De'Longhi Dedica Style, Traditional Pump Espresso Machine, Coffee and Cappuccino Maker, EC685M, Silver

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

Obal not an expert and I am super there are better coffee makers in the market, but not necessarily in this price range. This is is compact, easy to use and it does the job. It is all depends of grinder you are using, coffee and water but it does make a nice coffee. I’ve had it for a couple of months so I can’t say anything about its durability. Design is a matter of opinion, this one is a lot retro and I like it.

Before deciding on this machine as a replacement for my old De'Longhi, I had a good look round and read a lot of reviews, including a very critical one of this model (though most were 5*). At this price level, there did not seem (understandably) to be a perfect machine - all had some drawbacks. However, after a couple of months of use, I can say that I am very happy with this - it makes very good coffee, nice and hot, with several style options; once you get used to it, it's very easy to use, and the filter fits sung and tight; you can remove the normal drip tray for larger cups; and it's quick and efficient. One criticism was that to get a good grip on the machine when fitting the (good) tight filter, the user can very easily hit a start button, before fully fitted. True, but once you get used to it, it is not beyond most humans to figure out where and how to grip it.

I love my coffee and I have wanted an espresso machine with portafilter for a long time. I had tried the pod machines and used refillable pods, grinding my own beans. But I just knew I could get better coffee so I picked this up when the vine sale hit and it looked more reasonable in price. I am so happy I did. It's like night and day in comparison.I chose the silver look as it's just a metal finishing and easy to wipe down. Out the box it is easy to assemble. You get the machine, a tiny drip tray, portafilter handle, 2 portafilters (a 1 cup, and a 2 cup), a hefty instruction book and descaling fluid (cleaning). Make sure you follow the instructions about 1st use to flush out any nastyness.Espresso is easy even for a novice. Just pop the filter into the handle, fill with ground coffee and tap down with tamper. Then twist the handle in until it locks. There's a power button on the side and when the lights stop flashing hit the 1 or 2 cup option. In 30 seconds you'll have a tasty espresso. You can then hit the 1 or 2 cup option to add more hot water and make it a longer drink.The filter holder twists in securely. It is a bit tough if you're not used to it. So just hold the top of the machine to get a bit of leverage.The filters are pressurised and use a small point in the middle. I changed them over for a more open basket. There's also a rubber seal which can effect flavour. Inside the holder/ handle there is a plastic flow director... Again it's plastic which is porous and can leach bad flavours and effects the taste so if you remove it (1 screw underneath) your coffee will taste wonderful again.The water tank is easy to fill and big enough for an afternoon or day of making coffee.The wand for making hot water or frothy milk works a treat. It is tricky at 1st but try and get the spout just on the surface of the milk and adjust up or down a little . When you get the hang of it it makes wonderfully frothy creamy milk for espressos. It does recommended semi skimmed but full fat milk is wonderful to do if a little more tricky. You can also just get hot water from the wand for tea or top ups which is a great excuse to replace the kettle. Just make sure you undo the wand and rinse and wipe after use to keep it fresh.The drip tray is pretty useless unless you are only using tiny mugs. It gives you very little clearance. So I just removed it and used the lower one, then wipe with a cloth.Noise. This is not quiet but it is a serious machine. As long as it is in a separate room from the family you will be ok. If you have an open plan kitchen / living room you might be banished to another part of your home with the machine.Space. This has a fantastic narrow profile so it takes up the same width of counter or desk space as a kettle and because it has a water tank you can set this up in almost any room of your house or office. There is enough space on the top to sit a couple of mugs which is great for sleepy morning prep.Cleaning is really easy and there are lots of accessories available for this machine to.Good quality and value. Highly recommended. Thank you for reading my review. I hope you found it useful