Delonghi Magnifica Duo Review

Introducing the Magnifica Duo

The Delonghi Magnifica Duo is a superautomatic espresso machine, meaning that the machine does everything for you, at the push of a button. It grinds, compacts, extracts, and ejects the puck. It also froths both hot and cold milk automatically, too. In this article, we will review the Magnifica Duo, and see where it fits in the Delonghi lineup.

As a head up, the Magnifica Duo is really similar to the Magnifica Evo Next. They look almost the same. The main difference is that with the Duo, Delonghi is catering to the audience that wants cold drinks. Additionally, the Duo has two milk frothing carafes, and they now have adjustable milk texture settings, whereas the Evo Next had only one milk carafe with no texture adjustment.

Anyway, the Duo just so happens to be the cheapest Delonghi that can do hot and cold drinks, at about half the price of the Eletta Explore. Essentially, the Magnifica Duo sits right in between two famous models, the Magnifica Evo, and Magnifica Plus. It is built on the same platform as the Evo Next, but as mentioned with the ability to do cold drinks. You’ll see a lot of references in this article to the Evo Next, as these two machines are very similar.

The Drink Menu and Features of the Magnifica Duo

The Magnifica Duo’s main feature is probably its HMI screen that allows selections of cold drinks on the left, and hot drinks on the right. From the screen, you can choose between 20 different drinks, and select their respective strengths and volumes. Please note that the screen is not a touch screen. You use the left and right arrow keys under the screen to make your selections.

Looking below, you will see preset options on the left for cold drinks, such as Cold Brew, Iced Coffee, Iced Latte, and more. On the right, you have access to Espresso, Drip Coffee, Latte, and ‘More Hot Drinks’ such as Coffee Crema, Americano, Hot Water for tea, and more. In total, there are 20 drinks to choose from.

The strength of your drinks is based on the bean amount and volume parameters. Setting the bean amount is really easy. First, just choose a drink, such as Espresso. Then, use the buttons below the screen to set the number of beans. I normally choose 5 beans, to get the most coffee grinds, and volume of Small, to get the most intense drink possible.

The machine grinds a different amount for each drink type. So far, I’ve found out that Coffee Crema grinds the longest when set at 5 beans, equaling 9 seconds (this gives 13.5 grams of espresso). For reference, 13.5 grams is a good dose. Nespresso for example only has 5.5 grams in their capsules. Looking below you can see how to set 5 beans on the espresso, as shown on the Magnifica Evo Next, the Magnifica Duo’s predecessor.

Something else really nice that the Magnifica Evo Next and Duo include are Profiles. You can choose between 3 different profiles, so that each person in your household can save the bean amount and volume of his or her drinks, and that will be under their profile. Nice touch!

This is great if you have a person in your household like me, who wants the strongest drink possible, but also a person who wants a milder drink. This way, each person can personalize their drink recipes as they want, without overwriting someone else’s settings. Both the Magnifica Evo Next and Magnifica Duo have 3 profiles.

The Build and Design of the Magnifica Duo

The Magnifica Duo follows the same design language of most Delonghi superautomatics, with nicely fitting plastic panels on the front, sides and back. The drip tray is made of stainless steel, and so are the conical burrs for grinding coffee.

One new design aesthetic on the Duo however that adds a nice look and contrast, is a brushed finish into the front of the machine. While this brushed look is done into plastic, it does mimic a brushed metal look pretty nicely.

Looking below, you will see a freshly finished espresso made on the Magnifica Duo. Notice also the brushed finish on the panels behind the drink. They are done in a nice bright metal looking finish – a nice touch to differentiate the Duo from the Evo Next.

Looking at the right side of the machine, you’ll find the 1.8 liter water tank, outfitted with a water filter. This is really important, especially in hard water areas. The filter will remove excess minerals like calcium and magnesium, giving a longer life to the innards of your espresso machine.

Looking below, you will see the the two aforementioned milk canisters. The white one is for cold drinks, and the black one for hot drinks. They are built slightly differently, with the cold drink carafe having a stiff straw, and non-extendable milk spout. The hot drink carafe has a flexible silicone straw to suck up the milk, and an extendable spout, probably for smaller drinks, like cappuccino.

One feature that all Delonghi superautomatics have, is a pre-ground coffee chute, as shown below. This is so that you can bypass the included grinder if you want, putting in decaf espresso, or some other pre-ground coffee. Just be sure it’s not ground too fine, and keep the max dose at 15 grams.

On the sides and back of the machine, you will also see some heat slits, which help with heat and puck steam dissipation, after a coffee or espresso has been extracted. This will help to air out the brew group area.

Even so, I’d suggest pulling out the grounds catch tray, and cleaning and drying it on a regular basis. I also suggest emptying the grounds catch tray every couple of days, to avoid too much moisture in the machine, as the spent pucks do hold moisture.

Cold Drinks!

Of course the main feature of the Magnifica Duo are the cold drinks! Popularized by Starbucks, cold drinks are taking the world by storm, and Delonghi has reacted. The Magnifica Duo does a mix of ‘iced drinks’ as well as Cold Brew and cold foam. Iced drinks by the way uses a hot extraction on top of ice in the cup, whereas Cold Brew actually lowers the temperature.

Below you will see a cold brew coffee being brewed on the Magnifica Duo, which takes approximately 3 minutes. This is much faster than letting your cold brew sit overnight in the fridge, and while it may not be a cold brew in the sense that it hasn’t steeped for 8-12 hours, it is a nice refreshing drink, and you don’t have to wait long.

One of my favorite drinks in summer is an Iced Latte. The Magnifica Duo can foam cold milk too, and the texture is quite nice on both the cold and hot milk foams. I quite like using the machine also for cold foamed oat milk. Below you will see a nice Iced Latte that I made with the Duo.

So how does the Magnifica Duo perform for Espresso?

The Magnifica Duo does quite a good job for espresso. If you choose the max bean amount, set the grind adjustment to around 3-4, and use fresh beans, you should get a nice intense espresso with thick crema on top. I would say the Magnifica Duo does a better job with espresso than the cheaper Magnifica Evo and Magnifica Start, but not quite as good as the Magnifica Plus.

That being said, the espresso/coffee comes out pretty well balanced, and with above average body for a superautomatic. There is a fair bit of crema offered, especially when using fresh beans. Using beans with at least 20% robusta will also help a lot in getting crema.

To be sure to get the hottest espresso possible, I suggest going into the settings menu, and choosing the hot temperature. Also, warm up your cup, by letting the machine put hot water in it. This will be a big help in getting a nice hot drink.

So how does the Magnifica Duo perform for Milk Foam?

I was pretty pleased by the Magnifica Duo for milk texture. It textures the milk creamier than does the Philips LatteGo, albeit not as good as with a traditional espresso machine. That being said, for a superautomatic, it’s good. It could perhaps be just a little hotter for some people, but it’s hot enough for me.

An advantage of the Magnifica Duo over Delonghi’s cheaper machines is that these also allow the user to change the milk texture using the adjustment knob on top. I prefer my milk foam around the 3/4 mark, but others may want it milkier or stiffer.

Another important aspect to consider is how the milk carafe is to clean. Thankfully, the Magnifica Duo does rinse the milk carafe after use, and it is also easy to disassemble for a deeper cleaning. You can even throw the parts of the milk cafafes into the dishwasher for a deeper cleaning.

How good is the Grinder?

Honestly, I think the grinder is pretty good. It’s a steel conical grinder, which grinds faster than the flat ceramic grinder on the likes of the Philips machines, and it lasts a very long time. We have Delonghi machines at work, and these have been running for years with the same grinder.

The dial ranges from 1 to 7, with half steps in between, allowing for a total of 13 steps. I normally run the Magnifica Evo Next around 3-4 to try and get a nice fine grind. A finer grind directly affects the pressure of the extraction, so the finer the grind, the higher the extraction pressure.

What about the Infuser (Brew Group)?

The main functionality for the Magnifica series comes from its brew group, pictured below. As far as I know, this brew group is universal among Delonghi’s superautomatic lines. What does differentiate the machines however is the AMOUNT of aroma, or ground coffee that is dosed into the brew group.

For the Magnifica Evo and Start, it will dose up to a maximum of 7 seconds, for the Magnifica Evo Next and Duo it maxes out at 9 seconds, while the Dinamica Plus, Eletta Explore and Magnifica Plus will all dose up to 10 seconds.

See the table below for reference:

Magnifica Evo Next vs the Magnifica Duo

To be honest, the Magnifica Evo Next and Magnifica Duo are super similar. They have a very similar look and feel, use the same HMI screen, both have 3 profiles, and similar drinks.

Where they differentiate is really just in the cold drinks on the Duo, the brushed look on the front, and the inclusion of two milk carafes on the Magnifica Duo.

So basically, if you want cold drinks, go for the Duo. If you don’t, then maybe you can save a little withe Evo Next.

Pros and Cons of the Magnifica Duo?

I would say the Magnifica Duo is a solid machine, and it’s a lot cheaper than the Eletta Explore that it’s undercutting. I kind of wish it had a touch screen, but the screen, even not being touch, is great for tutorials, such as descaling the machine.

Specifications of the Magnifica Duo:

– Dimensions: 240x440x360 mm

– Weight: 20.8 pounds

– 1450 watt machine

– Build Materials: mixture of plastic and metal

– 1.8 liter water tank

Competitors to the Duo

If you want to consider something other than the Duo, you can consider the Eletta Explore, which has a touch screen, more drinks, an app, Italian build, and cup height enough for a Yeti tumbler. Or, you can consider the Ninja AutoBarista Pro, which can also do cold drinks.

Find your Magnifica Evo Next here here:

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