Everyone wants to live in comfort, and have all the possible services available without crossing their home’s threshold. For example, who doesn’t love the smell of freshly brewed coffee in the morning? But how can you achieve it? The answer is quite obvious – by having an espresso machine. Today, we’ll take a closer look at one of such devices, particularly, it’s going to be a DeLonghi ECP3630 review. Go on reading in order to discover something interesting for you!
Design and Main Parts of DeLonghi ECP3630
First of all, it should be mentioned that DeLonghi ECP3630 is a manual coffee maker. It means that you need to load ground and watch the brewing process by yourself, but it’s even better since you can stop it once you achieve the taste to your liking. Still, you may want to know more about the details that are usually not pictured in the description.
Design
The major part of the outer surface of the coffee maker is plastic that is gray. The additional material is stainless steel with a brushed texture – on the control panel, and chrome – on the portafilter, dials, grill, and steam wand.
Water reservoir
The device takes water from the water reservoir. It is hidden inside the machine’s body and can be removed by opening the top lid and pulling it out. The reservoir holds up to 37 ounces. In order to check the remaining level, there is a special window on the front part of the device. It’s transparent, so it’s well seen how much water is left.
Portafilter
The portafilter is the main element in the brewing machine. The reason is that it contains a portion of ground beans that, consequently, will create a coffee drink in conjunction with the water that passes through.
The ground is loaded before each use, and the device should be washed after each cycle by removing the residue.
Control panel
The control panel is on the front side of the appliance. There is one single switch and 2 LED indicators. The knob that turns and switches on a corresponding mode is turned off by default. As this machine is manual, there are no other buttons or switches there – it’s beautiful in its simplicity.
Drip tray
The device is equipped with a drip tray that collects all the drops falling down. Thus, you will need to clean it once it’s full. In addition, this tray hides an extra space, so after removing it you can put a taller cup under the spouts.
The less-interesting, but still important technical characteristics are gathered in the table below, so you don’t waste time looking around for them.
| Product Feature | Feature Parameters |
|---|---|
| Pressure | 15 Bar |
| Power | 1100W |
| Materials | Plastic, stainless steel |
| Weight | 9.8 lbs |
| Dimensions | 10 x 7 x 12 inches |
| Water reservoir | 37 oz |
| Cup height | up to 5 inches |
Using DeLonghi (ECP3630) 15-Bar Pump Espresso Machine
The distinguishing thing of any espresso machine is its simplicity of use. There are no buttons that can confuse you, so its operation requires only a few steps.
The first one is to fill the reservoir with water. Then, you need to plug the device in.
The next thing is turning the knob to the right in order to switch the “On” mode. While water is heating up, you can load a portion of ground beans into a portafilter, temp them and install into a dispenser.
Wait till the “Ready” indicator lights up – it means that the heating coil is hot enough to dispense hot water. Don’t forget to place a cup under the spouts. Once the light indicator shows you that the machine is ready – turn on the brewing process by turning the knob to the right again.
Remember that the chosen mode doesn’t switch off automatically, so you should control the process and terminate it manually, by turning the knob to the left.
You may also want to cover your coffee with the fluffy top. In this case, you should turn the knob left that turns on the steam wand. Besides, you can also adjust the type of water dispensing by pulling up or down the ring on the wand. There are 2 options: for cappuccino and hot milk frothing.
How to Clean This Espresso and Cappuccino Maker?
After each cycle, the portafilter should be cleaned. You should throw away the coffee residue and rinse filters under tap water.
The water reservoir should be washed at least once a week, in case you use it regularly. The more rarely you make coffee the more often you should wash it in order to prevent bacteria developing.
The steam wand is no exception. In fact, it requires even more careful cleaning than elements that contact water. The wand should be washed after each use. And in order to do that, just prepare a jug or a cup of water and submerge the wand into the container. Turn the steaming mode on and rinse it for a few seconds. Then turn the steam off and wipe the accessory off with the towel.
However, you need to perform the descaling procedure as well. But first, check the user manual that shows you how to do that.
Other Features You Need to Know
Brewing is not the only function of this machine. Indeed, it has one more pleasant feature – the capability to warm up a cup. In particular, there is a tray on the top, that is warm while the machine is turned on. Thus, placing a cup there will heat it up so it will sustain the high temperature of the drink longer.
Advantages and Disadvantages
The review would be incomplete without feedback from the owners who have used the particular appliance for a while. Indeed, it’s quite difficult to evaluate any device without knowing how it works in real life. Thus, you are invited to check out the machine’s weak and strong points.
- It’s compact
- It’s easy to use
- The thickness of the milk foam can be adjusted
- It’s durable
- It’s perfect for beginners
- It’s capable to accommodate tall containers
- There should be a separate grinding machine
- The portafilter fits badly after the unpackaging
Troubleshooting Tips
As any kitchen appliance, this manual espresso machine can fault from time to time. Below is the table that features the problems that might come up while using DeLonghi ECP3630, and their possible solutions.
| Difficulty | Solution |
|---|---|
| How to improve coffee crema? |
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| How to make coffee hotter? |
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| What to do if any of the parts get broken? | Remember that the device is protected by the manufacturer’s warranty. It lasts for 1 year after the day of purchase. Thus, if something happened to the appliance you should contact the customer service. |
Where to Buy DeLonghi ECP3630 Manual Espresso Machine?
Speaking about DeLonghi, it’s quite obvious that you can buy it from the official shop. However, it’s not the only option since, nowadays, there are lots of online and offline stores where you can get the information, compare and buy the items you want. Examples of such platforms would be Amazon or eBay.
Final Thoughts
If you are a coffee fan and can’t imagine your morning without a cup of cappuccino or espresso, then it’s time to have a machine that can make it specially for you. This will be a gorgeous purchase that will save you a lot of time in the morning and let you spend it on yourself rather than staying in the line at Starbucks. And if you are a beginner, then DeLonghi ECP3630 might be ideal for you.
References
- Manual Espresso Machine, Cappuccino Maker – ECP3630 – https://www.delonghi.com/
- Espresso Pulling Too Fast on De’Longhi ECP3630 – Maybe? – https://www.reddit.com/