De'Longhi Dedica Style, Traditional Pump Espresso Machine, Coffee and Cappuccino Maker, EC685BK, Black

I love this coffee machine, it is so easy to use and heats up quickly. It makes lovely coffee and the steam wand is impressive, there are two options to choose from - hot milk or cappuccino milk. I have tried several coffee machines now, this one definitely has the best steam wand and the wand is easier to keep clean as the hot milk doesn’t seem to stick to it so much. This machine also seems happy to make two or three consecutive coffees without any issues, this was a problem with our last machine. The slim design of this machine means it doesn’t take up much space, it also looks stylish. I would definitely recommend this Delonghi coffeee machine, for ease of use and coffee quality, and also value for money.

My first impression was that it was a beautiful and compact machine that would look lovely in my kitchen to replace a 5 year old pod machine which I felt was not environmentally friendly. I read the instructions carefully because that's the kind of person I am. I suspect that if you are not a read the instructions kind of person you may be disappointed with the coffee that you get! So, I cleaned it as instructed and set it up. Then I ran the circuit program to clean the insides. No problem at all. Now, I live in a hard water area so wanted to change that setting. I read the instructions again and made my first attempt, this resulted in my getting water everywhere. I realised that I hadn't been quick enough to press the right button and it made me a cup of coffee instead. I suggest removing the drip tray and putting a container under the outlet when in programming mode, just in case. Some reviews say that the coffee isn't hot enough. Well, you can change the temperature of the water. I like mine hot so I changed the setting to hot, it made very hot coffee. I like espresso, cappuccino and flat white. Espresso is easy, just use the 1 cup basket. The first time I tried the coffee took ages to come through, I realised that I'd tamped too much. The second time was much better. However, I need to mention my next issue, I really really struggled to twist the handle to lock the holder into place. I found myself wrestling with the machine for several minutes. Having used it for a few days now, it does get easier and it locks into position without the wrestling. Note that the tamper that comes with the machine is okay but you need to hold it at the bottom, if you push the top, it bends alarmingly. I bought the wood and metal tamper which is much easier to use. Cappuccino etc is also easy once you realise how the frother works. I recommend watching a YouTube video but basically you pop the ring up for hot milk and down for frothy milk. To get the wand off, twist to the right and pull down. It's easy once you know how. Cleaning it was straightforward. My final choice is for a mug of coffee, and I do have a few of these every day! To achieve this I reprogrammed the 2 cup button to run more water through the machine using the 2 cup filter basket and 10g coffee. I have a slightly larger mug too, to fill this one I use 12g ground coffee, my reprogrammed 2 cup button, and then the default 1 cup button to get an extra 60ml of water through. I absolutely love, love, love this machine. It makes perfect coffee every time xxxxx

Great little starter machine. It needs modding with a 51mm bottomless portafilter and 51mm filter baskets (non-pressurised) to get the best out of it though; hence only the 4 stars, it's a shame these don't come as standard. As with all espresso machines, the Dedica is only as good as the freshness of the beans you use and the quality of your coffee grinder to be able to produce the right grind size consistently. I use 16g of ground coffee in my baskets and found programming the timing of the Dedica a little tricky but once that was set, with the right beans and a consistent grind size you can dial in the right recipe for the Dedica to turn it into great cup of coffee. I don't use the milk frother personally so cannot comment on this feature. For grinder's, I've paired my Dedica with a Sage - The Smart Grinder Pro automatic grinder and a manual Timemore Chestnut C3 ESP Pro grinder (both available on Amazon), the manual one I use as a back-up grinder for when I clean the automatic one, both of these grinders are capable of producing consistent fine grind sizes suitable for espresso. Pro's: Value for money, Reliable, 30second start (approx), easy to clean. Con's: 51mm portafilter size (54mm would have been better), Modification required to get the best results, Programming can be tricky, the chrome drip tray scratches so easily.

I have had the Dedica Style for a week now and I am very impressed. I have been using it to make espressos, cortados, cappuccinos and americanos. All have been excellent. I would say that the instructions which come with the machine are pretty poor, you can probably get better instructions where the machine is listed on the Amazon website. I would also recommend looking at videos on youtube that describe the milk frothing process - it will definitely help you use this machine to greater effect. After watching some my technique definitely improved. My only problem is that I haven't been sleeping that well because I have been drinking so many cortados! - my go to when it comes to coffee. I would also recommend getting a couple of barista jugs in different sizes so that you can do single or two cups, this also saves on the milk. The machine looks well on the kitchen worktop and I have not had any issues with things breaking. Filling with water is very easy and cleaning after use is quite simple and only takes a few seconds. The first time I used it the frother did come off in my hand, but that was because I used a twisting motion when wiping it down and that is how you remove it to clean it properly! It took me a short while getting it back on because I hadn't taken note of its orientation before it came off. I would recommend you practice removing it first so that you see how it sits and how it comes off before it does so without you knowing what happened. Noise level is not obtrusive. Anyway, if you are using the frother correctly there should be a high pitched noise from it at the start of the process - again check out videos on youtube. Water capacity is good - I only need to refill after a couple of days, although, as I have said previously, I mostly make cortados so I am only making 'one shot' each time. If you want to use full size mugs/cups with it you will have to remove the drip tray, but it comes off easily. I was a bit concerned when I ordered the machine due to a few poor reviews but, going by my own experience, I would have no hesitation in recommending it.

The machine seems to come with multiple faults. - The “manual” included in the box was totally incomprehensible diagrams – without any words - which were open to interpretation, and utterly useless. - Accessories shown in the “manual” were missing from the box!! - So you had to look up on the internet for the proper manual for this model: EC685, EC695, EC785 coffee maker manual. Page 6 of this manual, Section 3 “Setting up the appliance”, point 7 says: “Turn the steam dial (A11) to position (fig. 5) and dispense hot water: the appliance automatically stops dispensing and the lights (1 cup) and (2 cups) flash.. Turn the knob back to position O. The purpose of this procedure is to purge any water from the circuit before using steam to prepare the beverage.”…. However, the appliance does NOT automatically stop dispensing at all, emptying the tank completely. The lights (1 cup) and (2 cups) do not flash either. I called Delonghi technical support, and the first guy is very kind, but has no idea even where to find the manual on the Delonghi website. I had to help him to find it. Needless to say, he has never read it and has no idea why the water does not stop dispensing. The second technical support person had no idea either, and simply said: it’s defective and return it to amazon. Another problem with this machine was that it was extremely hard/nearly impossible to turn the coffee holder into its position – it required unnatural force. Seems to be a very common issue with this model. Therefore, I bought a replacement machine, hoping the second one would work as described. The new one does not automatically stop dispensing water either.. But I decide to turn a blind eye to this particular problem… Soon, I also found that the coffee machine does not give coffee! When lucky, it gave little drip drip, then stopped... Other times, nothing at all. Then 3 lights flashed simultaneously. Had to remove the coffee holder, then replace it. Still no coffee. I did all the troubleshooting. The machine was descaled. Made sure the coffee did not go over the line. Changed the way I used the tamper. Used a pin to prick the hole at the bottom of the coffee holder, etc. None of the above made any difference. This machine was defective and did not give any coffee, whatever I did. Other reviewers said that the pressure is insufficient for coffee to come out. Maybe. I have read horror stories of customers sending back the new coffee machine to Delonghi for “repair”...so I do not want to go that route and waste my precious time further… Delonghi does not seem to care a jot, as this model is selling so well...

thi s is great buy, and it really good value for money an dit makes great coffee!. It's really simple to use, easy to follow instructions, and unlike other similar coffee makers on the market, you don't have to use specific branded coffee products to use it. Just enjoy your favourite coffee made better.

Great value espresso machine. Easy to use and makes a lovely coffee with steamed milk. Just like your favourite coffee shop.

I spent ages deliberating over a few models in this vague price bracket reading many reviews before deciding the DeLonghi was my best bet. My old machine which had lasted for 12 years was still available (rebranded) but scored only 3.5 stars. This DeLonghi rated higher so I had positive expectations. But it’s a bit disappointing and much more of a hassle than my old machine to operate and keep clean. Here are my top 5 likes and dislikes: TOP 5 LIKES: > The machine looks nice and has a small footprint so it fits nicely on the kitchen worktop > The quality of the coffee that it makes is very good; compared to my previous machine the coffee seems slightly more intense but certainly not more bitter. I think the temperature and pressure control must be spot on. > The steamer/frother works nicely: It is quite quick and gives a decent 'thickness'. You can also disassemble it all quite easily for cleaning. > The unit switches itself off after a short while, so if you forget to do that yourself, you're not wasting electricity > The two programmable buttons are very convenient for a short or long coffee TOP 5 DISLIKES: > It is not as simple as you would imagine to go between coffee and steaming especially if you are making more than one latte. This is due to the need to cool the boiler after steaming which means you need to pump cold water through the steamer spout to drop the boiler from 100 degrees back to 60 degrees before it will make another espresso. Plus, it also seems that if you want to turn the steam on for 2 successive milk froths, sometimes the steam just stops for no obvious reason and other times it puts itself back on "non steam" mode and then you end up with loads of water in your milk. You need to keep your wits about you. > The decalcification cycle is too frequent and takes too long - it starts flashing and expects decalc treatment every 50-100 coffees or so and each decalc takes about 30 minutes. OK, the upside is probably that this protects your machine, but my old machine lasted 12 years without anything like such frequent cleans. > The menu system for the various options is not memorable to anyone who's not part of mensa. If you lose your instruction manual you won't know how to change any settings. > The seal in the grouphead against which the portafilter presses is quite difficult to clean (due to tight access). If you get mess on the seal (e.g. coffee granules!... no so unlikely), then the portafilter may end up leaking but putting it right is not possible with a quick wipe. I had to turn my machine upside down and try to clean the seal with cotton buds. > The portafilter has a removable filter basket which itself has a removable sieve. Seems like a good idea except that a) The sieve sometimes falls out when bashing out the used coffee granules (be careful not to lose it), and b) I think that water can get down the side of the sieve meaning that not all the liquid going into your espresso has truly been through all the coffee. Not sure about this but I've bashed out the coffee granules on a few occasions only to find that the middle of the granules are almost dry as if they've not really had much/any water go through them. That seems odd. But balance this comment with the fact that it does, nevertheless, make a decent espresso so perhaps this is normal (?). So a mixture of pros and cons. Only because my expectations were higher and the less straightforward daily operation makes me give it a 3 star rating.