De'Longhi Dedica Style, Traditional Barista Pump Espresso Machine, Coffee and Cappuccino Maker, EC685BK, Black
EC685.BK
Dedica Style – Swing black
Take your time to create a balanced, harmonious espresso and make the most of any drink from just heating the milk to creating a velvety milk foam
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Adjustable Cappuccino System
With the adjustable milk frother you can manually froth milk or steam it up
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Thermoblock
Thermoblock keeps the water at the exact temperature required to brew a perfect Espresso.
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Your coffee, your cup
Adjustable drip tray to host big glasses or mugs up to 13 cm to enjoy any kind of coffee drink
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Your favourite beverages
Enjoy the everyday ritual of making espresso and add milk foam to create a multitude of beverages
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Ease of use
Drip tray and cups-filters with removable internal part for optimal cleaning.
1 MANUAL FROTHER 2 HEATING SYSTEM 3 ADJUSTABLE DRIP TRAY 4 Beverage variety 5 EASY CLEANING
EC685.BK Dedica
Comparison chart
Super Compact | Size | Compact |
Adjustable Manual | Milk frother | Manual |
Personalise | Espresso delivery | Manual |
Thermoblock | Heating system | Boiler |
| | Double driptray |
Super Compact | Size | Compact |
Adjustable Manual | Milk frother | Adjustable Manual |
Personalise | Espresso delivery | Manual |
Thermoblock | Heating system | Boiler |
| | Double driptray | |
Super Compact | Size | Compact |
Adjustable Manual | Milk frother | Manual |
Personalise | Espresso delivery | Manual |
Thermoblock | Heating system | Boiler |
| | Double driptray |
Super Compact | Size | Compact |
Adjustable Manual | Milk frother | Manual |
Personalise | Espresso delivery | Manual |
Thermoblock | Heating system | Boiler |
| | Double driptray |
- ECZ351 Scultura
- ECP35.31
- ECOV311.BG
- ECP31.21
| Weight: | 4.2 kg |
| Dimensions: | 32.99 x 30.28 x 14.9 cm; 4.2 Kilograms |
| Brand: | De'Longhi |
| Model: | EC 685.BK |
| Colour: | Black |
| Colour: | Black |
We purchased this De’Longhi espresso machine to replace the same model, which we had had for quite a few years. It heats up very quickly and has a much smaller footprint than most other machines. It also makes a very good espresso or cappuccino and, once you find the flavour that suits you, it is very reliable and tells you when it needs descaling. We use Illy Mild Roast and Full Bodied Roast 50/50.
Takes a while to set up the way you want. You tube Instruction videos are good. Really need a lot of coffee for one cup. Milk steamer sometimes stops after a few seconds, had to restart. Noticed this was an issue some users said. I toggle the Steamer switch which helped. Steamer power is very good when it gets going. Nice smooth coffee flavour for Espresso, add warm water and milk. Cuppucinos are frothy. Still learning the art of coffee making with this machine, early days.
Machine is compact and fits well on limited counter space we found.
This is a very good piece of kit, easy to use and with decent results. Cleaning. it properly is a little fiddly but that’s par for the course. It has a pressurised basket which means you can’t muck around with it as much as you can with more expensive machines, but that’s a plus as far as I am concerned. So far, 6 weeks in, I’m happy with it.
I have it since almost one year now and I’m in love with this coffee machine, I’m using it everyday at least twice. It’s very quick to get ready (about 30 seconds) and on the hottest setting is delivering very hot drinks (I’m using the middle setting). It’s very compact that you can set it almost everywhere and even if the tank doesn’t seems very large it easily makes 20/25 shots of espresso with a single refill. Very happy with the purchase.
There is a lot to like about this machine and a few niggles. It heats very quickly – it is ready to make a coffee by the time I’ve finished adding coffee to the filter. It makes excellent espresso with a good crema. I’ve tried Cafe Nero and Lavaza pre -ground espresso and both have worked well. The milk frother works ok and is easy to use. It is a very compact machine and takes up very little counter space. On the other hand, I have had occasional issues with both the single and double cup filters blocking – the coffee is passed through a tiny hole in the filter to help create the crema and this can be blocked by a stray coffee ground. If this happens, you have to wait for the pressure in the filter to drop before it can be removed from the machine and cleaned before you try again. The basket is not tightly held in the filter so you can’t just knock out the coffee when you are finished as you would in a commercial machine but have to dig it out with a teaspoon. Finally, the coffee frother ejects quite a lot of water before the steam comes through so you need a spare mug on hand to squirt the water into before you start to steam your milk. The frothed milk is ok but don’t expect the micro-foam you would get from a barista. The wand can’t be used without the frothing attachment for those like myself who prefer to do things manually.
All in all, I would probably buy this machine again. The coffee is excellent and the small footprint is a significant plus. I rarely use milk but might consider changing the steam wand for a Rancho Silvia one once my warranty has expired.
Absolutely love this espresso machine, I use it 3x a day and so far after 2 years it’s still going strong and works just as it did when new, and I expect it to last me many more years to come. Definitely worth the money, and it’s so so easy to use. I’ve previously used cheaper espresso machines from Aldi and the quality and ease of use are just not comparable. Whenever I do need to replace this I will certainly get another Delonghi, and I highly recommend this model!
I used to work as a barista for small coffee shop run by an Italian guy, and this little machine is able to make whatever you ask of it-latte, cappuccino, espresso, espresso macchiatto etc. I use ground Lavazza. The quality of froth is perfect too. Strongly recommend.
So I bought this to replace a sculpta that I was convinced to buy by Which? Best Buy status but didn’t get on with.
The Scultpa, while probably producing marginally better coffee, took a long time to heat up and cooled too quickly between espresso and steam wand use.
The crema was amazing and the coffee was marginally better balanced (I find this one a little sour for my taste, but that’s pedantry), but this one heats so quickly, maintains its heat for steaming milk and introduces air to the steam wand brilliantly through the cappuccino setting. It’s quick, easy, and very easy to clean.
With the sculpta I had to introduce the air to the top of the milk and then drop the wand further down to heat the milk and never really mastered flat white stretched milk. With this one the power is so strong (you can really see it when you do the wand purge after stealing milk, like a steam train) and the cappuccino setting on the steam wand presumably uses black magic to get more air in somehow.
I sent my sculpta back as it was dripping water. Having both for a period let me test them side by side. Using this was quicker, easier, and resulted in better coffee. It also feels more solid and I have more confidence in the build quality. I got a bargain on the sculpta (111) so this cost me 80 to upgrade and feels money well spent.
This is an excellent machine that feels very solidly built. The initial set up takes a bit of time but, once that is done, it is very simple to operate. It is quick to heat up and much quieter to operate that my previous coffee maker. It produces a good espresso and the milk frother works particularly well. Highly recommended.
Amazing coffee machine, easy to follow instructions and the coffee tastes great. Highly recommend for coffee lovers. I brought an extra Tamper from the same company as the one included is a plastic one which is really only meant for scooping coffee and they added a flat end for tampering but doesn’t have any weight to it. Big water tank and heats up really quickly so you’ll have a coffee in a minute from turning on until it’s in your cup. The milk frother is fast and of very high standard, heats the milk very quickly and produces a good amount of froth. All round 5 star machine.
I bought this in instalments (this is the 2 nd installment )as couldn’t afford full price, I love the machine the problem is that it started to get rusty and I am very disappointed
I love almost everything about this machine and it is amazing value for money. The one thing that takes a star off is that the holder bit that holds the coffee falls out when you hit it against w surface to get the coffee grinds out, which means you have to fish it out of the bin and empty it with a spoon which is messy. Love everything else about it though and would recommend it!!
This coffee machine has been excellent. Easy to use and clean. Looks great. Space saving and most importantly, makes a tidy cup of coffee. Would have given 5 stars if is wasn’t for the rattling (removable) drip tray (that if using cappuccino cups needs to be used or you get a bit too much pouring splash for my liking).
It was easy to use first time, just make sure you read the manual instructions, cause you will have to clean the machine pre-use with a descaler (don’t worry, it’s inside the box). Box also included 3 filters (2 inside little bags and 1 in the portafilter, not sure if it’s meant to bring 3 or if it was a mistake haha!), a spoon for the coffee and instructions manual. The finish of the machine is mate like (for the red one), in the picture looks very vibrant almost orange-like, but it’s a darker wine red! everything else looks like metal/aluminium, and the bottom is plastic. It looks (and tastes) good so far, the steamer bit is detachable so it makes it very easy to clean props to that.
You can control the water temperature on the machine, but the default one was just fine. Could make a couple expressos in one go without having to turn on and off the machine. The water on the tank was cold, and it heated up fair quickly. In some machines you have to press the coffee button to stop it from dripping water, this one stops the process automatically for either single or double shot, which I LOVE
Tip on how to use the steamer: use the hot milk setting to warm up the milk first, then change it to capuccino to make it a little foamy, if you use the capuccino setting from the beginning you’ll end with a lot of foam and the milk won’t be hot enough!
I had a “swan something” machine before this one, the steamer stopped working properly after 3 months (sometimes worked, sometimes didn’t) hopefully this one doesn’t give up as well! *It didn’t 🙂
Edit: it’s been almost a year (may, 2021) the machine works perfectly fine as if it was new, and coffee tastes superb!
I love my coffee and not easy to get a good cup outside all the time. It’s very handy to use (you would need a grinder extra to have it from the beans) and gives a great coffee. The steamer is very handy and you have the milk temperature as per your liking. When it comes to descaling, it’s not so great, I always used the recommended delonghi descaler but it would not descale is all the time. Sometimes I had to descale it 3-4 times in a row to get it cleaned. Still, giving it a 5 star because it makes great coffee !
You’ll like this. I just couldn’t justify spending more than 300 on a bean to cup machine and this fits the bill perfectly. Make sure you read the manual a few times, this coffee maker is pretty customisable.
Makes top quality coffee. I’ve had this over a year now and have only had to replace the seal to the coffee holder, just keep descaling when necessary.
This is the second machine I have purchased.my other lasted 2 years under different circumstances I would have had the previous mended but under lockdown the parts were difficult to obtain as they come from Italy although the product says it is made in China ?
This machine makes a great cup of coffee although it can be more messy than bean to cup machines .
Received as a birthday present, even tho I chose it myself, and really made up with it. Exceeded my expectations with regards to setting up, ease of use and quality of the coffee it makes. You can even set it for individual strength and temperature. It will make any coffee, including foaming milk, quicker than you can boil a kettle and make a mug of instant. Ideal for a small kitchen as the footprint on the worktop is no larger than a standard coffee perculator. Looks great and very easy to clean and keep shiny. There are numerous videos, both official and freelance, on every facet of this machine, so if apprehensive about any aspect, Google it and you’ll find a video that covers it. Would recommend to both the novice and expert baristas out there. I would recommend buying a decent tamper and basket knock out bin, Delonghi ones are very good, to complement it.
I got this to replace a similar model which had stopped working after several years. A nice comp[act machine good for a small kitchen and quite easy to use. After less than four months a problem developed. I used to make a coffee by doing two double shots into a cup then adding milk. Now when I press the button for a double shot there is just a tackle of coffee. Luckily I have found that the single shot is working OK so now I stand there and press the button for a single shot four times. Takes a bit longer but no biggie. Disappointing. I really can’t face the inconvenience of trying to get e repair or replacement. so fingers crossed it doesn’t get any worse!
i replaced my sadly dying de longhi, which i was sentimentally attached to. The sadness went away quickly when I noticed how much better the coffee tastes from this model. Can recommend…. good value for the price.
The parts are more sturdy and the machine heavier than my previous machine. From the size more compact, though
I am so please with my purchase. Its so easy to use and clean.
I waited a while before I wrote a review, but this product has been overall great. I use it daily 2-3 times. And I only just got my first rescaling notice after 6 months, so it’s great.
Relatively easy to use once all set up. It takes up little space on the counter. I love it. Very easy to clean.
Great system for the money. Easy to setup. The little filter the coffee sits on does take a little bit of a nack to tack oit for cleaning. But really not that bad. Otherwise, great. Wife is now practicing her Latte A
All I can say is that I am glad I read other reviews and bought this coffee maker. Makes the most wonderful coffee and easy too use.
Only inconvenience is that you cannot get tall latte glasses under it. Froths milk well. Very robust and solid, it has a small foot print and sits nicely on the work surface. I have not stopped making drinks with it yet. About 4-6 a day. Dont be put of with the slight amount of noise this is how these machines sound.
I love this coffee machine so much, I prefer coffee at home now to Costa! It looks really stylish in the kitchen and works easily. Washing it is very easy, you just empty and then rinse the filter out after use! Ones the coffee didn’t come out but that was only because we had left the filter with coffee in all day before emptying it so you just had to pock a pin through the holes in the filter.
Others have already spoken at lengths about how awesome this machine is. The only reason I took out a star is because of lack of clarity in the user manual. You almost always have to watch some YouTube video to use this machine optimally.
My first coffee machine. Took a few days to get used to filling, hot water, hot milk, cappuccino maker and how to clean but WOW, once I knew how to use it and clean it without looking at the instructions, there has been no going back. In lockdown I was missing my daily coffees in local shops. This machine is keeping me sane, having virtual coffee meetings with friends. Fabulous. Don’t hesitate to buy.
Very nice design and size. It does the job quite right but can get messy if you don’t use it right. 🙂 I usually have to use two shots for a long americano which means you need a bit more work but then it’s a good result.
Can’t fault it. Makes lovely coffee, works reliably, easy to clean and descale and is very quick to get up to temperature.
If I try hard enough to find fault with it, I’d say the valve on the cappuccino spout switches too easily between hot milk and capp frother, so if you’re not paying attention you can end up with warm milk instead of capp froth, but this is very minor.
I never drink steamed milk, so that’s the only feature I wish I could remove from this otherwise, wonderfully simple and low-maintenance espresso machine! It sits so perfectly on my kitchen top in its beautiful red, very easy to use (although it took me a minute to find the power switch when I first used it! It’s not anywhere near the other buttons ), came with a double-ended scooping & pressing spoon, and three cups for single and double shots, and coffee pods. 100% satisfied
We love this coffee machine . We have had two nespresso machines which developed leaks after a short time.
This makes a great cup of cofffee, the frother is perfect for cappuccinos and the best hot chocolate ever (if you make it with green and blacks )
Easy to use and keep clean , nice compact size for the work surface too .
When you find the-right ground coffee .you’ve got yourself a nice cup of coffee
Cons milk dose splash up the side of the unit when heating and the ground coffee granules go every where when making a drink. Spend more time cleaning up than drinking.but is a nice trea
Perfect fit in our small kitchen and making great coffee (as long as you have a good ground coffee, that is). It took me several trials and errors to get it right. (or rather to my taste) I find the instructions not 100% clear but was able to follow most of it. The only downside is the manual cleaning. However, I now fill up the sink with warm water and some washing liquid, pop all the parts that need washing. Wait a few minutes and mainly rinse them off so it’s quicker.
After years of having pod coffee makers and seeing the waste those capsule machines create plus the expense and not so great taste i looked hard for a machine like this one. You can make coffee as good as a barista at a fraction of the price, i will never go back to pods and no need to spend lots more on those that grind more unless thats what you want.
Had an old Gaggia hand lever machine. Rebuilt it as was full on vintage kit. Very hard to use properly. This gets good crema , and if use decent coffee, can get just as good a result.
Wife has Americano, so normally has number 5 or 6 strength. Do it on the two cup setting…….twice…….then get decent size cup of decent strength in one sitting. We actually take the bottom plinth out completely and use a mug.
Frother works well, and did get proper little stainless jug for that. Also got proper heavy tamper to get good load in the hopper. Keep it down from the top edge, as advised.
Ideally get fresh coffee on line ground from beans , but found the LaVazza really good value to be fair. Tried some quite expensive stuff in sealed tins, which were very good, but not worth the way extra expense!
This is a great machine, easy to use and makes perfect espresso. The set up is a bit involved but follow the step by step instructions you’ll soon be ready to make great coffee. As an espresso fiend I’ve not used the milk heater/frother too much but on the occasions I’ve made flat whites or cappuccino’s for visitors it has performed well. The facility to set the volume of coffee to suit your chosen cups is first class meaning no mess from overfilling and perfect strength coffee to suit your taste. The machine is easy to clean and looks the business. I can’t think of a single negative.
after using lavassa pod machine for years decided to go for a less wasteful alternative. great machine but you need alot of practice to get it right. much cheaper using ground coffee than pods. but e.s.e bags work very well and less messy.
make sure you fit the frother correctly or you get far to much froth. altogether very happy after 3 months of use.
If you would have asked me a week ago, I would have give it 1 star or no star if possible .. but now I will give it 4 stars. It is not perfect but it does
the job ,it work very well and you have a pretty decent coffee .
Firstly I had to read the instructions 3 times because there are not very helpful but after I watch few videos on YouTube I got the hang of it .
Do not judge it straight away ,take your time and be patient .
You have to understand this is not an industrial coffee machine.
Secondly once you do your coffee give it time to cool off so you could use the steamer for hot milk and capucino.
Very easy to clean and so much cheaper then drinking a coffee out .
Just a little update .I used it for 6 months now ,amazing little machine and the coffee it gets better and better or maybe my barista skills kicked in .
Highly recommended.
After 1 year of purchase
Great machine ,easy to clean ,the coffee it gets better and better .
Makes a nice cup of coffee easy to use and quick only down side is the water that collects under the water container not sure where it comes from but manufacturers do warn you about it and you need to keep an eye on it or you get a flood on the worktop I now stand coffee machine on a tray which avoids this if I forget to check overflow
This solid little machine has got the necessary grunt power to fire out a rapid successions of espressos AND includes for making a bang-tidy microfoam in seconds for cappuccinos.
A job that used to take over 5minutes for one extra large cappuccino cup now achieved in less than 2 minutes.
Good job Delonghi….back up to producing good products after a succession of wilderness years!
Only downside is the necessity to purge steam for ages after 4 double espressos (supposedly to stop it ‘burning’ the next coffee)…but I’ll live with that!
PS. Not supplied with the shown bottle of wine! 🙂
This product has a very good blend. It has a very smooth not bitter, taste to it bringing out the full bean potential. Coffees are very easy to customise with all the different operating combinations for coffee on the machine. When cleaning the old ground coffee out, the espresso filter that is removable filter can fall out when tapping the coffee out. However it is useful that the milk spout is removable. And all the different drip trays are easy to clean. All round good cheap machine for professional coffee at home.
Really good product, I bought this for my husband for Christmas as he’s an avid coffee drinker. He loved it! It’s not as good if you want coffee for a crowd but is great for single use.
The product does take a bit of programming to get the right amount you want. Don’t expect the milk frother to be the same standard as your local Starbucks, but it does the job!
I recommend buying an espresso coffee for better flavour.
In hindsight I might have bought a bean-to-cup machine. Nevertheless, with time and effort you can get a great espresso out of this thing. One important thing to note would be that if you’re choosing to grind your own coffee rather than buying pre-ground, it can be very difficult to get used to this machine, as tiny changes in dose, tamping pressure, bean or grind coarseness can very easily result in you choking this machine. This is always a nightmare when you remove the head and coffee grounds invariably explode over your surface, adding to an already lengthy and arduous coffee-making process.
However, if you’re a patient sort of individual who enjoys the process of doing things as much as the end result then this machine is great for you.
This one served me well for the last 12 months, made me a great number of espressos. It was almost perfect, especially for the price. It is dead now, pump is blocked. I did not follow the instructions and didn’t descale regularly. As I was very happy while it worked and do not want (can) to invest more I am going to buy the same one. Only this time I will be descaling it every two months!!
Right, so this is the best thing I have ever bought in my whole life. It completely changed my life and my relationship with coffee. As Italian I am very fussy about coffee and this is the only machine that brought back the love and the passion I had to make and enjoy coffee!!!! Definitely the best coffee machine you will ever see!
I rarely praise entry level espresso machines but this time I admit the product is way better than expected. It’s compact, heats up quickly, makes great coffee, barely vibrates and it doesn’t make the noise most of my previous machines did. Just give it a fair shot, read the manual before using it and consider buying a premium 51mm tamper to replace the default. If it manages to last a delongh time and the company continues to sell replacement parts, 5 stars all the way.
I’ve been using a nespresso for the better part of a decade, however on one rare occasion where we ran out I started using a bialetti stovetop espresso maker and fell in love with the strength of the coffee compared to the watered down capsules of the nespresso. I picked the De’Longhi Dedica after a comparisson video on YouTube showing a coffee expert couldn’t tell the difference between this and a $3000 espresso machine.
My wife and I have not been disappointed. Get this and some decent coffee and you’ll be seriously improving the quality of your coffee.
Love it, had the item for over a month and it gets used daily. Makes great coffee and looks great too.
Its pretty compact space wise which is a bonus but it still easily fits two espresso mugs, although you wouldn’t be able to fit two coffee mugs under it.
I use it with ground coffee but supposedly it does take pods too if you don’t like the associated mess that it brings. The milk steamer works well and actually really well placed as it stops you getting milk all over the machine.
Overall thoroughly recommended for the price.
This coffee maker is true to its word. Makes the best coffee I have ever had. I love my cappuccino strong, which most coffee outlets don’t do. Here I have the option of adding how much milk I need. Trust me, coffee is a million times better than Costa, I have never gone back to it. The milk frother is a bit temperamental, stops functioning occasionally and once I use the milk frother can’t immediately switch back to making coffee. Needs cleaning after each use to keep it going. The machine itself needs descaling very frequently, even though I use Brita filtered water.
One may say it is a lot of hassle, but if you love your coffee, it makes it worthwhile.
I had a De’Longhi years ago that I liked. After travelling a while and moving around, I decided to buy another for my new flat.
So I looked at reviews and settled on the De’Longhi Dedica Style EC685M Traditional Pump Espresso Machine – Silver
I’m working from home more and more and wanted my daily fix from the coffee shop I frequent while at the office. I use a dark roast from Gordon Street Coffee shop in Glasgow (their Glasgow Roast). Tastes practically the same when I buy their beans and use this machine.
Pro’s
– After around 4 attempts I got the coffee amount, tamper method etc down so it was easy to get it right.
– Warms up v quickly.
– I like Americano and I use the double shot attachment and run the water through it twice. Job Done.
Cons
– I’m quite happy to clean up afterwards (takes literally 30 seconds) some may prefer to use a pod machine if you don’t like rinsing the porta filter.
– I put the porta filter in the dishwasher and it cleaned the chrome right off it. I gave it a wash afterwards to get some grime off it and carried on with my life with my chrome free porta filter lolz 🙂
Recommended especially if you like proper or a particular type of coffee and don’t mind making it properly.
I bought this to replace an earlier version of the same model on which the pump was losing it’s power after around 4 years of daily use. I like the compact and neat appearance of this machine and it does everything expected of it. The latest model has a better steamer which can be used to heat milk or make a lovely frothy cappuccino. Highly recommend as a entry model coffee maker. Can use pods or ground coffee.
An excellent piece of kit. So well made. After 4 years of Cafe-pod style machines where we got through two! Decided to go back to an espresso type to limit the amount of plastic pods we were putting in the waste. It only takes a couple of goes to get the hang of and makes superb coffee. Yes it is slightly irksome having to clean up the grounds and emptying the coffee holder but we’ve found if you get the coffee grounds out before they dry to a solid cake it’s much easier and cleaning is a doddle!
So first: I have never had such a machine before so it might be my fault but it took me a few times to finally learn how to use which tool to make a certain coffee. But: it works and it’s such a lovely design. I really like the metal and it is easy to clean i think, many parts can be taken off to wash it properly and I always make sure the but where the coffee gets stuck is clean as well. Perfect value for money, would always buy it again and looks really classy in the kitchen!
It only lasted for 3 months and then just stopped working. Amazon refunded our money without any problems and we were able to send the machine back to them free of charge. Since then we purchased another one, exactly the same model and 6 months in it still works fine. My friend had the same machine but older version for about 5 years, never had any issues with it. So I think the first one must have been faulty.Overall I think this is good machine, easy to use and clean and would recommend.
The only issue I’ve had is that if I let the water tank get empty or near-empty, the machine won’t work for a while after I’ve refilled this. I’m not sure what causes this but I just try to make sure that I keep the tank pretty full. Other than this I haven’t had any issues.
One more thing is that this machine takes up very little space and is very easy clean. I would definitely recommend this coffee machine and I would not hesitate to buy another if the need arose.
This is a perfect example that you get what you pay for, in a good why. Before getting this I got a Swan machine for about half the price{ see review} . It made horrible coffee and was mostly plastic. It was returned. This one makes wonderful coffee and looks great. Many features you can change. For instance my first espresso only half filled my cup. But you can easily change this. But you do have to carefully read the instructions. The metal outside can easily show stains. You can adjust the drip try to take different size cups. This is done by removing part of it. The screen shots seem to imply this is done by it sliding up and down. Not a problem thou.
I have considered cheaper machines too but, at the end, I have opted for a well known brand. The machine, if left switched on, is on stand-by all the time. One only needs to press the “cup” button, wait a few seconds and the machine is ready to make espresso. Can stop the flow at any time by pressing the “cup”button again. I like short espresso coffee. I really bought it for expresso coffee and not cappuccino. I think someone in the house has tried to make one and I believe it was ok(ish). Having said that. To get a good amount of steam and pressure the machine must have a big tank (just like your steam iron). This will suffice to heat and froth a cup of milk. To expect a shop style cappuccino from such a small machine is simply unreasonable. Excellent machine and easy to clean. One single problem (which is not a big problem). Make sure you always have water in the tank. If not, the machine will not be able to make you a coffee but it will also “freeze”. Must switch it off from the mains, fill the tank with water and switch it on again. Love it, within a few days, hundreds of coffees and not noisy at all.
Great so far, upgraded from an older cheaper Delonghi model (which lasted me 5+ years). The only issue was the first item came broken (returned and got a new one) and both didn’t come with the pod filter, and there seems to be no way to contact the seller other than to return the entire item. There was another irregularity that the first machine was an eu plug, the second was uk (the ideal).
So far so good. Had a cheaper coffee machine before this and am very impressed with the quality of coffee you can make with it. The milk frother is good, nice crema on the espresso. The only downside is that its a single boiler and takes time to make multiple coffees when you have people over. Not for entertaining or definitely couldn’t be used commercially but excellent for normal domestic use.
Love this, used multiple times a day and makes great espresso and lovely latte and cappuccino etc.. wish the water tank was larger as if you’re using the steam arm for latte or cappuccino milk it uses a lot of the water in the tank!
Also takes a bit of practice to get the grind right as if it’s too fine the machine will jam and no espresso will come out.
Another important step is the flush the group head after making an espresso as otherwise grinds can remain.
All in all a great looking machine and I’m super happy with i
I always wanted the sage grinder and espresso machine but couldn’t justify the price. I found this and liked it immediately. Size is really nice, the flavour is great. I have found it quite easy to get a consistently good espresso. The milk wand is very handy, I haven’t managed to get the correct consistency of milk for decent latte art, but I think this is more my abilities than the machine. I have also got the de’longhi grinder too which pairs with this perfectly.
1. Price to value ratio for this product is very high. I purchased this for ~ 120.
2. Quick start up time. Great quality coffee in less than 2min.
3. In my experience, it works best for single espresso shots or with ese pods.
4. I only make espresso or americano and I am very happy with the results from this little machine.
5. Can accommodate various size cups.
6. Very small footprint. This is totally what sold it for me.
7. I have successfully used several different types of beans with the unit – very happy with the results.
Cons
1. Tricky to use for double espresso shots. It might be just me, but if you don’t get the right amount (you need less than 2 full scoops using the provided scoop), all sorts of issues follow – no flow etc. Single espresso or ese pods work perfectly everytime.
Areas to improve
1. A low water indicator would be nice
2. A dedicated double espresso scoop
The above features can be added without a significant impact on the price and no impact to other delonghi products.
One could list a whole range of improvement areas that if addressed would result in a completely different and much more expensive product (which probably already exists). So there’s no point in going there.
I can’t say anything about the milk frother, making cappuccinos etc. as I haven’t used that functionality as of yet. Nevertheless, I would recommend this unit without hesitation. I am going to pick up the companion grinder next – should be a match made in coffee heaven!!!
I’d higly reccomend a few upgrades to make using this easier; A metal tamper, a stainless steel milk jug, a milk thermometer, small electric spice grinder for the coffee beans and a espresso cup for dispensing shots into rather than trying to get a mug under it.
I’ve had this for about a month now and it’s been great. The key points that I love over previous expresso machines is that holder for the coffee ground is firmly held in place (it can be difficult to remove at first, but you quickly get use to it) so you can give it a solid knock on the bin when emptying it without any worries if it falling off. The build quality is great, does not feel cheap at all. The machine isn’t quiet, but I’ve heard much louder machines before. My only gripe is that the steamer is either on/off with no control over the intensity, but I’ve quickly adjusted to the machine and produces the desired effect. Would strongly recommend this for the price.
It was a hard choice initially as I was not sure whether to go for a Nespresso pods machine or the Dedica. I am super glad I bought the Dedica because once you get your head around the way it functions – first 30/40 mins to read the instructions and try it – it is much better than the Nespresso pods machine. It costs much less than coffee pods as it works with ground coffee and the quality of the coffee is really good. Makes an amazing creama!
The milk frothier works equally well and the cappuccinos and lattes are delicious.
Another big plus is the size: it occupies just a tiny spot on my counter which is small and already crammed with other things.
I totally recommend it as it is very good value for its price.
The coffee quality is excellent. The flavour depends on the beans you use, of course. I tried several brands and was very pleased.
The machine is quite small and easy to fit in any kitchen. I would certainly buy it again and warmly recommend it.
The initial settings are important. Need to try them and decide for yourself. It allows changing the water quantity and temperature for making the coffee.
It comes with 3 filter adapters : one for single espresso, one for double and one for capsules / pods (if you want pods then you need to buy them online; I could not find compatible ones in the supermarkets in our area).
I drink coffee all the time and previously had a pod machine (bought by my mum) which I hardly ever used as didn’t like the creamer taste. Have been looking at all the coffee machine reviews for ages and had this in my basket for months.my Mum gave me a voucher to purchase it for Xmas and it is the best present ever. I love it. It looks stylish fits snugly on my work surface and it makes great coffee with the ground coffee I usually use in the cafetire. My only negative would be it good be hotter but great for drinking straight away
Not a bad piece of kit and makes great coffee. Two issues stopping the 5 stars for me. The steam spout is in two parts and requires far too much effort to keep clean, could be longer too. Secondly the filter for the coffee has been designed for three different uses and every time you try to knock the spent coffee out the various inserts tend to come out with it!! Annoying….
There are only 3 multi function buttons one lever and an on/off switch so you need to read the instructions as its not very intuitive. However once I worked out what my regular setting is it was easy. I would still need to read the instructions to do anything else though so keep them safe.
At this price the machine is excellent value and out performs many higher spec machines I have experience of.
Took me a couple of goes to get used to using the milk warmer/frother but once I understood how to fit it on properly I love the lattes and cappuccinos that i can make. I switched from using a Tassimo because I was concerned about the amount of plastic I was throwing away. But the quality of the machine and the coffee far exceeds my expectations. the kit comes with a descaler which I haven’t used yet but it seems easier to use than the Tassimo that I used to have.
I’ve had my eye on this for ages, so I treated myself for Christmas. I’m a big coffee fan, so I had high hopes for this little machine. Once it arrived, it was smaller than I expected. It fitted nicely next to the kettle without being too intrusive and the matt red finish makes it look very stylish.
Once I had a quick read of the instructions, the machine had to be set up to the type of water in my area, which I thought was a great feature as I live in a hard water area. Next was the temperature of the coffee. With a few simple extra steps, it was ready to make a fresh cup, and I wasn’t disappointed. After a few cups, I got it done to a fine art, and can make it taste like the barista coffee I love.
It is a very smart machine that has a small “foot print” ie takes up not much space. It is ready to go more quickly than I can put the coffee in and makes a lovely cup of coffee. I find it easy to clean.
It unfortunately had an electrical fault after a couple of months use – inititally solved by changing the fuse but recurred and blew the next fuse. After an initial “misunderstanding”, De’Longhi collected the machine for repair. This was over the Christmas period so it took about 3 weeks to return. Apparenty there is a 2 year guarentee, so overall it is good value for money. Relatives have bought this and used much more often without any issues so I guess I was just unlucky, but am reassured it will have at least a 2 year life.
I bought this as a gift for my partner and I’ve heard nothing but good things said about it! This machine is easy to use, easy to clean and makes lovely coffee quickly.
I chose this one as we have a small kitchen so it can’t be taking up too much room, and it doesn’t, it is a perfect size!
I have bought this brand of coffee machine before and will continue to as it’s a fantastic make. We have never had any complaints.
Best cappuccino machine I have had, and I have gone through quite a few over the years. You need to read the instructions as it is a bit more complicated than cheaper models because it has more features, eg you can programme how hot you want the coffee or how strong. However, I am not great with technology but managed to do all this fairly easily. The coffee is great and you can make it just how you like it. The machine is beautifully made in brushed stainless steel, and looks great. My husband is an engineer and really liked the quality of the design and finish. Some of the details are amazing, for instance the bottom of the milk frother has a tiny lip on it so when the spout is folded up, any drips will come off the lip and go directly into a small hole in the drip tray!! This was obviously designed by someone who enjoys using it. Highly recommended.
I am fussy about my coffee and have had espresso machines for over 30 years. I drink black coffee and the creme is great. The steamer produces cappuccino that my friends love. The De’Longhi Dedica EC685M is attractive, small. easy to use and makes great coffee!
UPDATE. Its now April and this machine is still reliably producing great coffee. Love the fact that it has 2 drip trays to fit both espresso cups and larger mugs. Very easy to use
The De’Longhi Dedica Style EC685R is a great expresso machine for the home. Compact, quick heat up and most importantly it makes a pretty good one shot or long coffee. Ground coffee easy, fine or coarse, and the ESE pod work too. I have tried Amazon’s Amazon Brand Solimo Senseo* Compatible pods Strong – UTZ certified, 90 pods (5×18 ) which work well and no mess too!! My only observation is with the coffee filter holders. The pod one empties easily BUT the 1 and 2 shot grounds holder aren’t so easy. The handle holder on the old machine had a clip to secure the filter tray when you banged it to empty……the new one doesn’t, and this is a design flaw 🙁
Only owned a couple of weeks but so far really impressed with my first entry into the coffee making market. Makes drinking coffee a pleasure again and no need to buy takeaway coffees ever again. Brought from amazon warehouse at half the price it was before Dec 18, the only issue was it came with a 2 pin plug but you can buy adapters from Morrisons for 2.50 or Wilkos for 3.50. Beautiful and small enough to sit on the work surface in my small kitchen.
To press the coffee down with the force of 10 kilos up to 20 (22-44 Pound) with this plastic tamper?
Seriously? It’s only meant to be used in emergencies, Amazon got several tampers with 49 mm.
Watch this video from De’Longhi
Buy a milk jug and thermometer to go along with it – and all worries about making the coffee too cool go away.
The only downside – the coffee tastes so good – starbucks, costa and even cafe nerro coffee tastes pale by comparison.
Treat yourself – buy one – its a joy to have.
Buy a milk jug and thermometer to go along with it – and all worries about making the coffee too cool go away.
The only downside – the coffee tastes so good – starbucks, costa and even cafe nerro coffee tastes pale by comparison.
Treat yourself – buy one – its a joy to have.
I never been a big fan of coffee before but once I bough it I become from those kind of people that can’t have a day without a nice hot cup a day.It did performed good but I still have some problems with it, burn probaby I will learn how to use it properly.
Tha only thing that annoys me is that when you take of the coffee holder the little metal cup got stuck inside and is a bit uncomfortable to be removed.
Other wise I strongly recommended it because is handy and it fits almost everywhere in your kitchen.
Had this for a while now and wanted to see how it faired after a decent time. I am very pleased with it. Great looking appliance. A little noisy but it is ok, good selection of functions and cappuccino is good and barrister in the making! Lol. Just had to de-scale the unit and the automated function is very complicated to follow and goes on for ages, gave up after an hour of trying and still throws up an error message/light… Just ignoring as cant be arsed. Working fine. Overall I would recommend
Here are a few tips for other complete newbies:
1. First problem: the 3-pin plug doesn’t go fully into my 2-plug wall outlet, which none of the other things I’ve plugged in have done. This means that the lights would only come on if I pressed hard on the plug to fully engage it. It works fine in the other side, so problem solved.
2. Be sure to take all the bits out of the box. I’ve just located my 1-cup filter (tucked into the styrofoam insert) after mistakenly using the coffee pod filter for my first cup. The machine came with the 2-cup filter inserted. The attached photo shows all 3, with 2 removable rubber-ringed inserts. The filters fit tightly into the base (filter holder), held in by 3 side springs, so use some force to pull them out and push them in until they click. There is a little notch in the filter base that you can use with your fingertip to pull out the filter.
3. I’m still mystified about why the 1-cup and 2-cup buttons sometimes flash 3 times rapidly, pause, and repeat. The manual shows this could be caused by 4 different things. Eventually they go on solidly.
4. I’ll wait until later to fiddle with the programmable settings, as I got myself into blinking-light-purgatory and had to turn the whole thing off for awhile. There are settings for coffee temperature (low-medium-high); water hardness (soft-medium-hard), which presumably affects how often the descaling reminder light comes on; and the time until the machine turns itself off (9-30-180 min). You can also programme the volume of coffee delivered, which I’ll try later.
Once I had managed making the first cup, it took another hour to figure out how to heat the milk.
1. The manual says to press the steam button, and ‘the light flashes’, but it doesn’t seem to do so each time I tried it; sometimes it comes on solid straight away. It is supposed to flash until it is ready to dispense steam and then go solid, so I’ll have to figure out how that all works; otherwise the rest of the exercise is futile because I got a bit of hot water and then nothing else.
2. There is a mystifying icon on the ‘cappucino maker selection ring’ which points upwards for ‘hot milk’ and downwards for ‘cappucino’. The whole metal stem/black plastic icon ring also rotates about an eighth-turn anti-clockwise to enable you to pull the whole thing downwards and remove it for cleaning. The black plastic ring with the icons on it is meant to be pushed towards the sky for hot milk, and towards the ground for frothing, sliding up and down around the metal cylinder. I know this seems stupid to have to describe, but if I didn’t understand it maybe you don’t either.
3. Once you finally get all the stars in alignment, you turn the steam dial (A11 on the diagram) to the steam position, and let it purge water and air into an empty vessel for a few seconds. Steam dial up, get your milk container (I use a Pyrex 1-cup measure with 100ml milk), then down again, and– at last– you hear a rhythmic clunking from inside (the ‘thermoblock’) and you’ll get all the steam you need to heat up the milk and/or make it froth.
4. Then you wipe the milk off the metal stem, until it’s time to disassemble the entire works for cleaning for the day.
Final step is to go back on Amazon to buy that 500-gram 51-mm diameter coffee tamper you apparently just must have, and you might as well go for the kit and get the thermometer for the milk and the stainless steel jug. While drinking your new environmentally-friendly, thickly-frothed, 15p-per-cup cold espresso/cappucino/still wondering what a latt is, look up more videos on YouTube!
25 July update: I’m getting along much better with it, although I still get two blinking lights in bursts of 3 after I finish steaming the milk. I can get my morning cups made in about 3-4 minutes. The coffee really is delicious, much better than the Nespresso– and I’m not even a coffee snob. I’m using a bag of beans bought from M&S for 2.50, and it tastes like hot chocolate!
Bought as present together with ESE pods, for someone who likes the true small shot espressos served in Italy, but has never made this type of coffee before.
So far, they are still discovering the potential of the machine and learning how to make the perfect cup to their taste, but they are very impressed with the way it which it can provide an espresso more similar to a real Italian one, than any of the local Coffee Shops. There is the added bonus of heating and frothing milk and it would seem that with more use and experimentation with ground coffee, the beverages will just get better and better.
They are very pleased with it. By the by it is very neat and good looking.
I decided buying this machine instead of capsule ones because I don’t usually drink dairy milk and these capsule machines offer you latte, cappuccino and all these stuff but only with regular milk. So I was interested in buying some sort of machine that would offer me the possibility of getting my coffee ready with oat milk, almond milk… So I decided going for this one, but I hadn’t found any reviews mentioning how the milk frother worked when it comes to dairy free milk. And it works perfectly well! I am still getting used to it, have only used the machine 3 times now. But it’s wonderful! I have already made some oat lattes and oat cappuccinos.
You just have to use it a couple of times to get used to getting the right temperature, right amount of foam… but my husband and I have absolutely loved our machine! Worth every penny
PROS:
1. Great pressure from the machine. It’s 15 bar, which is what’s needed to make espresso. It comes out really nice with crema on top.
2. Milk frother is very efficient. It heats up and froths the milk in less than a minute. The frother has some play in it so that you can adjust it when putting placing it in the pitcher.
3. Space saving design. The machine is narrow so that it doesn’t take up a huge amount of space on the worktop.
4. Very easy to clean. It takes me around one minute to clean the parts after making a coffee. It’s important to do this so that the machine functions correctly.
5. Sleek design. Some coffee machines look fairly ugly, but this one has a really nice design. I opted for the burgundy red one, which looks great.
CONS:
1. If you froth the milk for more than a two minutes (if you are making multiple cups of coffee) the machine sometimes shuts down to avoid overheating. It is stated in the instructions not to use the frother for more than a minute or so, but it does make it a little inconvenient if you are making cups for friends or family.
2. The frother wand is a little on the short side. Another inch or two would have been perfect for when you’re frothing a larger pitcher of milk.
Overall I’m very satisfied with this coffee machine. It’s one of the cheapest, yet it produces excellent coffee for me. I don’t think I’d ever spend more than 200 on a machine after using this one. Despite a couple of cons, they wouldn’t put me off buying this machine again, particularly because I make coffee just for myself and my wife.
After a couple of months, I’ve had no problems with the machine. By the look and feel, it seems like this will last me for years to come, so I consider it a really good investment.
Thanks to the teachers who left previous review about having tested this to destruction in their staff room. No better recommendation!