The Deloghi ICM 40 coffee machine is designed to be easy to use and that it certainly is. The font filling and the great pouring jug makes it all very simple. If you like a mug of coffee then that equals around 2 cup measures on the jug. The min fill is 4 cups and I found it easy on first use, to fill the cup/mug with water and pour into the jug so you have an idea how much water to add for the number of cups you want. I used the supplied permanent filter first time and it is quite simple to clean but found the proper fitting Delonghi filters on-line and prefer to use them for a quick clean up. To be honest there is little difference in the taste at the end of the brew. It is fast, even using the aroma button. I have not used the timer as yet as I have only had the machine for a week. A slight downside I feel is that many people may be disappointed at the temperature of the coffee. I take mine black and usually have to add cold water to cool my coffee down but not so with this machine. If you are one who adds a good measure of milk to your cup then the coffee will not be hot! The plate on the top of the machine can warm three or so cups which helps a little but I find I cannot leave my coffee sitting for long in the cup as it cools fairly quickly. However, if you leave coffee sitting in the jug with the machine left on, it does keep the coffee at the same temperature for two hours before switching itself off. All things considered this is a great machine but it looses a star for the temperature of the coffee.