Delonghi Dedica EC685 Reviewed and Explained

Delonghi’s Dedica line first appeared on the market with the Dedica EC680 in 2013, and was quickly hailed as one of the best home espresso machines in its class. Since then, this classic home coffee machine has been through several upgrades — and several competitors and imitators have appeared on the market, too!

So is the Delonghi Dedica still a good choice in 2022? How is the latest model different to the original version? And is it worth paying the extra for the very latest version of the Delonghi Dedica?

In this post, we’ll focus on the most common version — the Delonghi Dedica EC685. We’ll also explain how this version of the Dedica improves over the original, and help you decide if it’s worth upgrading to the latest versions — the Dedica EC785 or EC885.

Finally, we’ll show you how to get the best results with your Delonghi Dedica. The Dedica is easy to use and perfect for beginners, but with a little extra care and attention, you can make espressos, cappuccinos, and lattes every bit as good as the ones in your local cafe.

Design and build

Before we look at the different versions of the Delonghi Dedica, let’s look at what they have in common. All the Dedica models have the same design, and this design is one of the big reasons that this machine has become so popular

The Dedica is an incredibly compact and stylish espresso machine. It has a very slender footprint — it takes up barely more room on the kitchen counter than a typical Nespresso machine does — and yet it packs in a fully featured espresso machine into that space. This makes it the perfect machine to pick for a small kitchen.

The case is made from stainless steel for a premium feel despite the budget price, with rounded edges and a pleasing matte, brushed metal finish. It’s a classic piece of understated Italian design that looks even better in real life than it does in photos. The Dedica is available in black, red, or a plain steel color, which means you can choose a model to fit any home coffee corner.

The stainless steel body confirms that the Dedica is solidly built, but like all compact home espresso machines, it is lightweight. This means you need to use two hands to steady the machine when you slot in the portafilter that holds your coffee, and that it vibrates a little during brewing. This is unavoidable for machines this size, and doesn’t detract from the quality of the machine — but it’s something to be aware of.

All in all, with its clean design and compact footprint, the Delonghi Dedica is a great choice for design lovers on a tight budget.

Features

The Dedica is not just a sleek design; its specifications make it a winner, too. The Delonghi Dedica machines are ‘thermoblock’ machines, which means they heat the water on demand, instead of having a boiler. This allows the machine to be small, but has another benefit: it heats up very quickly and is ready to use about 30 seconds after you turn it on.

The Automatic Flow Stop feature controls the size of the espresso, taking the guesswork out of making the perfect shot. You can also reprogram this yourself if you want to make bigger or smaller espressos.

The Dedica also gives you some control over the brewing temperature — this is really unusual in machines this size and a really nice feature. Changing the temperature can help you get the best out of different styles of coffee, and adjust the flavor of the espresso to suit your tastes.

It has a 1.1 liter water tank, which is a pretty generous size for such a small machine, and the Dedica even ships with a water hardness tester and a descaling solution. This means that you can choose the perfect setting for the water filter and remove limescale before it has the chance to build up, which makes your coffee taste better and extends the lifespan of your machine.

If you like a big mug of coffee in the morning, then the removable drip tray gives you 12cm of clearance, so you can brew straight into a big cup. The steam wand is different on different models, but whichever model you choose, it is powerful enough to make the milk for a large latte in less than a minute and is really easy to use.

The only real disadvantage of the Delonghi Dedica is that it takes a bit of time to switch between espresso and milk modes. You need a much higher temperature for steaming milk than you do for making coffee, so it takes a bit of time to heat up or cool down in between making drinks. For this reason, the Dedica is not the ideal choice if you want to make a lot of coffees — in this case, you’ll want to choose a larger machine such as the La Specialista Maestro. 

The provided accessories are also pretty basic, depending on what model you choose. For keen home baristas, we highly recommend the Delonghi Dedica upgrade kit which includes a professional-quality portafilter and tools made to fit this compact machine. You will also need to buy your own milk jug, if you want to make cappuccinos and lattes.

Which model is best?

The original Dedica EC680 was launched back in 2013. The EC685, released in 2018, retains the same popular features and design, but with some new colors and a few important improvements. 

The most important difference between the Dedica EC680 and the newer Dedica EC685 is the improved steam wand. The original EC680 shipped with a traditional ‘Panarello’ steam wand, a design that makes it very easy to make fluffy cappuccinos, but doesn’t offer enough control for any other kind of milk. The EC685 allows you to switch between two modes, called ‘Hot Milk’ and ‘Cappuccino’. It’s just as easy to use as before, but now if you choose the ‘Hot Milk’ mode you can steam milk with thinner, silky foam, which allows you to pour latte art. This innovation is perfect for beginners who want to get to grips with steaming and pouring milk for the first time.

The EC685 also features a double drip tray. If you need to remove the main drip tray to fit a larger cup in the machine, there’s now a stable place to stand your cup.

In 2021, Delonghi released two new versions of the Dedica package. The Dedica EC785 is the same as the EC685, but includes a milk jug and a metal tamper to replace the basic plastic tamper included with the EC685. This is nice to have, but we prefer to choose our own setup and get the extra accessories for the Dedica, like the portafilter, tamper, and jug, separately.

The EC885, meanwhile, switches out the Panarello steam wand for a traditional, two-hole steam wand. This is more like the steam wands found on professional espresso machines — it can give great results, but takes a little more practice to use so may not be ideal for beginners. The good news is that if you start with the EC685, it’s really easy to change the steam wand yourself down the line — just get a Dedica steam wand upgrade kit and follow the simple instructions.

All in all, the differences between the different models are fairly small, but choosing the EC685 allows you to choose your own accessories, and gives you the option to upgrade the steam wand later on once you have got the hang of pouring latte art.

Ease of use

The Delonghi Dedica is the ideal machine for beginners. If you’re upgrading from a Nespresso machine and this is your first time making your own espresso, then this is the  perfect machine for you.

With just three buttons, using the Delonghi Dedica is as simple as a manual machine can be. All you have to do is load up the portafilter with ground coffee, press it down lightly, put it into the machine, and push a button. The machine will automatically stop the espresso for you when it reaches the right volume, so you don’t need to fiddle about with scales or measuring cups if you don’t want to.

The Dedica comes with pressurized filter baskets. These are designed to be as easy to use as possible and still make espresso with proper crema on top. With a pressurized basket, you can use pre-ground coffee and still get decent results. This makes them ideal for beginners. In fact, you can even use ESE (Easy Serving Espresso) pods with this machine, although you’ll always get the best results with freshly-ground beans.

More experienced home baristas might prefer to use traditional portafilter baskets, however, because they allow you to grind finer and get more flavor from the coffee. If that’s you, then you can easily upgrade the filter baskets and even the portafilter to suit your brewing style.

Once you get more experienced with making espresso, it’s surprisingly easy to reprogram the brewing temperature or the size of the espresso to tweak the flavor to your taste.

The Panarello-style steam wand is very easy to use, even for complete beginners. With the EC685 giving you the choice of frothed or steamed milk, you can make perfect cappuccinos and lattes with minimal effort. Once you get more experience, upgrading to a traditional steam wand is very straightforward.

All in all, the Delonghi Dedica is a great place to start your home barista journey. It’s very easy to use but can grow with you as your skills grow, and when it’s fully kitted out, it can make espressos and cappuccinos just as well as many much larger machines.

Who should buy it?

In conclusion, the Delonghi Dedica is the perfect machine for beginners — and for anyone that has a tight budget or limited space. It’s a very affordable machine, but is no lightweight when it comes to the features. It takes up very little space and looks great in the kitchen, but can perform just as well as machines that are many times bigger. And most of all, it’s designed to be easy to use for baristas of all skill levels.

If you often entertain lots of guests, then the Dedica might be too small for you. The time taken to heat up and cool down between drinks, and the limited capacity of such a small machine, mean that you might be better off with something bigger like the La Specialista Maestro.

If you’re a keen home barista that wants to spend time customizing the recipe to get the perfect flavor out of your rare, single origin beans, then you might prefer a machine with more control over the brewing options, like the Nuova Simonelli Oscar Mood with its onboard PID for precise temperature control.

However, for its price and size, the Delonghi Dedica is an incredible machine — and definitely one of the very best small home espresso machines for beginners. Now read on for our expert barista’s advice on how to get the most from this excellent machine.

How to make great coffee with your Delonghi Dedica

The Dedica comes with a great instruction manual that explains everything you need to do to make espressos and cappuccinos. However, with some expert advice you can get even better flavor from your coffee. Here are our top tips to help you get the most from this machine:

Warm it up

The Dedica heats up very quickly after you turn it on, but the portafilter, basket, and cups will still be cold. Before you brew your first coffee, lock the portafilter in the machine and run some hot water through it into your cup. This not only means your coffee will be hotter — it can improve the flavor a lot.

Grind fresh

The pressurized baskets on the Dedica mean that it works well with pre-ground coffee — but you’ll still get the best aroma from freshly-ground beans. Invest in a decent burr grinder like the Delonghi KG79 and you’ll be amazed at the difference it makes to your coffee.

Time it right

To get the best flavor from your espresso, it needs to take between 20 and 30 seconds to pour from the machine. It’s up to you, the barista, to control how long it takes so that you get the best flavor.

With the pressurized portafilter baskets that come with the machine, you can control the time it takes by controlling how hard you press down on the coffee. Press lightly, and the coffee will run through more quickly and be milder in flavor. Press harder, and the coffee will take longer to flow through and be stronger.

If you upgrade to the traditional, non-pressurised filter baskets for the Delonghi Dedica, then you can control how long the espresso takes to brew by changing the grind size. Grind finer and the espresso will pour more slowly, giving you a stronger flavor. Grind coarser, and the espresso will pour more quickly and be more delicate and mild. Finding the perfect balance in flavor for you takes a bit of experimenting but is part of the fun of being your own barista.

Tweak the settings

Once you have the basics down, try experimenting with the more advanced settings on the machine. Try using the hottest brewing temperature for lighter roasts, and a cooler temperature for dark roasts, and see if it improves the flavor.

Or try experimenting with different volumes. It’s easy to program the buttons to give you different amounts of coffee. The default setting is about right for most baristas, but if you find the espresso is too strong, try using more water to brew your coffee. Or if you want a syrupy, intense ristretto shot then try brewing with a little less liquid.

Keep it clean

Any professional barista will tell you that this is the most important tip of all. You can’t make clean coffee from a dirty machine, so clean it regularly! Follow the instruction manual, which tells you exactly how to clean the Delonghi Dedica machine, so that you get perfect, fresh-tasting espresso every time.