De'LonghiEC685M Dedica Deluxe Automatic Espresso Machine,35 oz, 1, Metallic

I've been a barista for ~10 years. Finally decided to splurge on a home machine with small footprint because we don't have alot of counterspace.1. Your coffee type/grind will be the ultimate factor in how well it pulls and how much you tamp in. Even using Cafe Bustelo I got so much crema it looked like a latte. If you dont fill it to full when tamped (leaving just enough space for the brewhead to nestle in the portafilter) it's going to be watery and lame. I dont have a properly portioned scoop yet, just eyeball it (experience). I've seen alot of complaints about this and it's 1000% user error or... maybe they did have a faulty machine. Who knows.2. Get a 30lb spring press tamper that adjusts the depth level for you if you can't tamp level and consistent. I got one cuz I'm lazy and too tired to care when I wake up thanks to baby, also for teaching my fiance how to do it. Makes it idiot proof.3. How do you know you filled it enough with espresso? Put your tamp in, spin it. If the grinds are leveled out and fairly compact, you have enough. If loose or has gaps in the surface, you need more before you press. When your done brewing, if your puck isnt equally wettish dry throughout, you didn't fill/tamp right or your grind is too big/wrong for this machine. We personally like Lavazza Coffee, works well every time.Make about 6-10 shots/day, going strong for about half a year now.Pros:-smaller than a Kitchenaid by ALOT. I thought they'd be similar in size. I was pleasantly surprised to find out its even smaller (again not alot of counterspace).-water tank can be removed off the back just by lifting and easy to clean. Easy refill as well.-easy auto off if you forget to push the button before walking away because you're a zombie.-can kinda make a small hot cup of tea quick by pouring hot water out the steamwand spout. We haven't really used it to steam milk cuz we like iced coffee more.-can get alot of crema depending on how good you are at making espressoCons:-hot plate on top is just a mildly warm plate. Maybe if you use the steamwand it would get hotter.-kinda loud the first 20 uses then mellows out a bit. The pump needs to get primed and working. It does vibrate alot though. Also louder when using the steamwand.-getting the portahandle in the machine the first like 20 times is hard as well, until the seal breaks in to it.-it is shiny plastic for the most part on the outside, not metal and makes it feel flimsy when you're breaking in the seal trying to get that portahandle to lock in right.-overall height under spout makes it hard to brew into alot of mugs with. I don't like using shot glasses and wasting my crema when I can brew right into my mug/cup!-instructions say to brew espresso first them steam your milk because you have to wait a few minutes for cool down so you don't kill the machine with overheating; espresso burns after 10 seconds without a temperature drop or adding [milk] fat/dilution to it. Partially why i don't use this at all, by the time your machine cools down your milk will be fairly cooled as well to brew espresso second (what you should do). The only way around this would be adding *some* cold milk to your espresso when you brew before steaming the rest. Or an ice cube or two.-as far as I can tell you can't backflush clean your brewspout? Which gives me an ick. Run a shot of hot water through after each use to be safe.

Update: 05/31/2020 This is a beautiful machine and works great! The only problem is that the pump doesn't last.I would not recommend the extended warranty. Just put the 50 bucks into a new machine, because in 6 months or so you will have to buy a new machine anyway when the second one breaks down. And the replacement is slow so you are stuck having to go to Starbucks until the new machine arrives. After researching these machines, I see that NONE of them have pumps that last unless you buy a $5,000 machine as Starbucks uses. What I do now is to buy two inexpensive Hamilton Beach machines (for half the price) and when one breaks I have a new machine instantly. The Hamilton Beach machine lasted seven months making one espresso per day. That's about par for the course. The Hamilton Beach is comparatively ugly but works just as well. It's too bad these pumps are not user-replaceable like automobile spark plugs!Original post:The pump stopped working before my warranty ran out. I must say, I had no problem with Customer Service. They had me use my phone to give them a live feed from my kitchen while they put me through troubleshooting steps. It took a good number of days to get the new machine, however. I was sent another machine, and I resolved to treat the new one like a baby - with minimal use; i.e., using the double-cup filter only once a day. And, I stopped using the machine to make hot water to fill up my 18 oz. mug, as I like "Americano"; so I heated water in my electric kettle to save wear on the Delonghi. Never-the-less, the new machine quit pumping after 5 months of use. It made normal pumping sounds, but wouldn't push through the coffee. If DeLonghi would beef up the pump, that would be great, as whoever designed this machine did a super job - easy to use and looks exquisite. When the first machine quit, I looked online and bought a Hamilton Beach espresso machine as a backup in case the DeLonghi failed again, and it was less than half the price. How long the Hamilton Beach will last, I don't know, but it did make a great cup of espresso coffee this morning.12/12/2019 UPDATE: Word of caution: My Hamilton Beach acted as if the pump had failed, just like the Delonghi. I looked online for a more expensive replacement and came across a user who said his expensive machine acted as if the pump had failed - wouldn't push through the coffee. However, this person did an update and said his problem was that the water tank was not fully seated, and that fixed the problem. That fixed my HB machine also. Note this was NOT the case with my Delonghi. The lesson is:NEVER let the water tank run out or get too low!Be sure to properly seat the water tank, every time!I was all set to buy a $500 machine tomorrow morning. This uses' advice saved me $500.

It’s the best coffee machine