The De'Longhi Dedica series, with its flagship products Delonghi Dedica 685 and Delonghi Dedica 885, has made a name for itself in recent years as an insider tip in the espresso scene. The Dedica line shows us: you don't need to spend the equivalent of a small car to make a good espresso – you can dive into the espresso world for around 150 euros.
However, it's not quite so simple "out of the box." To get the best out of the machine and your coffee, we recommend some tricks and also upgrades for the machine. In this blog, we'll guide you through step by step and explain how to operate your machine best. You're also welcome to check out our Video-Sammlung">video guide for the Dedica 685/885 series.
Grinder
Unfortunately, you can't avoid additional investment. You absolutely need a coffee grinder that can grind espresso-fine. This can sometimes cost as much as the Dedica itself. However, the grinder is essential for two reasons:
- 1. Ground coffee powder loses much of its aroma within minutes. If you buy pre-ground coffee from the supermarket, you'll only taste a small fraction of the original aroma.
- 2. With the grinder, you determine how quickly water flows through the coffee grounds. If water flows too quickly with a coarse grind, the espresso will be under-extracted and often too sour. With too fine a grind, water flows too slowly through the coffee grounds and extracts too many bitter compounds. The coffee is over-extracted and bitter. You find the right "sweet spot" by adjusting the grind correctly. This only works with freshly ground coffee!
The good news is that you can find good espresso-capable hand grinders for relatively little money. In our Handmühlen">grinder guide, we've compiled what to look out for.
The Portafilter
The Dedica comes with so-called "fake baskets." These baskets are designed for pre-ground coffee. Water is forced through an extremely small hole, so even with old coffee powder you get a kind of "crema" on your espresso.
To brew a real espresso, you need to replace the basket or the entire portafilter with a genuine, high-quality basket. In our shop you'll find a Siebträger">portafilter with dual spout or also a Bodenlosen">single spout portafilter. With both variants, you can brew real espresso by adjusting the flow rate of the coffee via the grind setting of your coffee grinder. A game changer!
The Right Water
Did you know that even the water plays a crucial role in brewing your espresso? To protect your machine from limescale and extract as many flavors as possible from the coffee, your water should have a total hardness of 3-6 °dH (German hardness). You can achieve this value with filters or with store-bought supermarket water. If you want to know more, read our blog on coffee water.
The Right Coffee
Of course, the coffee you choose matters too. For beginners, we recommend our Bio">Apas coffee, a real all-rounder. Coffee beans from a local roastery also work great. What's important is that you know whether your coffee is dark or light roasted and whether it's 100% Arabica or contains Robusta. This information is important for the temperature setting on your Dedica.
Setting the Brewing Temperature on Delonghi Dedica 685 and 885
The Dedica machines offer the ability to adjust the brewing temperature. You have a choice of three levels:
- 1. Level: 90° - 91° C
- 2. Level: 92° - 93° C
- 3. Level: 95° - 97° C
In our tests, we measured all temperature levels precisely and recommend temperature level 2 for most medium and dark roasts. Some very dark roasts taste a bit better with temperature level 1, but the third temperature level is hardly usable for any coffee.
Adjusting the temperature is very simple. With the machine on, hold the steam button down for a few seconds. Now the extraction buttons blink rhythmically. Then press the button for single espresso extraction. Now the three buttons blink in sequence. This blinking symbolizes your temperature level. If you want temperature level 1, press the button for single espresso extraction. You get temperature level 2 by pressing the double espresso extraction button and level 3 by pressing the steam button. After a few seconds, the machine confirms with a blink that the new temperature has been saved.
The Preparation
Now it's finally time to get down to business. All preparations are made and we're brewing espresso.
The Dedica is a so-called thermoblock machine. It heats up very quickly and reaches operating temperature in a few minutes. However, in this short time the portafilter is far from operating temperature – it's ice cold. That's why you should do an empty extraction without coffee grounds before your first espresso. The hot water warms up your portafilter and you're ready to go.
Now you prepare your coffee. The baskets from our shop hold about 16 grams of ground coffee. Make sure not to overfill the basket, otherwise the coffee could burn on the shower head. After extraction, there should be no impression of the screw visible in the coffee puck.
Once the ground coffee is in the portafilter, compact it first by tapping the portafilter on the table or with a "karate chop" with your hand. The coffee settles and all air pockets are closed. If you forget this step, it can happen that the water under brewing pressure finds the easiest resistance. It then doesn't flow evenly through the coffee grounds, but flows faster in one spot. The espresso will taste sour and unbalanced, despite the correct grind.
Now you start pre-infusion twice. By clicking the extraction button again, you stop it. In our temperature tests, this little hack showed that you achieve a particularly stable temperature curve around 92° C during your espresso extraction.
The Dedica machines have programmable volumetrics. By holding the extraction button down, you can set how much water your extraction uses. This allows you to set your brewing recipe. We recommend a brewing recipe of 1 to 2 or 1 to 2.5. Your 16 grams of ground coffee should yield 32-40 ml of espresso in the cup. Place a scale under the cup and release the button at about 32 grams during extraction. This programs your volumetrics and the brewing recipe will be correct for subsequent extractions. Since the Dedica doesn't have an expansion valve, the machine will drip a bit after you release the button. You should keep this in mind and release the button a bit "too early" when setting it.
To save power, the machine has an "auto-off" function. This can also be adjusted. It's set to 9 minutes from the factory. If you want to change it, press and hold the steam button again. When all lights blink rhythmically, press the steam button once more. Now the three buttons blink in sequence again, giving you three setting options. The single extraction button sets "auto-off" to 9 minutes, the double extraction button to 30 minutes, and the steam button to 3 hours.
Affordable Perfect Espresso?
Admittedly, if you decide on the Dedica as a beginner, you'll need to spend a bit more. At minimum, you'll need a grinder and a high-quality, genuine basket to really dive into the world of espresso.
Thanks to our community and our test rounds, we're constantly gathering more knowledge about the finer points of the Dedica series. Even if you have to go a few extra miles, with this knowledge there's nothing standing in the way of affordable, perfect espresso. Follow our tips and you'll be amazed at how high-quality your homemade espresso can taste!
Tuning Tips and Useful Accessories for Your Dedica
Here you'll find a selection of accessories and useful additions for your Dedica 685 or 885: ">Delonghi Dedica accessories.
