# Recommendations: auto-grind coffee maker. De'Longhi ESAM3300 Magnifica?



## LordSmoke (Dec 25, 2012)

Does anyone have any experience/opinions with/on the DeLonghi ESAM3300 Magnifica Super-Automatic Espresso/Coffee Machine? Or similar?

We currently have a $25 drip coffee maker for our morning brew (Community Coffee) and a Nespresso for cappucinos (well, I just heat the milk in the microwave) and decaf coffees with dessert in the evening. We are very happy with the products of both.

As part of a kitchen remodel, I am wondering if I could replace both with an auto-grinding expresso/coffee machine like the De'Longhi. At my office in Vienna, they have a similar Jura that grinds and makes coffee by the cup. The instructions are in German, but I have been able to extract a full cup of black coffee, but no idea about adjusting the strength - two cups have me bouncing off the walls. This model De'Longhi seems comparable for home use. It is the bottom of their line, but at around $700 it is still quite pricey. I would pay that, though, if it could meet our needs with coffee as good or better than what we are currently enjoying.


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## MaxBuck (Apr 4, 2013)

LordSmoke, I have no experience with this machine, but my experience with coffeemakers (and I'm pretty picky about my brew) tells me that multi-purpose machines like this do all jobs in mediocre fashion unless you're spending truly big coin, and also spending lots of time maintaining them (mostly cleaning all the parts and nooks and crannies).

I've avoided grinding my own beans because, unless you are willing to spend inordinate amounts of time in the cleaning process, the grinder invariably picks up off-flavors due to oxidation of residues and other dirt. Honestly, so long as I'm buying in pound quantities, I haven't found the coffee flavor in ground packaged coffee to deteriorate enough that grinding at home is beneficial. YMMV, of course.

Good call on the Community Coffee. It's delicious; one of the few things I miss about living in the Deep South.


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