DeLonghi ECAM28465M Prima Donna Automatic Espresso Machine Review

The Pros and Cons of DeLonghi ECAM28465M Prima Donna Espresso Machine

No doubt, DeLonghi Prima Donna Automatic Espresso Machine has more plus points than the downsides. Here we will weigh the pros and cons of the Prima Donna to check whether it’s really worth a shot or not.

DeLonghi ECAM28465M Prima Donna Review - Key Features

Fully Automatic Design

DeLonghi’s Prima Donna is state-of-the-art, smartest coffee maker to exist today, given its automatic operation and bean-to-cup delivery.

It gives you precise control over the coffee making process, so you can fine-tune what exactly goes in your coffee. It does not feel complicated or clumsy to operate.

With Prima Donna, you can make creamy lattes, espressos, cappuccinos and macchiato at home anytime you want.

Its super-automatic design seems to be the most significant part of this DeLonghi Prima Donna review.

Imposing design and stainless steel construction

These dimensions might not be suitable for those who have confined counter space. But, the modern, industrial-style design will suit almost any home decor.

Sensor Touch control panel

One-Touch Button settings

With just a touch of a button, the device can produce 4 different specialty drinks: Espresso, Café latte, Cappuccino and Latte macchiato.

What’s even better is that you can easily program your coffee as per your taste and liking- choose strength, temperature and milk-to-espresso ratio. These settings can be saved in integrated “memory bank” for quick future reference.

Only thing is that there’s just 1 memory slot per coffee drink. Which means that if one member of the household has saved their favorite espresso settings, the other can save their preferred cappuccino settings. Two people cannot save their preferred setting for the same drink.

This might be a turndown for multiple coffee lovers in the same household.

Integrated Burr grinder

To ensure the freshness of your coffee is kept intact, the Prima Donna integrates top-loading, professional-grade burr grinder with 13 different grind settings.

The conical burr grinder is crafted from hardened steel and it rotates at optimal speed to grind fresh coffee beans to your desired grind size (fine, coarse or medium). Or, you can also use the second “grounds container” and place pre-ground coffee there for quick decaf, regular or specialty drinks.

You can adjust the settings of this grinder via a control knob located right next to the bean hopper. Such fine adjustment options allows the unit to produce wide variety of roasts to suit your taste.

Bean Hopper

The 5.3 bean hopper in Prima Donna can accommodate up to 250 grams or 8.8 ounces of coffee beans, just like those bean containers found in high-end super-automatic coffee makers.

It is fitted with a tinted lid and a rubber seal to prevent coffee beans from being affected by UV rays.

Practically speaking, 250 grams of beans can produce nearly 25 espresso shots. So, if you have a large household with power drinkers, you might need to refill the hopper often.

Patented Latte Crema System

Here’s a nice feature for all the latte lovers out there!

One thing that makes Prima Donna stand out from the competition is its exclusive Latte Crema system with dedicated milk pitcher. This system is deliberately designed to create a rich, dense foam to perfectly layer your espressos, so you get that world-class crema taste till you finish the coffee.

The milk container effortlessly fits into the provided slot, so the milk goes to the boiler directly. You can remove the milk tank and attach the frother easily whenever required.

Integrated frothing system allows you to customize the amount of froth up to 3 levels to make any milk-based coffee drink: Flat-white (no froth), minimal froth and rich froth.

If you happen to pour more milk in the milk container, just detach the tank from the coffee unit and store it in the fridge.

Lastly, the steam wand can dispense hot water as well, so you can easily make hot chocolate drinks or tea whenever you want.

Water Reservoir Size

People who have large households are certainly going to love the large reservoir size of this super-automatic machine. It offers a huge 2-liters water tank, which can nearly accommodate over 67 ounces of water.

Water Filter

Adding to the large water reservoir, there’s also an integrated water filter, which helps to reduce the number of times you’ll have to descale the coffee machine. It will also notify you when the filter needs changing and when to run descaling program.

If you want to increase the durability of the water filter and avoid frequent filter replacement, it is recommended to use distilled water.

Dual Boiler System

This DeLonghi Prima Donna review is probably incomplete without the mention of its amazing dual boiler system. This automatic machine flaunts a dual boiler system, lined with stainless steel and features 2 heating elements.

Since it utilizes 2 heating units, the heat up process is fast and the brewing process is carried out at a precise, consistent temperature.

Note that the boilers are not solid, but are only stainless-steel lined. Some of you might be disappointed with this fact, but it's not really a deal breaker. Stainless steel lining will make sure the water won’t catch any type of metallic unpleasant taste.

By default, the milk and water do not get too hot as you would anticipate. It just gets moderately warm. But temperature settings are customizable in this unit, so change the temperature level for milk and water as per your liking.

Telescopic Design of Coffee Spigot

The double spout coffee spigot has a got a nice telescopic (height-adjustable) design, so as to accommodate large cup sizes up to 5.75”. Such design lets you brew double shots of any coffee drink you want to make.

Cup Warming Tray

The top of the unit doubles as a cup warming tray, so your coffee drinks are hotter than the usual ones.

Though many people find this insignificant, it is one of the crucial parts of this DeLonghi Prima Donna review. Why? Because, dispensing specialty coffee in a cold cup can really cause it to lose a significant amount of heat. A cup warming tray can make a huge difference by not only keeping the coffee cups secure, but also warming them up to get hot specialty coffee drinks each time.

Twin-Shot Brewing Cycle

The Prima Donna machine features a unique twin-shot brewing cycle, allowing it to brew two rich cups of coffee in a single cycle. Aroma Control feature is also quite impressive, where you get to choose from mild to strong coffee aromas for your coffee drink.

How to Use the DeLonghi Prima Donna Automatic Espresso Machine  

Initial Set up

We recommend you to read the instruction manual and watch provided DVD properly for the Prima Donna, because the initial set up is somewhat time-consuming. Just follow the steps one by one, and you will be good to go. Don’t try to figure out the steps on your own, or you might invite problem for the unit. 

Easy to operate

Since it’s a fully automatic machine, everything runs smoothly with just a click of a button. Under “My Coffee” setting, you can easily program your favorite drink to desired brew settings and save it for future recalls.

Not just that, this machine also has many customization options such as coffee grounds with 13 different grind settings, foam settings, one or two cup selections, aroma levels, milk froth levels, brewing temperature and type of drink to be brewed. There’s an automatic timer given as well.

Easy to Clean

After your coffee is brewed, the “Automatic Cleaning” feature will prompt you to clean the system. Just push the button, and all the cleaning task will be processed in no time.

Besides, the infuser unit, water tank, milk tank and drip tray are removable for easy cleaning and maintenance.

Programmable Water Hardness

Wondering whether you can use hard water with this machine? DeLonghi provides a water hardness test kit and it programs setting for which it will fine-tune accordingly. So, you don’t need to worry about the water hardness level at all.

Quiet Operation

Though the machine features a bean hopper and a burr grinder, it is surprisingly quiet in its operation.

Convenience Features

The unit offers quite a few convenience features such as backlit cup as it is filled with coffee and a ‘statistics’ button where you can check how many times the unit is descaled, how many liters of water is dispensed, number of milk-based coffee drinks made and so on.

Best thing is that DeLonghi has backed Prima Donna with 2 years of limited warranty.

Final Verdict

From this DeLonghi Prima Donna review, we can conclude that it is certainly not a cheap buy. If you are a serious coffee lover who drinks a latte and espresso every day, then this machine can be your best buy. It will save you a lot of money over the years.

Prima Donna is power-packed with excellent features such as Latte Crema system, dual boilers, two-cup selection, integrated burr grinder, built-in milk frother and various custom settings.

If you aren’t a barista at home, this genius super-automatic machine might be just right for you, as it will do all the work for you.