De'Longhi Magnifica Evo: which carafe model to look for

Beans, water and the glass under the spout

The tank (1.8 l) and hopper (250 g) are exactly those of the Magnifica S and Start. With milk drinks the sums shift a little: a cappuccino uses less water than a long coffee because much of the cup is milk, though the machine still spends water on rinsing. For a household of four at two cups each, expect to refill the tank every day or two and the hopper every three or four days.

Clearance matters more here than on a black-coffee machine. Cups up to 14 cm fit under the spout, and tall latte macchiato glasses are exactly the ones that may not, so measure yours. The body is 24 cm wide, 44 cm deep and 36 cm high according to the manual: the width of the simpler Magnificas, with a centimetre more in height and depth than the S. The manual puts the weight at 9.6 kg, adding that it varies by model.

Milk: an automatic carafe

On the models described here, milk comes from De’Longhi’s LatteCrema Hot carafe. You fill it, attach it, press a milk drink and the machine froths and dispenses on its own. A MyLatte function is among the one-touch drinks; De’Longhi presents it as a way to avoid wasting milk.

The price of that convenience is care: milk residue has to be dealt with every time, whatever the brand. De’Longhi states that the carafe is dishwasher-safe. Our cleaning guide sets out what a milk system asks of you compared with a plain steam wand.

One thing we cannot tell you is how much milk the carafe holds: we have no verified figure. Philips, by contrast, publishes a capacity for its LatteGo container, which you can see on the Philips 3300 LatteGo profile.

Seven drinks by De’Longhi’s count

De’Longhi counts 7 one-touch drinks on the ECAM 290.81.TB: coffee, espresso, long, cappuccino, latte macchiato, MyLatte and hot water. Hot water is in the count, so there are six coffee drinks. Compare that number with another brand’s only loosely, since each counts in its own way.

The front panel uses colour icon buttons for direct selection, where the Magnifica S has buttons and a dial. The product page names a thermoblock heating system. The brew group is removable, per the manual.

Which Evo is which in the UK

“Magnifica Evo” is a family, not a single machine. From what we read on De’Longhi’s sites:

Model code	Milk system	Drinks by De’Longhi’s count	Seen for
ECAM 290.83.TB	Carafe	7	UK
ECAM 290.61.SB	Carafe	5	UK
ECAM 292.81.B	Carafe	not noted	UK, Germany, France
ECAM 290.81.TB (our data)	Carafe	7	Germany, France
ECAM 290.21.B	Manual frother	4, steam included	De’Longhi range

Our spec table was read on the ECAM 290.81.TB and its manual, which covers the carafe versions. The milk system and drinks count on this page hold for carafe versions only.

One more trap: the Magnifica Evo Next (ECAM 310) is a different model. We do not cover it, and nothing here should be assumed to apply to it.

Against its nearest rivals

• The Magnifica S shares the capacities and loses the carafe. The line-by-line view is in Magnifica S vs Magnifica Evo.
• The Philips 3300 LatteGo is the nearest rival with an automatic milk system: Philips counts five programmed drinks against De’Longhi’s seven one-touch drinks, and publishes 12 grind settings where De’Longhi publishes none.
• For every model with automatic milk, see bean-to-cup machines with a milk system; for the brand view, our De’Longhi Magnifica comparison.

What De’Longhi’s documents leave open

• Burr type and grind settings: not on the product page, not in the manual.
• Noise: no decibel figure from De’Longhi. It is on our measurement list.
• The real weight: the product page shows a figure nearly three kilos above the manual’s. We follow the manual and flag the gap.
• Guarantee small print: De’Longhi’s UK care pages state a 2-year minimum on its coffee machines, and leave the detail to the paperwork in the box.

Milk drinks change the running costs too. The cost per cup calculator deals with the coffee side using your own prices (it leaves milk out), and the machine finder helps you decide whether an automatic milk system fits the way you drink.