The De’Longhi Magnifica make it easy to accidental press one of the two main coffee buttons, so you can experiment with each.
Now that’s what I call coming from spout.
Comparing Coffee And Long Settings
Of course, start with basic Coffee button. You can program this thing, so customize away. Generally, it’s around 3 to 4 oz or roughly 90 to 120 ml. That’s plenty for a cup of coffee in the morning.
It’s quicker to brew than the Long setting, but not as fast as one espresso shot. It is stronger then a Long coffee, but not as strong as an espresso shot. There’s more crema on top, too, and a richer bolder taste.
It definitely has that little bit more crema going on which does makes it feel a touch thicker in the mouth, giving it some substance in the cup. No wimpy flavor here either; when you want something with some kick to the back of your eyeballs, this brew fit the bill just fine.
After that you go with the Long button. It outputs quite a bit of volume (about 6 to 8 oz), between 180 and 240 ml. The brew time also increases a lot since it take longer for water to extract through grounds.
The taste of a Long coffee made in this way are very mild and smooth. It is very similar to drip coffee, almost like an Americano. It is less foamy than the regular Coffee setting because it lack a crema layer.
It’s got a lighter taste and that might feel refreshing. It’s also slower, pulling out other compounds that makes it less punchy. Maybe you appreciate how smooth the Long brew is (it make for a proper coffee break).
But as you can see from the side by side results, there’s a difference: With the Long button, you get smoothness and volume; with the Coffee button, you get foam and intensity.
It’s about what you need in the moment. Want mild coffee? Press Long. Want bold coffee? Press Coffee. And neither is the wrong thing to do, it would of been hard to choose.