"Perfectly fine for a coffee novice"
I bought this after reading reviews and finding another DeLonghi coffee machine was among Which's best buys.I should own up here and say that I like my coffee very milky and with sugar so I can't give an expert opinion on how the coffee tastes, except to say I like it very much. It's easy to use, though takes a while to remember the knacks to each setting. I will say that this coffee machine, unlike others does need a new filter in each lot of filter coffee (not expresso) unlike other coffee machines with a mesh filter. Though I have just seen a permanent coffee filter on this website which might fit?The downside is the steamer function, which is one of the main reasons I chose this model. It works fine and froths up my milk like a charm, unlike the complaints I read about for different coffee machines. The problem is that the nozzle doesn't extend down far and that in the manual it says that milk can triple in volume when frothed. This means you need to find a container where you have enough room for the milk to expand, and enables the nozzle to actually reach the milk pre-frothed. Sorry if I'm not explaining it properly!! Also, the frother doesn't heat the milk up brilliantly (it might do if I stood there for a few minutes holding the jug up) so I whack it in the microwave for a minute or so and the milk froths in seconds.Another note to compliment Lakeland, without going into too much detail, about getting this product to me in time for Christmas. A massive 10 stars for Customer Service to them.