Size – an aspect of modern products which is often overlooked. When choosing a coffee machine for a coffee shop or just for your own home, size should be one of the most important factors. It reflects on so many other features, such as sturdiness, boiler volume, and so on. What the designers over at Delonghi did is attend to the needs of a certain portion of the market.
People have been wanting a quality espresso maker with a tiny footprint for a long time now, and they finally got it. The Delonghi EC685M Dedica is a relatively cheap and beautiful machine which doesn’t sacrifice your coffee’s quality when cutting down on size.
Delonghi EC685M DEDICA Review
Well, right off the bat, the size of this thing is applaudable. It fits literally anywhere and even looks rather good! It has a solid construction and various premium materials all over it, such as the stainless steel shell and the stainless steel Pannarello, used for steaming and frothing. We discussed materials used in espresso machines in our Buyer’s Guide.
The Dedica utilizes a thermal block instead of a traditional boiler. This not only reduces the price but is also considered a downside by many people who prefer the traditional boiler method of getting the water to the right temperature.
Either way, your water won’t take more than half a minute to heat up with this thing, and that is more than good enough. When everything reaches the right conditions, your espresso won’t taste any different than it would with a more expensive machine, which is perhaps the biggest advantage of this unit. It brings a professionally made tasteful cup of a coffee right to your kitchen at your disposal.
If you want to further improve the taste of your coffee, we recommend getting a pack of water purifiers for the machine’s water tank.
Another amazing thing is that it has a programmable water temperature. You can choose from low, medium, or high. If you want your espresso to be even hotter, raise the standby time to 30 minutes (or 3 hours).
The water hardness function (soft, medium or hard) also improves the brewing quality, but taste, as most things are subjective, so try finding the perfect combination for you. Lastly, there is a cup warmer on top of it, which can be used either to pre-warm your cup, or dry the ones you just washed.
Pros & Cons
✔ Cheap
✔ Great bang for the buck
✔ Stainless steel elements
✔ Heats up relatively quick
✔ Various programmable options
✔ Great for home use
✔ Quiet
✔ Relatively good for cappuccinos
✔ Espresso quality is amazing considering the price
✗ Doesn’t have a high output (cups/hour)
✗ Not the best warranty out there
A thing that has to be mentioned here is that the weight can also be a downside. When twisting the portafilter around, the little weight of the Dedica can make the whole unit wiggle, thus causing trouble.
EC 685M Possible Alternatives
Although one might say that this machine works well behind a bar in a coffee shop, we would want you to know that that’s not the case. In our opinion, the Delonghi EC685M is made solely for home enthusiasts.
It sure can have a high output of let’s say 60 cups per minute if you try hard enough, but that will just push it above its limits and shorten its service life. If you want to open a bar, the best possible choice you can make is the Breville BES920XL Oracle or the Rancilio Silvia.
The EC685M is by far the best espresso machine we’ve reviewed, in the range of acceptable price tags so if you are on a limited budget, this is the right choice for you.
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Delonghi EC685M Conclusion and Rating
If you want a great home coffee-brewing machine, go for the Delonghi EC685M. It is cheap, quiet, made out of quality materials, and doesn’t compromise on the quality of your morning coffee.
It has little to no downsides when used in a kitchen, and can be your perfect morning companion for years to come if you take good care of it. We gave this model 4.2 out of five stars.
Hi my name is Larry, a coffee aficionado from the US. I have already visited Colombia, Sumatra, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Ethiopia and Jamaica in my pursuit of finding the best-tasting coffee beans. I currently write from Bali and enjoy the relaxed life that you can only find in Canggu. Welcome to my coffee world!
Last update on 2023-06-02 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API.
