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 |
Makes the best coffee ever!!!
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.
A compact, sleek powerful machine
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.
Look no further.....get this one.
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.
Good reason to wake up.
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.
Well worth the money.
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.
Perfect for my simple/minimalist life
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
As Italian, I am really happy with this Delonghi coffee machine which I have been watching for so long. It’s easy to use and to clean, it makes fantastic and creamy coffee (I personally use Lavazza) and I am very satisfied with the frothing quality of the milk using almond milk which I mix with soya. I love it because it’s compact and stylish.
Great little machine
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 .
Still have a jar on instant coffee in the cupboard for when you can’t be bothered
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
Making great coffee!
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.
Better tasting coffee, easy to use no mountain of plastic waste
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.
Barista brew.
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!
I'm Now a Barista in My Own Kitche
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.
good coffee.
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.
I bought this coffee machine 1 week ago .
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 .
I bought this coffee machine 1 week ago .
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 .
So far so good
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
makes a great cup of coffee
Heats up very quickly and makes a great cup of coffee using 44mm E.S.E. pods. I prefer my coffee at a medium strength and have discovered that I can use the same pod with two or three ‘2-cup’ pulls in quick succession and it makes a great mug o’ joe. Kind of like making an Americano, maybe, except that your additional hot water is just weaker coffee from the same ESE pod, so somewhat more cost-effective, as well. If I want a more robust/bigger mug of coffee I might splurge and use two pods in quick succession but tbh I haven’t found it necessary. Himself prefers his cuppa stronger and goes for the espresso effect using Senseo-compatible single-serve pods (as he prefers the brand of coffee that packages it that way and has yet to find it in ESE pods), and although it’s not an exact fit, it works and he gets a great coffee. The milk frother works well also, though to be fair we don’t use it all that often. Not difficult to clean. Narrow footprint, takes up little space, nice streamlined, space-agey appearance and looks great on the countertop.
Great so far!
I have only made a coffee and a hot chocolate so far, but a million times better than my old cafetiere. My only gripes are that the tamper is pretty flimsy (which is likely on purpose so you can buy a better tamper, which I did) and that there are some informational stickers on the tank and drip tray that leave residue when you take them off. Bit of rubbing alcohol sorted that out but it is a pain.
Fabulous....after years spent using another!
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! 🙂
Great Cappuccino make
This is our third espresso coffee maker and for design and making great coffee, it is far the best. For convenience we use ESE pods instead of ground coffee, and we find the machine operates fine with the pods. The milk warmer can be adjusted to deliver an excellent froth for cappuccino, or just hot milk without the froth. We live in hard water area , so the machine will require de-scaling on a regular basis. However, the machine has an adjustable amber warning light, that alerts you to the fact that the machine needs de-scaling. Very stylish machine and would highly recommend.
Best coffee I made at home. Cafe experience.
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.
Very happy with this, however is very time consuming
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.
Great buy
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.
brilliant little machine
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!!
Perfectly brewed Espresso everytime!!
Incredibly happy with this beauitfully made Espresso machine,
The is what I liked the most about this machine and why I purchased it. Not only it is relatively slim, it also pretty lightweight considering how professional is, making it easy to store away in a cupboard when not being used.
Another well designed feature is that the adjustable steam arm is on the side of the Espresso machine, making it easy to froth/steam the milk whilst the espresso is brewing.
You can also have the arm produce hot water instead of steam, so you can make other drinks such as tea and americanos.
The most important thing about a coffee machine is the coffee ofcourse and this seems to make one hell of a mean Espresso. The temperature throughout the Espresso being filtered through is well maintained so you do get a bitter/burnt taste.
The machine is also relatviely easy to use, but for those unusre on how to use it, there is alot of videos on youtube showcasing how to effectively use and clean the machine.
Highly Highly HIGHLY recommend this product,
5/5
( Click “Helpful” if this helped ^__^ )
Why oh why do manufacturers think no one wants to drink coffee from a MUG?? Well, hats off to De’Longhi for this cracking wee machine. It does have an add-on platform for the wee espresso cups, but that’s relegated to the back of a cupboard for me.
It also comes with 3 filters – for a 2 cup, a 1 cup, and one to take coffee pods – personally I detest the environmental profligacy associated with pods, but each to their own – but it’s an option with this machine!
This a smart wee machine – you can choose between 3 heat setting for the coffee (Low/Med/High) – default id medium and I’ve left it at that – you can also set the water hardness through a menu, and a wee bonus, the machine is supplied with a descaler pack.
Coffee making – there is some useful info in the instructions that will help you to make coffee to your particular taste. For me, I use Lavazza coffee after trialing many others, and I like my coffee strong – this machine delivers!
It gives a measured amount of water for the filter size you are using – Tip – if you want to extract more, just run it again, but I recommend you don’t – the machine does a great job of stopping at just the sweet spot for the extraction of the best part of the coffee, leaving the bitter ‘tails’ behind.
Space wise, the machine is nice and slim, so takes up minimal space, and the water reservoir is a really good, big size, and easy to see the fill level as it’s external.
Now, the milk steamer – personally I don’t use it – but if you do, it creates plenty, plenty of steam! I know this because the set up instructions ask you to run 5 measures through the filter, then switch to steam and run until the reservoir is empty – well frankly my kitchen was resembling a sauna before the reservoir was even half empty! So I did choose ignore the request to continue until empty…
Cleaning – my last coffee machine lasted me many, many years, but had 1 weakness and 1 avoidable weakness..
The coffee filter had a plate with many very fine holes, with a void behind that, and then the filter base base had one small hole leading to the spouts that deliver the coffee. Over time, the coffee solids built up behind the fine plate and blocked it – this machine has a removable filter plate – easy to maintain – brilliant!
The 2nd issue with my old machine was the water distribution plate in the machine that the coffee presses up against once the filter holder is inserted into the machine – that plate should be periodically removed and clean behind it – on my old machine that needed a socket set and I left it too long resulting in pressure build up which burst a hose fitting on the high pressure side of the pump – this one just needs a Phillips screwdriver – easy – but don’t ignore this for occasional cleaning, especially if you live in a hard water area.
Overall then, a very smart machine, takes up minimal worktop space, is very functional, takes pretty much all mugs up to 12-13cm high (the taller ones you can probably manipulate in) and easy to clean. Love it!
This is my response to global warming, ditching my old and dying capsule espresso maker and stop paying three times for the coffee inside a capsule. It turned into much deeper trip into coffee culture than I expected. It also showed you don’t need to spend 000 to get a top notch espresso.
My first goal was to reproduce coffee as good as capsules, nothing more. I managed to go well beyond that but the setting takes a few tweaks. Mine are easy and shouldn’t void your warranty.
The machine itself is great, and an espresso “only” needs water at 90-93C and 9 atm pressure to deliver 25cl of black gold. Sure you should not be paying as much as your gas boiler to get a coffee!
To get the right water temperature, you need to set this machine to “high”. Also, you need to first run a couple of double espressos without coffee, just to warm up. Otherwise, you get 70C and not 90C coffee, which means very poor extraction and watery taste.
Pressure is fine, the pump can deliver 15atm so 9atm is no issue.
The machine comes with “pressurised” baskets. These make it easier to get a good-looking result, but you will not get more than weak espresso with these. Buy for 3 a non-pressurised basket here on Amazon, and check plenty of videos on youtube. You will need to unscrew a plastic bit in the portafilter to fit it, and I put a small bolt to close the remaining hole in the portafilter. Non-pressurised is less forgiving, so you will need some attempts, but it gives the only acceptable results. If you want to look stylish, go for a naked portafilter – though it adds nothing to the taste.
Coffee you get in supermarkets is months old. If already ground, it will hardly have any CO2 left inside so little or no “crema”. So buy the delonghi cheap KG79 burr mill, and buy freshly roasted beans (also available online and in lots of qualities and prices). By the way, Robusta coffee has much more CO2 and so makes much more crema than Arabice, whose taste though is preferred by most.
Freshly ground beans have a lot of CO2 which slows the flow of water. So possibly the KG79 will mill fine enough for a good, slowly dripping espresso. If not, I did the following: twist out the top burr from the mill, as if for cleaning; unscrew the metal burr; add a very thin plastic spacer (thick like one or two sheets of paper) making sure the hole in the middle of the burr remains fully unobstructed otherwise coffee beans will get stuck; screw back the burr; set the mill grinding finesse at several steps less than the finest level to avoid the burrs touching; give it a go!
With finely ground, fresh beans, I need very little tampering. With supermarket, preground coffee I needed to tamper like hell and got a 51mm metal tamper which now I hardly use. 51mm turns out to be too wide and gets stuck in the non-pressurised portafilter. So I can’t use that tamper, nor do I need it.
End of story: this machine can deliver a great espresso. It is designed to give results for everyone, but if you want a seriously good espresso you need to tweak it. Once that’s done, and if you buy the right beans and a burr grinder, you’ll get fantastic results.
Enjoy!
ABSOLUTELY FREAKING LOVE IT!!
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!
Amazing product.-
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.
Seriously improves your coffee without hitting your wallet too hard
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.
Makes great coffee and looks great too, pretty compact though tall
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.
Great coffee, but machine needs frequent descaling
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.
Want espresso? ...this makes espresso.
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.
A nice compact expresso machine
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.
Great build workmanship, should last for years.
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!
Love the machine :) Takes a few times though
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!
Turn the temp up! Very nice coffee and an affordable first step into proper late's
Had is 3 months or so now, and been making around 6 cups a day out of this for the two of us plus family visitors..
Its a very good first step into coffee for me, I’m interested to get a grinder next.
Actually enjoy my own coffee more than most coffee shop ones now, I hate the coffee machine at work now (a bean to cup one).
I’m using Lavazza black pre-ground and it tastes wonderful, just make sure you dont buy ordinary ground which is a bit bigger as it really mades a difference with the fine grind.
Only negative is the descale process, there is conflicting info everywhere about how to do this, it taken me over an hour and it was required after only a month or so of use. I’ve now put it on soft water mode and use only brita filter water so it should take a while longer this time before needing it again.
Pro tip: Turn the temp to high in the settings menu – I done this after descaling so about a month in and it made the coffees even nicer! (they were lovely to begin with).
Good product but I think we got a faulty one - superb return policy though
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.
This has been a fantastic purchase for me. I’ve had it for quite a while now and have hadn’t had any real issues. I use this machine mainly to make espressos and americanos which always have been what I would consider to be high quality. I definitely prefer the coffee from this machine to any that I’ve managed to make with my coffee presses, percolators or other devices.
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.
Easly adjustable
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.
Ditched my Nespresso capsule machine in favour of the De’longhi which has substantially reduce the cost per cup and even more substantially increased the flavour. This also allows freedom to experiment with all ground coffee brands ; my personal favourite being LavAzza which can often be picked up ” on special” in supermarkets.
It can be set for a double or single cup and after brief experimentation you can get the exact taste and consistency that suits you for
Espresso, Americano etc etc. The milk frother/heater is simple to use and clean and does give that special touch
It needs a little more cleaning time compared to the capsule type machines, but it’s worth that extra minute for real top quality, coffee that transports you to a pavement cafe in Bella Italia……….well almost.
It’s an economical, low maintenance, excellent coffee maker at a reasonable initial cost. An absolute winner for me.
Excellent for such a low price.
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.
Makes good coffee but check parts!
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).
Well made and stylish machine, serving an excellent espresso.
Great little espresso machine with a small footprint therefore it will not overpower your kitchen worktop.
Easy to use and warms up to working temperature very quickly. Delivers an excellent espresso with great creama top. The steamer is great for heating or frothing your milk.
Excellent for making 1-2 espressos, cappuccinos or lattes at a time. Making drinks for larger groups will require great timing and efficiency.
You need to make all your espresso before using the milk steamer. Once you use the streamer, the machine goes into a cooling down cycling (3-5 minutes) and you simply cannot make another espresso until this is completed. I initially thought the machine had a fault but it has been designed this way. However, switching the machine off and on again allows you to continue making more espressos without any wait.
In summary, this is a fabulous, eveyday espresso machine for 1-2 drinks at a time. For those that like to entertainment larger groups this may not be the machine for you.
Great Coffee
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.
Makes a blinding great espresso with the right grind and coffee bea
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
What's not to like?
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.
Pros
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!!!
Pros
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!!!
we like it A LOT!
Me and my partner decided to purchase this De’Longhi after extensive research on coffee machines and we do not regret our choice. Beautiful design, shiny chrome finish, operating the machine is quite intuitive and it features a coffee tamper and 3 different filters 2 of which are for ground coffee and 1 for ESE coffee pods. I particularly love the fact that the coffee filter has 3 buds and I don’t have to look underneath to mach them to the machine, it goes in pretty easily. We also enjoy the benefit of being able to adjust the machine settings, such as the quantity for each espresso or adjusting the water hardness – the instructions on how to do this are easy to follow. An other quality worth of mention is that once the coffee or the cappuccino is done the spouts don’t drip as much as other coffee machines I’ve previously owned, only a couple of drops. The machine also has a removable base to allow taller mugs in. I manage to simultaneously fill 2 mugs with coffee although in all fairness the base does not comfortably allow for both of them – still it doesn’t bother me that much.
Regarding the quality of the coffee no complaints whatsoever – strong coffee and with a nice dense crema on top. Satisfied with the way it frothes the milk as well. We were considering buying a separate milk frother however the one on the machine works great after all! The milk will not overheat as it only takes a bunch of seconds to make a good jug of frothed milk.
Had this for a few months now and it has been brilliant. The build quality is solid and it’s a beautiful looking machine with the chrome, shiny black plasitc and red metal housing. Don’t let the size of this fool you! It fits perfectly into a small kitchen yet it always performs flawlessly making strong double espresso with crema and frothing milk to perfection. I’m in the habit of washing it down after making a coffee and this definately helps keep it in working order. It’s worth the extra effort to me for fresh espresso.
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.
Absolutely love this!
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.
We are so in love with this coffee machine that I had to start buying decaf ground coffee to slow down on the caffeine intake over the weekend!!
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.
Easy to use and makes excellent, creamy and flavourfull coffee
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).
Near professional quality
The price I’m prepared to pay for a decent espresso machine has gradually edged up as my coffee snobbery has grown. This is the best machine I’ve had by far with accurate temperature control that gives a good crema and never has the boiled/burned taste that cheaper machines have. On the downside- not a machine for those who don’t enjoy the coffee making process- It’s quite fiddly especially when heating milk when the machine needs to be cooled by venting steam before making the coffee. Descaling is also fiddly and regular and like all ‘cheap’ espresso machines the pump will eventually fail (within two years at my level of use) I’m now on my second machine so the pros outweigh the cons for me until I can afford a real pro machine- or succumb to the bland conformity of capsule machines.
Delongi coffee machine
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
Good coffee but fiddly design flaws.
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….
This little machine not only looks great but makes excellent coffee too. Small footprint so doesn’t take up loads of counter space. The press basket fits snugly and the used coffee grounds are nearly dry immediately after the cycle so its easy to clean. Cleaning is best done soon after the press cycle is complete as the used grounds can set quite hard. The milk frother is very effective and doesn’t take long(about 20 seconds for a standard cup latte) to bring the milk up to 64C (the more milk the longer it il take).
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.
Good looking espresso machine and it makes great coffee
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.
Great cup o'Joe
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.
Overall recommend
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.
Fabulous Machine, so easy to set up and use.
Absolutely fantastic machine, makes coffee just like Costa, Caff Nero etc.
Easy to set up and use. Really easy to clean. Makes near perfect espressos. The milk steamer works fantastically well. Can heat a pint of milk in less than 90 seconds. Children love it when I make coffee now as they get to have hot chocolate more often.
If your buying this I recommend adding the jug/thermometer set that Amazon also sell as the machine doesn’t come with one.
My one and only complaint about this product and I suppose it doesn’t really involve this coffee maker is that the matching grinder is not available in the same red colour as the coffee machine is.
However if you enjoy your coffee as much as me and your happy to buy ground beans then this is definitely the many for you.
Genuinely couldn’t recommend this more.
Brilliant!
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.
Bought as a gif
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.
Brilliant little machine
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
It does everything that I have asked of it. It makes a great coffee (espresso/latte/capaccino) with a nice creamy head. It uses less coffee than the stove top method so is more economical. The milk frother is very effective too. My husband reports that it tastes like ‘barista’ coffee.
we use Bean Press Gedo Ethiopia Beans which we grind fresh each time and coconut sugar.
A great Expresso Machino
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 🙁
I chose this for its SLIM ‘FOOTPRINT’; in my kitchen it has to be tucked into a corner of the worktop then brung forward each time because you need arm room to fill the tank at the back, and to swivel the coffee container and the frother steam nozzle. It’s HEAVY so not easy to drag on a worktop so – TOP TIP – I made a glider by drawing round the oval base shape (used double thickness of card from the box) included a little tugging lip at the front, and it now glides easily to/fro/left/right. Or buy a small tray. Frothing took me a week to master. I use a steel jug 5ins deep and add 1-2ins milk, the nozzle reaches the bottom, the milk expands, then you can start lowering the jug so the nozzle tip (where the steam comes out) is just below the surface creating more air bubbles. It heats up the milk which is good as these machines don’t provide a boiling hot drink. Be prepared to ALWAYS WIPE DOWN the machine and surrounding surfaces because THE MILK SPLATTERS EVERYWHERE. It comes with 3 measures (ID is underneath) I think the 2scoop measure is ideal for one coffee. The 1scoop is best for a small shot espresso-size. Mug height, it will take up to approx 5ins. So, I’m using no more coffee than the cafetire but I’m getting a far superior coffee taste AS GOOD AS ANY COFFEE SHOP
Great entry level coffee machine
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.
Everything works rather well, except for the tamper that can’t press down the coffee more than 5 mm (0.197 inches) from the top of the filter because its construction ( ! ) so it can be cups of espresso that tastes terrible, this tamper is 50 mm (1.97 inches) in diameter but should be 49 mm (1.92 inches).
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
A superb coffee maker. So pleased with it. Sturdy but slimline and easy to use. Takes the ESSA coffee pods which are convenient and mess free. It also takes ground coffee. The latte/cappuccino milk frothed option is excellent as I can quickly warm milk for making hot chocolate as well. The best feature of this coffee maker is how hot the coffee is. I’ve bought other coffee makers and at best it made lukewarm coffee. This DeLonghi makes really hot coffee and the machine heats up within 30 second from switching on. Easy to clean. Highly recommend this coffee machine.
This does exactly what you expect it to. After a day of use you’re making espresso, americano,latte and cappuccino like a pro barista. Before you know it – you’re discussing best styles approaches to coffee making as if you’ve done it your entire life.
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.
This does exactly what you expect it to. After a day of use you’re making espresso, americano,latte and cappuccino like a pro barista. Before you know it – you’re discussing best styles approaches to coffee making as if you’ve done it your entire life.
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.
Over the moon with this purchase.
As a long time fan and owner of gaggia machines I was a little dubious about jumping ship to De’longhi to say the least. But I’ll be absolutely honest, after just a few uses I’m already glad i have done. It took a couple of uses to get it perfect as it’s slightly different to use than any of my gaggia machines but once you get it, it provides consistently good quality coffee.
The quality of the machine is better than expected, the crema is one of the best I’ve ever experienced from a home espresso machine and it is so easy to clean.
I can’t really comment on the durability as I haven’t had it long enough to be totally unbiased and subjective but I will say it feels nice and sturdy and the sump feels solid with a decent amount of weight to it which I’ve found over the years to be a good sign.
It looks the part in my kitchen too with it’s sleek narrow design. I’ve chosen the red version and I must say the pictures featured don’t do the product justice when you see it in person.
The machine works really well, but only because I worked out how to use it despite the instruction manual being incorrect and missing out vital information!
I’ve just come off the phone to customer services who agreed the manual isn’t right. So here’s the trick: if you’re using either of the filters that are for loose, ground coffee you need to add in the little removable drive-like piece with the black rubber round the outside.
If you don’t add this, then the coffee grains will get stuck in the single hole st the bottom of the filter and the machine will stop pumping.
Both the manual and the YouTube video don’t tell you this… In fact the YouTube video on the delonghi website has a man that shows you the filter he uses – and he doesn’t use the drive-like insert.
To be honest, the girl at customer services didn’t seem to understand anything I was saying…. and I’m still not convinced this is how they intend you to use the machine. However, customer services agreed it only works with the sieve inserted …. despite manual saying the sieve is for coffee pods.
Once you do this the machine produces a pretty decent cup of coffee! I used to have a gaggia classic and have trained as a barista. This machine uses half the amount of coffee as the gaggia and seems to have more pressure to still produce a good quantity of espresso. The machine seems to adjust automatically the brew time in order to pump a specified amount of water though the coffee. This function seems to work well and serves as good feedback: if the brew time gets too long, you know you’ve tamped the coffee too hard.
Ps… you won’t fit the full 2 spoons of coffee into the filter if you use the sieve insert…. it takes up too much space. Delonghi need to review this and communicate how they intend this filter to work!
I like latte coffee but not bothered about the patterns with the milk that comments are made. I’ve tried a few coffees and found that the tesco Italian suits my taste. Better than costa 🙂 . So as a coffee maker I like it a lot. Better than my old Tessimo that took expensive pods. This works out cheaper and better to use. The sleek design works for me due to space, only had it a week but all good. Watch YouTube videos to help you understand on how to works plenty on YouTube.
I like latte coffee but not bothered about the patterns with the milk that comments are made. I’ve tried a few coffees and found that the tesco Italian suits my taste. Better than costa 🙂 . So as a coffee maker I like it a lot. Better than my old Tessimo that took expensive pods. This works out cheaper and better to use. The sleek design works for me due to space, only had it a week but all good. Watch YouTube videos to help you understand on how to works plenty on YouTube.
Good quality and good espresso make
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.
First class product, far better than the one it replaced. Love the measured coffee dispense feature as I tend to walk away and never learn! Love the fact that it allows for hot milk or cappuccino with the frothier too. You can programme coffee temperature too. Exceptional for a machine in this price range. My last de Longhi lasted three years with hard daily use so expecting a similar life. Neat on the countertop and delivered within 48 hours of ordering, pretty unheard of on an island . As you can tell I only had to survive one day without my coffee….
First class product, far better than the one it replaced. Love the measured coffee dispense feature as I tend to walk away and never learn! Love the fact that it allows for hot milk or cappuccino with the frothier too. You can programme coffee temperature too. Exceptional for a machine in this price range. My last de Longhi lasted three years with hard daily use so expecting a similar life. Neat on the countertop and delivered within 48 hours of ordering, pretty unheard of on an island . As you can tell I only had to survive one day without my coffee….
I am very pleased with i
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
Mine arrived today, and I’ve just spent about an hour making my first cup. This is my first experience with anything other than a fully-automated machine (I’m replacing my Nespresso due to environmental concerns over the pods). The instruction manual is brief and seems correct, but every word in it counts, so extremely close attention to every detail is required. I got better instructions from YouTube. You’ll need several vessels to catch variously hot water, splatters and squirts, and a damp cloth to mop up everything that goes over the side.
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!
Mine arrived today, and I’ve just spent about an hour making my first cup. This is my first experience with anything other than a fully-automated machine (I’m replacing my Nespresso due to environmental concerns over the pods). The instruction manual is brief and seems correct, but every word in it counts, so extremely close attention to every detail is required. I got better instructions from YouTube. You’ll need several vessels to catch variously hot water, splatters and squirts, and a damp cloth to mop up everything that goes over the side.
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!
Works well. however when the steamer pipe comes apart for cleaning and can be a bit fiddly to refit and also can slip too easily into the different milk frothing settings. It can be programmed regarding temperature, cup size and descaling reminder, etc but we have found those settings to be unnecessary. Big disappoint was the European 2 pin plug on a UK appliance, so there is now an adaptor fitted. Overall a nice quality solid build.
Small attractive espresso machine
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 absolutely love this machine. Great value for money. It is sturdy and makes amazing coffee. You only have to be very aware that household espresso machine takes chunkily ground coffee. I saw in other reviews people giving it bad reviews just because they don’t use the right coffee and they don’t know it (presumably because they have no experience with these machines and haven’t read the instructions fully), but that is my two cents. I normally use the Tailors of Harrogate coffee – perfectly ground for this machine. Or go to my local coffee shop and ask them to grind it VERY chunky. And the frother is pretty good for such a small machine. I moved away from Nespress due to the waste in the capsules, and I will not look back, this is a great alternative.
Wonderful machine and the milk frother works pretty well with non dairy milk!
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
I’ve had this machine for a couple of months now, and I’ve used it every single day! It’s my first coffee machine, and I’m thrilled with the coffee it makes. I normally make a cafe latte, but occasionally have an espresso or an americano. They all turn out beautifully.
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.
I’ve had this machine for a couple of months now, and I’ve used it every single day! It’s my first coffee machine, and I’m thrilled with the coffee it makes. I normally make a cafe latte, but occasionally have an espresso or an americano. They all turn out beautifully.
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.
This is smart looking machine that doesn’t take up much worktop space. I have made a couple of flat whites using ground coffee already and they were delicious. The frother works well and the coffee is dispensed quickly. Haven’t tried all the programming features yet or the coffee pods so can’t comment on that. The reason I give 4 stars is because it was supplied with a European 2 pin plug! I had to replace this with a UK plug…I thought it was against the law to supply electrical items in the UK with a European plug?
This is smart looking machine that doesn’t take up much worktop space. I have made a couple of flat whites using ground coffee already and they were delicious. The frother works well and the coffee is dispensed quickly. Haven’t tried all the programming features yet or the coffee pods so can’t comment on that. The reason I give 4 stars is because it was supplied with a European 2 pin plug! I had to replace this with a UK plug…I thought it was against the law to supply electrical items in the UK with a European plug?
This makes good espresso and cappuccino, we’ve been using it more than we thought! Really good value for money, although it’s important to read the manual and watch a couple of YouTube videos to make sure it’s being used correctly.
Really glad we didn’t get one of those that works with capsules. This one takes a big longer but the result pays for it and it’s very easy to clea
Love this coffee machine, so easy to use, can make coffee to to your perfect preference in strength, temperature. Makes a perfect capuccino. Only down side for UK customers is that it comes with a european 2 pin plug but works perfectly well with a european adaptor otherwise would have scored a perfect 5 stars.
Awesome. Husband very happy with it. Makes a superb espresso and machine looks good with a small kitchen space footprint.
Thanks to the teachers who left previous review about having tested this to destruction in their staff room. No better recommendation!
Awesome. Husband very happy with it. Makes a superb espresso and machine looks good with a small kitchen space footprint.
Thanks to the teachers who left previous review about having tested this to destruction in their staff room. No better recommendation!
After breaking my fourth cafetiere I decided it was time to settle for a more permanent solution, which led me to this machine.
Attractively priced and a pleasing on the eye. It has a small profile yet has the capacity for plenty of drinks, and my wife and I were easily able to master most drinks within a few attempts.
Pros:
Has an energy saving mode and can be quickly started up, ready to serve in about 20s.
Large capacity drip tray
Easy set up and
Cons:
Steam spout is short and too close to the lever that controls it.
Components aren’t dishwasher safe
I’m spending too much money on coffee and milk
I’ve been looking for a coffee machine for quite a while now and after seeing this in the Black Friday sale, I couldn’t pass on it. it fits perfectly with my other kitchen appliances, being all silver. What sold it to me was the milk frother, it works perfect every time. it beats putting a cup of milk in the microwave to make milky coffee. perfect cuppa every time.
Very pleased with this coffee machine. After thinking about it for a while and comparing with other coffee makers, this has been a good purchase. One needs to read the instructions carefully, as well the helpful delonghi videos on You tube.
The machine is slim and sits well on our small kitchen work surface. The last one we had took up too much space.
It makes a very good espresso, cappuccino or latte, and is easy to froth the milk using the steamer. We haven’t tried an American yet.
Exceeded my expectations by far. Im currently using it for ESE pods and it produces a very good espresso (I have tried puregusto, Caffe Carbonelly and Illy). The creama is caramel coloured and quite thick(slightly lighter with Illy though). The presurized filter is a must have if you dont own a very expensive grinder (over 600) which is needed to create a good espresso without this type of filter. For this machine the dubble filter gives the best end result though. Its also stunning looking and very well thought out with the recently added cappucino mode on the frother ( alows you to turn the frother into a standard one without the air being added automatically)