DeLonghi ESAM 5500

The Delonghi ESAM 5500 is the perfect one touch solution for those who like to wake up, push a button and enjoy great tasting coffee. Buy it here now!

Do you want to be able to brew high quality espresso, cappuccino or lattes from the comfort of your own home? The ESAM 5500 is is an easy to use super automatic coffee machine that has 5 coffee-strength settings to suit all tastes – ranging from extra mild to extra strong with everything in between.

The included conical burr grinder also has 13 different fineness settings to cater for each and every bean type and the beans are ground immediately before the brewing process starts to make sure that the end result is fresh and flavorsome.

Even heat distribution is assured with DeLonghi’s Thermoblock technology and the double espresso boiler with 15 bars of pressure ensures that there is no waiting for your cup of coffee between frothing the milk and the final product.

ESAM 5500 review – keep track of your coffee

One unique feature of this coffee machine is that it has a statistics function built into the user display which shows such data as how many coffees have been brewed, how many liters of water have been used and how many times you have actually decalcified the unit.

This has the added benefit of letting you know when your unit needs a clean or on the other hand, just how addicted to drinking coffee you really are!

Key features

  1. digitally programmable menu – you can control such things as start and shut-off time, temperature, hardness of the water and of course the clock

    The Delonghi ESAM 5500

  2. three cup size choices: ristretto (small), espresso (medium), and large (American coffee).
  3. all parts are dishwasher friendly to make cleaning a breeze
  4. automatic decalcification warning – the ESAM 5500 will tell you when it needs to be cleaned
  5. adjustable spout – perfect for different sized cups
  6. 200 gram coffee container, 25 ounce milk container and 60 ounce (1.8 liters) water container

Watch the instructional ESAM 5500 DVD before you begin brewing

While the machine is relatively easy to use, there are a couple of little tidbits that are specific to its operation. So please, watch the operational DVD first just to make sure that you aren’t going to do something that will reduce the life of your espresso machine (even if you consider yourself to be an expert on the subject).

One particular example of something you might miss is the fact that the burr grinder notch has been turned slowly (one notch at a time) while it is in operation. For what reason? Who knows, but we have to assume that the reason was important enough for DeLonghi to include it in the instruction manual.

What I like and don’t like about the ESAM 5500

As a cappuccino lover, this machine makes them in a breeze and more importantly, they taste brilliant! The foam is also a positive. While it may not be up to some peoples exacting coffee-house standards, it is still very good and besides, you could always buy an electric milk frother if you really wanted the best.

Many people have reported that this machine has made thousands of cups of coffee and still going strong. The fact that this unit keeps a historical report of all the coffee made must surely do wonders for its reputation of longevity and reliability.  This unit is also very quiet for a super automatic machine.

As far as the negative aspects go, a few reviewers have commented that the 5500 doesn’t exactly make a hot cup of coffee. I guess given the price of this unit, it should be able to make a hot cup of coffee.

However, if you are prepared to overlook that point for the other positive points, then I’m sure a quick 30 second zap in the microwave will do the trick.

Jonathan Hallman summed up his experience of this coffee maker well:

I have settled on Illy beans and it is a real luxury to wake up, press one button, and have such a tasty treat. It does not create true coffee-house foam but it is close enough. Indeed, I am now accustomed to the slightly larger bubbles and find real cappuccino a bit too creamy. In any case, the beast has worked like a charm so far. It is expensive but life is short and little luxuries like this make it so much more enjoyable.

Conclusion Rating: ★★★★☆

The DeLonghi ESAM 5500 offers the convenience of automation that any super automatic machine will give you. So what sets it apart from the rest?

Probably the fact that it is quiet, reliable and good at what it does. It will grind whatever you throw at it and produce something that is way more than just acceptable.

Furthermore, you also get to take advantage of the excellent customer service that DeLonghi provide should you ever encounter a problem – regardless of the place of purchase.

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Filed under: DeLonghi Coffee Machines

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