Oprah’s Favourite Things 2023 includes my family's coffee machine — is it worth $600?
My dad loves it, my mom is "not a fan" — here's how the De'Longhi TrueBrew Drip Coffee Maker stacks up in my family's kitchen.
Oprah Daily just dropped its Oprah's Favourite Things 2023 list, and I'll be darned — it includes my family's coffee machine.
Earning one of the 112 spots on Oprah's annual list, the De'Longhi TrueBrew Drip Coffee Maker was named one of the year's best kitchen gifts.
"No pods, no paper filters. Six beverage sizes brewed five ways (light, gold, bold, espresso-style, or over ice). And it grinds whole beans on demand for a full pot or a to-go carafe. A dream for persnickety coffee drinkers," reads the description.
My parents, a loving duo of "persnickety coffee drinkers," have owned the De'Longhi TrueBrew since the unit launched earlier this year. To see if the TrueBrew lives up to Oprah's praise and deserves a spot on our family's 2023 favourite things list (a title as coveted as Ms. Winfrey's), scroll below.
Oprah's Favourite Thing: De'Longhi TrueBrew Drip Coffee Maker
$549 $600 at Amazon Canada $600 at Best Buy Canada $600 at Canadian Tire $600 at De'Longhi
De'Longhi TrueBrew Drip Coffee Maker review:
⏰ Tested for: 6 months
⭐ My dad's rating: 4.5 stars
⭐ My mom's rating: 3/5 stars
🛍️ Reasons to buy: The TrueBrew perfectly grinds, doses and brews whole-bean coffee so you can enjoy barista-quality drip coffee, sans single-use pods.
✋ Reasons to avoid: Since the TrueBrew uses whole coffee beans, you're committing to one bean flavour for longer. Additionally, there is no milk frothing function — something to keep in mind if you're after a cappuccino or latte.
What makes it unique
The De'Longhi TrueBrew is an innovative automatic coffee machine that brews whole-bean drip coffee at the touch of a button. It's no mess, zero-waste design uses whole coffee beans rather than single-use pods.
The unit features a built-in conical burr grinder that perfectly grinds fresh beans for a quality shot of espresso, cup of coffee or take-away carafe.
"Persnickety coffee drinkers" (Oprah's words, not mine) have the option of six brew sizes and five brew styles, including light, gold, bold, espresso-style and over-ice.
An excellent gift idea for drip coffee lovers, the De'Longhi TrueBrew takes your plain Jane pot of coffee and gives it an Oprah-approved upgrade.
Is it worth it?
Depending on who you ask, i.e. my mom or my dad, the answer to this question is a big no or an even bigger yes.
For her part, my mom (who, for reference, would rather suffer an ice-cold shower than sip on an espresso) is "not a fan" of the TrueBrew because she "doesn't like strong coffee."
"I am a relatively new coffee drinker who prefers a much lighter brew," she says. "I'm quite happy with a watered-down Keurig coffee."
Silver lining: the unit is "very easy to clean" and "fits nicely" on the countertop. "I appreciate that it doesn't create any single-use waste," she adds.
On the flip side, we have my father. A two-three cup a day kind of guy, my dad calls the TrueBrew "convenient," "easy to use," and agrees with my mom that it's "very easy to clean."
"It's as good as going to a coffee shop," he says. "Equivalent taste and quality to a Starbucks or Second Cup coffee." You "press a button and get a great cup of coffee," he adds. "You're not wasting any plastic and it tastes very fresh."
In true supportive husband fashion, he says the only drawback is that it brews coffee "too strong for your mom. I wish there were an even lighter brew option for her."
As for me, I like it. It's easy to use and brews a nice barista-quality cup of coffee. The intensity is up there, as my mom said, so it might not be suited to those who like the idea of a coffee more than the taste.
To shop more of Oprah's Favourite Things ahead of the 2023 holiday season and see what she has to say about each item, scroll below.
Shop Oprah’s Favourite Things 2023
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