DeLonghi Eletta Cappuccino Top Coffee Machine Review 2024

Do you love to start each day with a steaming cup of coffee or a specialty coffee drink? Does that fact see you spending more time and money at your local coffee shop than you’re comfortable admitting?

If you answered yes to both of those questions and you’re looking for a way to enjoy your favorite coffee drinks any time you like from the comfort of home, then you’ll like what you find here in our DeLonghi Eletta review.

DeLonghi is one of the big names in the specialty coffee machine market, and they’ve got a long and well-deserved reputation for building excellent, easy-to-use coffee machines suitable for almost any budget. The DeLonghi Eletta 45.760 is an excellent example of their work.

In the sections that follow, we’ll take a close look at everything this model has to offer, highlighting its best features and not pulling any punches when it comes to describing Eletta’s shortcomings and limitations.

That way, you’ll have everything you need to make an informed purchasing decision. If that sounds good to you and your interest is piqued, read on, and let’s take a closer look!

An Overview of the Delonghi Eletta ECAM45760S

Form Factor, Footprint, & Aesthetic

In our view, this is a strong component of our DeLonghi Eletta review.

The first thing you’ll notice about the Eletta is that it’s quite handsome, sporting a sleek, modern design that will look great in almost any home kitchen.

If your kitchen is decorated in a more homespun style, however, its appearance may be a bit jarring, and if that’s the case, you’ll be happy to know that there are a number of beautifully designed retro machines that may be a better fit.

Size-wise, considering everything the Eletta can do, it doesn’t take up nearly as much room as you might think, measuring a modest 10.24″ W x 18.11″ D x 14.17″ H and weighing 24.25 pounds.

That’s not bad, but you’ll want to measure the space between your countertop and the bottom edge of your cabinets if you plan on storing it there. This unit may not fit unless your cabinets are hung unusually high.

That’s by no means the end of the world and probably won’t be a dealbreaker for many, but it is something to bear in mind, and if you think it might fit under your cabinet, it definitely pays to take a quick measurement to be sure.

Reservoir & Bean Hopper Size of the Delonghi Eletta Plus

This is another very strong component of our Eletta review, but here, you’ll find a couple of points of weakness that bear keeping in mind.

Both the reservoir and the bean hopper are impressively sized, which means that even if you live in a large household with several coffee drinkers, you won’t have to fill up either as often as you would on many of the Eletta’s peers.

The reservoir holds 67.6 ounces, while the bean hopper has a capacity of 14.1 ounces. While we don’t have anything negative to report where the water tank is concerned, there are a couple of points of potential concern with the bean hopper.

First though, the good news. The grinder incorporated into the bean hopper is very easy to use. A simple dial allows you to adjust the grind setting to taste, choosing from thirteen different settings.

The hopper also incorporates a bypass doser. So if you want to use pre-ground coffee for any reason, you can absolutely do that.

Unfortunately, the conical blades of the grinder are stainless steel. We much prefer ceramics here because stainless steel can heat up over periods of extended use, which will burn your beans and ruin the flavor of whatever drink you’re making.

Granted, you only risk that happening if you’re making several drinks back-to-back, but if you live in a large household with several coffee drinkers, it is a real possibility.

The other point to consider here is the size of the bean hopper. If you live alone and don’t drink a lot of coffee each day, you’ll probably want to only partially fill the hopper. This is because if you leave beans in the hopper for several days, you’ll begin to lose some of the freshness, and that will impact the flavor of every drink you make.

Again, that’s not going to impact every user, but it’s definitely something to keep in the back of your mind.

Boiler & Control Systems

The Delonghi Eletta bean to cup coffee machine features a fast-heating boiler paired with a fifteen-bar pressure pump, which is exactly what we expect to see in a model offered at this price and by such a well-respected company.

The action of the boiler, drink selection, and any modifications you’d like to make to whatever drink you order are controlled via a series of buttons on the front face of the machine, with additional details provided by a small LED screen that displays blue text relevant to whatever you’re doing.

The Delonghi Eletta 45760 allows you to create the following drinks:

You can, of course, enjoy any of these drinks using the default settings, but the Eletta also allows you to customize your drinks in a variety of ways, including setting the coffee taste, choosing from:

Additionally, you can select the quantity of coffee used by choosing:

At your preference. The control system even collects stats!

You can query the machine to find out how many coffees have been made, how many cappuccinos and milk-based drinks have been made, the total number of liters of water delivered, and how many times the machine has been descaled. It even keeps track of how many times the water softener filter has been replaced—if you use one.

Cup Warming Tray

This is a small but important component of our DeLonghi Eletta review because not all of Eletta’s peers even have a cup warming tray. The one you’ll find here is at the top of the unit and can be toggled on or off, depending on your needs.

Again, this is a small point, but it makes a surprising difference because brewing a hot drink into a cold cup can dramatically reduce its temperature. Spending a few minutes warming the cup before you’re ready to brew can make a big difference in the temperature of the drink that crosses your lips.

Milk Frothing System

Broadly speaking, milk frothing takes one of two forms. Machines are either built with a steam wand or with an auto-frother.

The steam wand is the option of choice for coffee purists who love the fine-grained control that using a steam wand allows. Unfortunately, steam wands take time and practice to use. If you’re interested in convenience, then the auto-frother will probably be more your speed.

In any case, the Eletta comes with an auto-frother. The milk carafe has a capacity of 100ml (3.38 ounces) to the fill line, and it’s incredibly easy to use. For each drink, you can select from the following options:

Just turn the milk frother dial to whichever of those you prefer, and the machine itself will do the rest.

Delonghi Eletta Plus Fully Automatic Bean to Cup Coffee Machine is Very Low Maintenance

Like all machines, the Eletta does require routine maintenance, but it’s quick and easy to do.

You’ll find full details in the user manual, but in a nutshell, you’ll need to wipe down/clean the following areas at regular intervals:

Additionally, you’ll need to descale the machine from time to time, but there’s no guesswork involved here. The machine will begin flashing the word “Descale” at you when the time comes. Just refer to the manual, step through the process, and you’ll be finished before you know it.

Extras

At the time this review was written, there were no bundles or special offers, so if you decide to buy one of these, you’ll get the machine itself, the milk carafe, and the water filter, which you may or may not opt to use.

That’s not a bad thing. It’s a great machine and well worth the money on its own merits, but if you decide to buy, it’s worth at least checking to see if there’s some type of bundle offer available before you spend money.

Pros & Cons of DeLonghi Eletta Cappuccino Top Coffee Machine

We like almost everything about the DeLonghi Eletta. It’s a fantastic machine that offers tons of value for the money. Our only two quibbles are relatively minor. 

First, we’d prefer a ceramic grinder on the unit, and second, we’d love to see the addition of user profiles here. While a single user can save their preferred settings, if you live in a household with multiple coffee drinkers, the lack of profiles will be a bit of a bother. It’s certainly not something that would dissuade most people from buying, but it’s worth keeping in mind.

DeLonghi Eletta Review Conclusion

We’d close our DeLonghi Elleta review by saying that it is a great machine. We recommend it without reservation. If you decide to buy one, we think you’ll be very pleased.

Other Options to Consider

If, for any reason, you’ve decided that the Eletta is not the machine for you, here are some other options you may want to consider:

This is a more expensive but also more capable machine, offering 13 grind settings, an intuitive touchscreen interface, and a wider variety of specialty coffee drinks on offer. It is simply superb.

A slightly less expensive model, like the Dinamica, Magnifica features a total of thirteen grind settings, but the number of drinks on offer is slightly smaller. Still, if your favorite drinks are on the list, this machine may well be a better fit for you, and save you money to boot!

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Official Manufacturer Support

Sources & Resources

• DeLonghi, Official Brand Website.
• DeLonghi Eletta Cappuccino Coffee Machine User Manual.
• How Does a Coffee Cherry Taste Like?, Barista Institute.
• When is the Best Time to Drink Coffee?, Healthline.
• Where Should You Store Coffee? We Finally Settle the Pantry vs. Freezer Debate, Real Simple.