For those who are wondering, there are two kinds of espressos available on the De’Longhi Magnifica control panel. They look like same button (one press vs two), but yield different results. It’s not just a question of volume; it’s a whole new mechanism. Give them both a try and see what happens.
There’s a single button on this machine labeled Espresso. When you push it, the machine will grind once to make a single portion of ground coffee. It then pours directly into your cup (you’ll notice that the brew is slightly faster).
Double Shot Performance
This means that since there are fewer bean being used, you’ll get a regular strength brew as opposed to a double. Perfect for when you want just a single shot, to go!
The process is efficient.
It’s a slick operation.
One espresso dispenses between 30 and 40 milliliters of coffee, or about an ounce to an ounce-and-a-half. There’s a central dial where you can also set the amount you’d like, though we leave it on its default position for the purposes of this review.
The crema appears nice and the water flow consistently. No dilly-dallying; it’s done in a flash.
Then you hit the 2 × Espresso button. When you do this it starts two different cycles on the grinder and grinds out a double shot of coffee. Why? Because you’re pulling more than one shot at a time so you need more grounds.
Now the machine initiates two separate grinding cycles, spitting out two shots instead. You see the grinder going. You see it taking twice as long. Then you have a longer brew time.
And it’s worth the wait.
With the double setting you get anywhere from 60 to 80 milliliters of coffee. This is a pretty large increase in volume, which will result in a much stronger flavor. It’s a more bold cup of coffee that you can actualy taste.
There isn’t any loss of pressure and the machine handles the larger volume without a problem.
It is good engineering.
The second time through you put the mug underneath the dispenser again. This obviously draws a different amount of coffee beans from the machine; and produces two separate shot.
It’s easy to see how many fewer beans are used. Later, you look into the bean hopper, which run out quicker at this setting.
You should of been aware of that.
Keep that in mind.
These runs are done without using the milk frother nozzle. That’s the one marked for both macchiato and milk; you don’t use that here.
You’re after a clean shot of espresso, and all you care about is the coffee. The extract come out cleanly, with no problems from the spouts.
You are satisfied with the result.
The thing I notice is the grinds, there’s one grind for a single shot and two for a double shot. That will make a difference in terms of volume and strength. The single is faster for sure, but the double has more richness to it.
They’re both programmable. Every once in a while you have to turn the volume up or down. It can be customized, and that makes a difference.
So what about these two? When do I use one over another? If I just want to get it done, it’s a single button for me. I use double when I want some volume and strength.
Both work well in the machine. But the double wins out since it gets my cup fuller. There is not much longer to grind either, so I have no complaints with waiting. Flavor payoff is definitely there. It is the winner all around.