinos, and macchiatos, but I’m a bit of an amateur making my own drinks. I feel like the De’Longhi Magnifica with its simplistic one-touch options, makes it easier for me to handcraft my drinks. I even performed a simple search on the internet to craft my own pumpkin spice latte. You will find yourself exploring different handcrafted drinks, but conveniently you can just make a classic coffee if that’s what you’re in the mood for. The flavor of the espresso is much smoother than you get from an ordinary coffee maker. I realize how bitter my daily coffee has been after preparing a drink in the Magnifica. From my observation the differences I see are the color of the brew, it’s the desired light honey brown. There’s also a nice creme on the espresso shots. The conical burr grinder is a much better grinder than the cheaper blade grinder I have on my kitchen counter. This makes the grinding much more consistent contributing to a better flavor. Technically the espresso machine creates a better flavor by the high pressure generated inside. This machine is about 15 bars. The manual frothier took me a couple of tries to figure out, but after walking through the instructions it’s easy. You can move the manual frothier to the side if you want to cut down on the mess the first few attempts. The grinder is quick and it’s nice that you can customize how fine the grinds are. *Conclusion* If you enjoy daily coffees and handcrafted drinks, I would recommend trying the De’Longhi Magnifica. It’s a different experience, and it will save you a significant amount of money when you can make the drinks in your own kitchen. It’s also fun concocting your own recipes. If you’re a beginner like me I would recommend it solely for just how easy it is to operate and maintain. I have a family member that’s had a De’Longhi for years and hoping the Magnifica lasts just as long! *Pros* - Ease of Use, Intuitive Button Setup - Much quicker than a coffee maker - Brew and steam at the same time - Easy to clean - Water tank seems to be the perfect size - Extraordinary Flavor! 
*Cons/Needs Improvement* - A little noisy - Manual frothier, but some might prefer it to auto

Turn on the Magnifica Start Espresso Machine and you get one touch access to great Espresso and other coffee beverages! Design To me the all black and rounded front design has an elegant look to it. There's a handle to move the spouts up and down easily. The steam wand has a handle you can use to move it so you don't burn your finger if it's too hot. When you remove the lid of the bean hopper, you'll see an interesting grate on top. I included a picture showing the design of the bean hopper from the top with the lid off. I think this is design to keep beans loose and reduce the chance of them jamming together in any way. There is also a dial you can use to adjust the grinding. Grinding adjustments should be done one notch at a time and only while the grinder is functioning (while you're making a beverage). The water reservoir slides out towards the front, making it very easy to fill and not requiring a lot of counter space on the left or right. In fact, I would say that for having a frothing wand, the size of the Magnifica Start is pretty compact, making it easy to fit in tight spaces. The design of the water reservoir helps with this too since it pulls forward to remove it so you don't need a ton of space on the top or the side. Though you will need to remove some of the internals periodically for cleaning and that's done from the side. There is a very small, bright red tray that attaches under and behind the drip tray. You will see it on the left side when you take out the drip tray. This collects condensation and needs to be emptied periodically. Controls The control panel is very easy to read with easy to use buttons. After pressing the power button, you only need to press one button to start making a drink. You can choose between Steam, Espresso, Coffee, or an Americano. When you choose "Steam", it will prep the Steam and then you turn a lever at the top left side to turn it on. The steam wand swings in or out, but doesn't have a full range of motion. I have found that it simplifies steaming/frothing. The wand is made of three parts. The part attached to the machine and two parts that attach to it. I think they make it easier to froth with less practice. I have two pictures of the two parts that attach so you can see the design and see how they would aim and spread the steam in specific ways. There's an X2 button you can use for two shots of Espresso (the X2 does not work with Coffee or Americano). If you use this with the pre-ground beans (one scoop at a time) it will pause for you to add the second scoop after the first scoop when you have it on the pre-ground setting. Cleaning The manual says you should run 3 to 4 drinks through it before it's ready to make a final product. Every time you turn it on or off, it runs a little water through. Besides that, there are a number of ways it should be cleaned periodically. It will give you a notification when you should run descaler through it. It comes with descaler. There is also a way you can clean the brewing internal ("Brewing Group") by removing that component, soaking it in water, and then rinsing it. It doesn't include a water filter but you can buy one for it that's installed in the water reservoir. You can also run a rinse cycle anytime you want by holding down the X2 button for 5 seconds. The manual recommends running 2 to 3 rinse cycles if it hasn't been used for 3-4 days. The drip tray has red indicator that comes up as it fills with liquid and needs to be emptied. Features I already mentioned the bean hopper design that helps spread the beans around and probably keeps them from getting jammed. The place in the top to dump a single shot of pre-ground beans is definitely great to have, allowing you to try another type of bean without emptying the main hopper. You can change settings to adjust the amount of the beverage from the default for the different drinks. A paper to test the hardness of your water and you can then adjust the machine for it. This was easy to do. Includes a bag of 4oz beans in the box. Summary The Magnifica Start makes it easy and quick to pump out an Espresso or other coffee drinks. Turn it on, and press one button for a fresh ground cup of coffee. If you have something else that's pre-ground and want a cup of that, go for it with the single serve opening in the top. You can mess with more settings if you want but they really did a good job of keeping this very simple for most operation while still putting out a great drink. The steam wand gives the flexibility of frothing and steaming while I think it makes it easier to get good results. I was surprised the X2 does not work with the Coffee or Americano options but it seemed to make good coffee regardless.

I was in the market for a new coffee maker. I thought I wanted a machine that used pods since I typically only drink one cup in the morning during the week and maybe two a day on weekends. Having to wash out a 12 cup drip coffee maker every morning to make just one cup of coffee was getting tedious. And then I saw this machine! Doesn’t use expensive pods, doesn’t need paper filters. I can make a multitude of different coffee drinks using either whole beans or ground coffee. One cup at a time! Doesn’t need to be cleaned every day, only once a month ( except the bits for the milk frother/steam nozzle, those get cleaned after every use.) This machine ticks a lot of boxes for me! When I opened the box, I was pleased to see that it was fully packaged in recyclable materials, no styrofoam! I don’t like styrofoam so that was a good start. This machine is a bit larger than my drip coffee maker, at 16” deep and 9” wide it does consume some counter space. The default setting for quantity produces a coffee that’s only 6 oz. That seems a little small but you can adjust the volume, but it maxes out at 8.11 oz. In a typical 12 oz mug, that leaves you about an inch to add sugar or creamer. I wish they could adjust that to 10oz max for those of us that don’t add pollutants to our coffee. :-) If you use whole beans, there are three choices for strength which you can set but if you use ground coffee you need to experiment a bit with how much to add to get the strength you prefer. I found that with the particular grind I’m using now that I need to level the grounds about an 1/8” from the rim of the scooper to get the strength I like. I’m going to tell you that it seems like this machine uses a lot of coffee to make one cup. One level scoop of this size would make a half a pot in my drip coffee maker. It’s also about as much coffee as you would find if you cut open a k-cup so I figure that is the price of convenience? It is pretty handy to make one cup of a flavor I like and then make one cup for the wife of a flavor she prefers. If I could pass one tip to you- once you get it all set up to your liking following the manual, when you go to make a coffee, place a mug under the nozzles before you turn the machine on, then touch the power button and let the machine fully start up. It will dispense a little hot water into the mug. It’s not much but it will help warm the mug and by catching it you won’t have it going into the drip tray. After you put in your ground coffee or beans, dump the mug, place it back under the nozzles, and select your drink. When your coffee is ready, remove it and place another mug under the nozzles. If the machine auto powers off, it will dispense more hot water to rinse the nozzles and the second mug will catch it. Also, make sure there is enough water to make a full mug plus the rinsing. If the water runs low during the process it just stops and adding water to the reservoir doesn’t allow the process to continue, it’s just done and the coffee probably won’t be drinkable. It’s dispensing coffee at about 155-157 degrees according to my thermometer, which is hot enough that I have to sip it at first. I did try my hand at making a cappuccino, it came out good! The steam wand was easy to use and produced a fine foam. No milk jug is included for the steam wand but it’s an easy pickup online. In the top of the machine, there is a large cover you remove to add whole beans and a convenient little flip up cover to add ground coffee. You can adjust the grinder for the beans while the grinder is operating but the preset is working well for me so far with the beans that were included with the machine.

Pros: Very easy to use. All it takes is for you to add water and the espresso beans and it will make you a cup of espresso. The machine makes a good cup of espresso after you adjust to the correct grind level setting. I like the feature of selecting your water hardness. What's nice is they give you a tab that you can put in your water to judge how hard your water is. This helps set the machine for a descaling cycle. I have had other machines that don't monitor water hardness, and I think this is a nice feature. If you want to make a regular cup of coffee you can do that also. All you have to do is grind your beans up and then drop them in a separate slot. After you grind your desired amount of beans you press a button and a cup of coffee (Americano) is made. The milk wand works as desired and as well as other milk wands I have used in the past. Cons: You cannot control the volume of espresso beans ground into each shot. You can control the grind level but I have found in other espresso machines that it helps to control the volume of the espresso beans to achieve the best cup of espresso, correct crema and flow. I personally don't find the aesthetic of the machine very appealing. When you are standing far away it just looks like a giant piece of plastic. It's quite large and for us, that's not what we want to see on our countertops. Some people probably won't care, but the machine stands out and when someone enters the kitchen it is hard for the machine to not be the first thing you see. Overall Rating: This is a good machine if you want a no fuss, easy cup of espresso. It does everything for you and after you adjust the grind level makes a fine cup of espresso. Looks are subjective and for us, a big deal. But what brings this machine to the front of the line (especially for those new to espresso!) is... ...it's ease of use (and that great feature that checks the hardness level of your water)! Just add water, beans and then you are off and running! I am now retired but that doesn't mean that on some mornings I don't want my tasty cup o' caffeine NOW! Highly recommend for those new to the Wonderful World of Espresso? YES!!

I love coffee in the morning, midday, and at night. Coffee runs in my veins. Going out to the coffee house for your coffee fix is expensive. The DeLonghi Magnifica Start solves an issue I didnt even know I had. The amount we spend on coffee house brews can cost a pretty penny. Owning a coffee house on your kitchen counter helps feed that addiction without breaking the bank in the long run. I’ve used the older version of DeLonghi Magnifica Evo successfully for the last two years and specifically picked this one for ease of use and reliability. I don't drink a lot of lattes and cappuccinos, but I do drink a lot of espresso, coffee, and americano (espresso with hot water). In the time frame I’ve owned this Magnifica Evo Start, the benefits of owning this model make complete sense. The availability of the stand-alone frother makes it easier to froth up milk to your desired consistency and also easier to clean and maintain should you decide to mix it up and have a milky coffee drink. Living with the DeLonghi Magnifica Start is easy. Pour your fresh coffee beans into the hopper, put cold water in the tank, and press a button. Magnifico! You have coffee in as little as 45 seconds. The brewing process is standardized and pre-programmed. The factory settings are pretty good, though I made the grinder settings finer to compensate for my beans. Once done, you can go about your day; no cleanup is necessary. The coffee maker will automatically eject the used coffee ‘pod’ into the basket, and it will be ready for your next cup of joe. In my use, I have noticed that the built-in basket holds about 8–10 ‘pods’ of coffee before it needs to be emptied, along with the water tray below it. It's also the perfect time to refill the water tank. The unit only comes with a few things. A quick start guide, some descaling fluid refill, and a scoop for pre-ground coffee. The priming instructions are straightforward and only take a few minutes. The symbology for operation is self-explanatory and makes it easy to use. Should you need a more detailed explanation, an expanded manual is available online. If you want to use pre-ground coffee, the coffee maker can accept pre-ground coffee. To do so, one needs to swap to the ‘pre ground’ coffee setting on the front panel and use pre-ground coffee. I prefer using fresh beans, but there is a time and place for pre-ground coffee. A word of caution, though: I would not recommend any of the fancy coffees available in the market, especially ones with candied coffee beans or flavored coffee. You will find that your coffee machine will be compromised, and it's almost impossible to get that flavoring out - ask me how I know… Thankfully, the coffee maker is easy to clean and descale. Regular maintenance includes cleaning the water tank; the coffee basket, and flushing the hot water/steamer (if you use it) afterward. Should you need to do more detailed cleaning, the side panel comes off, and it is pretty easy to take out the brewing mechanism, rinse it in clean water (no detergent needed), and take out coffee crumbs. I have been using it for a few days now, and my first impressions have not changed. This is a great, easy-to-use machine for a coffee lover. I am amazed at how far technology has made the simple coffee drink that millions of people enjoy with a touch of a button. Pros: Very easy to use and live with Tasty coffee drinks - be your barista! Espresso shots include lovely crema on top Looks great on the kitchen counter. Cons: Noisy mechanism when grinding, brewing, and expelling the pods. The descaling procedure takes 45 minutes, several rounds of fresh water refills, and a large drip container.

This is our first automatic espresso machine and we love it... for espresso. One of the major reasons we retired our old espresso machine was because of the time it took out of our mornings. Manual machines are great, but the prep and cleanup became too much for us to justify keeping it and when you have 3 kids like us, time is incredibly valuable. The De'Longhi Magnifica Start Espresso Machine solved the single greatest problem we had with making espresso in the morning. For the remainder of the review I'm going to refer to this machine as the DMS because the name doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. The DMS was a complete game changer for us. We are finally able to enjoy fresh espresso in the morning with the tap of a button. Simply pick up your favorite bean, load it into the hopper, and hit the espresso button. The machine will grind, pack, extract and dump the puck into a bin at the bottom of the machine for you to toss in the trash whenever it is convent for you. Don't get me wrong, there is some trial and error out of the gate to get the grind of the beans just right, but the payoff is worth it. From that moment on you will get the perfect espresso every time. Here's a pro tip: Every time the machine turns on, it will flush the system with water. Make sure you toss a cup under the spout to catch it and dump it in the sink, otherwise the tray underneath will fill up quick and you'll be dumping it more frequently than you need to. The DMS does have settings to make a cup of coffee or americano but I have not been satisfied with those results. I can't get the machine dialed in to take advantage of those features but they are there. It is a bit disappointing considering I wanted it to replace my drip coffee maker, but as of right now they both will remain on my countertop. Here's another pro tip: DO NOT USE MORE THAN ONE SCOOP IF YOU ARE DUMPING GROUNDS TO MAKE A CUP OF COFFEE. The first cup of coffee I tried to make came out too weak and I decided to dump 3 scoops for the next attempt (this was before I made it all the way through the manual). Doing this is a huge mistake. the grounds will overflow inside the DMS and you will have to disassemble a good amount of the machine to clean it. Learn from my mistake. The manual milk frother works well and heads up very quickly. I also found it much easier to clean because the milk doesn't seem to get "cooked" on like it did with the stainless version we had previously on another machine. We enjoy how simple the DMS has made it to extract top-notch espresso without the hassle. I wish we would have picked up one of these sooner, but better late than never. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking to take advantage of the time savings and quality the DMS brings to the table. Just don't buy it for the coffee and americano functionality.

The De'Longhi - Magnifica Start Automatic Coffee & Espresso Machine with Milk Frother does what it was designed to do, make good coffee. This unit comes with a small bag of medium roast beans, coffee scoop, a descaler solution but no water filter or milk frothing cup. At this price point it seems these items should be included. Set up is very easy and I found the factory settings had me making good coffee in about 15 minutes. I appreciate the quick start manual with some direction on how to modify the settings, I guess I'm just old school in that way. There is also a QR code to use for the manual in addition to the full paper manual. I switched to my regular beans and had to make some adjustments. Following the guide was easy however you have to make 3 cups or so for the new grind settings to work, or at least that is what I found. My first try I only made one cup which sent me down a rabbit hole and I eventually went back the factory grind setting. After figuring this out, I did find the perfect setting. The water reservoir is a little small, likely to keep the unit as compact as possible. Filling it and reinstallation is easy. Routine maintenance is outlined in the manual and does not seem overly difficult. As with anything that uses and heats water descaling is an issue, hence why a water filter should be included and used (even with softer water). If you start with bad ingredients you won't get a good product. I am used to immediately putting my cup under the spout, if you do this you will get a couple shots of water from the machine cleaning itself. I do like that it cleans the nozzle before making a new coffee. The milk frother seems questionable in the long term but it does its job well. The wand is metal and but the tip and outer protective sheath is plastic. Seems like an all metal wand would make more sense? However, like I said, it does the job well. I love the hot water option, at 170 degrees it will make great hot chocolate or tea. I like the display but in order to really tailor this to your liking it will take a read and understanding of the machine, nothing overly complicated though. The same applies to the warning indicators (grind bin full, water tank low etc..) All things considered, mostly that this should make great coffee, any short comings are minor and this does what it is intended to do, make great coffee.

THIS…. Is the De’Longhi Magnifica Start Espresso machine, which comes in two variants… one with an automatic milk frother, and this one, which comes with a manual milk frother. That being said, both are otherwise pretty much touch and go espresso/coffee machines. The Magnifica Start is renewed into a much more competitive market than what we saw five or more years ago. With almost every brand that makes countertop appliances throwing their hat at your morning caffeine routine. Let’s open the box and see how De’Longhi is shaking it up! Opening the box and taking out the Magnifica Start, I was honestly really excited! That was until I set it on my counter and realized that this is literally almost the exact same machine I bought 7 years ago, the De’Longhi Dinamica Espresso in a crème color. This is when it all really started to fizzle for me. After you spend $500, they can’t even slap on some stainless steel (or give the option for it) and if I want the automatic frother, I have to fork out an EXTRA $100. It simply looks cheap, and to be honest, it is! It is just plain plastic with almost no metal/alloy to it at all. I just keep getting caught up on the fact that my $100 keurig looks and feels nicer than my 5x more expensive espresso machine. Fine, I will let it go. After all, if it is held together by two pieces of yarn but makes the best coffee then I would have two pieces of yarn on my countertop. That being said, there are machines at this price and below that just have a much better curb appeal, but that is just the De’Longhi tax. Per the instructions, it says to do 4 rinse cycles and to adjust the machine for your waters hardness, which I did (and they do provide a test strip). I probably did 7 or 8 test runs as my wife is rather ~sensitive~ to abstract taste. Which I want to note, we had absolutely no issues with weird or funky taste which I have had with other machines. Once your machine is ready to go, you have to throw your beans in and set your grind setting (De’Longhi has a pretty good instructional on which level to set your bean grind to) and brew the magic! The grind setting is a guessing game, and something that you will figure out once and write down for each of your select beans. The espresso is great, and the americano is even better. For all the flack I have thrown at this machine thus far, one thing I can certify is that what the Magnifica Start does - it does exceptionally well! Everything is fantastic, and after I adjust the grind setting for each of my different types of beans, it is almost effortless in the morning (aside from the manual frother, of course). I found that the Double Shot espresso tasted better than the single shot and, well who needed another excuse to make a double shot! Deep cleaning the machine per the instructions should be done monthly, and is a semi intensive task. More like a once you do it the first time, the second, third and so on are really not too bad. This is where I will pivot and make my final claim, if you want a machine that is exactly what you see, then this is awesome. It is obvious that DeLonghi has been making coffee for a long time and hey, if they can get away without having to add too much more to the machine and still sell it…then heck who am I to say. BUT!! At the $500 price point, I can not only find other machines that look better, but that look better and also do more. In good faith I really cannot recommend this machine given the market and just how many features this machine does not have. Especially when looking across the price range and honestly even when I look at cheaper machines. I honestly feel like this is a half baked effort to ‘revamp’ the Magnifica Start, and for me it just falls flat. Nothing shouts premium, special or cutting edge here and just merely feels like the product to fill De’Longhi $500 slot. All of this being said, if what you want at the end of the day are a few options (espresso, double shot espresso, coffee and americano) that are quick and easy out of the box and the looks don’t matter to you… then by all means this is a perfect option. For me, wanting cold press, an auto frother and a few more bells and whistles, this just doesn’t hit the spot. But it is a very opinionated subject! Which is what makes Best Buy awesome as they probably have it on display as well as several other options. Best Buy has an excellent return policy and even better customer service, so you never have to worry about buying a product that you don’t like… so there is no harm in testing it out!

Great coffee and easy to use and smaller in size then other De'Longhi automatic coffee makers