DeLonghi Dedica
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This is a good coffee machine in many ways, but it appears to have one significant flaw. We previously owned the same model, which developed an issue where the descale light kept flashing, even after we descaled the machine multiple times. We contacted DeLonghi for advice and tried their suggested fix, but it didn’t resolve the problem. Because… Read more
the machine was out of warranty and the repair cost would have been higher than replacing it, we decided to buy a new one — the same model, as it was on special. Unfortunately, the same issue occurred the first time the new machine needed descaling.
This time, it was still under warranty, so we took it in for repair. The technician told us this is not an uncommon fault and that the fix may involve replacing a specific circuit inside the machine.
Overall, while this coffee machine makes great coffee and works well in general, potential buyers should be aware of this recurring descaling light problem.
Don't know how good the coffee is – I'd love to tell people how good the coffee is or isn't but I can't. The filter baskets are impossible to get into the portafilter. I've tried numerous times using numerous techniques but it's a no-go. So back it goes.
Hi Dad55, Thank you for your review on our Delo nghi… Read more
Pathetic service – Purchased it online in a Feb/24 through Myer. Issues with milk frother. We noticed having to refill water often and couldn’t work out what was wrong. The milk was doubling or tripling and drinking watered fine coffee so ended up using a separate frother so the Myer store is an hour away. Anyway when our friend came over and tried to make coffee,… Read more
same thing happened and advised us to take it back as it was faulty. Took it back on June/24, Myer said since it’s after one month of purchase they will have to send it for repair. Picked it up last week, issue persists! Went yo myer( 3 trips now, around 2 hours each trip to snd fro), Myer told us to contact delonghi. I didn’t want to make the 2 hour trip again so rang them from Myer store. The customer service lady said she can’t do anything and it will have to be sent for repair again and uf issue is not fixable then they need a report. This is a new machine, purchased like 3 months ago!!! Pathetic service!
UPDATE: Since then Delonghi replaced the coffee machine and this one is probably the next one up model. We love using it. It only took like 3 times going to and from Myers which is an hour away. And we had to go and pick the new machine, they didn’t deliver.
Hello Eva, Thank you for providing this insight and… Read more
Reviews with attachments
Fantastic little machine, and I say that as a previous owner of a Rocket Giotto – I owned a Rocket Giotto for about 4 years, and used it to make 2-3 coffees on it every day. I bought this was a back-up machine, mainly to take on weekend getaways and road trips. The Giotto makes cafe quality coffee but is very bulky and takes 1/2 hour to warm up. I decided to downgrade from this $3600 machine to a $280 Delonghi, and I… Read more
couldn't be happier.
I made two modifications - I sawed off the steam wand to reveal just the rubber tip, so I can froth my soy milk and do a rosetta pour. I also replaced the pressurised basket with an aftermarket non-pressurised basket, which also increases the amount of coffee ground it holds (from 7.5g to 10g).
This is the result! I am so happy with the machine, I'm considering buying a spare when it's on sale!
Best performer – I’ve moved into a smaller place. I used to use a Jura Ena5. That’s too big. So I went hunting for a simple machine that will give me the opportunity to use different coffee beans. Honestly have a machine that grinds your beans is good but then you are stuck with the one flavour. The delonghi is fantastic. It is consistent and reliable. Even my 11… Read more · 1
year old can use it. I don’t use the cup warmer or the milk steamer. I heat half a cup of milk in the microwave and I have programmed the two cup option to fill the rest with coffee. To those that aren’t happy with their brew, change your beans. Love this machine.
It’s ok for the money – So this coffee machine is ok for the money we paid. The extraction is never really consistent. The wand runs out of steam easily but i guess you get what you pay for.
Second Delonghi dedica. Work Horse and Slight improvement after few years – this is my second unit. the first last for 3 years and is still working. Improvement on the porta filter is quite good. giving better consistencies. Black color is very good. The red unit previously peels off after a few years. Previous unit looses pressure due to wear and tear. there are many instructions online to swap over the steam outlet which gives significant improvement. Show details
Quick shots from a small footprint – 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… Read more
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.
In-depth reviews
Good Little Machine (Edited July 2023) – Added in July 2023 - changed my rating from 4 stars to 3. Machine having little issues - for example, the steamer pulsates and takes almost twice as long to heat the milk. Suspect will not last much past the warranty period. Original review - This is the 2nd Delonghi Dedica I've had ($219.95). My first was the more expensive version. I've had… Read more
the current one for about 3 months. Well worth reading the instructions first, as you can change many things to customise. Makes a good cuppa. Only minor criticisms. The machine shakes a little during coffee phase which means I need to watch the petite cup doesn't move too much. And I took the steamer outer tube off (what barista have you seen uses this tube!! - none!). But the end of the steamer blew off each time - hot milk everywhere. Found an easy fix for that, but still believe it shouldn't happen. And the steamer does tend to stop mid-steam. That's usually because of the design of the switch - you need to push it to its maximum, or it will disconnect.
All round a great compact, semi-automatic espresso machine – Background: my nephew & I bought one each on special (from Aldi) last week. We upgraded from simple moka pot (Italian stove-top pot) machines, and occasionally borrowed a full-auto Breville. Also, my coffee-fanatic friend was staying with me... This is our newbie limited experience after about a week. TLDR: Design, looks, features, and results… Read more · 1
are all solid quality. My morning coffee experience has gone up a level! Quite impressed. No down sides apparently.
It was chosen due to being a compact size for a smallish/standard apartment kitchen, in the hope that even then, we could get a decent espresso. It has not disappointed.
Machine boots up (to build pressure) really quite quickly. Probably half a minute? By the time I grind and warm my espresso cups with boiling kettle water etc, it's already ready.
I haven't used the milk steamer/frother, so no comment. But it looks good.
The tamper is a simple and cheap but effective plastic tool. I'll get a solid metal one soon.
The "grouphead" and "portafilter" (grouphandle) seem to be quality engineered (*). The single and double-sized coffee puck holders also look like quality precision engineered holders. Puck holders in particular look like a type of polished stainless steel that will not corrode and will gracefully handle years of use. We noticed that the coffee puck side has the pin holes you'd expect, but the exit/draw side has such a microscopic hole, that you could miss it. I guess that's how the coffee is drawn while being under pressure.
(*) I just looked up these terms!
To operate: first load up the puck holder using the guide line. If you go over, you won't be able to rotate the handle into the lock position. Thankfully, if you do try to force it in a bit overloaded, the machine doesn't feel like you'll break it. It's quite solid.
Then just press the single-shot or double-shot button (according to which puck/holder you used), and watch in delight as the machine makes all the usual noises and out comes liquid gold, in a matter of seconds. It's the best start to a day! It comes out exactly as expected, with plenty of crema. Note that it can make you a ristretto instead of an espresso, because you can press the button again to stop the extraction. (I'll have caffeine-crazed fun with this, I'm sure...).
Then enjoy ;)
Basically, the whole machine looks engineered to: look good, work hard, and be easy to clean and use.
As well as a metal tamper, the only other thing I'll get is a knockbox... Easier, less mess, and makes recycling old coffee grounds easier.
So, in summary, compared to my moka pot experience: - I now get a crema (that frothy light brown foam)! Clearly critically important things happening! - the same grind tastes much smoother. Definitely more sophisticated! - (perhaps psychosomatically?) the caffeine hit seems faster. Not necessarily more caffeine overall. Just faster. So, possibly, this processes the caffeine in a way which metabolises faster than a moka pot? - considerably faster process; the warm up and the draw only take a few seconds. - a bit less mess; I wash out the puck holder and grouphandle, and wipe down, rather than wash all the moka pot components. - nephew is not yet grinding his own beans, but still reports superb flavour from high quality locally pre-ground coffee beans. - I will switch from supermarket beans to specialist locally roasted beans, and I'm sure (given nephew's parallel experience) the result will be more pronounced and worthwhile.
So, all good, and nothing bad.
Being a bloke, I have an aversion to pulling out the manual to read it. That'll happen soon, I'm sure. At which time, I'll probably have to figure out how to descale or something. (I'm using filtered water though). But daily use is about as simplified as you can expect for a semi-automatic machine (where you retain control over the grind).
I did try "extracting" nothing but hot water (ie with no coffee) as a lazy way to heat my espresso cup. I'll read instructions one day to see if I'm doing something stupid.
Basically, I'm writing this review because so far I'm very happy with this well made, practical and good looking little DeLonghi machine.
One day, I may get too lazy and upgrade to a full-automatic machine, but this is surely a happy place to be indefinitely.
Nice work DeLonghi !
Nb. Coffee cup in the photo is an unusual 150mm size (piccolo size, not espresso or cappuccino).
Going on 5 years without missing a beat! – I purchased this from Myer a number of years ago as I previously owned a faulty Distinta. The salesperson highly recommended the machine and I can’t thank her enough! The machine produces a beautifully rich crema and the frothing wand stretches the milk to a smooth, cafe quality texture. Since owning this machine I haven’t made a bad coffee and… Read more · 1
have nailed it with my grinds to get a better than cafe quality coffee every.single.time.
I descale the machine regularly and give it a good clean periodically- it’s easy and never a hassle.
Probably the only minor issue is having to hold the entire unit when attaching the group head (not a deal breaker) the machine is super light.
If I was to be super picky, I’d say another issue is the metal build sitting on my granite bench top, it feels noisier than my plastic Distinta but I’ve never had a complaint from a neighbour (I’d bribe them with a coffee anyway lol).
Love this machine!!!
Positive reviews
Awsome coffee in an instant – Drank instant coffee until I told my wife I was over coffee. She purchased this for my birthday and now I love coffee again. So easy to use and great coffee.
Had the first one for more than 5 years – Best Value for money ever, had the first one for over 5 years, used 5-6 times a day, have just bought our second one, so happy I will buy a spare and put away, cause who knows when when production will stop or change Show details
Find out how DeLonghi Dedica compares to other Semi-Automatic and Manual Coffee Machines
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Perfect little coffee machine – Love this little machine. Makes great coffee, easy to clean and takes up so little bench space. We've had it for 2 years now, use it every day and it's still going strong. Show details · 1
Negative reviews
Low quality and unreliable - effectively no warranty and support – Milk frother stopped working after about two months of use. I used the milk frother a few times a week. Coffee machine stopped working after less than one year of use. I used the coffee machine once everyday on average. Product is still under warranty but warranty is not useable because the onus is on the customer to take it to a repair shop. In… Read more
my case, the repair shop is about 25 minutes away. So I would have had to spend 1-2 hours to drive there, drop it off, and then drive there again to pick it up after they repaired it.
DeLonghi also does not honour their warranty and has not provided any support.
Lightweight – This would suit a light coffee drinker with muscle. The Steam wand produces bubbles, not textured milk.The design is too tricky by half. The basket size is small and prone to blockage. If filled with the recommended grind, it takes a bit of force to lock the Group handle into the head. You'll need to hold tight to the machine or it will skid over… Read more
the counter. If you really like coffee and want to make Café art, go for the next price range up say, the Sunbeam Minibarista.
Hi Dmisso, Thank you for your review. Please note that… Read more
Good value for money – Compact coffee machine with a powerful steam wand. The key is to firstly flush the water before steaming the milk. Secondly fill the milk to the v shaped bottom of the spout. Third push the valve up before steaming the milk. Steam the milk for 30 seconds then push the valve down to let air in to create the Crema & steam the milk for a further… Read more
40 seconds to create the Crema.
You got to love delonghi.
When I give them a good review of the delonghi dedica. No recognition, absolutely zero.
But when I give an honest review of their absolute Rubbish of a lemon, Delonghi Magnifica Evo, they cry like babies. Got to love delonghi.
Recent reviews
Makes good coffee every time – Easy to use and clean.Makes excellent coffee every time. We do not use the milk frother. Show details
Looks like a Ferrari drives like a Ford! – Bought machine for $179 @ALDI DEC 2022 so was not expecting to much! New to Coffee machines & knocking up my own brew w beans. This machine helps to extract decent coffee BUT if you want to texture milk this machine is NO GOOD! The steam wand is so bad and cheaply that a YouTube poster reveals a hack pulling the case off wand and affixing the… Read more
inside of wand with a cable tie! Noticed at Aldi around same time the machine was on sale there were multiple returns discounted placed back on the shelves for sale…Assume same issue Another issue is the 2 cup filter attaches to the group head after extracting & removing the group handle. Have the purge water through to remove…
So if you like milk w you brew ☕️ this machine is NOT for you - i liked the slimline design for my compact kitchen have since found there are other models on market w a decent steam wand. Will be looking at these asap.
Not good – My first one lasted 5 years... then I had to buy 3 in 12 months with the newer model version.. The pump stopped working on all 3 occassions. When I returned it, I had to wait weeks for it to be fixed then the problem occured shortly after that. Show details
Hi Di Di, thank you for the feedback. We are sorry to… Read more
disappointed – This machine does not do what the description states. The coffee is poor almost like dishwater.Changed coffee brand to the top of the range with the same result.Could not recommend this product. Show details
Inconsistent Product – Had a Sunbeam Cafe Series and should have stuck with Sunbeam instead of the DeLonghi. Difficult to programme & clean. Inconsistent Crema - one day it's a flat white and next it's a cappuccino and I haven't changed the wand setting off froth setting. Fitted a water filter which pops out of it's housing all the time, so I have to keep an eye on… Read more
that. Watch the clip that holds the Water Reservoir as mine broke off when I was removing the tank to refill. Replaced under warranty but I now do not remove it and manually fill tank. Sorry we purchased last year.
Find out how DeLonghi Dedica compares to other Semi-Automatic and Manual Coffee Machines
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You pay for what you get. Unreliable and poor performing – This machine was great for the first 2 months, then it failed intermittently thereafter. DeLonghi have a repair process and refuse to provide a replacement/refund until they have deemed the machine completely un-repairable. Have been without the machine for 5 weeks now, and have spent more money in the past 5 weeks purchasing coffee than the total… Read more
cost of the machine. They are sending it back "repaired", only for me to hope it doesn't happen again, and if so, they will request it to be sent away again. Super disappointing at their customer service and "processes" in place, really making the whole experience a lot worse.
Disappointed at longevity – Bought this machine again after my first one died after about two years… Two years later, and just out of warranty, it’s happened again. I’m pretty disappointed at the quality of the machine. Coffee it makes is fine and it’s easy to use but I’m honestly unhappy about the machine breaking down just after the two year mark. Show details
2nd Dedica i've had this one is a lemon – Just purchased my 2nd Delonghi Dedica as my first one was 2.5 yrs old and getting little tired and as it had served me well I thought I would replace it. ` The new baskets are constantly getting blocked. The machine doesn't seem to be building enough pressure. The steam wand works intermittently then cuts out and the lights flash. I called De… Read more
Longhi help line and the guy on the end was friendly but after I explained what happened he suggested 4 times that it was the beans I was using. I changed beans and grind twice and still when the machine was working the baskets constantly blocked after one use. I have spent quite some time attempting to tweak my technique but to no avail. I had no such problems with my first machine. I haven't decided yet whether it's worth it to send it back or just turn it into an arty pot plant holder and upgrade to another more expensive brand. Bit disappointed but hey first world problems I suppose, But then again it's MY MORNING COFFEE!
Okay machine but did not last the 2 year warranty period – I was happy with the machine, except it failed 15 months after purchasing. It was unable to deliver steam and the timer function on the boiler water dosage was not constant. The silver and white are no longer sold, only the black. Show details
Seal broken less than a year old – Contacted DeLonghi customer support. Advised them the seal is broken less that a year old. Told I had to take machine in to be serviced. This is inconvenient and would rather have the machine replaced or discount on new machine. Show details
Hi there, We're sorry to hear about this and have… Read more
7 years still going strong and fantastic coffees! – We've had a Dedica 685 for over 7 years and still producing great coffees - full head crema and great taste. This is really a 'fully manual' machine - so you need to experiment with all the 'variables' for the type of outcome you want. Critical are: water temp (suggest high), coffee grind (go fine-ish - u need a grinder with this machine), tamp… Read more · 1
pressure (moderate- hard); draw time - go long even thru the single shot basket, cleaning (do as infrequent as possible! - just rinse the basket). The back pressure at the head is important to get a lush crema - tho we have blown one of the 3 spigots on our original holder arm!
Miss, miss, hit on quality – We bought 3 dedica ec685 (black, red, white) from different stores within 1 week. This is the second dedica coffee machine that has a problem. First is the ec685bk(black) which leaked water out of the box and this ec685r(red) has missing water stops. The ec685w(white) is ok and no problems.
Hi there, We're sorry to hear about this and have… Read more
One of the best I’ve owned – This being at least my 5/6 machine it’s by far the best built and high quality product compared to 2 previous manuals of the same brand (good looking but parts were cheaper and barely lasted 2 years) and a league above the Breville etc I’ve bought Highly recommend and love the slim design Show details · 1
Works perfectly – Have had it about two years and has worked flawlessly. Not one problem. Has been easy to use and maintain. I highly recommend. My wife and I have a couple of coffee each day, so it has done plenty of work. Show details
Perfect for 2 years only – It worked perfectly for 21 months producing my espressos like it should. Not even 2 years on and the water doesn't pass through the espresso. It just sits on top of the grinds and produces only drips of coffee. I tested the water flow without attaching the coffee handle and it dispenses fine. Must be a pressure related problem. I look after my machine, do everything I am supposed to with descaling and cleaning the parts. Really disappointing. Show details · 1
What a great surprise, for the price it works extremely well. Great value – I find it works very well for me. I have only just bought it so I can’t speak for longevity yet, but so far it produces very acceptable shots using espresso grounds, it produces a good crema. The steam wand seems more powerful than my big machine too so the machine does what I bought it to do. . The machine is lightweight as expected so the most… Read more · 3
difficult thing about it is holding it still while I insert the tight (that’s good) filter holder. A suggestion for other buyers -use filtered water to greatly reduce cleaning and descaling.
Awful – Bought about 3 weeks ago and very disappointed in my purchase. Really hard to make a nice cup of coffee consistently. Needs a lot of thorough deep cleaning way more often than a home machine should. Steaming isn’t great. You basically need to buy a bunch of accessories to mod the machine to make it work better, as per reviews. Contacted Delonghi… Read more
for support and no answer. Should have done more homework. Go with a different company and/or spend a bit more. Just avoid this machine. Wouldn’t even be worth $100
Hi James, We are so sorry to hear about this and we have… Read more
Coffee Good but – I've had my machine about a year and a half. I really do love the espresso it produces (along with a good quality of chosen ground beans) but...I find the descaling requirement is WAY more often than other machines I have had, the process of descaling is really inefficient and recently, after descaling, I cannot get the machine to produce espresso… Read more
shots. I have done EVERYTHING in the manual and / or videos but when I do not have coffee in the filter and just use water - no problem. The MOMENT I place coffee in the filter - no liquid comes through the filter at all. I'm pretty disappointed because I love the machine. But....,
PS: I was contacted by delonghi & offered some assistance - but then I never heard from them!!! Service is so bad.
Hi there, we're so sorry to hear about this. We have… Read more (+4 replies)
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Hello Hamish, Thank you for taking the time to share… Read more