The coffee from the pod machine doesn't taste good? At the office there's only stale sludge from the fridge-sized coffee machine? The instant coffee at work always gives me a stomach ache. A real espresso, now that's what I'd want. Strong, powerful and not bitter or sour. Or a creamy cappuccino? Just like at my favorite café.
There are countless reasons why more and more people are searching for high-quality coffee. When it comes to espresso and cappuccino, most people come across portafilter machines and are immediately discouraged. They cost several thousand euros and then you need an expensive grinder on top of that. Maybe a new capsule machine instead?
The De'Longhi Dedica range promises something different. For just 200 to 250 euros, you should be able to enjoy a delicious, genuine espresso. Anyone who reads a bit in coffee communities will notice that Dedica machines are probably the most-bought entry-level machines. But have they earned their good reputation? Can you really buy a usable espresso machine for so little money? We're also enthusiastic about Dedica machines and we'll tell you why!
Focus on the Dedica 685 and 885
There's a whole range of Dedica machines. In our article we take a closer look at the current versions Dedica 685, for around 200 euros, and the Dedica 885 for around 240 euros.
Here are the differences between the two machines:
The Steam Wand
The Dedica 885 has some new features on board. The most noticeable upgrade is a new and really useful steam wand on the Dedica 885. The cheaper Dedica 685 has a so-called Pannarello steam wand. With this technology, water vapor is mixed with air in a stainless steel tube to foam the milk. For latte-art-capable, fine-pored milk foam, you have to determine the air supply yourself during the pulling and rolling phase of milk steaming. This is almost impossible with a Pannarello steam wand. If you don't want to tinker with your machine and want a suitable steam wand right away, you should go for the Dedica 885.
If you have a Dedica with Pannarello steam wand, check out our video with tuning tips, where we also replace the steam wand with a Rancilio Silvia steam wand.
The Included Accessories
The 685 and 885 also differ in terms of accessories. With the cheaper 685 version, you only get a plastic coffee dosing spoon with tamper function, which is completely useless and can be thrown away immediately. In the accessories of the 885, you'll find a proper, high-quality tamper that closes flush with the portafilter. In addition, you also get a small, sturdy milk pitcher for frothing milk.
In summary, you can say that the extra cost of the Dedica 885 is well justified, since you would have to pay significantly more for a proper tamper, a milk pitcher and converting from the Pannarello steam wand, and you'd even have to do some handiwork yourself.
What Makes the DeLonghi Dedica Machines the Perfect Entry-Level Machines?
The Price
The price. As simple as that sounds, but the price really makes the machine interesting. For around 200 euros, often even significantly cheaper used, you get a good entry into the espresso world.
The Thermoblock
The Dedica machines are thermoblock machines. In these machines, water from the water tank flows through a heated block during espresso extraction, similar to how an instantaneous water heater works. The water is heated and brought to the correct brewing temperature. This is much faster than with espresso machines with boilers, where the entire boiler first has to be brought to operating temperature. That takes a good half hour.
It's different with thermoblock machines. The Dedica is ready to use after just 20 seconds. This is good for beginners who don't want to plan long in advance when they're going to make an espresso. Want an espresso? Turn it on and go.
Last but not least, thermoblock machines consume much less electricity. Not bad either!
Built-in Volumetrics
To brew a perfect espresso, you need a good brewing recipe. We often recommend 1 to 2.5, so for example 18 grams of ground coffee in the portafilter becomes 45 milliliters of espresso in the cup.
With the Dedicas, you can easily adjust the water quantity for single and double shots. You can place a scale under your cup and hold down the extraction button until you reach the desired amount in the cup. The machine stores this value and you won't need a scale for future extractions. This volumetrics feature is extremely practical, ideal for beginners, and is not even built into many expensive machines.
Adjustable Brew Temperature
Another special feature for an entry-level machine is the adjustable brew temperature. It's not just the often-advertised pressure of an espresso machine that determines the taste, but also the correct brew temperature.
The Dedicas offer three temperature levels to choose from. For most medium to dark roasts, we recommend the 2nd level at 92° - 93° C.
The luxury of adjustable brew temperature is far from being offered by all machines, especially not in the lower price segment.
As you can see, both the Dedica 685 and the Dedica 885 have some very useful features that are really remarkable for this price range. This makes them, especially at their low price, really interesting entry-level machines.
But the whole truth also includes that the Dedicas don't open the door to the espresso world "out of the box." To do this, you'll need to make some upgrades, which we'll briefly explain below.
Upgrades for the Dedica Machines
New Baskets
The Dedica machines are supplied with so-called double-wall baskets. Instead of many holes, these have only a tiny hole through which the coffee is forced with enormous pressure.
It's now common knowledge that crema on espresso is a quality indicator. The extreme pressure created by the double-wall basket creates crema on almost any old or incorrectly ground coffee, no matter how terrible the espresso tastes. Even worse, a little old coffee always remains under the rubber ring in the double-wall basket. This is unhygienic and certainly doesn't contribute to a delicious drink.
Real espresso, as we understand it, is created through a natural resistance that you create through the grind size of the coffee powder. For this you absolutely need suitable single-wall baskets. In our shop you can buy a portafilter with double spout or a bottomless portafilter. These come with high-quality baskets included. An absolutely necessary upgrade!
A Grinder
Ground coffee loses most of its aroma within minutes. For this reason alone, it would make sense to buy coffee as beans and grind it fresh.
The second reason is: You determine the grind size, which controls how quickly the water flows through the coffee grounds. The coarser the powder, the faster the water runs through it and vice versa. Just think of fine and coarse sand in a sandbox. You generally hit the best taste, the so-called "sweet spot" of a coffee with an extraction time of 25-35 seconds. So you need to choose a coffee grinder that can grind espresso-fine and adjust it accordingly.
A good electric grinder can easily cost another 230 euros. If you don't want to invest that much, you should buy a good hand grinder.
A Proper Tamper
If you bought the Dedica 685, you should replace the supplied coffee dosing spoon tamper (the word alone sounds terrible) with a high-quality tamper. With the tamper you compress the ground coffee and create a level surface for even extraction. Dedica machines take 51 millimeter tampers, such as this one in our shop.
Further Upgrade Options for Your Dedica
In addition to the three important upgrades described above, there are also a couple of extras that can be practical and helpful, but don't directly affect the quality of the espresso.
Since the drip tray of the Dedica is a bit impractical, we recommend buying a drip tray grate or having one printed via 3D printer in our shop.
Since the footprint of the Dedica machines is pretty small and two cappuccino cups won't fit underneath at the same time, there's another extension. You can have a platform extension printed or purchased. Even though these two upgrades don't directly affect the taste, they still greatly enhance the machine.
If you have a Dedica 685, you can also upgrade the Pannarello steam wand without technical know-how. First, you can simply pull off the outer metal tube and froth with the silicone hose. This works better than with the Pannarello tube. We recommend securing the silicone hose with cable ties so it doesn't slip off. If that seems too makeshift to you, you can also simply pull the hose onto the inner tube and secure it with a clamp. Detailed instructions can be found in our video.
As you can see, the DeLonghi Dedica machines are really unbeatable for their price. With the right upgrades and some practice, you can prepare delicious espressos and milk drinks in barista quality at home.
Here you can find an overview of accessory options for your Dedica in our shop.
We're curious what you think about your Dedica. Feel free to leave us a comment or send us an email.
See you soon and happy brewing!
