If you’ve been intimidated by getting your own home espresso machine up and running, this one will make things pretty easy for you. There’s no barista certification required with the De’Longhi Magnifica S Smart, just put some milk in, push a button and let the machine take care of the rest (brewing, frothing). Use it on a day-to-day basis to see if control work for you.
There are dedicated buttons for Long drinks, Coffee, Double Espresso and Espresso. Each one yield something slightly different in terms of strength and volume. Espresso is a little more intense, with rich crema, while double espresso just doubles the impact. Coffee is your average mug-sized pour-over. Long is a larger, milder cup that’s closer to an Americano. There’s no guessing what you’ll get here; it’s all about knowing what you like from coffee, and picking accordingly.
Advanced Features and Convenience
To make an espresso, you hit the Espresso button. It grinds some beans, pushes out a shot into your cup, and voila! Here’s a good-looking cup of espresso with a rich, golden-colored crema.
To adjust the bitterness, there’s a dial in the middle that goes from minimum to maximum. Turning this knob adjust the level of coffee strength to suit your personal tastes. Most beans is fine at the default setting (which has been set up to be easy to use).
Next we move onto milk based beverages where there are a couple different settings that require a little skill with the steam wand. There’s a hot milk switch and a cappuccino setting. Pull the lever down for cappuccino to get a nice foamy, airy texture. Pull it up and the milk will stay smooth and liquid as it heat. To achieve the cappuccino texture you do need to train yourself on pulling the lever down.
Making froth requires placing a pitcher beneath the wand, then letting the machine blast it with steam, heating and aerating it at once. When you make a cappuccino, foam will be light and airy. This is important because it provides desired texture in your mouth.
When you pour the steamed milk over your brewed coffee, the foam settles nicely on top. It’s good-looking enough to pass off as something you might serve to company.
I also really like that you can use it as an instant soup maker or for hot tea water. There is no need to wait for the water to get hot, because machine dispenses hot water straight from the steam wand.
Just push the hot water button and put your cup under there, and it heats up quickly. No extra kettle needed, this gives it some use outside of coffee making.
There are also other options: You don’t have to use whole bean coffee. The machine also has a separate compartment for ground coffee. You’ll place a scoop or two of your preferred ground coffee blend there. Be careful not to fill it up too much, or it may block the mechanism and cause an error message.
It was a process of learning.
You add the pre-ground coffee, push the Long button, and the machine goes to work, grinding it (as it does with the beans) and brewing as usual. It pours nicely into your mug, and tastes robust and fresh.
In a pinch, or when you’re running late, pre-ground coffee would of been a big time-saver. It’s also nice to have on hand for when you’re down to the last of the beans.
The De’Longhi Magnifica S Smart is simple; its controls are intuitive and respond well. From pulling a shot to steaming milk to brewing from pre-ground coffee, it’s all second nature and you won’t fumble around for how it works.
It produce what you’d expect in terms of drink quality and it looks right at home sitting on your kitchen counter.
It is so worth it.