If you’re connected to me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter you’re probably used to my “Coffee machine is broken. EVERYBODY PANIC” messages, which go out every few months. I thought I’d solved the problem by upping my game and buying a £120 coffee machine rather than £40 ones, and by moving to an espresso machine rather than a filter one with its burnout-prone heating element, and I raved about my new DeLonghi coffee maker on this blog.

“I’ll let you know how long it lasts,” I wrote.

The answer turned out to be four months.

I got it replaced with an identical model.

The replacement packed up after three months.

All credit to Currys here – their customer service has been exemplary – but it’s clear that DeLonghi’s Icona espresso maker isn’t built to last. Both of my machines have died because important seals can’t cope with the pressure, and now that it’s been swapped with a different firm’s coffee machine it’s also made me realise how ridiculously, stupidly noisy the DeLonghi was.

So now I’m using a Which?-magazine-recommended Dualit machine. How long do you reckon before I post my traditional “EVERYBODY PANIC” message?