From no drip to a cup a day: Delonghi ECAM 22.110B coffee machine simple experience

【Foreword】

Actually, I have gained a lot of overseas shopping trophies on Zhangdama before, but I have only recently started writing evaluation reports and sharing my experience. As the saying goes, "Everyone for me, I for everyone". In fact, I am not a coffee lover. I only started drinking coffee when I was a student with Nestle instant coffee. For me personally, even drinking instant coffee is considered to have a good taste, but who knew that someone like me would marry a wife who loves coffee. After marriage, the frequency of my wife's coffee drinking really surprised me. She is basically a regular customer of Starbucks, Costa, Pacific Coffee Shop and other coffee shops. According to her frequency of drinking coffee, within a year, the money she spends on coffee is enough to buy a fully automatic coffee machine. I simply made one myself. On the one hand, I can control the frequency of her coffee drinking, and on the other hand, I feel that making it myself may also be more assured about food safety. However, I guess this is all wishful thinking. In fact, I have bought this coffee machine for half a year. The reason why I am sharing my experience now is actually because of that word: laziness. But it is better late than never, so I will make up this article.

【Model selection】

I actually have no experience in choosing coffee machines. At first, I randomly searched online and read experience introductions on Zhangdama. I felt that capsule or fully automatic machines were more suitable for people like me. They were convenient and quick, and could be formed in 2 minutes. Later, I went to the mall to see the real ones. After comparison, I still chose to buy fully automatic ones, which have more functions. Of course, I found out later that few of these functions are often used. From the price point of view, I found that the price in China is too expensive. The price difference of the same model can be as high as several thousand yuan. I decisively chose to buy overseas, and finally chose this Delonghi ECAM 22.110B, for one reason: Delonghi fully automatic coffee machine ranks first. What else can I say? This is it.

【Purchase channels】

Some models of Deya coffee machines cannot be shipped directly, and the biggest disadvantage is that the shipping cost is relatively expensive, and there is also a prepayment of tax, which makes people very unhappy, but fortunately there is another option, that is Computeruniverse, which is often recommended on Zhangdama. Computeruniverse can also ship directly to China, and the shipping cost is much cheaper than Deya, and there is no need to prepay taxes, so it naturally became the preferred channel for purchase. Because buying from Germany can also enjoy the preferential tax refund, according to the price I bought at the time and the shipping cost, the actual purchase price was around 2,100, which is very cost-effective compared to the price of 4,000 or 5,000 in China, and it is also authentic.

Here is another link to Deya

【Introduction】

The machine itself is quite heavy, and looks quite thick. Many parts of the machine body are made of plastic, which is a bit disappointing, but after all, it is an entry-level model of Delonghi's fully automatic series, and it is cost-effective. I can only comfort myself in this way. The overall shape of the machine body is quite attractive, and the various functional areas are clearly distinguished, which looks simple and generous, which is very in line with my aesthetics.

The row above the operation panel is an electronic display that displays basic information when the machine is running. In fact, a few icons will light up. The operation panel seems to have many buttons, but in fact, they are all equipped with instruction labels, which are clear at a glance. The top left corner is the knob for the steam nozzle, which is only used when making milk foam. The following 6 buttons correspond from top to bottom and from left to right: switch, one small cup, one large cup, steam valve, two small cups, and two large cups. The large knob in the middle is for selecting the coarseness of the grind beans, and there is a small button in the lower center, which is the descaling button.

The water tank on the side is stretchable and transparent, making it easy to check the water level at any time

The water tank is designed with a slot for the soft water filter element. After inserting the soft water filter element, the water quality can be filtered.

The middle part is the tray for coffee cups, which is removable. After taking it out, there is a slot for storing coffee grounds on the tray. After the tray cover is opened, the lower part is used to hold water. A small amount of residual water will flow in during each use. This part and the slot for coffee grounds need to be cleaned regularly.

The top is the bean bin, which is clearly visible when you open the lid. The knob in the middle can freely select the gear for grinding the beans. The larger the number, the finer the soybeans are ground.

After the lid of the bean bin is opened, the coffee powder is added inside. This machine can be used for both beans and powder. You can grind beans to brew coffee, or you can add coffee powder directly to brew. However, the machine manual also states that beans and powder can only be added to their respective bins, otherwise the machine will be damaged.

There are two water outlets, which can be used to receive two cups of coffee at the same time. The one on the left is a steam nozzle, which is used to make milk foam.

The voltage in Germany is also 220V, so it can be used directly in China without the need for an adapter. However, the plug has a round head and cannot be used for flat-head sockets. This needs attention.

【Machine use】

After plugging in the power supply, first turn on the power switch on the back of the machine, O for off, I for on.

Put an empty cup on the tray, first click the switch button in the upper left corner of the 6 buttons on the front of the operation panel, the machine will start running automatically, and a small amount of hot water will flow out from the water outlet after about 30 seconds. This is mainly for cleaning the machine.

Open the bean hopper cover and put in a certain amount of coffee beans. Of course, you can also directly put full coffee beans in the bean hopper, so you don’t have to add them separately every time. But if you use coffee powder, you need to add it separately every time, otherwise the machine will not work.

Put an empty cup on the tray again, click any of the four buttons for brewing coffee on the operation panel, and choose according to your taste and quantity. After about 10 seconds, you will see hot coffee flowing into the cup, this is the original coffee!!!

If you need to add milk foam, then click the steam valve switch in the upper right corner, you will see the light next to the thermometer logo in the upper left corner and the light next to the steam logo in the upper right corner flashing at the same time, and the light on the left stops flashing after 15 seconds. Now put the cup of milk under the steam nozzle (remember to make sure the milk submerges the steam nozzle, otherwise the milk will be completely sprayed out by the impact of gas), turn the steam valve knob in the upper left corner, adjust it to the I position, and start making milk foam.

Don't put too much milk in the cup, because the volume of milk will expand during the process of making milk foam. Personally, I feel that it is ready when there is more foam on the surface. In fact, this also depends on personal taste. If you like more milk foam, you can froth it for a while longer.

After making milk foam, remember to adjust the steam valve knob back to the O position to avoid scalding caused by continuous steam spraying. Also, when the lights on the bottom row of the operation panel turn green, place a cup under the steam nozzle and adjust the steam valve knob to the I position again. Hot water will flow out of the steam valve nozzle. After about 5 seconds, close the steam valve knob. This process is mainly to clean the milk residue in the steam nozzle.

The steam nozzle can be disassembled and washed. You can disassemble it and wash it separately after each use. Special reminder: after the nozzle is disassembled, there is a pointed nozzle inside. This does not need to be disassembled frequently because there is a sealing ring inside. If you accidentally lose the sealing ring when disassembling it, then congratulations, your milk frother will no longer be able to work normally. I asked why I know it so clearly, because I am too obsessed with cleanliness. As a result, I lost it. I searched for it online for a long time. Fortunately, I found a place that sells accessories. It's just such a small sealing ring, but it costs 45 yuan. But without it, I can't make milk foam smoothly, so this is a bloody lesson.

Place a cup on the tray and click the switch button in the upper left corner. The coffee machine will repeat the cleaning process when it is turned on and a small amount of residual water will flow out. After the cleaning is completed, the panel light will go out and you can turn off the power switch on the back of the machine.

This is the whole process of making a cup of coffee. It only takes about 2 minutes, which is very convenient.

As for the taste, it depends on personal preference. In my opinion, it doesn't have to be bound by the form. Since it is homemade, you can drink it however you want, chocolate, caramel, cream, black tea, matcha, etc. Anyway, all that's left is to use your imagination.

Because I usually bring a cup to work, I also bought a coffee thermos. This cup was recommended by Zhangdama before, and Amazon was having a special offer at that time, so I bought one. The biggest feature is that you can drink directly without taking off the lid. The button on the lid can control the water outlet on the lid at will. At the same time, there is a hook under the lid. If you want to drink tea bags, you can also hang them directly on it, which is very convenient.

Attached is a purchase link:

If you drink one cup a day, you may need to add water to the water tank once a week. The official recommendation is to replace the soft water filter every 2 months, but it can be adjusted according to the frequency of use of the machine. If you use it frequently, you can replace it in less than 2 months. If you don't use the machine for a long time, the official recommendation is to replace the filter every 3 weeks.

The coffee grounds in the coffee grounds container need to be cleaned regularly. Each time you use the machine, a round coffee grounds cake will be formed, so it will be full after a few times. Of course, this shape is not very attractive and looks a bit like that. In fact, the coffee grounds can also be collected and placed in the refrigerator to remove odors.

【User experience】

Actually, I am not very experienced, so please forgive me if there are some inadequate or unclear explanations. As for coffee, I am actually just a beginner, and I have not studied its essence in depth. In fact, I can't taste much difference in taste. I bought this machine just to serve my wife. During the use, I also made a brief summary for your reference.

advantage:

1. Convenient and fast. Each time you use it, it only takes 5 minutes at most from turning it on to shutting it down. This is undoubtedly very useful for value friends who want to bring a cup of coffee to the company in the morning to refresh themselves for the whole morning, and they don’t have to queue up in the coffee shop.

2. Easy to clean. The steam nozzle used for making milk foam has an automatic cleaning function. The parts that need to be cleaned can be disassembled and cleaned every time. It only needs to be cleaned regularly every week and does not need to be cleaned every day.

3. It has complete functions. You don’t need to grind the beans manually. You can choose different types of grinding degrees to suit the taste of different people. You can also use coffee powder directly. Basically, you can make American coffee, cappuccino, latte, mocha, etc.

4. There is almost no loud noise during the whole use. Even the sound made during grinding beans and starting and shutting down the machine is completely acceptable, and the sound time is relatively short, so it will not cause nuisance to others.

shortcoming:

1. When using coffee powder, you can only add one spoonful of powder each time you make coffee. Do not add more, otherwise the machine will not operate normally.

2. Powder will leak from the tray from time to time, which is troublesome to clean, especially when using coffee powder. Powder often leaks. It is recommended to use coffee beans.