What it is, however, is a smart buy. Once you’ve added fresh coffee beans and got the settings just so, this is a machine that produces a good – if not magnificent – coffee with a minimum of fuss. De’Longhi Magnifica S Smart review: What you need to know

Controlling the Magnifica Evo is simple due to a touchscreen that has a symbol for each of the functions and an option to make two coffees at once. The steam arm can also be used to dispense hot water if you want to top up your coffee or even make tea instead. This machine doesn’t come with a milk jug which was disappointing considering its price. Because of the design, we found a deep milk jug wasn’t suitable for use with the steam wand because it wasn’t long enough to reach into the cold milk. Talking of which, the steam wand is a far cry from those found on better manual machines. Instead, it’s designed to be as foolproof as possible. Slide the collar on the wand to “Cappuccino” and all you need to do is pop it into a jug of cold milk and turn it on: the result is hot, frothy milk. You don’t get the deliciously silky microfoam that you can coax out with a proper manual wand – or the automatic milk-frothing options on Sage’s manual espresso machines for that matter – but it’s okay.When it came to making barista-style espressos, it didn’t drop a single mark. The extraction time was fairly average, but the shots stayed consistent and had a wonderful crema on top. This coffee machine was super easy to use and impressed across the board in our lab tests. Everything from set-up to selecting your preferred beverage is simple and efficient. And if you do struggle to adjust the settings, the handy manual is easy to follow.

No one enjoys cleaning out a coffee machine; it’s a bit messy and there are a lot of parts that need to be disassembled. Plus, it’s difficult to manually clean the internal parts. An automatic cleaning function will cleanse your coffee machine in less than 20 minutes, with some getting the job done in under half this time. One of its best features is that it removes the faff of having to steam your own milk. Its innovative LatteGo technology consistently froths both normal and plant-based milks to the right temperature and makes the perfect micro-foam. However, you can’t move the spout, which meant our testers experienced a few spills when the milk was being dispensed into the cup. Set-up proved lengthy, but there are plenty of resources online if you need additional assistance. These proved helpful, as the touch panel buttons aren't the clearest. Milk frothing is a manual affair but the steam wand is designed for beginners. There’s no expertise required here at all, and even a complete novice can make a serviceable latte or cappuccino with minimal effort. In terms of noise, this De'Longhi coffee machine measured 78db when it was grinding the coffee beans (which it does for every drink) and averaged 55db when it was pouring out the espresso. For context, 55db is about the sound level you'd expect from an electronic toothbrush but 78db is more in line with a vacuum cleaner.Don’t let the professional descriptor put you off either; it’s a thoughtfully designed machine that comes with clear instructions and an intuitive digital interface and controls. You can also adjust the settings to suit your taste. It’s essential to adjust grind size and tweak the strength dial to suit different coffee beans, but it’s easily done once you get the hang of it and, in any case, it’s something you’d need to do on any machine to obtain the best results. Thankfully, it’s easy to adjust grind size on this machine: where some rivals require a fiddly tool, the De’Longhi allows you to simply turn the dial with your fingers. The only proviso is that it should only be adjusted when the grinder is running, and the manual advises users to adjust it one step at a time, giving the settings time to bed in. There is a steam arm and a coffee dispenser on the front of the machine and the latter is very easy to slide up and down so that you can fit a variety of mug sizes beneath it. This is a simple but very welcomed design element as many machines require you to move the drip tray to fit a taller mug beneath the dispenser.

For the best results, pouring a single or double espresso separately, then placing the cup under the steam wand and manually using the hot water setting to top it up produces the better results. There are two spouts on the coffee dispenser which means you can make two coffees at once. We found the machine sturdy enough to prevent the espresso cups from sliding around on the drip tray and the adjustable height of the dispenser meant it was very easy to fit a variety of cup sizes beneath it.

If you’re after a longer coffee, however, then you may not always find the coffee and long coffee presets are to your taste. Where pricier machines pour an espresso (or two) and then add hot water to create a longer coffee, the De’Longhi simply passes more water through the ground coffee. The upshot is that it has a tendency to taste bitter. The De’Longhi Magnifica Evo is one of the biggest coffee machines we’ve tested. It measures 44 x 36 x 24cm (w x d x h) which means it’s going to take up a lot of space. If you’re considering keeping this machine underneath your wall-mounted cupboards, bear in mind that you’ll still need to be able to reach the top of the coffee maker because that’s where you’ll add either coffee beans or ground coffee.

A steam wand is the preferred method used in coffee shops. This is a long, thin pipe attached to the side of a coffee machine that uses steam pressure to froth milk. It's controlled with a dial that opens or closes the steam release valve. I slowly increased the strength dial turn by turn and pulled a few more espressos just to give the machine a little time to settle in, but that didn’t remedy matters completely – I also had to adjust the grind size a few steps finer.

We tested the De’Longhi Magnifica Evo to see if it really can make effort-free coffee

You’ll have to wait for it to power up after extracting an espresso, and it only moves from side to side, but if it’s lattes or flat whites you like to start your day with, it will definitely please. The final way to froth milk is with a frothing accessory. These are standalone milk frothers that aren’t controlled by the machine itself. This means you’ll need to froth milk manually.