De’Longhi EC702 Review: Best Entry-Level Espresso Machine?

There’s a lot of expensive espresso machines out there, and many people tend to think that every machine is outside of their budget. Luckily, we can put this myth to bed. We’re going to dive into entry-level espresso machines today and review the De’Longhi EC702. The EC702 is a high quality and low cost machine that you can afford.

Let’s face it, there are times when a regular coffee from a standard coffee maker just won’t cut it. I love black coffee and drink a breakfast blend coffee at work every morning. Especially, with some of the benefits of black coffee that are out there. But I also love some more sophisticated coffees like an espresso, latte, or cappuccino. Those coffees are truly like a treat for me. But how do you get a really great espresso, cappuccino, or latte without going to a coffee shop? Well, enter the espresso maker into your life and our De’Longhi EC702 review and you might put your regular coffee maker aside.

Product Specifications

De’Longhi EC702 Review: The Features With Pros And Cons

The Overall Look Of This Espresso Machine

The De’Longhi EC702 is a nice looking coffee maker. It has a stainless steel casing that will fit in with other stainless steel appliances. This also makes the coffee maker sturdier than earlier models of this espresso machine.

It’s Easy To Use!

Being an entry-level espresso maker the EC702 is rich with features but easy to use. You won’t spend much time figuring out how to make great coffee from this machine. For many, the fact that it’s easy to use is the most important thing to consider. Of course, read the directions and quick start guide to get yourself quickly up and running. The instructions are clear and the diagrams provided by De’Longhi are well done. It shouldn’t take you too long to get started.

It Makes Really Good Tasting Coffee!

The most important factor is that the De’Longhi EC702 makes excellent coffee. Actually, De’Longhi is my favorite brand and I also own and love the ECP3630 model. It produces a perfect crema with a very rich taste.  Although there are other factors involved like the coffee you use, and human variables like how long the machine heats up for, it is important that the unit produces enough pressure to make a good coffee and crema. As we mentioned earlier, the coffee tastes great and you won’t really miss your favorite coffee shop too much. It has a single stainless steel boiler to heat the water.

Since we are talking about the coffee it’s a good opportunity to say that your coffee beans matter. Like other food recipes, if you use good ingredients than your food will taste better. Bad ingredients and it doesn’t turn out as well. So use good quality coffee beans, and experiment with this if you haven’t found a coffee you like yet. It’s also good to grind your beans just before you brew your coffee. We recommend a burr grinder, and you can get a burr grinder for under $50.

It’s Not Just For Espresso Shots

If you like a cappuccino or latte there is enough room to fit a good size cappuccino mug. You can fit a standard coffee mug if you remove the drip tray all together, but than you are without the drip tray which is actually quite large. But a lot of us like a full cup of coffee which this the EC702 is more than capable of producing. This is a plus for me since I like a larger cappuccino.

Let’s Talk About Some Sound

The De’Longhi EC702 is somewhat noisy for the first 15 seconds it produces the coffee. But it is a pump machine so this is to be expected. I don’t consider this a huge negative, especially, since this is the case for most espresso makers. But it is worth pointing out since it could be considered a nuisance by some.

Frothing milk can also get quite loud. This can even get a lot louder than the brewing cycle. But again, this is somewhat normal for espresso machines. If you have bedrooms close to your kitchen or coffee bar with someone sleeping you should either wait until they wake up or be comfortable waking them up!

Should You Tamper With The Tamper?

This model comes with a built in tamper, and I hate it. This might be our most critical moment in our review. It’s not user friendly or even very functional. The rule of thumb is that you’re supposed to apply 30 pounds of pressure with a tamper. It’s very difficult to do when you’re supposed to push the portafilter up into the tamper. Also, it won’t allow you to apply an even tamper to your coffee grounds. Buy an external tamper. It will make it much easier to be consistent in your tamping and will keep the machine cleaner.

The Portafilter

In general, the portafilter is fine. But the portafilter has a mechanism that flips up from the handle to cover part of the basket as you clean it. This is meant to hold the basket in the portafilter as you clean the grinds out. I don’t find that this is the best way to keep the basket in the portafilter. Other De’Longhi machines have a lock in place so the basket doesn’t come out from the portafilter. I’d hate to clean out the grounds over the garbage and have the basket accidentally fall in the trash!

In the case of the EC702 I would scoop out the old grounds. Personally, I have a bag of wooden BBQ skewers that will scoop all the grounds out without damaging the basket. I rinse off the skewer and reuse it so a single skewer lasts about 2 months.

The Steam Wand And Pump

As we go through our De’Longhi EC702 review we need to talk about the pump and it’s feature to steam milk. The steam wand on this espresso machine is mostly made of plastic. It could be good for easy cleaning, but I prefer other versions that have a rubber steam wand at the core with a metal sleeve that goes over it. This is just my preference for materials. There’s nothing actually wrong with the plastic.

A downside to this steam wand is that the wand does move a little where it shouldn’t. If you pull the wand towards you for a different angle to steam milk the wand will shift back towards the unit a little bit. I’d prefer that the wand stays in the position you move it to.

All About The Brew Cycle

For some reason the drip from one side of the portafilter could be slower than the other. I have found this can happen on other espresso makers, also. This doesn’t happen all the time because there’s also times where the shot is consistent through both sides. It could have to do with how evenly the grounds are tampered, how the pressure is distributed through the machine or water through the coffee grounds.

If you are brewing into a single mug it’s really not that big of a deal. But if you’re brewing into two espresso shots than one shot will fill up faster than the other resulting into two uneven shots.

The Water Tank

The removable water tank can hold 44 oz. of water. That’s 1.3 liters or 0.34 gallons of water. The water tank on the EC702 gets removed from the right side (if you’re facing it) of the machine instead of pulling the water tank out from the top. A lot of users like this. The only issue I see is if that side of the machine is up against another appliance or obstruction. If it is close to something on that side than you may need to do some maneuvering to take the water tank out.

Also inside the water tank is a little yellow ball which allows you to easily see the water level. Not a huge feature, but something that’s nice to have.

The Bottom Line: Is The De’Longhi EC702 Worth The Money?

The short answer to this question is yes. The De’Longhi EC702 is a very solid “entry-level” espresso machine and worth every penny you spend on it. It comes in at a really great price. Plus, if you take proper care of it you should find that it lasts you a long time. Many find that this espresso machine produces a high quality coffee that could rival the coffee from a $5,000 espresso maker. Obviously, the EC702 doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of a more expensive espresso machine but that’s what’s necessary to make this unit affordable.

The De’Longhi EC702 will give you a great tasting coffee, perfect crema, and some money back in your pocket over time. That is, if you become like me and spend less time at the coffee shops and brew your coffee at home. We think you’ll love this machine.

Some Tips About The De’Longhi EC702

As we worked on our De’Longhi EC702 review we have come across some tips that will make this espresso machine perform better.

All new espresso machines need to be broken in to eliminate a metallic taste. This is something that’s common for many appliances. So when you get it follow the directions and running water through it a few times. Also, make several throw-away cups of coffee as well. You might want to use a less expensive coffee for this. Allowing the coffee flavor to permeate the filters will properly prep the EC702.

You should give a good cleaning at proper intervals. The De’Longhi EC702 does come with a bottle of descaler, and it’s best to clean the machine following the manufacturers instructions. However, there are other ways you can clean and descale your espresso machine.

Only turn the machine on when you’re going to use it and turn it off immediately when you are finished using and cleaning it. This will save some of the parts that are closer to sources of heat from wearing out faster and help your espresso machine last longer. It heats up quickly and you can preheat your cup using hot tap water if that is important to you.

Lastly, there are times where too much water gets into the wand which would make the milk being frothed too watery. The water comes into the wand as the unit warms up. This happens even to the best espresso makers. Turn the wand on over another cup or towel to release the water. You want only steam to be going into your milk.

Final Thoughts On The De’Longhi EC702

We were highly critical of the De’Longhi EC702 espresso machine. But it’s kind of like a teacher being tougher on a good student because they want to draw the best they can out of the student. You’re looking to make a big purchase so it’s best to have all the information whether it’s good or bad.

So while our De’Longhi EC702 review was a tough one it is still an outstanding machine with high recommendations. I am a fan of De’Longhi and haven’t had issues with their quality. This stainless steel coffee maker comes in at a great price, will function well, and look great on your counter. I think if you purchased this machine and took care of it with the recommended use and care that you’d absolutely love it!