Last updated on January 25th, 2024 by Jules Winnfield
If you spend a lot of time consuming coffee, the nectar of the Gods, you quickly realize there are a lot of things that can impact your brew. From the brew style, to the roast and grind profile of beans, to the temperature, timing, pressure, there is plenty to keep you searching for the perfect brew.
DeLonghi TrueBrew
Overall
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Build & Quality - 8.7/10
8.7/10
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Performance - 9.4/10
9.4/10
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Ease of Use/Maintenance - 8.5/10
8.5/10
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Design & Features - 8.8/10
8.8/10
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User Satisfaction - 9.3/10
9.3/10
Final Verdict
The DeLonghi TrueBrew automatic drip coffee maker is a nice fusion of versatility, quality and convenience
Not only do you get a built-in grinder, strength and temperature controls, multi.ple brew styles and sizes but you also get the same kind of automatic bean to cup experience you are used to with espresso machines like the automated grinding, loading, and brewing of the most delicious flavorful coffee.
Cleanup is even automated with old grounds stored as pucks. Add on the must haves like ease of use, auto shut off and pre-programmable and you start to see why people love it so much.
But it is pricey for a drip machine. Also, this machine is larger and heavier then I would like and the cleanup of coffee grounds waste can get messy.
Ultimately if you value the automated grinding, dosing, brewing experience and espresso, iced coffee, drip coffee styles in one, then the TrueBrew is good value for you.
But if you ask me, the biggest factor to elevating a cup of joe from decent to eyebrow raising would be grinding fresh. Without getting too into the weeds, grinding fresh allows you to really enjoy all the flavors and volatile oils from your beans right away and is truly the only way to enjoy the best coffee.
So it was a bit of a surprise to see that DeLonghi ventured into the world of grind and brew coffee makers. Delonghi, a well-known quality coffee maker, is usually an espresso machine maker. But we’re excited to investigate just how nice their new DeLonghi TrueBrew coffee maker is.
Is it really a fully automated coffee shop right in your own kitchen? Is it right for you?
In this quick straight to the gist DeLonghi TrueBrew review, we answer the question and give our overall rating to help you decide.
Last update on 2024-04-26
DeLonghi TrueBrew Review and Rating
Build/Quality 8.7/10
| What is it made of? Plastic, Stainless steel? | Plastic and metal parts. But does have a sleek stylish look that matches modern appliances. |
| How durable is it? | The TrueBrew is relatively new at the time of this writing so no real data on how long it lasts. But given the quality of DeLonghi machines in general, the 3 year warranty, and positive reviews so far, it seems like you can get a good 5-10 years from this coffee maker. |
Performance 9.4/10
| What brew modes does it have? | LightGold – if you want SCA temp and timing approved coffee Bold Espresso style Iced coffee |
| Strength control? | Yes, choose between light, gold, and bold. |
| Temperature control? | Yes, 3 levels of temp to choose from: low, medium, and high |
| How fast does it brew one cup or batch? Heat up time? | You can go from bean to cup in less than a minute! |
| How many cups does it make? | Comes in several sizes to choose from: 3 oz. for your espresso like coffee 8 oz. single serve 12 oz. single serve 6 oz. travel mugs, great for work 20 oz. (CAM51015, and CAM51025 only) 24 oz. travel mugs 40 oz. mini carafe (CAM51035 only) |
| Steam wand for frothing? | No |
| How quiet is it? | The loudest part is obviously the grinder, but even that isn’t too noisy, probably because of the hermetic silicone seal on the bean hopper. |
| How is the taste and flavor? | Most can’t help but rave about how delicious, fresh, and flavorful their coffee is. The Gold brew and Iced options tend to be crowd favorites. |
Ease of use/maintenance 8.5/10
| How big is it? | At 15.47 in. wide, 12 in. long, and 16 in. tall, the TrueBrew is a decent size machine. It may not be perfect under the cabinet though |
| How heavy? Portable? | At 20.2 lb. this machine is fairly heavy. Once you find a spot for it, you won’t want to move it again soon. |
| LCD display or push buttons or both? | Easy push buttons on front, digital clock LED display |
| How easy is it to use? | Simple easy to follow design. Practically plug and play. Once you prime it once, all you need is coffee beans, pick your style, strength, temperature settings and hit brew. Boom, the aroma of hot fresh coffee fills your home in a few minutes! |
| Maintenance reminders? | Yes, alerts and alarms for: Full disposable tray Descaling Add more coffee beans Add more water |
| How easy is it to clean? | Comes with Auto Clean technology, which packs your coffee ground pucks nice and neat for easy disposal. Something very similar to what you see in high end automatic espresso machines. But it’s not always perfect and can be messy. Other than that, cleanup is fairly straightforward and simple: 1. Clean out the coffee grounds container every other day 2. Empty and clean out the disposal water container, water tank, drip tray, and carafe with soap and water 3. Rinse out the infuser every month 4. Wipe up the pre-ground funnel and coffee spout as needed 5. Descale when the machine tells you to. |
Design/Features 8.8/10
| Does it use pods or ground coffee or both? | No pods; only coffee beans or pre ground coffee. |
| Built in grinder? | Yes, conical burr grinder With an 8.8 oz. bean hopper; decent size |
| Permanent coffee filter included? | Yes, no more paper filters! |
| Programmable autostart? | Yes, with a built in clock |
| Auto pause? | No |
| Auto shut off, energy saving mode? | Yes, after a 1/2 hour. |
| Any other notable tech features? | Bean Extract Technology – a done for you system that grinds, doses and brews the right amount of beans to get the size and strength of brew you want. |
| Removable water reservoir? How big? | Yes, 60.8 oz. assessable from the side. Water level easily viewable. |
| Come with carafe? Thermal or glass? Size? | Comes with either a 24 oz. capacity or 40 oz. thermal carafe |
| Other accessories? | Yes, a water hardness test, measuring scoop, and descaling solution |
| Heat plate? | No |
| Can it dispense hot water? | No |
| Drip tray removable to accommodate larger mugs? | Yes, but also has an adjustable cup holder for smaller cup sizes to minimize splashing. |
| Come in different colors? | Yes, Matte Black or Stainless Steel |
| Pricing | Ranges from $400-600 depending on if you want a thermal carafe or not |
User Satisfaction 9.3/10
| Warranty? | 3 years if you register your machine |
| Specific customer feedback, good AND bad | Almost everyone loves the DeLonghi TrueBrew coffee maker for how easy it is to use, the built-in grinder, the customizable dosing and brewing options and variety of brewing styles. Biggest issue was the messiness of coffee grounds waste. |
Pros and Cons
Things I like:
- Built in burr grinder
- We love when you can save space and money by having a grinder and coffee maker combo
- Multiple brew sizes
- Great for making sure you get the best flavor coffee for the number of people you want to serve.
- For example, making a 40 oz. pot for just yourself is a waste of precious coffee and making 8 oz. at a time for a group of people is silly and a waste of time.
- Lots of cool brew modes;
- Like iced coffee which is great when you want something cool and refreshing
- Espresso is nice for those weekends when you want to feel luxurious
- Automated grind dose technology
- so you don’t have to worry about getting the right grind and dose for the amount of coffee you want.
- Programmable so you can have the delicious aroma of fresh hot coffee waking you up in the morning
- Simplified clean up and auto clean features like turning used grounds into coffee pucks
- Which is perfect for fertilizer if you grow plants!
Things I don’t like:
- Doesn’t use pods: not a horrible thing because you do save on plastic waste but you do sacrifice the convenience and time savings
- No frother: since the TrueBrew has espresso like options, a frother would have been nice, but it also may have been too much to add
- There’s only one grind setting, which is a related to how the machine brews the coffee without a filter
- The transition of used grinds to pucks into grounds waste container isn’t always smooth and can get messy, extending your cleanup time.
- A bit tall so may not fit well under cabinets
- No auto pause or hot water for tea options
- Price: for $400 to 600, it’s a real stretch for high quality well extracted brew.
How does it compare?
DeLonghi TrueBrew vs Cuisinart DGB-850 Grind & Brew
To get an idea of what kind of deal the Delonghi TrueBrew Automatic coffee maker is, we decided to compare it to a similar caliber grind and brew machine, such as the Cuisinart DGB-850 Grind & Brew.
In terms of similarities, both machines:
- Come equipped with a built in burr grinder so you can whip up fresh coffee every morning
- Have the basics like auto shutoff, 24-hour auto brew programming, and permanent filters.
- Come with strength control adjustments for the boldest brew and thermal pot to keep coffee hot for longer
- Come with self-cleaning features.
But the differences:
- The TrueBrew has more flexibility in brew sizes including a 3 oz. shot than the DGB-850 which brews between 4-10 cups.
- TrueBrew lacks the brew pause feature which the Cuisinart does have.
- TrueBrew offers specialty brew options like golden, iced coffee and espresso like coffee, while the Cuisinart keeps it simple with just drip coffee.
- The TrueBrew is priced at $600 compared to the DGB at $200.
The winner?
- If you are ok with just the basics of a grind and brew coffee maker, for a great value price, you can totally enjoy great tasting coffee with the Cuisinart DGB-850.
- If you really dig the versatility of various brew sizes from single serve to full pot, various brew options all automated from bean to cup for you, then the DeLonghi TrueBrew is the best pick for you.
Final Verdict
It seems to me that what DeLonghi has done is combine the best of what they do well with their luxury espresso machines (versatility, quality and convenience) into the DeLonghi TrueBrew automatic drip coffee maker.
Not only do you get a built-in grinder, strength and temperature controls, multiple brew styles and sizes but you also get the same kind of automatic bean to cup experience you are used to with espresso machines like the automated grinding, loading, and brewing of the most delicious flavorful coffee.
Cleanup is even automated with old grounds stored as pucks. Add on the must haves like ease of use, auto shut off and pre-programmable and you start to see why people love it so much.
It also may help to justify the price point which is a bit on the painful side. Also, this machine is larger and heavier then I would like and the cleanup of coffee grounds waste can get messy.
Last update on 2024-04-26
Ultimately if you value the automated grinding, dosing, brewing experience and espresso, iced coffee, drip coffee styles in one, then the TrueBrew is good value for you. But if you’re like me, I feel like I could get a decent SCA certified drip brewer minus the premium features plus separate coffee grinder and pay less total and still get a hot, satisfying well brewed cup of coffee. But if you don’t want to work that hard, then go with the TrueBrew!
FAQs
How loud is DeLonghi TrueBrew?
Most users state that in general grind and brew coffee makers are noisy. But compared to the market, the De’Longhi TrueBrew is quieter. Probably as a result of the conical burrs and the sealed bean hopper.
Does the DeLonghi TrueBrew make espresso?
True espresso is created by utilizing 9+ bars of pressure to push water at a certain temperature through finely ground coffee beans. The Delonghi TrueBrew does use a pressurized basket to brew an espresso like beverage but it’s not true espresso.
But similarly to the espresso-like beverages you get from Nespresso VertuoLine machines, you may not even notice the difference unless you are a real espresso snob.
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- About the Author
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“Jules” is a pharmacist by day and investor, writer, and health nut by night. When he’s not sipping on some coffee laced with MCT oil during an 18 hour fast, he is writing about how to get your coffee grind on or playing Monopoly with his 2 boys and wife. Ahh…life is good!