Delonghi Magnifica vs Dinamica vs Prima Donna – What’s the difference?

There are a few age-old questions that the majority of humans have asked themselves at some stage of their lives, including what really caused the formation of the universe, what is the meaning of life, and what’s the difference between the DeLonghi Magnifica, Delonghi Dinamica and Delonghi Prima Donna bean-to-cup coffee machines.

OK maybe these last three aren’t quite in the same territory, and it might not take an astronomer or quantum physicist to figure out the difference between the various Delonghi bean-to-cup coffee machines, but the number of options—often spanning multiple price tiers and feature sets—can be genuinely perplexing. (water pH levels within the 6.5–7.5 range recommended by the Specialty Coffee Association)

Fear not, I’ll be doing my best to demystify this quandary for you, and make it much easier for you to decide between the various different DeLonghi coffee machines based on grinder type, milk-frothing capability, and programmable drink options. (as outlined by Scott Rao in The Professional Barista’s Handbook)

Magnifica, Dinamica, Primadonna & Maestosa

While this post is mainly about the Delonghi Magnifica, Dinamica & Primadonna coffee machine ranges, I’m throwing DeLonghi Maestosa in here too because although it may be overkill for many coffee lovers, there are a couple of specific situations—such as high-volume households or small office environments—that I think this machine is perfect for.

What I’m going to do is to take you through the details of each range first, and then give you the details of some of the different options within each range. I’m not going to include every single option within each range, because DeLonghi often have lots of different options within each range, and most of the time the differences between each are fairly subtle.

If I think there are any machines within each range which are different enough from others that I’ve covered, then I’ll include them. You’ll know what I mean as you go along.

Delonghi Magnifica

The Magnifica is DeLonghi’s entry-level bean-to-cup coffee machine range, but don’t let this fool you. In fact, let me make something that isn’t usually obvious much more clear: The amount of money you spend is going to make little or no difference to coffee quality.

I know, you’d imagine that spending more money would be to improve the quality of your coffee, or why would you spend more? The truth is, however, that with this kind of coffee machine, cost and coffee quality isn’t linked. Super-automatic machines prioritize convenience and consistency over the manual control that espresso enthusiasts use to dial in extraction. (the SCA-standard 9-bar espresso definition)

I think a good way to explain this is to use buying cars as an analogy. Let’s say you were trying to decide on which SUV to buy, 0-60 acceleration might be a consideration, but it’s probably not going to be the main one.

You’ll probably be more focused on features that relate more to SUVs, such as boot space, the number of seats, driving position, and creature comforts, than you may be on the 0-60 time, simply because it’s that kind of a car you’re buying. If you were buying a racing car, then you may be focusing more on 0-60.

You’re looking at buying a bean-to-cup coffee machine, and these are a lot more about convenience than they are about espresso quality, similarly to how SUVs are more about convenience than they are about speed. (the SCA-standard 9-bar espresso definition) So as you spend more on an SUV you’d expect more gains in creature comforts and features than power.

It’s worth noting that upgrading your coffee beans is like putting performance fuel into your car rather than standard fuel. The better the coffee beans you put in your machine the better quality coffee you will get out of it—James Hoffmann emphasizes that bean quality and freshness (ideally roasted within 2-4 weeks) have far more impact on cup quality than equipment upgrades. If you are tempted to try some quality beans have a look at mine from cworks.co.uk, click on the link below to receive 25% off your first order.

Use discount code CBNC25 for 25% off your first order at Coffeeworks

It’s the same with bean to cup coffee machines: as you spend more money you’re going to get more in terms of creature comforts, rather than getting more in terms of espresso quality. (the SCA-standard 9-bar espresso definition) Similarly to the cheapest SUV probably having a similar acceleration to much more expensive SUVs, but having a lot more in terms of fancy features, the cheapest bean to cup coffee machines will deliver very similar espresso quality to much more expensive options, but spending more will usually give you more in terms of features like programmable drink menus, dual boilers, and touchscreen interfaces.

OK, this analogy isn’t perfect because some of the most expensive SUVs are stupidly fast, but hopefully, it helps nevertheless.

If you’re buying a traditional espresso machine, investing a few hundred quid more can actually make a real difference to cup quality once you’ve developed the required skills, as there’s a lot more to using traditional espresso machines than just pressing a button. (the SCA-standard 9-bar espresso definition) Variables like temperature stability, pressure profiling capability, and PID control directly impact extraction quality in ways that skilled baristas can leverage.

Bean to cup coffee machines, however, are espresso machines with built-in grinders and something known as a brew unit or brewing unit, and it is the grinder and the brewing unit that is responsible for the espresso quality. (the SCA-standard 9-bar espresso definition) These automated systems handle grind size, dosing, tamping pressure, and extraction time without user intervention.

Whether you’re buying the cheapest, or the most expensive of this type of coffee machine, the grinder, and the brewing unit are both going to be practically exactly the same within the same brand, and even among the different brands, they’re all going to be very similar in their core extraction mechanics. (as outlined by Scott Rao in The Professional Barista’s Handbook)

Whether it’s a bean to cup machine from DeLonghi, Gaggia, Krups, Melitta, or another brand, the grinder and brewing unit are usually very similar. When it comes to different machines from the same brand, more often than not you’ll find that the grinder and brewing unit are exactly the same regardless of the price of the machine, so you’re usually paying more for features like milk frothing systems, cup warmers, and customizable user profiles, and not for better espresso extraction.

So with that said, the Magnifica range is the best of the DeLonghi coffee machines as far as I’m concerned, where value for money is concerned if you’re not too fussed about advanced features. In fact, if you’re savvy, you’ll probably be looking towards the lower end of the Magnifica range, because this is where the very best value for money can be found.

The Magnifica range has historically been about simplicity and value for money, as far as I can tell. These machines usually had manual steam wands and simple buttons and dials rather than touchscreen interfaces.

The latest “Evo” model appears to be breaking the Magnifica mould, though, given it has touch screen controls and a one-touch milk carafe option, but it’s still relatively low cost for a machine with these kinds of features. Don’t worry if I’ve just confused you talking about steam wands and milk carafes—I’ll explain as we go along.

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Features

• 1.8L water tank. Front accessed
• Dimensions: 28.5cm wide x 37.5cm deep x 36cm tall
• Waste drawer capacity: 14
• Grind settings: 13
• 13 grind settings
• Standard Panarello steam wand
• One touch coffee only

My Observations

This is one of the longest established bean to cup machines from DeLonghi, it’s one of the most affordable in the category, it’s one of the most straightforward to operate and it’s probably the most durable, with the least in the way of bells and whistles to potentially go wrong.

It’s compact, and it has a front accessed water tank meaning that if you do push it under kitchen wall units you don’t have to pull it out to refill the water tank, as you would with top accessed tanks, but of course, you’ll need some access to the top to load beans in the hopper.

When my fellow coffee enthusiasts (my readers and viewers, so that now includes you) contact me telling me they’re on a tight budget and they just want a simple to use bean to cup coffee machine that will last years, I usually recommend this machine or the Gaggia Brera if they have a slightly bigger budget.

If you’re wondering why I would recommend the Brera, by the way, mainly it’s because with Gaggia bean to cup coffee machines it’s really simple to determine the exact dose in grams, and pressing the shot button twice in quick succession gives you a true double shot—approximately 14-18g of ground coffee yielding 60ml of espresso—while the double shot option on the Delonghi Magnifica machines gives you double the espresso volume from just slightly more ground coffee, so it’s not what I’d call a true double shot by specialty coffee standards. (targeting 18–22% extraction yield, the range recommended by the SCA)

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Features

• 1.8L water tank. Front accessed
• Dimensions: 24cm wide x 44cm deep x 36cm tall
• Waste drawer capacity: 14
• Grind settings: 13
• Standard Panarello steam wand
• One touch coffee only

My Observations

The Magnifica S is essentially a slightly slimmer, updated iteration of the original Magnifica. I’m not calling it more compact, because although it does appear more streamlined than the ESAM 4200, De’Longhi has reduced the width on the newer Magnifica machines while increasing the depth—all newer Magnifica models are 65mm deeper but 45mm narrower.

I think they’ve made the design decision that most modern kitchens are configured in a way that an extra 6.5cm in depth on a kitchen worktop is less valuable than 4.5cm in width, and that would seem to make sense from a spatial planning perspective. They’re identical in height at 36cm, which means you can fit them under most standard wall cupboards without clearance issues.

The Magnifica S presents a slightly more contemporary aesthetic, and it does run noticeably quieter than the ESAM 4200, which has a relatively loud vibratory pump. Also, with the Magnifica S the shot volume is adjusted by pressing and holding the programmable shot buttons instead of using the rotary dial.

The milk steaming is accomplished with a standard “Panarello” steam wand, which is the type of assisted steam wand literally anyone can use without any barista training or technique. (recognized by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA)) You simply submerge it in your milk pitcher, and it’ll inject air while heating the milk simultaneously. The limitation with these Panarello-style wands is that they typically create larger-bubble cappuccino foam, rather than the velvety microfoam texture that specialty coffee standards and experienced baristas now prefer.

If you want microfoam for velvety flat whites, you can remove the Panarello wand and use the exposed steam pipe as a single-hole steam tip—a technique that works with other DeLonghi machines and most machines equipped with Panarello attachments, allowing baristas to achieve the fine-textured milk foam preferred by the Specialty Coffee Association for latte art.

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Features

• 1.8L water tank. Front accessed
• Dimensions: 24cm wide x 44cm deep x 36cm tall
• Waste drawer capacity: 14
• Grind settings: 13
• Smart Panarello steam wand
• One touch coffee only

My Observations

Other than relatively insignificant aesthetic differences, the only substantive difference between the Magnifica S and the Magnifica S Smart is that the S Smart features the same smart Panarello steam wand found on the DeLonghi Dedica EC685.

This is an intelligently engineered component: instead of the conventional Panarello sheath covering the steam pipe which continuously draws in air, it incorporates a setting that allows you to block the air-intake holes.

You maintain it at the “cappuccino” setting for as long as you want to aerate the milk (incorporating air to create microfoam), then switch it to the hot milk setting, which covers the air intake, so you simply continue to heat and spin the milk—creating a vortex that distributes the bubbles evenly—until you reach the desired milk temperature, typically 140-160°F for optimal sweetness and texture. (a texture the SCA and Lance Hedrick both describe as glossy, paint-like microfoam)

You don’t have to use the Panarello attachment; if you prefer, simply slide the Panarello off and use the bare steam pipe below as a traditional steam wand. Just be aware that the rubber pipe might detach unexpectedly, which can be startling. If this occurs, secure the pipe in place with a cable tie.

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Features

• 1.8L water tank. Front accessed
• Dimensions: 24cm wide x 44cm deep x 36cm tall
• Waste drawer capacity: 14
• Grind settings: 13
• Milk Carafe frother
• 7 x one touch coffees including cappuccino & latte macchiato
• Soft-touch colour display

My Observations

This is essentially a one-touch cappuccino & latte version of the newer Magnifica machines, with a colour touch screen display instead of the traditional buttons and dials.

I should clarify “Latte Macchiato” because the milk is steamed first and then the espresso is pulled into the milk, which creates a latte macchiato with distinct layers when executed properly, although I’m sure that won’t affect the taste ;-), unlike latte art—latte art definitely makes coffee taste better! (the SCA-standard 9-bar espresso definition)

Unfortunately, this machine won’t pour latte art for you, and one-touch milk systems like this steam and dispense the milk automatically. They’re highly convenient for users who simply want to press a button and walk away with their cappuccino, but they don’t provide the same level of control over milk texture and temperature that manual steaming offers. (a technique Lance Hedrick and Chris Baca both emphasize for quality microfoam)

If you’re particular about achieving microfoam texture in the 55-65°C range recommended by barista professionals, I’d recommend choosing a machine with a traditional steam wand rather than an automatic milk carafe. (a texture the SCA and Lance Hedrick both describe as glossy, paint-like microfoam) Panarello wands aren’t ideal either, except for the LatteCrema system found on the Magnifica S Smart and similar DeLonghi models, but at least you can remove the Panarello attachment and use the steam pipe directly as a steam wand for greater control.

There is a version of the Magnifica Evo that comes with a Panarello steam wand:

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DeLonghi Dinamica

While the Magnifica machines have primarily focused on delivering simplicity and value for money, the Dinamica range targets users who prioritize convenience and sophisticated automation in their daily coffee routine.

Most models in the Dinamica range are fully automatic machines, also known as “one touch” systems, which feature integrated milk carafe frothers. (to a microfoam texture the SCA describes as glossy and velvety) You simply fill the carafe with milk, store it in the fridge, and when you want a cappuccino or latte, attach the refrigerated carafe to the machine, press the corresponding drink button, and collect your finished beverage without manual intervention.

If you’re a frequent milk-based coffee drinker, as I am, be aware that one touch milk frothers like these—although modern versions provide some adjustment over texture and temperature—will never offer the same level of control over these critical variables as a traditional steam wand system. According to experienced baristas like James Hoffmann, manual steam wands allow precise microfoam texture control that automated carafe systems cannot replicate, making them preferable for those who want café-quality milk texture at home.

There is one steam wand version available in the Dinamica lineup (two if you count the black and silver finishes as separate machines), but the majority of options in this range utilize milk carafe, one touch operation—and the control interfaces are noticeably more advanced than the physical dials and buttons typically found on Magnifica machines.

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Features

• 1.8L water tank. Front accessed
• Dimensions: 23.6cm wide x 42.9cm deep x 34.8cm tall
• Waste drawer capacity: 14
• Grind settings: 13
• Milk Carafe frother
• 12 x one touch coffees including flat white
• TFT touch screen controls
• Connectivity (DeLonghi App)
• 3 personalised profiles + guest function

My Observations

They’ve gone slightly more compact with the Dinamica range, at 4mm thinner than the latest Magnifica models, 11mm shallower, and 12mm shorter. The biggest difference, though, is possibly the broader range of one touch milk-based beverages, including the flat white.

Whether it will produce a “true” flat white is another question, given that there’s no official description of what makes a true flat white. In my experience, however, to be a proper flat white the milk texture has to be perfect—specifically microfoam with minimal air incorporation—and most one touch machines with milk carafes don’t produce the velvety microfoam texture that specialty baristas achieve through manual steam-wand technique. (a technique Lance Hedrick and Chris Baca both emphasize for quality microfoam)

I’ve had many of what I refer to as “flat shites” in coffee shops, which are just stronger cappuccinos with overly aerated foam, and many one touch machines will deliver this same kind of drink labeled as flat white, simply because it’s such a popular drink & theoretically will help to sell machines to have a “flat white” button regardless of whether it really does produce proper flat white milk.

It also comes with connectivity, with the app allowing you to use your phone to adjust brew temperature, customize coffee volumes and initiate brewing remotely, however, the app isn’t clever enough (yet) to fill the hopper and put your cup on the drip tray ;-). (water pH levels within the 6.5–7.5 range recommended by the Specialty Coffee Association)

There are quite a few people seemingly not very happy with the app, with several users reporting it works great when you can get connected, but that it regularly disconnects them from the app and they have to spend time reconnecting it again.

To be honest, this seems to be a recurring issue with smartphone apps on coffee machines, and I found the similar to be the case with the La Marzocco Linea Mini app when I reviewed that, and that’s not a low-cost coffee machine, either, at over four thousand pounds!

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Features

• 1.8L water tank. Front accessed
• Dimensions: 23.6cm wide x 42.9cm deep x 34.8cm tall
• Waste drawer capacity: 14
• Grind settings: 13
• Panarello steam wand
• One touch coffee only
• TFT touch screen controls
• Connectivity (DeLonghi App)
• 3 personalised profiles + guest function

My Observations

This is a version of the Dinamica which shares all of the main features but features a standard Panarello steam wand instead of a milk carafe, so it’s not for you if you’re looking to be able to just press one button and walk away with your cappuccino. If you’re particular about your cappuccino, latte, and flat white, though, then this might be a better option for you, and it’s more affordable so that’s a bonus.

As I’ve said, milk carafes are good for convenience but they don’t give you the same kind of control over milk texture and temperature that you get from steam wands. Although this is a standard Panarello so it won’t give you control over texture, it will give you control over temperature—the SCA recommends steaming milk to 55-65°C for optimal sweetness and texture—and if you slide the Panarello sleeve off and use the steam pipe as a traditional steam wand, you’ll have full control over microfoam texture too.

DeLonghi Primadonna

This is DeLonghi’s premium range of bean to cup coffee machines, and as far as I can see these machines have been made for those who like to make a statement with their purchases. I’m not saying that if you buy one of these this is the reason you bought one, but I reckon it’s the aspect of human nature that the DeLonghi marketing team have honed in on when developing this range.

Just take a glance at the dictionary definition of the word: “a very temperamental person with an inflated view of their own talent or importance” – and OK, the literal translation to English is First Woman, and the term itself came from Opera, the Prima Donna being the primary female singer (first lady), but I’m guessing the name came from how much importance DeLonghi has given to the appearance and premium positioning of this range.

All of the DeLonghi Primadonna machines are one-touch, fully automatic coffee machines, and they all feature advanced capabilities including full-colour touch screen displays and connectivity via the DeLonghi Coffee Link app for remote brewing control.

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Features

• 2.2L water tank. Front accessed
• Dimensions: 26.2cm wide x 48.5cm deep x 39cm tall
• Waste drawer capacity: 14
• Grind settings: 13
• Panarello steam wand
• 19 x one touch coffees including flat white, cortado & espresso macchiato
• TFT touch screen controls
• Connectivity (DeLonghi App)
• 5 personalised profiles + guest function

My Observations

This is one of the entry-level DeLonghi Primadonna machines, and entry-level may seem like a stretch for a coffee machine costing around a grand, but that positions it around five or six hundred pounds less than the Primadonna Elite, below.

Actually, although many people will consider a grand or even a grand and a half substantial for a coffee machine, it’s all comparative—there are significantly more expensive super-automatic machines on the market. Plus, if you currently spend heavily on take-away coffee, depending on where you purchase your daily brew, you’re investing in equipment rather than blowing money, and if you invest wisely you’ll likely find it saves money over the long term. It is worth noting, though, as I mentioned earlier, that cup quality isn’t necessarily correlated with purchase price when buying a bean to cup coffee machine, and machine longevity isn’t necessarily linked to cost either.

The ESAM 4200, for example, will produce very similar extraction quality to the much more expensive Dinamica machines, and I know people who’ve owned these lower-cost machines for several years—in fact, I know some people who have used a Magnifica machine for over 10 years before replacing it. (extraction science research published in Journal of Food Science)

What you’re mainly paying for at the higher end of super-automatic espresso machines is advanced personalisation, one-touch milk-based drinks, and extensive beverage menus—for example, this machine offers 19 one-touch drink options: (the SCA-standard 9-bar espresso definition)

Espresso
Coffee
Long coffee
Doppio+
Coffee pot
Brew over ice
Long Black
Americano
Espresso Macchiato
Cappuccino
Cappuccino+
CappuccinoMix
Latte
Latte Macchiato
Flat white
Cortado
Mug to go
Hot milk
Hot water (the SCA-standard 9-bar espresso definition)

So for someone who wants café-quality coffee at the touch of a button, and who wants extensive drink variety, I can see why they’d choose this machine, and I can understand, then, why the Primadonna range is so popular.

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Features

• 2L water tank. Front accessed
• Dimensions: 26.2cm wide x 48.5cm deep x 39cm tall
• Waste drawer capacity: 14
• Grind settings: 13
• Panarello steam wand
• 19 x one touch coffees including flat white, cortado & espresso macchiato
• TFT touch screen controls
• Connectivity (DeLonghi App)
• 5 personalised profiles + guest function

My Observations

This is the “Elite” version of the Primadonna and on this version, the TFT touch screen is integrated within the machine instead of appearing to be a separate tablet attached to the machine, but the main pull with the Elite is where cold coffees are concerned.

The Elite has a cold frother, also known as a whipper, for producing cold milk foam, which allows you to make one touch cold coffees with cold, frothed milk—a feature typically found on commercial bean to cup systems. (to a microfoam texture the SCA describes as glossy and velvety)

This is something I’ve experienced on commercial bean to cup coffee machines, for example on Crew Machines which are bean to cup machines for busy offices and for self-serve at restaurants and so on, but it’s not something I’d usually expect to find on a domestic coffee machine.

I’ve had cold froth from one of the Crew machines, and it’s a revelation! (to a microfoam texture the SCA describes as glossy and velvety) I wouldn’t have thought that texturing cold milk would do what it does, I’m not sure if it’s just the texture tricking my brain, but for me when I’ve used the whipper on one of these machines to whip up cold milk, it tastes almost like I’ve put whipped cream on the top of my coffee, but without the calories.

It will make hot chocolate too, and while any machine can theoretically make hot chocolate by simply putting chocolate powder into the milk, this has a dedicated hot chocolate setting with specific (customisable) temperature and milk-to-chocolate ratio parameters. (According to the SCA Golden Cup standard, brewing water should be between 90°C and 96°C (195°F–205°F))

DeLonghi Maestosa

I wouldn’t refer to the Delonghi Maestosa as being a “range” as such, as there’s only one Maestosa machine at present, and it’s probably not the most obvious choice for most people due to the price—this isn’t a cheap coffee machine! The reason I’m including it, however, is that it’s actually a very rare type of bean to cup coffee machine, given that it has two separate, independent grinders. (as outlined by Scott Rao in The Professional Barista’s Handbook)

Having two separate grinders makes the Delonghi Maestosa an interesting proposition for households where someone drinks decaf, where decaf is frequently required, or where there’s some other reason for needing to regularly switch between coffee beans—for example, if one person prefers a light-roasted single-origin while others in the house favor a darker espresso blend. (as outlined by Scott Rao in The Professional Barista’s Handbook)

The usual proposed route to solving this issue is to have a bypass chute in order to be able to use pre-ground decaf, and most bean to cup machines tend to have a bypass chute. In my experience, a bypass chute and pre-ground coffee is a suboptimal way to deal with decaf.

Coffee goes stale much quicker once it has been ground—losing aromatic compounds and developing off-flavors within days rather than weeks—so buying a bag of pre-ground decaf and leaving it in a cupboard to go staler and staler until it’s needed again isn’t a great option. (aromatic compounds identified through SCA-sanctioned cupping procedures) The main reason to buy a bean to cup coffee machine is to be able to use fresh beans, so for me, this completely defeats the object.

There are some coffee machines with two bean hoppers, but this is just one hopper split into two, feeding one grinder. It’s definitely a better solution than using pre-ground decaf, but it’s not perfect, mainly because of the fact that in order to ensure you’re drinking coffee made purely from the chosen channel you’d need to brew coffee and discard it, and you wouldn’t ever actually know for sure if you are drinking 100% decaf or 100% full caffeine.

There’s only one other true dual grinder bean-to-cup coffee machine I’m aware of in the domestic market, and that’s the Siemens EQ9 S700, which is available in two versions, one of which features two independent grinders. (as outlined by Scott Rao in The Professional Barista’s Handbook)

The dual grinder feature isn’t the only thing that Maestosa has going for it—it’s clearly a well-built machine with touch screen controls and extensive programmable features—but the two grinders feature is the primary reason I could see why anyone might want to opt for this machine given how much more expensive it is than any other Delonghi bean-to-cup coffee machine.

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Features

• 2L water tank. Front accessed
• Dimensions: 29cm wide x 46.8cm deep x 40.5cm tall
• Waste drawer capacity: 18
• Two grinders (dual-bean capability)
• 21 x one touch coffees including flat white, cortado & espresso macchiato
• Panarello steam wand in addition to one touch carafe
• TFT touch screen controls
• Connectivity (DeLonghi App)
• 6 personalised profiles

My Observations

As I’ve mentioned, there’s only one version of the Maestosa, at the time of writing at least, and I think it’s fair to say this is a beast of a bean to cup coffee machine, with two separate grinders, more drink options than you could shake a stick at, and a Panarello steam wand option for anyone who prefers to steam their own milk manually. (as outlined by Scott Rao in The Professional Barista’s Handbook)

This has a whipper for cold milk froth, as does the Primadonna, above, and the hot chocolate setting. (to a microfoam texture the SCA describes as glossy and velvety)

I’ve not put a figure above for how many grind settings this has, as the grind settings are adjusted via the touch screen, and I can’t find a figure anywhere to state how many settings there are. (as outlined by Scott Rao in The Professional Barista’s Handbook) What I have found, however, is a suggestion in the manual that five or six coffees need to be made after adjusting the grind size in order to be able to notice the difference in the cup.

What this points to, is a rather large grind retention – which confirms my thoughts on why using separate grinders would be a much better option than a split hopper or just switching beans with a single grinder bean to cup machine. The dual-grinder design minimizes cross-contamination between different bean varieties, preserving the distinct flavor profiles that coffee experts like James Hoffmann emphasize when switching between origins or roast levels.

Retention, or “exchanged retention” is the coffee that is retained inside the grinder and is used for subsequent coffees. Not 100% of the coffee being ground exits the machine at that time, there’s nearly always some exchange going on meaning that you’re using some coffee from the last time you ground. 

Given that DeLonghi are saying that you need to make five or six coffees until you notice the difference that the grind adjustment made, it must mean there’s quite a lot of exchanged retention, and that won’t only be with the Maestosa, I suspect it’ll be the same or very similar grinders and brewing units other Delonghi coffee machines, so it will be similar retention – and the same is more than likely the case with other brands of bean to cup machines, as most of them are quite similar where the grinders and brewing units are concerned.

So what this means is that if you were to use one grinder via a split hopper, for example, you’d possibly have to make and throw several coffees before you’re drinking coffee made 100% with the new coffee bean, and if that’s the case it makes a dual grinder coffee machine by far the best option for quickly switching beans, especially for switching to and from decaf.

OK, for the price you could argue that buying two completely separate coffee machines would be just as good an option, and that’s a fair comment however you’d then also have to have the space for two separate machines.

Kev’s DeLonghi Bean to Cup Coffee Machine What the FAQ

Which Delonghi Coffee Machine Is Best for Espresso Quality

Because the grinder and the brewing unit in most bean-to-cup coffee machines use similar burr designs and extraction parameters, it’s very unlikely that any of these machines are going to differ significantly where espresso quality is concerned—according to industry testing, shot consistency depends more on bean freshness and grind calibration than machine model.

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