Guide · Bean-to-cup machines
How to use a De'Longhi Magnifica Evo: setup, settings and milk drinks
How to use a De'Longhi Magnifica Evo, from De'Longhi's instructions: first setup, water hardness and filter, the grinder, coffee strength and size, LatteCrema milk drinks and daily cleaning.
If you’ve just unboxed one and want to know how to use a De’Longhi Magnifica Evo, the short version is: set it up properly once, then most drinks take one button. The setup steps matter, though. Getting the water hardness and filter right affects how often you’ll need to descale. We haven’t tested this in person. This guide is based on De’Longhi’s instructions for the Magnifica Evo models with the LatteCrema milk carafe (ECAM29X.6Y and 29X.8Y), which we read on 3 Oct 2026. Buttons and drinks vary between versions, so check the manual that came with yours. Read how we compare.
Short answer: how to use a De’Longhi Magnifica Evo
Fill the tank and bean container, switch on and let the machine fill its circuits. Fit and activate the water filter, then set your water hardness. After that, put a cup under the spouts, lower them, choose a strength and press a drink button. For milk drinks, fill and attach the LatteCrema carafe, choose a drink, and press the clean carafe button afterwards.
Who it isn’t for: anyone wanting a manual steam wand for latte art. Some Magnifica Evo versions have a manual frother instead of the carafe, so follow that version’s manual.
First setup
- Rinse the parts. De’Longhi says to rinse every removable part that touches water or milk with hot water before first use.
- Plug in and fill the tank. Fit the water spout. When the light comes on, fill the tank to MAX with fresh drinking water and put it back.
- Prime the machine. Put a container under the coffee and water spouts and press the button shown in the manual. The machine releases hot water from the water spout, then from the coffee spout, and it’s ready when the flow stops. It can be noisy at first while the circuit fills.
- Expect a few duds. The manual says it can take 4 or 5 cappuccinos before drinks taste as they should.
Traces of coffee in the grinder are normal. They come from factory tests.
Water hardness and filter
Set the water hardness
Setting this early means the descale light comes on at the right time. If your machine came with a test strip, dip it in a glass of water for about a second, shake it, and count the red squares after about a minute. One square is low hardness and four is high. Then set the level using the settings menu in the manual.
Fit the water filter
De’Longhi recommends fitting the supplied softener filter straight away:
- Turn the date dial to show the next 2 months.
- Run drinking water through the centre hole until it comes out of the side openings for more than a minute.
- Fill the tank, then hold the filter under the water for about 10 seconds, tilting and pressing it gently to release air bubbles.
- Push it fully into its housing, close the lid and refit the tank.
- Put a container of at least 0.5 litres under the hot water spout, select filter installation in the settings menu and press the clean carafe/manual rinse button. The machine delivers hot water and stops. The filter light goes out when it’s active.
Replace the filter after 2 months, or after 3 weeks if the machine hasn’t been used, even if the warning light isn’t on. If you take the filter out for good, tell the machine in the settings.
Making coffee
- Fill the bean container. Don’t use green, caramelised or candied beans, which can stick in the grinder.
- Switch on. The drink lights blink while it warms up and rinses, and stay lit when it’s ready.
- Put a cup under the spouts and lower them as close as possible. De’Longhi says this gives a creamier coffee.
- Choose a strength (mild, medium or strong), then press a drink. For two cups, place two cups and use the two-cup option shown in the manual.
Drink choices depend on the model. The manual lists drinks such as Espresso, Coffee, Long, Doppio+, Americano, Long Black and Over Ice. Espresso is 40 ml by default. To change a drink’s size, hold its button until the light blinks rapidly, then press it again when the cup is full enough.
Pre-ground coffee
Select the pre-ground option, check the funnel isn’t blocked and add one level scoop. Never add it with the machine off, and never use more than one scoop. You can only make one cup at a time this way.
Adjusting the grinder
De’Longhi says the grinder doesn’t need adjusting at first, because it’s set at the factory. Only turn the dial while the grinder is running at the start of a coffee, and one click at a time:
- Coffee comes out too slowly or not at all: one click towards 7.
- For fuller-bodied, creamier coffee: one click towards 1.
The change takes effect after at least 2 cups.
For a hotter coffee
Run a rinse cycle, warm your cup with hot water, or raise the coffee temperature in the settings menu.
Milk drinks with LatteCrema
- Milk. Use milk straight from the fridge (about 5°C). The manual lists whole, semi-skimmed and skimmed cow’s milk, as well as soya, almond and oat drinks. For plant drinks, it suggests barista versions.
- Fill the carafe. Unlock and lift the lid, fill the container using the scale, check the intake tube is attached, then close and lock the lid. Push the carafe fully onto the nozzle.
- Make the drink. Put a cup under both the coffee spouts and the milk spout, then choose a milk drink. My Latte uses all the milk in the carafe, then adds coffee.
- Clean after each drink. The clean carafe light blinks. Leave the carafe on, put a cup under the milk spout and press the button. Hot water and steam run through until it stops on its own.
Leftover milk in the carafe can go in the fridge for no more than 2 days. If the carafe has been out of the fridge for more than 30 minutes, take it apart and clean every part.
Daily cleaning and common warnings
- Empty grounds light: the machine won’t make coffee until you empty and clean the grounds container. The message also appears 72 hours after the first coffee, even if it isn’t full.
- Drip tray: empty it before the red level indicator pokes above the cup tray. Empty the grounds container at the same time, and check the red condensate tray.
- Monthly: brush out the inside of the machine and clean the coffee spouts, clearing blocked holes with a toothpick.
- No chemicals: De’Longhi says not to use solvents, abrasives or alcohol, and no cleaning products are needed.
- Descale light: descale when prompted.
Downsides
- The setup takes some time before your first good drink.
- Buttons and drinks differ by version, so the manual is essential.
Where to go next
- De’Longhi Magnifica Evo review
- De’Longhi Rivelia vs Magnifica Evo
- De’Longhi Magnifica S vs Evo
- How to make a latte at home
FAQ
How do you change the strength on a Magnifica Evo? Press the intensity button for mild, medium or strong before choosing a drink. It remembers your last choice.
Should you adjust the grinder straight away? No. De’Longhi says it’s factory set, so only adjust it if coffee runs too slowly or you want more body.
How often should the water filter be replaced? Every 2 months, or after 3 weeks without use.
Why won’t it make coffee? Check the grounds container. When its light is on, the machine won’t make coffee until it’s emptied.