Price drop from $495 a few days ago… a genuine bargain from Amazon Australia! Cheaper than Harvey Norman/Good Guys etc. (who are selling for $495) even when you take into account this isn't eligible for the current cash back promo that DeLonghi are running.
CamelCamelCamel.
Depends on the coffee. Whenever I used zarafas coffee ( coffee store brand) our machine would stop grinding due to the oil, no other beans had problems.
The fix is to bring dry white rice ( make sure no water starts). Rice does the trick, simple and cheap.
This was on a gaggia machine, never had to clean our delonghi grinder
Had a similar DeLonghi the door at the front opens and then you can press two pinch tabs to remove the part that makes the coffee (not sure what it is called) and rinse it under a tap.
That is brew assembly which is different from grinder. I did like that part of DeLonghi that you can remove brew assembly and clean it.
I found a pic of the brew assembly https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/88323/55415/delonghi-m…
Edit: Just realised nfr was asking specifically about cleaning the grinder so disregard my previous comment. Like PVA I never had any problems with the grinder for the eight or so years I had the machine.
I wonder what the "official" warranty period is with this machine, and the reasonable "consumer guarantee" period. I can't find any mention of warranty on the Amazon Australia site.
I have had this model for about 8 years. The grinder can become bound up after some time, you open the doors, pinch the tabs and can wash it under a tap.
I find I need to clean it about every 6 months.
There is also a "plunger or piston" part to the grinder (push downward on the grinding disc exposes the plunger), over time (with washing) the grease can wash off, you can apply food grade grease to it a couple of times a year to keep it running smoothly. If this is not done the coffee dispensed will vary in quality as it seems to grind for shorter or longer depending on how smoothly and clean the plunger and grinder are moving.
It's not complicated and takes a couple of minutes.
Weekly you need to empty the waste bin and add water and beans.
pretty simple to use and reliable
*edit
Forgot descaling which I stopped doing about 5 years ago…. I use filtered water, not sure if it helps.
Thanks for your comment, my parents just bought this machine yesterday so your advice will come in handy! I used to lubricate parts of the plunger mechanism in our old Seico with food grade silicone lubricant too.
Do you take off the steam wand attachments and clean them every time it's used as recommended in the instructions? I found that pushing the steam wand into a jug of water after use and blowing steam then water through it seems to clean it just as well as removing the attachment and washing it out, but not sure if it's safe to use long-term. I'll try it for a few days and see if any milk deposits build up inside. Definitely don't want disgusting crusty milk deposits clogging it up.
It might be worth you trying a descale anyway. Friends of mine had a machine they'd never descaled. They thought using filtered water meant they didn't have to descale, and their machine seemed to work fine so they didn't bother. I descaled it myself while minding their apartment, and the flow rate nearly doubled, steam output was much smoother with no stuttering, and their steam wand frothed milk much faster afterwards. They hadn't realised how much better it would work after a clean. It's a little tedious but well worth it.
You don't need expensive solution. Myer sell Sunbeam brand liquid descaler for about $9.95 and it just needs a cap full of solution every six months or so. We're half way through our second bottle after eight years. Can't find it on their website so maybe they don't stock it anymore, but The Good Guys seem to sell it cheaper anyway and claim to have plenty of stock in Sydney and Melbourne:
https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/sunbeam-liquid-descaler-ke010…
Thanks again!
I don't steam… Macchiato for me so the steamer rarely gets used.
Pulled the trigger.
Thanks OP.
Thanks OP, went to HN and got the machine for $469, with the cash back it became $419 so slightly cheaper than Amazon, and got the machine straightaway! Althought have to go through with the cash back process.
Thanks heaps OP, I sent my parents to Harvey Norman today with a printout of this Amazon deal. The salesperson price-matched it to $423.99 BEFORE the $50 rebate - so my parents will end up paying only $373.99 total, after the rebate arrives. Sweet!
The family have been playing with the settings all evening trying to dial in the best flavour. I we think we're just about there. We had to stop because we've had a bit too much caffeine already. We all had three or four coffees within a couple of hours so had to slow down a bit. It's pretty fun to use and heats up faster than the Seico it has replaced. We're using Danes coffee beans purchased direct from their factory.
My parents had been using their old Seico Royal Professional fully automatic machine for the past eight years, but a couple of months ago a leaky valve burst inside the machine and sprayed the electronics with water, causing it to explode. If you ever see water leaking out from unusual parts of your coffee machine, make sure you service it immediately! A small leak can turn into a high-pressure steam bomb if the machine isn't serviced in time. Last time I used it I warned my Dad that water was leaking out from under the machine, but he ignored it for too long and one day, BANG, smoke everywhere and a dead machine. The service agent said replacement parts alone would cost more than a brand new machine. Mind you, the Seico was about fifteen years old. Family friends gave it to us when it stopped working, and it cost $550 to service and get back up and running last time, which is more than the cost of this entire DeLonghi machine. We did OK today.
Managed to price match at The Good Guys, they just had to check with the manager. One problem I have with the machine is that you need to keep the cappuccino head on. If you take it off to use the all-purpose nozzle underneath it flies off when you go to steam milk. I guess it is called a "Cappuccino System" but i've finally got the coffee set to come out perfectly and just want to make a latte and not have half a cup full of foam :<
How do you clean machines like this? Its grinder will have coffee oil build up over time.