De'Longhi EC155 Review: What a Budget Pump Espresso Machine Can and Can't Do

The De'Longhi EC155 is one of the longest-running entry-level pump espresso machines sold in North America: a compact plastic and steel box with a 15-bar pump, a filter holder that takes ground coffee or ESE pods, and a swivel steam wand for milk. This De'Longhi EC155 review (most people search for it as "DeLonghi EC155") is for anyone weighing a first espresso machine against a stovetop moka pot or a pod brewer. Ivan, our editor, bought the EC155 with his own money in 2020. His first-hand notes will be added to this page separately; until then, everything below comes from De'Longhi's documentation, the verified listing, Whole Latte Love's spec sheet, published espresso references and well-established espresso technique.

The short answer: the EC155 is built to be forgiving. Its pressurized filters produce a crema-topped shot from supermarket espresso grounds and a light tamp, and the frother turns cold milk into foam with very little skill. That same design puts a ceiling on quality, and the machine gives you no way to adjust pressure or temperature.

De'Longhi EC155 at a glance

The EC155 is a single-boiler machine: one heating element, two thermostats (one for brewing, one for steam, according to De'Longhi), a vibration pump and a selector dial that moves between off, coffee or hot water, and steam. A knob on the side opens the steam wand. There are no programmable buttons, no pressure gauge and no shot timer, which is exactly why it suits people who want a short, repeatable routine.

One note on documentation: the English manual De'Longhi hosts for download is the European edition (220 to 240 V, with a larger tank). The North American machine runs on 120 V with the 1 L tank, but the brewing, frothing, cleaning and descaling steps are the same, and those are what this review relies on.

What's in the box

The current listing and De'Longhi's own pages describe the same core kit:

• The machine, with its removable water tank and drip tray.
• The dual-function filter holder (portafilter).
• Filters for one shot, two shots and ESE pods. De'Longhi's Canadian product page calls the system a three-in-one holder.
• A plastic measuring scoop with a tamper on one end.
• The frothing attachment, fitted on the steam wand.
• The instruction manual.

There's no grinder, no milk pitcher and no stand-alone tamper. A small stainless milk pitcher of about 12 oz (350 ml) is the most useful thing to add, because the manual expects milk to grow two to three times in volume as it froths.

What "15 bar" really means on the EC155

Almost every budget pump machine advertises 15 bar or more, and the EC155 is no exception. The number describes what the pump can push against a nearly blocked outlet, not the pressure your coffee sees. Pressure at the coffee builds only as far as the resistance in front of the pump allows: the bed of grounds, the filter, and in this machine, the small exit of the pressurized filter.

The reference point for espresso is lower than most buyers expect. The Italian Espresso National Institute (INEI), which certifies traditional Italian espresso, specifies about 9 bar (plus or minus 1) at the group, water leaving the machine at roughly 190°F (88°C), about 7 g of coffee for a single, and a pour of around 25 seconds. Pushing well past that doesn't extract more flavor; it tends to compact the coffee and drive water through cracks in the bed, a problem baristas call channeling.

So read the EC155's 15 bar as headroom. The pump has enough force to reach espresso pressure even when the grounds are packed firmly, and the pressurized filter makes sure the water meets resistance even when they aren't. What you can't do is set or measure the actual brew pressure. There's no gauge, and Whole Latte Love's spec sheet lists the brew pressure as non-adjustable. That's normal at this price, and it's the main reason the EC155 behaves the same way every morning instead of rewarding fine adjustment.

Pressurized filters and the dual-function holder

The EC155's filters are pressurized. Instead of a floor full of tiny holes, the coffee sits above a restriction that only lets liquid out once enough pressure builds behind it. Water is forced through the grounds and then through that narrow outlet, which whips air and coffee oils into a foamy layer on top of the shot.

Why that matters in practice:

• It forgives mistakes. Pre-ground coffee, an uneven tamp or a slightly coarse grind would gush through an unpressurized basket in a few seconds. A pressurized filter holds the water back long enough to make something drinkable.
• The crema is not a quality signal. On a traditional machine, thick crema hints at fresh coffee and good extraction. Here the outlet makes foam almost regardless, so judge shots by taste and flow time instead.
• It sets a ceiling. The restriction does part of the job that a fine, even grind does on a commercial machine. An expensive grinder brings smaller gains here than it would on a machine with unpressurized baskets.

The pod filter is the third option. ESE (Easy Serving Espresso) pods are pre-dosed, pre-pressed paper pods made to a shared industry standard, about 44 mm (1.7 in) across. They remove grinding, dosing and tamping entirely, and they're the cleanest way to use the EC155: drop a pod in, lock the handle, brew, throw the pod away. The trade-off is choice and freshness, since pods are sealed long before you open them. De'Longhi's manual asks for pods that carry the ESE mark and says to follow the pod maker's placement instructions.

One practical gap: De'Longhi doesn't publish the basket diameter, and third-party figures disagree. If you want a better tamper than the plastic one, measure the inside of your filter rim with a ruler before you order.

DeLonghi EC155 tips: grind, dose and tamping

De'Longhi's manual is specific about dosing. For a single shot, fill the small filter with one level scoop, about 7 g of ground coffee. For a double, use two slightly less-than-level scoops in the large filter, about 6 g plus 6 g. Add the coffee a little at a time so it doesn't spill over the edge, and always knock out the previous puck first.

Grind. Pressurized filters prefer coffee a little coarser than true espresso grind. Pre-ground "espresso" coffee from the supermarket usually works. If you own a burr grinder, start at the coarse end of its espresso range and adjust from there. Very fine, powdery coffee can choke the flow: the manual's troubleshooting table lists coffee that is "too finely ground" or "too tightly pressed" among the causes of slow shots with dark crema.

Tamping. The manual says to press lightly. Press too hard and the coffee runs slowly with dark crema; too lightly and it runs fast with pale crema. With a pressurized filter, a gentle, level press is enough. Brush stray grounds off the rim so the filter holder seals cleanly against the gasket, then lock the handle firmly to the right.

Timing. De'Longhi recommends never running coffee for more than 45 seconds. A sensible target is a single of about 1 oz (30 ml) or a double of about 2 oz (60 ml) in 20 to 30 seconds. If the flow is much faster, add a little coffee or grind finer; if much slower, do the opposite. Change one thing at a time, or you won't know which change helped.

Heat-up, temperature and the steam switch

The OK light tells you when the selected temperature is reached. It comes on well before the metal around the group and the filter holder are fully warm, and a cold filter holder pulls heat straight out of a small shot. Three habits make the biggest difference:

• Give it time. Whole Latte Love's spec sheet lists a minimum heat-up of 162 seconds and a recommended 420 seconds, about 7 minutes.
• Preheat the filter holder. The manual's routine: lock in the empty filter holder, set your cup underneath, wait for the OK light, then run water until the light goes off. Empty the cup, wait for the light to return and repeat once.
• Warm the cups. Rinse them with hot water or leave them on the cup warmer on top of the machine; the manual suggests 15 to 20 minutes there.

Switching from steam back to brewing needs one extra step. After frothing, the boiler is far hotter than brewing temperature, and De'Longhi warns that coffee made straight away will taste burnt. To bring the temperature down, put a container under the group, turn the selector to coffee and run water until the OK light goes out, then brew as normal. The easiest workflow is to pull your shots first and steam milk second.

How to froth milk with the EC155 frother

The frother is a sleeve on the steam wand that draws air into the steam jet automatically. That makes foam easy, though the texture leans stiff and bubbly rather than the glossy microfoam a bare steam tip can make. For cappuccino that's fine; for latte art it's a real limitation.

De'Longhi's method, in plain terms:

1. Pull your espresso first, into a larger cup or glass. Remove the drip tray if the cup doesn't fit.
2. Turn the selector to steam and wait for the OK light.
3. Pour about 3.5 oz (100 g) of cold milk per cappuccino into a pitcher with room to grow. The manual suggests semi-skimmed milk (in North America, 1% or 2%) straight from the fridge, about 41°F (5°C).
4. Dip the frother tip about 0.2 in (5 mm) into the milk and open the steam knob. More steam means faster, more aggressive foaming.
5. When the milk has roughly doubled, raise the pitcher so the frother sits deeper in the milk, which heats the milk without adding more air.
6. Stop at about 158°F (70°C), De'Longhi's ideal. Close the knob and turn the selector off.
7. Release a short burst of steam into an empty cup and wipe the wand.

Two limits from the manual: no more than 60 seconds of steam at a time, and no more than three frothing runs in a row. If you're making drinks for four, plan on pauses. And clean the frother after every use: once the wand has cooled, unscrew the attachment, wash it in warm water and make sure its three small holes are clear.

How to use the De'Longhi EC155: a daily routine

On the very first use, De'Longhi says to run at least one full tank of water through the machine as if you were making coffee, to rinse the internal paths. After that, the routine looks like this:

1. Fill the tank with fresh, cold water, filtered if your tap water is hard. Never run the pump dry; the manual says to refill when the water is a few centimeters (about an inch) from the bottom.
2. Switch on, lock in the empty filter holder and run two preheating flushes.
3. Dose the filter: one level scoop for a single, two slightly scant scoops for a double. Level the coffee and tamp lightly.
4. Wipe the rim, lock the handle firmly to the right and place one or two warm cups under the spouts.
5. When the OK light is on, turn the dial to coffee. Stop at the volume you want, and never later than 45 seconds.
6. Turn the dial back to stop the flow, wait a moment and only then release the handle. The manual warns that removing it mid-shot can spray hot coffee.
7. Knock out the puck, rinse the filter and filter holder, and dry them.
8. For milk drinks, steam now. When you're finished, purge the wand, wipe it and switch the machine off.

Cleaning and descaling the EC155

Daily. Empty and rinse the drip tray, rinse the filters and filter holder, and wash the frother. De'Longhi's Canadian product page lists the drip tray and water tank as dishwasher safe, but the manual says never to put the filter holder in the dishwasher. Wipe the body with a soft, damp cloth; no solvents or abrasive cleaners, and never put the machine in water.

About every 200 coffees, or whenever coffee drips out instead of flowing: deep-clean the filter. The manual walks through unscrewing the cap under the filter, removing the gasket and metal disc, brushing the parts in hot water, clearing any blocked holes with a pin and reassembling them in order. De'Longhi states that skipping this cleaning invalidates the guarantee.

About every 300 coffees: clean the boiler outlet, the metal screen above the filter holder where water comes out. With the machine cold and unplugged, a screwdriver releases a single screw. Brush the outlet in hot water, clear blocked holes with a pin and refit it carefully on its gasket.

Descaling, about every 200 coffees and more often in hard water, following De'Longhi's steps:

1. Fill the tank with descaler diluted as the pack directs. De'Longhi recommends its own product.
2. Switch the machine on, wait for the OK light and leave the filter holder off. Put a container under the outlet and the steam wand.
3. Run about a quarter of the tank through the group, opening the steam knob briefly now and then so solution also passes through the wand.
4. Stop and let the solution work for about 5 minutes.
5. Repeat until the tank is empty.
6. Rinse the tank, refill it with clean water and run the whole tank through. Do this rinse twice.

The EC155 manual gives no instructions for vinegar, and De'Longhi's support pages warn that unsuitable descalers can cause faults the guarantee doesn't cover. A dedicated espresso machine descaler is the safer route.

Troubleshooting the most common EC155 problems

These come straight from the causes and fixes in De'Longhi's troubleshooting table, condensed:

De'Longhi EC155 vs a moka pot and other options

Ivan also bought two stovetop moka pots, the Bialetti Kitty and a WALDWERK stainless steel moka pot, so the "moka pot vs espresso machine" question is a natural one for this site. Compared on paper:

The pressure and strength figures are the commonly cited references for each brewing method. Moka coffee sits between espresso and drip in strength, but it isn't espresso: there's no 9-bar extraction and no real crema. If you mostly drink coffee black and want simplicity, a moka pot does the job with less hardware. If cappuccinos and lattes are the point, the EC155's steam wand is the reason to buy it.

Against bigger machines, compared on paper only: the usual step up is a machine with a commercial-size 58 mm portafilter and unpressurized baskets, in the class of the Gaggia Classic Pro. Machines like that reward a good grinder and careful technique, but they cost several times more and assume you'll buy a capable grinder too. Against capsule brewers, the EC155 is messier, yet it takes ordinary ground coffee or ESE pods instead of brand-specific capsules. For more coffee and grill gear, see the Kitchen & Grill section.

Who should buy the De'Longhi EC155

• First-time espresso buyers who want to learn dosing, tamping and steaming without investing in a grinder.
• Cappuccino and latte drinkers who care more about milk drinks than about straight shots.
• People who like the convenience of ESE pods but want the option of ground coffee.
• Small kitchens: per Whole Latte Love's spec sheet, the machine is about 7.5 in wide and 11.2 in tall (19 x 28 cm).

Who should skip it

• Anyone who already owns, or plans to buy, a quality burr grinder. Pressurized filters limit the payoff.
• Latte art hopefuls. The frothing attachment makes stiff foam rather than glossy microfoam.
• Households that make drinks for a crowd. The 60-second steam limit and the cool-down flush after steaming slow back-to-back drinks.
• Fans of tall drinks in big mugs. Clearance under the spouts is about 3.25 in (8.3 cm) according to the same retailer, so tall cups mean removing the drip tray.

EC155 tips and common mistakes

• Weigh your scoop once. Put a level scoop of your usual coffee on a kitchen scale; volume varies with grind and roast, and 7 g is De'Longhi's target for a single.
• Don't chase crema. With pressurized filters, taste and flow time are better guides.
• Buy fresh coffee anyway. A pressurized filter masks stale coffee; it doesn't fix it. Small bags, kept sealed, stay fresher.
• Mind your water. Hard water scales faster. Filtered water helps, but keep to De'Longhi's descaling schedule.
• Keep the steam wand clean between drinks. Wipe it straight after frothing, before milk dries on the outside.

Final verdict

The De'Longhi EC155 does what an entry-level espresso machine should: on paper, its pressurized filters are built to make consistent, crema-topped shots from pre-ground coffee or ESE pods, its frothing attachment is designed to need very little technique, and it fits in a small kitchen. De'Longhi documents its care thoroughly, from preheating to descaling, which matters for a machine that lives or dies by routine maintenance.

The limits are built in. The 15-bar figure is headroom rather than a quality promise, the pressurized filters cap how far good beans and a good grinder can take you, and the frother suits cappuccino foam more than silky latte milk. If you want a forgiving way into espresso and milk drinks, the EC155 is a sensible, budget-tier pick. If you already know you'll want control, skip ahead to a machine with unpressurized baskets, or keep things simple with a moka pot. Ivan bought his EC155 in 2020, and his own notes on it will be added here once they're written up.