De'Longhi Magnifica Start ECAM220.22.GB
De'longhi
Getting Started with the Magnifica Start
Buying your first automatic espresso machine usually means choosing between two frustrating extremes: a pod machine that never quite tastes like real coffee, or a semi-professional setup that demands you learn tamping pressure, dose weight, and extraction timing before your first proper cup. The De'Longhi Magnifica Start ECAM220.22.GB sits deliberately in the middle ground, built specifically for people who want genuine bean-to-cup coffee without becoming a hobbyist barista first. It grinds, doses, and brews in a single motion at the press of a button, then leaves the milk texturing to you. Whether that trade-off works depends entirely on what you expect from your morning cup — and that's exactly what this review is going to unpack.
Design and Build: A Compact, No-Fuss Kitchen Appliance
The Magnifica Start doesn't try to look like a showpiece. Its footprint is narrow enough to slot into a standard kitchen worktop gap without swallowing your counter space, and the grey-and-black finish with a soft-touch control panel keeps things understated rather than flashy. This is a machine designed to be used daily and not thought about too hard in between.
That said, "budget-friendly" shows through in a few places once you live with it. The plastic bean hopper makes it genuinely difficult to judge how much coffee is left at a glance, so you'll likely end up topping it up on a rough schedule rather than waiting for a visual cue. The body panels favour function over premium materials — solid, but not the kind of stainless-steel heft you'd find on machines costing considerably more. Given the price bracket this machine occupies, that's a reasonable trade rather than a genuine flaw.
The Control Panel and First-Time Setup
Instead of a touchscreen, you get a simple LCD readout paired with physical soft-touch icons — a deliberate choice that keeps the interface uncomplicated for people who've never owned a bean-to-cup machine before. There's no menu diving, no swiping through settings; you press an icon, and the machine does the rest.
Where this machine trips people up isn't the daily operation — it's the very first setup. A recurring theme in owner feedback is that the included printed instructions are thin, and several new owners have needed to turn to online video guides to get through initial water filtration, rinsing, and grind calibration. Once that first setup is behind you, the day-to-day experience is described consistently as genuinely simple. If you're the type of buyer who wants to unbox, plug in, and go without reading anything, budget fifteen extra minutes with your phone open to a setup video rather than expecting to wing it from the box alone.
The Grinder: What 13 Settings Actually Buys You
At the heart of any bean-to-cup machine is the grinder, and this one uses a built-in conical burr grinder with steel burrs rather than the cheaper flat-blade grinders found in lower-tier machines. Steel conical burrs grind more evenly and hold up to daily use far better than blade grinders, which matters because grind consistency is the single biggest factor separating a decent espresso from a bitter, uneven one.
The 13-position adjustment isn't about picking a number you like — it's there so you can dial the grind to match your beans and your taste. A finer setting increases resistance and extraction time, pulling more intensity and body out of a shot; a coarser setting speeds up extraction for a lighter, less concentrated result. Because roast level, bean oiliness, and humidity all shift how a grinder behaves, expect to spend your first week nudging this dial after tasting a few shots — that calibration period is normal, not a sign anything is wrong with the machine.
One legitimate criticism worth flagging honestly: independent testing has noted the grinder runs on the louder side compared to some rivals, which matters if you're making an early-morning espresso in a house where other people are still asleep.
If you'd rather skip grinding altogether on a given day — say, you've got a favourite pre-ground bag you want to use, or you're serving decaf to a guest without dedicating your bean hopper to it — there's a bypass doser that lets you spoon in ground coffee directly, using the included measuring spoon. That flexibility is a genuinely useful feature that not every bean-to-cup machine at this level offers.
Brewing Performance: Pump Pressure and Crema
The machine runs a 15-bar pump, which is the standard baseline you'll find across most bean-to-cup machines in this category and above — it's not a headline spec so much as a "does what it needs to" spec. What actually matters for taste is that the pump maintains consistent pressure through the shot rather than the number on the box, and paired with the built-in crema device, the machine reliably produces the thick, reddish-brown foam layer people associate with proper espresso rather than the thin, disappearing crema you get from underpowered pod machines.
A thermoblock heating element handles water temperature, which is worth understanding rather than glossing over: instead of keeping a large boiler hot at all times (which uses more energy and takes longer to reach brewing temperature from cold), a thermoblock heats water on demand as it passes through. In practice, that means the machine is ready to pull a shot within roughly the time it takes to grind the beans, rather than making you wait through a lengthy warm-up cycle — a genuinely welcome trait on a weekday morning when you're in a hurry.
Milk Frothing with the Manual Steam Wand
Rather than an automatic milk carafe system that heats, froths, and dispenses at the touch of a button, the Magnifica Start uses a traditional manual steam wand with adjustable steam output. You froth milk yourself in a jug, controlling how much air you introduce and how hot it gets.
The upside is genuine control — once you've practised, you can texture microfoam that's noticeably better than what most automatic milk systems produce, because you're adjusting technique in real time rather than trusting a pre-set programme. The downside is exactly that: it takes practice, and owner feedback consistently flags this as the steepest part of the learning curve on the whole machine. If you've never frothed milk manually before, expect a few flat or overly bubbly first attempts before you find your rhythm. This is a meaningful consideration if convenience is your absolute top priority — an automatic frothing system on a pricier machine removes this learning curve entirely, at the cost of losing some of that hands-on control.
Daily Practicality: Water, Beans, and Auto Shut-Off
The transparent water tank holds 1.8 litres and sits on the side of the machine with a visible level gauge, so you can see remaining water without lifting it out. For rough context, that's enough capacity to comfortably cover a household's coffee needs for a couple of days between refills for a single or two-person household drinking espresso-based coffee daily, rather than something you'll be topping up after every cup.
The bean hopper holds around 250g, which for a solo daily espresso drinker translates to roughly two to three weeks before a refill, based on typical dose sizes — though a busy two-coffee-a-day household will burn through that noticeably faster. Because whole beans lose aroma once opened, this hopper size is actually a sensible middle ground: large enough to avoid constant refilling, small enough that you're not storing beans so long they go stale before you use them.
An automatic shut-off after 30 minutes of inactivity is a small but genuinely useful touch — it means you're not paying to keep a thermoblock warm all day if you forget to switch the machine off after your last cup, and it removes a minor safety worry for anyone leaving the house in a rush.
Cup Clearance and Kitchen Fit
The adjustable cup stand accommodates most standard mugs, with roughly 11cm of maximum clearance underneath. That comfortably fits an average coffee mug or espresso cup, but if you're someone who exclusively drinks from a tall travel tumbler or an oversized latte glass, you'll want to measure your preferred cup before assuming it'll slide straight underneath — this is a common pinch point on compact bean-to-cup machines generally, not something unique to this model.
Cleaning, Descaling, and Long-Term Care
Maintenance is one of the stronger parts of the ownership experience. The drip tray is removable and dishwasher-safe, along with other key components, which meaningfully lowers the daily cleaning burden compared to machines where everything needs to be hand-washed. The machine also runs automatic cleaning and descaling programmes rather than leaving the entire process to guesswork, and a built-in descale warning tells you when mineral buildup is starting to affect performance rather than letting it silently degrade your coffee quality or damage internal components over time.
Descaling itself isn't automatic in the sense of running unattended — you'll still need to run the programme with a descaling solution when prompted — but having the machine actively track this rather than relying on you to remember is a meaningful convenience feature, particularly for buyers who've never owned an appliance that needs this kind of upkeep before.
Who This Machine Is Actually Built For
This machine makes the most sense for someone buying their first automatic espresso machine who wants genuinely fresh, ground-to-order coffee without learning barista technique for the espresso side of things. If your ideal outcome is "press a button, get a proper espresso, and I'm willing to learn basic milk steaming for lattes and cappuccinos," this fits neatly.
It's a poor match for a few specific buyer types, though, and it's worth being upfront about who should look elsewhere. If mocha or iced coffee are non-negotiable parts of your routine, this machine simply doesn't support either. If you want every drink — milk-based or not — delivered at a single button press with zero manual steps, you're better served by a machine with automatic milk frothing, even though that jumps you into a noticeably higher price bracket. And if early-morning grinder noise is a dealbreaker in a shared or open-plan living space, it's worth weighing that trade-off before committing.
How It Stacks Up Against Other Entry-Level Bean-to-Cup Machines
| Consideration | Magnifica Start ECAM220.22.GB | Automatic-frother step-up machines | Semi-automatic manual machines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milk system | Manual steam wand — more control, requires practice | Automatic carafe/wand — zero technique needed, less control | Manual steam wand, often paired with manual tamping too |
| Control panel | Basic LCD with one-touch icons | Full touchscreen with saved recipes | Simple dial or button interface |
| One-touch drink range | 4 core programmes; milk drinks are semi-manual | Often 10+ fully automated recipes | Minimal automation; most steps are manual |
| Grinding | Fully automatic, on-demand | Fully automatic, often with larger or swappable hoppers | Usually automatic grinding, manual dosing/tamping |
| Best suited to | First-time bean-to-cup buyers wanting simplicity and value | Buyers prioritising convenience over price | Buyers who enjoy hands-on technique and want to fine-tune every variable |
The Magnifica Start's real competitive position is as the accessible entry point into De'Longhi's own bean-to-cup range — the step below models that add touchscreens, larger drink menus, and fully automatic milk systems, and a meaningfully easier daily experience than semi-automatic machines that expect you to manually tamp and dose every shot. It's not trying to compete on features with pricier machines; it's competing on doing the fundamentals — grinding, extraction, and crema — reliably at an accessible price.
Honest Strengths and Weaknesses
The clearest strength here is that De'Longhi has focused this machine on getting the fundamentals right rather than padding out a feature list. The grinder produces consistent results once dialled in, the pump and crema device deliver proper espresso character rather than a watered-down imitation, and the thermoblock keeps wait times short enough that it fits into an actual weekday morning rather than a leisurely weekend routine. Maintenance is genuinely low-friction thanks to dishwasher-safe components and an active descale warning, which matters more than it sounds for buyers who've never had to maintain an espresso machine before.
Against that, the honesty required here means acknowledging where corners were cut. The instructions genuinely underserve first-time buyers, pushing many toward YouTube during setup rather than the box itself. The grinder's noise level is a legitimate concern for shared living spaces. The bean hopper's poor visibility is a small but persistent annoyance. And the gap between what the spec sheet implies — a full menu of one-touch drinks — and what you actually get — four automated programmes plus manual milk work for everything else — is worth going in with clear eyes about, particularly the absence of any mocha or iced drink support despite competing bean-to-cup machines sometimes offering these.
The Verdict
The De'Longhi Magnifica Start ECAM220.22.GB earns its place as a sensible first step into bean-to-cup coffee. It isn't trying to be the machine that handles every drink automatically, and it shouldn't be judged as if it were — its entire value proposition rests on nailing fresh grinding and proper espresso extraction at an accessible price, while leaving milk texturing as a skill you build over time rather than a feature you pay extra for. If you're comfortable with that division of labour, and your coffee order sits within espresso, americano, cappuccino, latte, and flat white territory rather than iced drinks or mochas, this is a genuinely sound purchase that should serve a household reliably for years. If push-button convenience across every single drink type is your priority regardless of cost, look one tier up in De'Longhi's own range instead — but for buyers taking their first real step away from instant coffee and pods, this machine does exactly what it promises.
What People Say
160 commentsExcellent Bean to Cup Machine
I bought this Delonghi Magnifica Start Bean to Cup Machine after a lot of research and watching a lot of YT videos! I had initially bought a basic Delonghi Espresso Machine a couple of months previous and loved using it but due to problems with lack of muscle strength and joint issues it was really difficult for me to get the portafilter fixed into position. So I then started researching the Bean to Cup option...
I am so far very impressed with this machine...It's very easy to operate, cleans itself when switching on and also when switching off. I have not played around with the coffee grinder settings just left it as it was out of the box. It also has a small hopper for using ground coffee and I have been using this for Decaf Ground Coffee. The milk steamer is excellent and also works well for steaming milk for hot chocolate and also just for producing hot water.
I use Lidl Columbian Coffee Beans...I am not a big fan of extremely strong coffee and I am not a connoisseur by any means but this machine has consistently produced lovely cappuccinos every time for me.
I am sure people could get a lot more out of this machine with settings and different Coffee Beans but I am very happy with what I am getting out of it.
I was spending on average about £20 per week buying Coffee drinks from Costa/Starbucks for years. Since I have had this machine I have not bought Coffees from vendors and if I do go out, I just wait until I get back home to use this machine. It is going to pay for itself in a few months!
This would be classed as a a Budget Bean to Cup machine based on the price of £320 at time of Purchase October 2024.
I honestly could not see the point of paying anymore for one of these machines but I am more than happy with this one and would highly recommend it
Good
After reading reviews I opted for this one, still getting to grips with different drink settings, it eats the beans so the tray needs emptying every 3 or 4 cups and water needs filling a lot more often than I thought. We do drink a lot of coffee though. The water filter says it needs changing after less than 2 weeks so these would work out way more expensive than a filter jug. The latte option is just you use the steam to heat the milk which takes a while then add an espresso shot. It's good and have found some really tasty coffee beans however for replacing normal instant coffee for someone like me that drinks 8 plus cups a day usually it is more expensive by a fair wack after 30 quid for 2kg of beans and a filter at 14 quid every 2 weeks, I do feel a lot of beans are wasted as the water doesn't soak into the beans for long at all before dispensing. Some days after it being turned off all night it will have a fit and just waste beans and not add water (usually just pulling the draw out and shutting it and repeating with water container etc sorts this but 1st thing in the morning desperate for coffee it can be a little agitating. Overall it's really good and may just be because we are heavy coffee drinkers and used to instant coffee and kettle. 1kg of beans lasts us about 4 days.
Tried, trusted, tested
I got this to replace my previous De'Longhi that had lasted 9 years. Seemed a no-brainer really considering. Price was also about £150 cheaper than the last one and the brewing unit is slightly different, but easier to clean. So was the spent coffee pucks, and the water tray for that matter. If you value your sanity get a machine (like this) that has the water tank removable from the front, without having to open or remove a tank fronm above. This gives you the option of placing it under a kitchen cupboard (like most will) and you only have to get the beans in, I can still do this without pulling it forward as the open bag fits to pour. It's just easier.
Taste! The machine makes perfect strong coffee with a decent crema. You can adjust the water amount and the coffee amount, and although this is an entry level machine, I hardly ever use any of the other options, and I've not used the milk frother either so can't comment. If it lasts as long as the last one that will be two bought in nearly 20 years and that's good going really. Recommended. Very rare I give full marks for everything.
Over priced
Terrible coffee machine very load bean grinding not necessary also required water filter not supplied also descaling solution .this keeps coming up for descaling which again is not necessary as it a new machine not used these solution you also have to keep purchasing at a price it closed it self down each time you make a coffee washes it's self with the filtered water from tank each time then when you would like a coffee you have to keep turning this machine back on again allowing it to go through all its cycles washing it self again heating up ect ect now all your filtered water gone you will need to empty the bottom try as it's full of water what a waist as you can't avoid doing these commands which you are prompted to do this is the most over priced annoying coffees machine on the planet. Returned to expensive to run waist water coffee beans descaling solution water filters. Do Not purchase would definitely not recommend .
coffee shop-standard coffee from De longhi machine
this is my 3rd bean to cup de longhi machine in 12 years. They have all been great, at the lower end of the price range with the newest one costing £300. Easy to set-up, maintain and clean. It delivers great espresso and double espresso with a nice crema. I don't use the frothing facility so I can't comment on how good it is for capuccino. I read reviews where folk mention the water temperature could be hotter. unfortunately the water has a lot of work to do before it gets to your cup so it does lose some heat and this is perhaps more noticeable in espresso/double espresso drinks. in Italy it's common for baristas to heat the cup beforehand and this is what I do. I don't believe it's a problem with the machine. if you're weighing up the pros and cons of buying a bean to cup machine this entry level one is ideal - they've served my well for 12 years. de longhi do know a thing or two about making good coffee,
Too expensive coffee machine just for an espresso
I was to be honest expecting great coffee. It's a bit overpriced for the simple coffee making machine the bean coffee option is ok I accidentally pressed the descaling option on the first attempt to make a cup and ended up stressing out and had to simulate a descaling. The ground coffee kept dropping the ground directly to the hole and missing the correct tray the first few attempts although I selected ground previously while the machine was on... The coffee on either option does not come out creamy I have used different brands now. But I do enjoy adding the frothed milk to an espresso cup. The coffee option is just water as well as the americano I guess I will just be using the espresso shot, too expensive machine just for an espresso. And the machine out of the blue dispenses hot water when no one has touched it 🙈
Great value bean to cup machine
A great machine that's easy to use and great value.
The good stuff:
- relatively compact size which is great for small kitchens
- hopper takes a full 250g pack of beans
- ability to use beans and ground coffee. This means I can have a groud coffee decaff without having to empty the bean hopper!
- lovely coffee in espresso, americano or long cup sizes which are customisable
- easy to adjust grind size and strength
Maybe not so good stuff:
- a little plasticy, but still good quality
- when selecing 2 cups it depenses the coffee from a single grind, some other machines use 2 grinds/pucks. I be believe the volume of coffee ground is altered for 2x cups though
De'Longhi Magnifica S bean to cup coffee machine
I've had this for 3 weeks, why didn't I by this year's ago, I love it, It's a great machine makes perfect cups of coffee, I like mine black and strong. I did try to make Cappuccino for my wife, however I didn't get the frother right, but that was down to putting to much milk in the jug, and technique, so still working on that. Overall is easy to use, quicker than boiling a kettle in my opinion, just having fun trying different beans. You can even put ground coffee in the little hopper, but only one scoop at a time, read the instructions. Honestly you won't be disappointed and the price was reasonable. Happy coffee making. Regards Mark
Disappointment
I bought this bean to cup machine several weeks ago - full of anticipation.
It has no user manual - you have to go on line for it 👎🏻
It is not easy to use 👎🏻
There are numerous lights that indicate “something” but in the absence of a paper user manual it is difficult to rectify.👎🏻
I won’t download the manual as it is so long👎🏻
I have to go onto YouTube to see what other people have done👎🏻
On a positive note, when you actually get a coffee it’s delicious, but small, because I can’t work out how to resize to my ideal cup, as with other machines👎🏻
The milk frothed is simple to use👍
Overall I fell like I’ve wasted £300.
Fantastic machine
Ratio between price and quality is amazing. This machine does everything u need her to do if you are a regular coffee drinker. Obviously you can get a fancier machine and pay way more money but if you're thinking in buying a good coffee machine within a reasonable budget then this one is perfect. Not had any problems with it yet and i've had it for 6 months. I read a few bad reviews and kind of thought that maybe its not a good machine but everything has bad reviews dont be scared to buy just because in 100 people 3 or 4 are not happy with their product. Its a great coffee machine trust me 👍🏼
Makes a good coffee
I bought this to replace a previous faithful Delonghi coffee machine who's digital screen went blank.
After researching some machines this one was chosen due to the lack of screen.
It's pretty easy to set up and use, the settings allow a range of options albeit limited but enough for our usage.
As the previous machine this takes beans and powder making it flexible.
A slight niggle is the descale feature which flags up pretty often, still to check if this can be altered in the settings.
Overall happy with the purchase and should hopefully enjoy plenty coffees for a few years.
Excellent
Bought this to replace espresso machine and separate grinder. I resisted for a long time because I enjoy the rigmarole of grinding and tamping beans. But it was messy and my machine was due for replacement. Now I have espresso, lungo, or americano at the touch of a button, strength and size of drink all customisable. And it makes decaf if you drop a scoop in the top (just remember to choose that option before putting the coffee in). The steam wand warms up quickly and you can make lattes or cappuccinos. Still practising the latte art but we love this machine.
Cheaply made does not produce quality coffee
The coffee machine had very cheap feel to it, plastic parts everywhere even milk steamer and nozzles where coffee comes from is plastic!! Also barely makes any crema on the coffee, tastes ok but not great. Works ok if using beans, but if you use ground coffee it doesn’t take all amount which results in very weak watery coffee and a lot of wasted ground coffee. And worst part of it that you cannot return the machine if it’s been used. But how else will you know if you like it? So i’m already looking for better quality coffee machine. What a waste if money.
Very Good Automatic Bean to Cup
We wanted an automatic grinder and milk frother wand. (couldn't be faffed with time to crush own beans and extra mess). This machine is excellent and would highly recommend. 2 shots of expresso is fine for a 350ml Latte or Capp. The milk frother makes the milk very textured and silky. However, the milk frother has built in 60 seconds time (just enough for 65C milk), but you need to re-push the button again if you want for steam. Would 100% recommend. Self clean is built in, and requires a monthly limescale clean.
Coffee worth getting out of bed for !
We purchased this on a bit of a whim a few weeks ago, and are now kicking ourselves that we left it so long! The first few cups of coffee were rubbish, but after that they have been perfect! It's not a quick process, but the coffee is worth the wait - and this stands for three different bean types we have tried. It's a bit noisy, but I suppose that's par for the course. The only downside is that the grinder tends to jam if we change the grid size, so we just stick with it the same size regardless of bean.
Perfect Bean-to-Cup Coffee Machine for Home Use
The De'Longhi Magnifica Start Bean to Cup Coffee Machine is an excellent choice for coffee lovers who want barista-quality coffee at home. It offers freshly ground beans, ensuring rich flavor and aroma in every cup. The intuitive interface makes it easy to customize coffee strength and size, while the milk frother is great for cappuccinos and lattes. The machine is compact, easy to clean, and delivers consistently good coffee. A great value for anyone looking for a reliable and stylish bean-to-cup machine!
Downgrade
This is 3rd machine from de longhi. Doubled in price from last machine but the steamer/frother is a big let down.
It is now so short it doesn't reach the milk using a normal metal milk jug. Also, it has great problems producing froth for a decent cappuccino. I have checked against the old machine and it is a different technical design, which mostly doesn’t work. Great great disappointment especially as the previous machines were near enough faultless for the 25,000 cups they produced.
Can' be without it!
This is 3rd time I have bought this make and model, had to replace my last one when the pump stopped working after 10 years of constant use: not bad! This model is updated, has better features but just as easy to use and gives excellent coffee with a good crema. Only bad point is the bean chamber which has a slatted covering so very difficult to see or feel when beans are running out. In real terms, this machine cost a lot less than I paid 10 years ago. Would definitely buy again.
Easiest to use and best coffee machine have owned
I bought this coffee machine just under a month ago. It has to be one of the easiest to use machines I have owned. The fact this is bean to cup makes everything tast so much nicer and also like the fact that you can place grind coffee into (incase you buy it by mistake like me). Refilling the water smooth and easy process, no mess when it comes to the grinds being cleaned as this just goes into a container that slides out. I highly recommend this machine worth every penny.
Much noisier than I thought.
I bought the Delonghi bean to cup machine for my husband. He loves his coffee. This the first time we have used kind of machine.Other reviews said that it was a quiet machine. I would love to know how noisy the other machines are. I was quite surprised when first used it at the noise it produces. Other than that my husband is very pleased with it and is looking forward to mixing his own blends. Much better than being stuck to pods. I am not sorry I bought it.
