Best buy great value

Melitta Purista F230-102


What the Melitta Purista F230-102 bean-to-cup lacks in style, it makes up for in performance and value. We summed it up as ‘tasty espresso made simple’ – super easy to use, from refilling the water tank to adjusting the settings for your drinks, and you’ll get prompted when it needs cleaning.

Our expert tasting panel described the expressos as ‘fantastic and flavoursome’, delivered at a good temperature – and we loved how you can pick and save your preferences from 25 to 250ml coffees at three different strengths. Our main niggles were a lack of automatic milk-frothing – so you’ll need a standalone frother – and the fact that it’s a little slow, at least for the first cup.


best buy
DeLonghiMagnifica Plus ECAM320.60.B

which? verdict
Absolutely magnifica
The Magnifica Plus lives up to its name. A magnificent Best Buy, it’s easy to use with clear instructions, so you’ll soon be making your favourite drinks. There are plenty of personalisation options, so the whole household can adjust the settings to suit their tastes. It’s not the quickest, but it’s still one of the best.


What is it?
A bean-to-cup coffee machine. It grinds the beans fresh before brewing and there are seven grinding settings to choose from. It can also use pre-ground coffee, but this doesn’t work with the Doppio+, 2x Espresso and Cappuccino+ modes.
DeLonghi claims this machine offers a coffee to suit everyone. The easy-to-understand 3.5-inch colour touchscreen lets you select from 15 drinks. Each option displays an image, so you can see what you’re going to get – handy if you’re not sure what the difference is between drinks. The display also offers a description of each step in the process, such as ‘water heating’, ‘grinding’ or ‘delivery of coffee’.
The LatteCrema Hot Technology system – a 330ml milk carafe that attaches to the machine – creates froth by mixing steam, air and milk.
There are four user profiles and five coffee strength settings, so the whole household can personalise their favourite drinks. Two coffees can be made at the same time. However, if you’re using pre-ground coffee, only one drink can be made at a time.
It’s available in two colours: black (ECAM320.60.B) and silver and black (ECAM322.70.SB).
Does it make great espressos and cappuccinos?
It makes a good espresso, but cappuccinos were less impressive.
Espressos have a good temperature: around 67°C. If you prefer a hotter coffee, prewarm your cup by rinsing it with hot water before brewing. We noticed the odd drip when we made several cups in a row, but this is a small niggle. Our panel observed that espressos had a strong taste and thick crema.
When you’re making two espressos at once, the amount in each is evenly distributed, so you don’t have to debate who gets the bigger drink.
Our panel felt that the cappuccino flavour was unbalanced, with the coffee taste coming through much stronger than the milk.
How quick is it?
It takes 37 seconds to warm up and a further 47 seconds to make the first espresso. Subsequent cups take around 40 seconds to brew, so it’s not the quickest.
How easy is it to use and clean?
The control screen indicates when the water needs replacing, the machine needs descaling or the milk carafe needs cleaning. Descaling takes 25 minutes using the DeLonghi descaler and involves 15 steps. You’ll also need to have a 2-litre container handy to catch the residue that’s washed out. It’s not the lengthiest process we’ve encountered, but it’s still a bit of a faff.
The drip tray has lots of little nooks and crannies, making it time-consuming to clean. The manufacturer claims that both the drip tray grille and the milk carafe are dishwasher safe. After each milk-based drink, the machine prompts you to use the ‘CLEAN’ function to clean the milk carafe lid.
The water tank has a lid with a small hole for filling, but it’s possible to remove this to make filling easier. Unfortunately, it can be hard to tell how much water is in there, as the tank's plastic is quite dark, and there’s no water level indicator on the front. At 1.8 litres, you won’t need to constantly refill it, which is a bonus.
The bean reservoir has a grate on the top, which makes it tricky to fill. You need to empty the beans in gently to avoid them bouncing out when they hit the grate.
The controls are easy to understand and the instruction manual is comprehensive, clearly explaining how to use the machine.
Is there anything else I should know?
It’s quite big and bulky, so you’ll need a decent amount of countertop for it.
It switches off automatically when unused for 30 minutes. You can decrease this to 15 minutes or increase it up to three hours.
It’s not generally a loud machine, but it can be noisy when grinding.
DeLonghi offers a 100-day money-back guarantee, but be sure to check the T&Cs. It also offers a two-year guarantee when you register your machine.
Should I buy it?
Yes. This is one of the best coffee machines we’ve tested. It’s easy to use and offers excellent personalisation options.

Posted By: Old Git on June 9th 2026 at 12:49:58

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