If the soaring cost of living has you limiting your trips to the local cafe for a $5-plus latte, you may be considering buying a home espresso machine.
After all, the pros at CHOICE have done the math and it's clear: making your coffee at home is seriously more cost-effective than getting your fix at a cafe, even when you take into account the cost of buying a fancy machine.
If you're after a new brewing bestie but you're on a budget, Aldi's latest Special Buy may have caught your eye: a DeLonghi Icona Espresso Machine for just $149, over $100 cheaper than the recommended retail price it was available for a couple of years ago.
It's on sale from this Wednesday 19 February.
The model is now discontinued by the manufacturer (which is often the case with Aldi's branded Special Buys), and according to DeLonghi's website, Aldi is the sole distributor.
But, even at such a cheap price, is it a good investment?
Is the DeLonghi Icona Espresso Machine any good?
CHOICE coffee machine experts have assessed hundreds of espresso machines over the years, comparing them side-by-side and giving them scores based on factors such as the flavour of the coffee they produce, how well they froth milk and how easy they are to use.
We've tested machines ranging in price from $80 up to many thousands of dollars to help Australians find the perfect coffee machine that fits their needs and budget.
"This Delonghi coffee machine allows you to make fresh coffee like you would with a manual espresso machine," says CHOICE coffee machine expert Kim Gilmour.
"It also accommodates Easy Serve Espresso (ESE) pods, which are pre-prepared pods made of compressed coffee housed in a paper filter that you place in the group handle (not to be confused with the capsules you get from brands like Nespresso).
"This, along with the cheap price tag, may appeal to people who like to use freshly ground beans for better-tasting coffee but also want the convenience of an ESE pod. And with the ability to steam your own milk, you can create a fancy coffee."
The Icona is available in black and red in Aldi's Special Buys sale.
Good and bad points
Unfortunately, our testers weren't overly impressed with the machine, giving it a CHOICE Expert Rating of just 62%.
By comparison, the top manual and semi-automatic machines score 80% and above.
Here's what they didn't like about it:
- The coffee it turns out is nothing to write home about: our experts scored it 55% for taste
- It's fiddly to use: the filter basket is tricky to fill and empty, and it takes a fair bit of effort to remove and replace
- When making two coffees simultaneously, it doesn't deliver an even amount of espresso between the two cups
- It doesn't accommodate large cups.
But it wasn't all bad. Here's what was good about it:
- It's very good at frothing milk
- It turns out espressos at consistent temperatures over consecutive cycles
- It comes with excellent instructions, particularly for pre-warming cups and coffee making
- Heat-up time is just 45 seconds, so you won't need to wait long to get brewing
- Frothing 200mL of milk takes only 55 seconds
- It has a cup-warming plate.
CHOICE Expert verdict
"If you're particular about the flavour of your coffee and used to cafe-quality brews, this may not be the machine for you," says Kim.
"But if you're just looking for a cheap machine that'll get you brewing at home so you can save money, it's worth a look. As always, fresh coffee and a great grinder can help elevate your espresso."
CHOICE tip: Sign up to become a CHOICE member to read the full DeLonghi Icona Espresso Machine review, plus reviews of dozens of other coffee machines for all budgets.
Is a $149 coffee machine a good deal?
"It is unlikely you'll find an espresso machine around the $150 price point that delivers great performance and great coffee, that's also easy to use with handy features," says CHOICE test expert Adrian Lini.
"Cheaper machines are often also manufactured with lower-quality parts, which means they might not last as long as a more expensive but higher-quality machine."
Even discounted, this DeLonghi machine didn't deliver on a few fronts, so it may not be a great value buy
CHOICE test expert Adrian Lini
"Even discounted, this DeLonghi machine didn't deliver on a few fronts, so it may not be a great value buy," he says.
"If you can stretch your budget a bit further, you can get a better brew. But if you just want something basic that'll deliver an okay coffee for far less than your local cafe, this might do the job for you."
The importance of a good grinder
The advantage of investing more in a higher-quality espresso machine is that many models include an inbuilt grinder – if you buy this DeLonghi machine you'll have to buy a separate grinder to grind your beans, or use ready-ground coffeee (which deteriorates much faster than whole beans).
Aldi is also selling a coffee grinder for $49.99 but it's a blade grinder, which we've found doesn't always give great results.
"Using freshly ground beans, ground in a conical or flat burr grinder as opposed to a blade grinder, will always give you better results in terms of flavour than using store-bought ground coffee," says Adrian.
"The type of grind can make a big difference to your coffee: too coarse and the coffee will lack flavour and be thin and watery; too fine and the coffee will taste burnt and bitter.
The type of grind can make a big difference to your coffee: too coarse and the coffee will lack flavour and be thin and watery; too fine and the coffee will taste burnt and bitter
CHOICE coffee expert, Adrian Lini
"Blade grinders aren't consistent and will deliver grinds of different sizes, while a burr grinder is designed to give extremely consistent grind size."
If you're really serious about your coffee but can't afford a decent electric burr grinder, you could also look at a hand grinder, which has a handle you turn to grind the coffee manually.
Although they're more work than an electric grinder, they're much less expensive and will give you a better grind than you might get with a cheap blade grinder.
Aldi is selling the Icona in black and red.
How to find the perfect coffee machine
If you're serious about your coffee, Adrian says it's important to do your research to find a machine that suits not only your budget but your lifestyle, your coffee preferences and your skill level.
"A manual or semi-automatic machine is great if you like to fiddle around with settings to get the perfect cup of coffee, grind your own fresh beans and froth your own milk, but you do need to dedicate some time to learning how to use them properly," he says.
"Once you get that nailed though, you'll be able to make great-tasting coffee if you have the right machine."
If that sounds like too much work, you might be better off choosing an automatic or a capsule machine. Read our coffee machine buying guide for more information on each of the different types of machine.
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Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
