DeLonghi Dedica

Great little machine for what you pay for. Not perfect, it has a few little idiosyncrasies that take a bit getting used to, but all coffee machines are like that. Easy to clean, but keep on top of it. We live in Perth and the water has more minerals etc so needs to be cleaned more regularly. Overall good value

I can’t find the receipt but I’m pretty sure I have had my Delonghi Dedica EC 680 manual coffee machine for three years. Its small footprint was important in selecting it to replace my old unit as worktop space, if not at a premium, is not infinite in my kitchen. Three finishes were on offer – red, black and stainless which I chose. It has proven easy to keep clean.

It’s small but can it make a decent espresso? I have pulled at least ten shots a day, for family and friends, every day for three years, and I have had consistently good results with beans I grind myself or pre-ground kilo bricks. I am happy with the crema delivered by the Dedica.

The machine is programmable in terms of coffee temperature, coffee volume, water hardness and stand-by time. Programming is straightforward using the three buttons above the group head. These same buttons convey operational status and indicate when to descale.

The filter holder has three filters - one shot, two shot and ESE. The filters are pressurised which promotes consistent extraction but may not suit the more expert domestic coffee maker. The frothing wand is of the panarello type which assists in the creation of froth but again, may not suit the more expert domestic coffee maker. The machine has a 1 litre water tank which I typically fill once a day. The water heater is of the thermobloc type which is very quick to reach operating temperature and recover.

Recently, I have started experimenting with various brands of ESE pod with the idea in mind that visitors can easily make a coffee themselves even though they are unfamiliar with this type of machine. To extend this idea, I have bought a Lavazza milk frother so that the ease of use of a capsule machine is approximated.

If you want to use a taller glass or mug, you will have to remove the drip tray to get more clearance. Delonghi has released the Dedica Deluxe 685 which is slightly smaller and lighter with some differences/enhancements including a second smaller drip tray under the main drip tray to address the clearance issue. The Deluxe’s frothing wand also features a sliding collar to select frothing or heating. At the time of writing both models appear to be available, the Deluxe at a modest premium.

I have descaled the Dedica regularly as indicated by the steam button light changing from white to orange. I have replaced the group head gasket twice and replaced the two shot filter once. These spares are easily available on eBay and elsewhere.

All in all, this is an easy-to-use, well-priced, solid, competent coffee machine for the rest of us.

Bought a Delonghi Dedica EC 685 model about a year ago and found it easy to use and makes good consistent expresso coffee. Functions are basic and the temperature has only one setting but generally found the machine value for money.

To make a perfect cup of coffee you need: freshly roasted beans, freshly ground coffee and a means of extracting the most flavour from the grounds. I've tried just about every method: saucepan, filter, plunger, percolator, pods... None of them match the perfection of the mighty steam-driven espresso method, but until recently, it's only been available in coffee temples via a barista. At last, DeLonghi has made true espresso available in your kitchen at a reasonable price. My machine cost $299 from The Good Guys. There are more expensive models, but I'm not sure they're worth it.
It takes some practice and more fuss and cleaning up than a pod machine, but the results are worth it. The cleverly designed steam outlet triples your milk volume with the finest of micro-bubbles. Latte art is possible, but requires more skill and patience than I'm willing to invest.
My only criticism is the cheap plastic tamper that comes in the box. I bought a professional steel tamper on eBay to ensure prefect crema ($16). You will also need a knock box ($35) and a 350ml milk frothing jug ($12)
And one caveat: don't use pre-ground coffee — for best results, match the Dedica with a good conical burr grinder. We have a Sunbeam ($99)

Only owned a few weeks but wich Id bought years ago, previously using nespresso pod mahcine - this is much better. Takes a little while to heat up but once it does it is awesome. Great pressure from steam wand.

Makes a perfect cup of coffee everytime. I love the fact that is tells me when it needs de-scaling and that I can alter the size of the pour according to what cup I am using, so I don't have to constantly watch it

It's a rubbish product. It made about 8 cups of coffee and then refused to make another one. Coffee loaded and nothing came out into the cup so I scooped all the coffee out and put it into my 3 year old $69 Aldi machine and it all worked fine. When it worked the quality was no better than what the Aldi machine made and a far cry from what you get in a coffee shop. It's going back for a refund.

Was lucky enough to get this on a rewards card so I didn't have to pay. Buying the glass eye and false teeth helped a lot.
It makes a terrific steaming cuppa every time, so hot in fact when my new glass eye fell into the cup when I sneezed, it melted the paint off it.
The frother works like a beauty too. I can throw the new false teeth in a bit of water and they come out gleaming. All the better for a wonderful tasting morning cup of cha to start my day.

This machine was quite good when new. coffee was ok though It would stuggled to make a stong double shot with enough volume . It seems to need descaling a lot. In under 12 mnths the water failed to pass through the filter and basket, even with no coffee in it. The pump has gone again it seems, just like the last identical model we had (this is a replacement from the store). I have owned better machines in the past but to be fair they were more expensive. I will buy another brand

After owning other coffee machines ,and could always get a decent cup of coffee I decided to buy a delonghi dedica. I have only used it 4 times and have thrown it in the cupboard in total frustration.The coffee (a double shot)comes out weak and not very hot, I always have to put the coffee in the microwave,I think this machine is absolute rubbish.

Easy to use espresso machine with double and single shot attachments. Produces a good quality coffee. And milk frother works well though needs cleaning after each use. Overall easy to clean and descale.

Recently bought this coffee machine instead of a capsule one. The coffee it makes is absolutely fantastic, I mean to the level of Melbourne coffee shop. Very easy to use. First I was afraid that too many parts will require cleaning and they do (6 including milk jug) but 5 can simply be rinsed so it literally takes few seconds. As this is not a new model I got it practically at half the original RRP. Very happy with the purchase.

Bought this as a gift for my husband about a year and a bit ago and he really loves it . The red colour looks great in the kitchen and the machine makes great coffee . It has a milk frother attached and is just an all round great little machine ! Highly recommend it for any coffee lover !

I enjoy the coffee made from this machine. It probably doesn’t get quite as hot as a fully equipped coffee machine and the pressure heads definitely weaken the coffee a bit, but it still makes a beautiful shot and is very easy to use. Would recommend for something on the lower end scale price but wanting to drink less coffee out.

Produces a very good short black with plenty of crema. Simple to use. Good quality unit for the price. The steamer could do with being a little more powerful, but I really can’t complain with the unit as I didn’t spend $700-800 for something that I would rate similar. Great machine Delonghi!

I bought this on amazon. Hate this machine, as I wasted more espresso when the water would not brew and drip and got stuck frequently. Would not matter if I packed the espresso lose or tight had many issues. Also the milk froth leaked water in my milk and watered it down. Waste of money and difficult to operate!!! I’m apparently not a barista or this is defective machine.

In six months this machine has played silly buggers six times, did a full descale each time, unscrewed the filters etc, even soaked them in napisan overnight, water still wont pump through the basket. We use filtered rainwater. I'm ready to get a refund on this and never go near DeLonghi again... With so much trouble with the Scultura, now this, I'm a bit disappointed. And of course your machine only craps itself when you are craving your morning cup o' Joe...

It's my first coffee machine. I had no issue whatsoever with it after using it for 6 months. It's the best machine to learn the art of home brewing coffee. I experiment with temperature and filter by using pressurised and non-pressurised.

I found the quality is very consistent once you know the amount and tamping pressure.

The only improvement I would suggest is increasing the height of the portafilter docking to allow travel mugs to fit in.

I love the coffee this machine can produce. Nice and strong and a very easy machine to use however... it seems to need a descale a lot. We live on rainwater so it shouldn't need it but I run it through without the actual fluid just water and the light goes out till next time.. so it seems to be on a timer for descaling not actually needing it. The base is too high for me but can be removed although you need a smaller base cup to fit as a larger mug I have to sit on an angle. It also seems to not be able to pump the water through if you tamp too hard. My old machine I could tamp as hard as I wanted but this seems quite picky and just that bit too tamped and I have to wait for the pressure to subside and start over. Very nice coffee when I get it all right though and a nice narrow size machine. Needs to be held down when you tighten the handle in or the whole machine moves.

Quite a good machine, certainly worth the value for money and price. It pays to spend time practising with this machine and running it in. Also the quality of your grind is essential between a bad and good coffee. Once i shifted to a good grinder, i can now make perfect single or double shot espressos. The steamer does the job, but isn't exceptional.