Delonghi Type Bar 32 Review
I have used the Delonghi Espresso Machine for about 3 weeks now and Overall the machine is an excellent entry into the Home Espresso/Cappuccino Machine. The Machine Heats up for use in about ~10 minutes. This is an acceptable amount of time for me for morning prep. The machine makes a great shot of Espresso with ease. It can handle pods or ground coffee but I have mainly used ground coffee, pods are subpar in my opinion to the freshly ground espresso.
Disclamer I have worked in a coffee shop for ~2.5 years and I am picky about my caffeine intake especially in the coffee department.
Pro’s
- Easy to pull a good shot of Espresso lots of crema
- Quick Heat up
- Pump Driven like the one at your local coffee house
- Easy to maintain
- Espresso at Home
Con’s
- Steam Wand is set low on the machine making for difficulty in removing a full pitcher after frothing.
- The Built in Tamper is worthless but a ~8 tamper form a local store makes up for this and is much cleaner.
- If the machine is not used for several days it takes longer for the Steam Wand to work.
I would recommend this purchase if you can find the Type 32 for under 150. Anything higher and you should look at a higher up Delonghi or a Gaggia Espresso Machine.
Rating 8/10
Recommended Accessories:
Thermometer for milk temp (~150 degrees)
Tamper
Double shot espresso “cup”
Frothing(streaming) pitcher
And now some pictures
Any questions leave a comment.
Josh Smith is a blogger, database manager and adjunct professor of business and technology. 
Thanks for the review on the DeLonghi Bar 32 Espresso Machine. My wife and I have always enjoyed our lattes and Mochas and are now getting into doing it ourselves. We received an all in one unit with coffee pot as well but when reading some reviews on the Krupps machine we received it seemed that the method of making the espresso is not going to please us. So we are planning on returning that machine and this DeLonghi machine has caught my eye. I appreciate your comments.
On a side note as a novice in the java world are there any recommendations on coffee bean types, grinders, you mentioned an 8 tamper (not sure what that is) or any other tips you could pass on.
Thank you for your time.
Brian,
A few pieces of info:
Bean Types: I prefer dark roasted beans, my local coffeeshop buys from a local roaster and I ussually pick up whole bean French Roast beans.
Grinder, I use a Delonghi also which works well but you will find many opinions on grinders, just look for one that will allow you to grind to an espresso setting.
Tamper, sorry about the 8 Tamper, the 8 got added during some database upgrade along the line. What you need is somthing similar to this tamper:
http://www.kitchenkapers.com/4119.html
Let me know if you have any questions.
Brian,
How do you suggest making the best shot of espresso with this machine? My wife and I have had the machine since our wedding, but we can’t seem to get the coffee taste we are looking for. The shots seem very weak.
Jon,
I’ll jump in, to get a god shot I have found using dark roasted beans ground right before helps. You also need to use a tamper to get the grounds packed in tightly. I always use the double shot that comes with the machine as a single and it works great. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Josh