De’Longhi Magnifica Evo ECAM290.61.SB Review: One-Touch Lattes for £345?
The Magnifica Evo is De’Longhi’s cheapest route to a bean-to-cup machine that makes milky coffee by itself. The UK version with the automatic LatteCrema milk jug is the silver-and-black ECAM290.61.SB, and on 11 October 2026 De’Longhi’s own shop had it at £345 — while Currys still showed £529.99 for the same model. An editorial test, a specialist site and more than 1,300 Currys buyers agree it makes good, easy coffee. The questions are noise, upkeep and which of the many Magnifica Evo codes you are actually buying.
Where the reviews line up
The evidence comes from three places: a hands-on test by Expert Reviews of the seven-drink sibling with the same LatteCrema jug, the specialist site Home Coffee Expert alongside 29 owner reviews at ProductReview.com.au, and buyer ratings at Currys — 4.6/5 from 1,327 reviews. They agree on most things.
Three points come up everywhere. It is easy: you press one button for a cappuccino or a latte, the machine grinds, brews and froths milk from a jug that clips onto the front, and Expert Reviews gave it a Best Buy on that basis. The coffee is good for the money rather than great — Home Coffee Expert scored espresso 7.5/10 and milk 8.5/10, and both testers say you need to move the grinder and strength settings off the factory defaults. And it is noisy: TechRadar measured about 78 dB while grinding on the steam-wand version, and Expert Reviews lists noise as its first complaint.
The footnotes. The LatteCrema jug cannot change milk temperature and the machine will not make hot milk on its own, according to Expert Reviews. Owners on ProductReview.com.au are much less happy than Currys buyers — 2.9/5 from 29 — with frothers that stop working and grinder faults within months. That is a small sample from Australia, but it is the only owner evidence we found that speaks to how the machine holds up.
Bean-to-cup or a Bambino Plus? If you want coffee from whole beans with no learning and no mess, this is the cheaper and simpler machine. If you would enjoy learning to make espresso and want better coffee for similar money, the Sage Bambino Plus plus a grinder will taste better, but it is more work every morning.
The three reviews this summary is built from
- Expert ReviewsHands-on Best Buy test, November 2022, of the seven-drink LatteCrema sibling.
- Home Coffee Expert & ProductReview.com.auA former barista’s scored review, plus 2.9/5 from 29 owner reviews of the ECAM290.83.TB.
- Currys buyers4.6/5 from 1,327 reviews on the ECAM290.61.SB page, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Before the review: which Magnifica Evo?
De’Longhi’s UK shop listed eight Magnifica Evo machines on 11 October 2026, and the model codes matter. The ECAM290.61.SB reviewed here has the automatic LatteCrema milk jug and five one-touch drinks. The ECAM290.21.B and ECAM290.31.SB have a manual steam wand instead, which you use yourself with your own jug. The ECAM290.83.TB (titanium) and ECAM292.81.B use the same LatteCrema jug with seven drinks. The black ECAM290.61.B is sold in other countries but was not on De’Longhi’s UK page when we checked. In the US the LatteCrema model is the ECAM29084, which is the one Home Coffee Expert tested.
Specification at a glance
| Spec | Figure | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| One-touch drinks | 5: MyLatte, cappuccino, espresso, coffee, hot water | De’Longhi UK and Currys agree |
| Milk system | LatteCrema Hot jug that froths automatically and cleans itself after each use. No adjustable milk temperature | De’Longhi UK; temperature point from Expert Reviews (sibling) |
| Milk jug size | 220 ml (Currys) or 0.25 litres (Marks Electrical, on the ECAM290.83.TB) | Close, but not the same — see below |
| Bean hopper | 250 g | Currys; Expert Reviews (sibling) |
| Water tank | 1.8 litres, slides in at the side | Currys; Expert Reviews; Lakeland and Harvey Norman on the ECAM290.83.TB |
| Pressure | 15 bar pump | De’Longhi UK and Currys |
| Grinder | Built-in burr grinder, 13 settings; 3 strength settings. Takes pre-ground coffee too | Currys; TechRadar; Home Coffee Expert (stainless steel conical burrs) |
| Power | 1,450 W | De’Longhi UK and Currys |
| Dimensions | 240 × 440 × 360 mm (W × D × H); max cup height 140 mm | Expert Reviews and De’Longhi UK (cup height). Currys labels the same numbers H × W × D. Marks Electrical lists 400 × 295 × 488 mm (H × W × D) for the ECAM290.83.TB |
| Clearance | The bean hopper fills from the top, so allow room above it under wall cupboards | TechRadar |
| Weight | 9.6 kg | De’Longhi UK and Currys agree |
| Noise | About 78 dB grinding, about 55 dB pouring espresso | TechRadar, measured, 2021, on the steam-wand version |
| Energy class | A | Marks Electrical, on the ECAM290.83.TB only |
| Descaler | £7.99 for 500 ml, 5 doses (was £11.99) | De’Longhi UK, 11 Oct 2026 |
| Water filter | £8.99 each (was £15.99), lasts up to 2 months; out of stock when we checked | De’Longhi UK, 11 Oct 2026. The page does not list compatible machines |
| Guarantee | 2 years. Home Coffee Expert says registering adds a third year; Lakeland lists 3 years on the ECAM290.83.TB | De’Longhi UK, Currys and Marks Electrical say 2 years. Disagreement — see below |
| Running cost | Under 2p of electricity per drink; roughly 27p a latte with beans and milk | Our arithmetic — see below |
| Price | RRP £529.99; De’Longhi UK £345; Currys £529.99 | Both checked 11 Oct 2026 |
On the guarantee: De’Longhi’s UK page says two years and invites you to register to “secure your warranty”, but it does not mention an extra year. Home Coffee Expert says registration extends cover to three years, and Lakeland lists a three-year guarantee on the titanium ECAM290.83.TB. We could not confirm the extension on any De’Longhi UK page, so register the machine anyway and check what the confirmation email says before you rely on a third year.
On running cost — our sums, not anyone’s test: if the machine drew its full 1,450 W for 2½ minutes per milky drink — it does not, because the heater cycles — that would be 0.06 kWh, or about 1.6p at the October 2026 Ofgem cap rate of 26.32p/kWh. One minute of full power is about 0.6p. Beans cost far more: at £15 a kilo and an assumed 10 g a shot, that is about 15p a drink, and around 150 ml of milk adds roughly 10p. Upkeep adds a little: a descale every couple of months at £1.60 a dose (£7.99 for five), and a water filter at £8.99 every two months if you use one, which is around £54 a year — more than the electricity.
On the milk jug: Currys lists a 220 ml milk container for this model. Marks Electrical lists a 0.25-litre milk tank and also a “1 L LatteCrema carafe” for the ECAM290.83.TB, which we could not reconcile. Expert Reviews describes the jug as marked for one or two cappuccinos or lattes.
Expert Reviews
Who they are: Expert Reviews’ Senior Editor, who has written and reviewed for tech titles since 2001 and, by the outlet’s author page, now spends most working time testing a fleet of coffee machines and large appliances — a reviewer who sees many bean-to-cup machines side by side.
Expert Reviews tested the Titanium Black version sold as the ECAM292.81.B, which has the same LatteCrema jug, hopper and tank as the ECAM290.61.SB but seven one-touch drinks instead of five. Its verdict is that it makes one-touch cappuccinos and lattes easy and the coffee tastes good, enough for a Best Buy. It found the best flavour on the first two grind settings and noted that a sensor stops steaming when the jug runs empty. The jug has one- and two-drink markings and can go in the fridge between uses.
The complaints are specific. It is noisy, it cannot make hot milk on its own, the milk temperature cannot be changed, and the settings need adjusting before the coffee is at its best. The drip tray and grounds bin slide out together, and the brew unit sits behind the water tank for rinsing. The box includes a water filter, a dose of descaler and a water hardness test strip; the machine reminds you to descale based on the hardness you set. TechRadar’s 2021 test of the cheaper steam-wand version adds measured figures: about 78 dB grinding, 41 seconds for an espresso, and the hopper on top needs clearance under wall cupboards.
Watch: De'Longhi Magnifica Evo Unboxing - LatteCrema Automatic Espresso Machine
An unboxing of a LatteCrema Magnifica Evo — the same milk system Expert Reviews tested. The listing does not give the model code, so it may be a sibling. Confirmed by search listing only; see the caveat box below.
Watch on YouTube ↗ Independent YouTube video — not made by or for Shopbam.Home Coffee Expert and ProductReview.com.au owners
Who they are: Matt Woodburn-Simmonds co-founded Home Coffee Expert after starting as a barista and spending more than a decade on coffee sourcing and service in restaurants, by the site’s about page; it earns affiliate commission. ProductReview.com.au is an Australian review site moderated by an algorithm and staff, and Australian models may differ from UK ones.
Home Coffee Expert tested the US LatteCrema version (ECAM29084) and scored it 8/10 overall: 7.5 for espresso, 8.5 for milk, 9 for value. It recommends moving the grinder to the third-finest setting straight away, calls the machine good value and consistent, and warns that the grinder is loud, the spout does not reach tall glasses well and there are no user profiles. Its upkeep advice is the most practical we found: rinse the tank, jug, drip tray and grounds bin daily, take the brew unit out and rinse it, brush the grinder every few weeks, and expect a descale to take about 45 minutes, once or twice a year depending on your water.
The owners are less kind. On ProductReview.com.au, 29 reviews of the titanium ECAM290.83.TB average 2.9/5, split 45% positive and 45% negative. Praise is for coffee once dialled in and one-touch cappuccinos. The complaints are frothers that stop or blow hot air, grinder warning lights, brew unit jams and beans not feeding within months, plus slow customer service. Twenty-nine people is a small sample from another country, but it is the clearest warning we found about reliability.
Watch: DeLonghi Magnifica Evo Review 2025: 8 things I hate about it ☕
An owner’s list of complaints — the closest video match to the ProductReview.com.au owners. The listing does not say whether it is the steam-wand or LatteCrema version. Confirmed by search listing only.
Watch on YouTube ↗ Independent YouTube video — not made by or for Shopbam.Currys buyers
Who they are: Currys’ ratings come from customers emailed an invitation after buying, collected and moderated by Feefo, with incentivised reviews labelled — good evidence of how owners get on, though not a performance test.
This is the big sample: 4.6 out of 5 from 1,327 reviews. Treat it with two cautions. First, Currys’ category listing on the same day showed 1,308 reviews and the same 4.6 for both the ECAM290.61.SB and the steam-wand ECAM290.21.B, which suggests the reviews are pooled across Magnifica Evo models, so not every rating is for the LatteCrema version. Second, the page did not show the star breakdown, the review text or the seller, so we cannot say how many of those buyers had milk-jug or grinder faults.
What it does tell you is that most UK buyers are happy, which sits uneasily next to the small, unhappy Australian sample. The likeliest reading is that most machines work well and a minority fail, and that the people who had faults are more likely to post on an independent site. That is a reason to keep the receipt and register the guarantee.
Price, 11 October 2026: De’Longhi’s own UK shop £345 (down from £529.99); Currys £529.99 with a 10% coffee-machine code on the page; Marks Electrical £369 for the titanium ECAM290.83.TB, sold unboxed with full warranty. The manual-wand ECAM290.21.B was £349 at Currys, so the LatteCrema model was the same price or less at De’Longhi when we checked.
Watch: Used it for 3 years. Here’s 6 reasons why I love the Delonghi Magnifica Evo Review
A three-year owner’s view, the nearest video match to a large pool of satisfied buyers. The listing does not name the exact model. Confirmed by search listing only.
Watch on YouTube ↗ Independent YouTube video — not made by or for Shopbam.Strengths and weak points
What holds up
- One-touch cappuccino and latte from whole beans, with an automatic milk jug.
- Milk jug cleans itself after each use and can go in the fridge.
- 250 g hopper and 1.8-litre tank — fewer refills than most espresso machines.
- 13 grind settings and 3 strengths; takes pre-ground coffee too.
- 4.6/5 from 1,327 Currys reviews.
- £345 at De’Longhi on 11 Oct 2026, against a £529.99 RRP.
What people complain about
- Loud: about 78 dB grinding in TechRadar’s test.
- Milk temperature cannot be changed; no hot milk on its own.
- Coffee needs the grind and strength adjusting from the defaults.
- Australian owners report frother and grinder faults: 2.9/5 from 29.
- Hopper fills from the top, so it needs clearance under cupboards.
- Daily rinsing, and filters at £8.99 every two months if you use them.
Who it actually suits
Buy it if you want whole-bean coffee and milky drinks at the press of a button, you are moving up from a pod machine such as the Nespresso Vertuo Pop and are tired of paying for capsules, or there are two of you making lattes before work. At £345 it is one of the cheapest machines with an automatic milk jug.
Look elsewhere if you want the best espresso for the money — a Sage Bambino Plus or a De’Longhi Dedica EC685 with a decent grinder will do that, but it takes practice — or if you drink black coffee only, in which case the steam-wand Magnifica Evo or a simpler machine saves the milk-jug cleaning. If you are fussy about hot drinks at a set temperature, note that the jug has no temperature control at all.
What we could not check
- The videos. We could not open YouTube from here. Each video on this page was confirmed by its exact watch address and title appearing in two differently worded searches, not by watching it. The listings did not name the channels or the exact model codes.
- A test of this exact model. Expert Reviews tested the seven-drink ECAM292.81.B, Home Coffee Expert the US ECAM29084 and TechRadar the steam-wand version. None tested the ECAM290.61.SB itself.
- Whether Currys’ 1,327 reviews are all for this model. The same rating and count appeared on the steam-wand ECAM290.21.B, and the star breakdown was not shown.
- Who sells the Currys listing. The page did not show a “sold by” line to our tools.
- The third year of guarantee. Home Coffee Expert and Lakeland say three years; De’Longhi UK, Currys and Marks Electrical say two. No De’Longhi UK page we read confirmed an extension for registering.
- Milk jug size. 220 ml at Currys, 0.25 litres at Marks Electrical (on a sibling), and a “1 L carafe” figure at Marks we could not explain.
- Noise of this model. The only measured figures are TechRadar’s, on the steam-wand version.
- Standby power, auto-off time and energy use per drink were not on any page we could read; our running-cost figure is an upper-bound estimate.
- Which water filter fits. De’Longhi’s filter page did not list compatible machines.
- AO, Argos and John Lewis ratings. Their pages did not show prices or ratings to our tools.
- Which? test scores were not available to us.
Sources last checked 11 October 2026. De’Longhi’s price on this machine was £185 under Currys’ when we checked — compare both before ordering.