Delonghi - the Italian Black and Decker

Author's Rating:

Pros: Has a nice removable tank on the drip coffee side

Cons: Milk frother difficult to clean, no pump cappuccino maker, difficult controls

The Bottom Line: 
Difficult to keep clean, difficult to control the milk frother, a bit too large and a bit overpriced for what you get.

Author's Review
Yes, this coffee maker as seen in the pictures offers simultaneous drip filter and espresso coffee making. It has a 1.2 litre water reservoir maximum capacity. The coffee unit includes a drip interrupt feature, warming plate and 5-10 cup capacity.
This machine is also able to froth milk to make cappuccino coffee at the same time.

It does not have a steam Pump to force the water through the coffee using an internal pump. It just pushes the steam through the coffee without a pump using the steam pressure and the force of gravity. With a pump machine the force is more intense than a steam machine and results in a higher quality and better tasting coffee.

The milk frother is simple to use, in that you just pour milk into it and when a light comes on you turn a knob to let the steam blow through it and it comes out a bit frothy. I do not prefer this system to the other system of having a cup full of milk and moving a cup up and down while the steam blows through a nozzle into the cup. The delongi method might be less work to make the frothy milk but you have a much bigger job in cleanup, so if you enjoy taking your machine apart everytime you use the frother and having to wash the parts everytime you use it, then maybe its worth the ease of use. The other way you just have to wipe the nozzle off and your done. Also you cannot control the consistency of the frothy milk as easily as with the cup of milk method, so i found that I couldn't really get the milk to the proper foaminess.

The unit does offer a 10 cup filter coffee capacity. And 4 cup espresso coffee capacity The steam pressurized system includes a pressure safety valve.

I would recommend getting two seperate machines, as this unit can take up more space than two machines . Also, I think it is a bit expensive for the fact there is no pump. Also the quality of materials is not great. Its just a simple plastic unit that really has no quality parts at all.Although it looks good and impressive, if you do like good coffee you would be better off with other choices. For example there are many drip coffee makers that offer a sealed carafe to keep your drip coffee fresher longer. In terms of the expresso maker would reccomend one with a pump, but if a pump is out of your budget, in the very least get a unit that has a proper nozzle system to make frothy milk.

Hope this helps.