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

I bought this De'Longhi espresso machine about a year ago, and I waited before writing a review because these machines can sometimes work fine for few months and then start to develop problems.But in fact, I have used it every day to make between 2 and 8 espressos cups, and the results have always been excellent.You can use either E.S.E. pods or ground coffee with this machine, just replacing the coffee filter, which is very easy to do.For convenience I normally use E.S.E. pods, but I had excellent results also with ground coffee (of course you need a good quality ground coffee made specifically for espresso).There is also a "capuccino" system to froth the milk, which works very well. It is a bit inconvenient to clean after use, but not particularly complicated, and the result is always very good.Cleaning the machine is easy and it needs little maintenance (but it is advisable to install the De'Longhi filters in the water tank, to extend the life of the machine and the time between descaling cycles. It is a semi-automatic simple task.The quality of the materials (both the metal and plastic parts) is very good and after a year of daily use, the machine still looks in excellent conditions.It is not the cheapest espresso machine out there, but definitely not an expensive one, and it is worth the money if you like a good espresso at home.I highly recommend this product for every espresso lover. With little practice and a good quality coffee, you will match the skills of any good barista.

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

I chose this machine because I like the look of DeLonghi products. It looks great on the counter and is compact enough to fit in a small space. I have the black one and the colour has a nice semi-matt finish which looks good with the chrome coloured / metal components.The quality of the coffee is very good and there is a long lasting crema. I haven't used the steam wand to heat / froth milk as I always drink it black, but it looks straightforward.The only issue I have found (hence 4 stars not 5) is that the descale process is very tricky and doesn't always work. I tried contacting customer services but they would only help me if I sent them a video, which I haven't been able to do, unfortunately. I've watched videos on Youtube which make it look simple, but that isn't the case in my experience. I don't know if this problem is common to all coffee makers, or just this brand, so I would recommend doing thorough research before purchasing.