Can Delonghi ECP33.21 Active Coffee produce a reasonably good cup of Espresso? Before answering this, we need to understand some of the common terms used in Espresso Coffee Machine.
What is Delonghi ECP33.21 Active Coffee?
The Delonghi ECP33.21 Active Coffee is a manual Pump Espresso Coffee Machine. It is Not a fully automated Espresso Coffee Machine. This means:
- You will need to manually add pre-grinded coffee powder to a portafilter for each brew.
- You will need to check and make sure the water container has sufficient water.
- You will need to remove the coffee puck (leftover coffee powder) after each brew.
The ECP33.21 has a single portafilter head for home use. As shown below, it requires one hand to hold down the machine while the other hand locks the portafilter. A professional machine used in the cafeteria could have up to 7 portafilter heads, and is heavy enough so that you can lock it using one-handed operation.
What is a Fully Automated Coffee Machine?
A fully automated coffee machine normally costs much more, and we would expect them to include:
- built-in coffee grinder (so you buy and use whole coffee beans directly
- water line hook up (so you don’t have to worry to top up water)
- automatically brews coffee (we should not need to explain this further)
- self cleaning (includes removing the leftover coffee puck into a built-in trash bin)
The only thing that needs to be done is adding coffee beans and removing the coffee pucks after some time. Obviously, a larger holding container for the coffee beans and pucks would mean less frequency of topping up or trash removal. There are also varying degree of automation for different coffee machines, so you pay for what you get.
If you are not prepared to pay so much, or you want to impress your guest with a professional Espresso Coffee Machine that looks like a mini version of those in Cafeteria, then Delonghi ECP33.21 could be a good entry level/basic machine.
What is Espresso?
Expresso is a type of strong coffee made by forcing hot water or steam through finely grounded coffee beans. Typically, Espresso Machine brews coffee by using pump to pressurise hot water through Expresso ESE Coffee Pod or tampered finely ground coffee in a portafilter.
What is a Portafilter?
The Portafilter is a key component in the Espresso Machine where the coffee is actually brewed. The Portafilter comprises a handle attached to a cup, which in the case of the ECP33.21, includes a black plastic Coffee Splitter inside. There are three options of Portafilter Baskets provided that will be attached on top of the Coffee Splitter.
One basket is for brewing using Expresso ESE Coffee Pod, while the other two is for single and double shot of fine grounded coffee bean powder. The option for a double shot basket is quite a good inclusion for a low cost Espresso Machine. A single shot can typically hold up to 10 grams of coffee, while double shot is about 20 grams.
A Scoop is provided with a “Tamper” at the other end to compress the coffee powder into the basket, as shown in the screen capture of the ECP 33.21 video below.
If you are afraid of messy loose coffee bean powder, you may consider buying a Portafilter Dosing Funnel specially designed and compatible with this model of baskets. Another option is to use ESE Coffee Pods, as shown further below.
What is Coffee “Puck” in Espresso Machine?
This basically refers to the leftover, compacted coffee bean powder after the brewing. Below is a screenshot from a video that explains how to check if your Espresso shot is good.
What is ESE Coffee Pod?
The ESE (Easy Serving Espresso) Coffee Pod looks like a coffee bag with compressed coffee inside. The material of the bag acts like a filter, similar to tea bags.
Each Coffee Pod comprises 7 grams of finely grounded coffee tightly packed between two layers of filter paper as shown in the photo below. This is the preferred option for users who prefer not to mess with loose, fine grounded coffee. After brewing the coffee, the Coffee Pod can be easily removed from the Portafilter basket.
What Is Espresso Coffee Bean?
Espresso coffee refers to coffee that is made via the above process, i.e. forcing hot water or steam through finely grounded coffee beans. It has nothing to do with the type of coffee bean, however, they do mean coffee bean that is finely grounded. Any bag of Coffee powder that says it is “Espresso” coffee should imply that the the powder is finely grounded for use in Espresso Machine.
So regardless of the type of coffee bean you use, be it Arabica, Robusta, Excelsa, and Liberica, the resulting rich and aromatic coffee is still called Espresso. Among the 4 different types of coffee, Arabica is the most popular and accounts for approximately 60% of the coffee produced. The other 40% approximately is Robusta. Arabica has less caffeine than Robusta (approx. 1.4 vs 4% max), however most people would consider Arabica as a higher grade due to better better and smoother taste. Arabica is grown in cooler, higher altitudes, while Robusta strives in lower altitudes. You can read up more about the difference between Arabica and Robusta here.
Can Delonghi ECP33.21 Active Coffee produce a reasonably good cup of Espresso?
So, we are back to the original question regarding this affordable Espresso Coffee Machine. It appears that the Delonghi ECP33.21 is a proper Espresso Coffee Machine.
- The 15 bar pressure creates an Espresso with a rich aroma and a nut coloured cream on top.
- The removable drip tray allows you to use mugs and glasses up to 12 cm tall
- Fixed milk frother
- Ground coffee or pods
- Auto shut off
Based on the design of this coffee machine, the Delonghi ECP33.21 is expected to produce a good cup of Espresso. This is backed by a trusted brand that has been in this industry since 1974. It will be a good buy.
