De'Longhi ICM15240BK Filter Coffee Machine - Review 🏆

The De'Longhi ICM15240BK is a filter coffee maker designed to brew and serve delicious coffee right at home. This mid-range model from the well-known Italian brand De'Longhi offers a balance of quality, functionality, and value.

The ICM15240BK features a 10-cup glass carafe and cone filter, allowing you to brew filter coffee in the traditional pour-over method. It has a programmable 24-hour timer so you can wake up to freshly brewed coffee. The keep warm function keeps your coffee at the perfect temperature after brewing. With its sleek black design and stainless steel accents, this coffee maker looks great on any kitchen countertop.

Overall, the De'Longhi ICM15240BK aims to provide an easy-to-use and dependable filter coffee experience for the home. This review will dive into the details on the build, features, performance, and value of this coffee maker to help you determine if it's a good choice for your morning brew.

Build Quality and Design

The De'Longhi ICM15240BK filter coffee machine features a solid and robust construction that makes it feel like a premium appliance. The housing is made of black plastic with stainless steel accents, giving it an elegant and modern look that would fit well in most kitchens.

Despite the plastic construction, the unit does not feel flimsy or cheap. The water reservoir and filter basket are made of durable plastic that can withstand daily use and cleaning. The stainless steel accents on the control panel and dispenser spout give it a touch of sophistication.

The control buttons have a satisfying click and turn smoothly, indicating good build quality. The cord storage at the back keeps countertop clutter to a minimum. At 9.4 x 8.7 x 12.4 inches, the De'Longhi coffee maker has a relatively compact footprint.

Overall, the machine feels sturdy enough for years of service. While mostly plastic, the materials are thick and durable, giving an impression of reliability. The combination of black plastic and stainless steel looks modern and stylish.

Another excellent option is the Russell Hobbs 20680-56, which boasts a sleek design and user-friendly features. It offers a glass carafe and an intuitive control panel, making it easy to brew your favorite coffee in no time. The machine's impressive finish complements any kitchen décor, while its efficiency ensures that you enjoy brews with fantastic flavor every day. The Russell Hobbs coffee maker is a wonderful addition for any coffee lover.

Features and Capabilities

The De'Longhi ICM15240BK has a number of useful features that allow you to brew coffee just the way you like it. It has a 10-cup capacity, making it a good size for households or small offices.

The machine has an adjustable brew strength selector, so you can choose between mild, medium, and strong coffee. There's also an aroma intensity selector to increase or decrease the coffee's richness. For ultimate control, you can choose between 1-4 cups brewing.

Temperature is important for coffee extraction, and this model has a keep-warm plate that maintains an ideal serving temperature. There's also a 24-hour programmable timer, allowing you to wake up to freshly brewed coffee.

Other convenient features include a removable water tank for easy filling, a removable filter holder for fast cleaning, and a built-in measuring scoop. The machine also automatically shuts off after 2 hours for safety and energy savings.

Overall, the ICM15240BK gives you plenty of customization for your perfect cup of coffee. The brew settings, programmable timer, and keep-warm function make this an ideal choice for coffee lovers who want maximum control over their morning brew.

In addition to the De'Longhi, the Krups KM468910 offers innovative features, including a built-in grinder for fresh coffee grounds and an adjustable brewing temperature. With its sleek design and user-friendly interface, brewing with the Krups KM468910 is both simple and enjoyable, catering perfectly to coffee enthusiasts. Its 12-cup capacity makes it suitable for larger gatherings, while energy-saving functions keep your brewing sustainable.

Ease of Use

The De'Longhi ICM15240BK filter coffee maker is designed to be very easy to use and maintain on a daily basis. The controls are simple and intuitive, with a single button to start the brew cycle once you've filled the water reservoir and added ground coffee to the filter basket.

The water reservoir is easy to access from the front of the machine and has clear water level markings printed on the side so you can see at a glance how much water is inside. Refilling is as simple as lifting the lid and pouring water in.

The filter basket slides out smoothly on rails so you can neatly add scoops of coffee grounds. It's dishwasher safe so keeping it clean is hassle-free. The filter holder has a tight seal to prevent any grounds from escaping into your carafe.

Overall, the setup process is very straightforward. You don't have to program any settings, just add water and coffee and press start. The machine takes care of the rest, shutting off automatically after brewing.

Cleaning up is also easy since the removable parts can be washed in the dishwasher, and there's a drip tray underneath to catch any spills or drips which can be emptied and wiped down as needed.

Coffee Quality

The De'Longhi ICM15240BK produces coffee with an excellent taste and aroma. The filter holder evenly distributes hot water over the grounds, resulting in a balanced extraction that brings out the subtle flavors and aromas of the coffee.

The coffee comes out at an ideal drinking temperature, between 155-175°F. This allows you to enjoy the coffee immediately without having to wait for it to cool down. The water reaches the optimal brewing temperature fast, around 192°F, thanks to the 1100W heating element.

The metal boiler and pressurized brewing system produce a rich, persistent crema on the coffee. The crema contains many aromatic compounds that enhance the sensory experience. Overall, the coffee has a smooth mouthfeel and rounded acidity due to the optimal extraction parameters.

The permanent gold tone filter allows the natural coffee oils to pass through into the cup. This enhances the body and gives a velvety texture. The metal filter is also easy to clean and reuse.

In summary, the De'Longhi brewer makes coffee that is aromatic, flavorful, and has an appealing crema. The optimal temperature control and pressurized extraction result in a balanced cup that highlights the best qualities of the coffee.

Value for Money

The De'Longhi ICM15240BK offers good value for money for a high-quality filter coffee machine. At around £70-80 it sits in the mid-price range for drip filter machines. You can certainly find cheaper options, but they will likely compromise on build quality, features, or coffee quality.

For the price, the De'Longhi provides an attractive stainless steel design, durable construction, useful features like a removable water tank and keep warm plate, and most importantly, great tasting coffee. It brews a full 10 cups pot of flavorful coffee consistently. The permanent filter also saves you money on buying paper filters in the long run.

While it doesn't have some of the programmability or more advanced features of more expensive machines, it provides the essentials of brewing great coffee at a reasonable price point. For those wanting an automatic drip coffee machine that will last without breaking the bank, the ICM15240BK hits a nice sweet spot between quality and affordability. It punches above its weight class compared to other machines at this price.

Pros

• Programmable Timer: The ICM15240BK has a convenient programmable timer that allows you to set the machine to start brewing at a desired time. This is great for waking up to freshly brewed coffee.

• Large Capacity: With a 1.4 liter water tank, this machine can brew up to 15 cups of coffee at a time. Perfect for households that drink a lot of coffee or host gatherings frequently.

• Aroma Intense Brewing: De'Longhi's patented "Aroma Intense" brewing system maximizes coffee flavor and aroma extraction. Reviewers praise the rich, bold coffee this machine produces.

• Self-Priming Operation: The machine primes itself automatically, so you don't have to go through multiple cycles to get hot water into the system before brewing. Makes the process quicker and simpler.

• Advanced Water Filtration: The machine has a removable water filter that removes impurities from the water before brewing. This helps improve coffee taste and reduce scale buildup in the machine over time.

Cons

• The water reservoir capacity is quite small at 1.4 liters. This means you'll have to refill it more frequently for larger households or heavy coffee drinkers.

• There is no display screen or control panel. The lack of a display makes it harder to program settings like brew time and strength. You'll have to rely on the manual dial.

• Cleaning and descaling can be tedious. The water reservoir and filter basket are not dishwasher safe. The carafe also requires handwashing.

• There is no automatic shut-off feature. You'll have to remember to turn it off manually after each use to avoid wasting electricity.

• The glass carafe does not have an insulated handle. This makes it harder to pour coffee without burning your hand. An insulated handle would help keep the heat away from your hand.

Comparable Alternatives

The De'Longhi ICM15240BK has some solid competitors in the filter coffee machine space worth considering:

Breville Precision Brewer Thermal Coffee Machine

The Breville Precision Brewer is a high-end drip coffee maker with a thermal carafe, precision temperature control, and automatic bloom time. It allows granular control over brew parameters through its LCD screen. The thermal carafe keeps coffee hot for longer versus a glass carafe. Downsides are the high price tag and plastic exterior.

Technivorm Moccamaster 59616 KBG Coffee Brewer

Another premium option, the Moccamaster KBG has an all-metal design and copper heating element for quick, even heating. It has a glass carafe, auto-drip stop, and simple switch controls. The Moccamaster is praised for brewing flavorful pots consistently. The major drawback is the steep price.

OXO Brew 8-Cup Coffee Maker

For a more budget-friendly choice, the OXO Brew coffee maker has a rainmaker shower head for even saturation. It has programmable auto-brew, single cup setting, and an LED interface. The thermal carafe keeps coffee hot for hours. One downside is the plastic housing prone to staining. But it delivers great coffee for the price.

Conclusion

The De'Longhi ICM15240BK filter coffee machine is a solid mid-range option for anyone looking to brew quality filter coffee at home. It offers convenient features like a front-loading water tank, pause and serve function, and keep warm plate to keep your coffee hot after brewing.

The machine produces a smooth, balanced cup of filter coffee that many users find highly enjoyable. The cone filter basket and charcoal water filter contribute to optimizing flavor extraction and removing impurities. While it may lack some of the programming options of higher-end models, it delivers where it counts for day-to-day filter coffee enjoyment.

Overall, the De'Longhi ICM15240BK is easy to recommend for its design, ease of use, and delicious coffee output. If you want an affordable but capable filter coffee maker that produces coffee shop-quality results, this model is a great choice. It provides excellent value for money and outperforms many models at this price point. For filter coffee lovers who want great tasting coffee without complexity, the ICM15240BK is a winner.