https://www.betta.com.au/delonghi-dedica-arte-manual-pump-co…
DeLonghi Dedica Arte Coffee Machine EC885M $145.87
Cheapest price ever at Betta Home Living
what are your thoughts on it?
Probably paid too much for it
Can confirm.
Source, same thoughts.
haha me too. Used it a few times today and I love it for the price. Made a great cappuccino first go.
this is a great machine….same as the smeg unit (twice the price)
makes great coffee but really excels with a grinder
How do you make a coffee without a grinder with this machine? Legit question. Preground?
You need to buy a grinder. Or use ESE pods
It’s being delivered tomorrow.
For the Betta one the delivery would cost me $29 so not that much in it.
GG price match?
No price match with TGG, they can only do $170 not the $145
Can confirm TGG price matched including delivery for me just placed the order. I just got them on chat and the loaded the order and sent me a payment link.
Decent entry level machine. Not going to make the best coffees ever, but if you're not overly picky, it'll do a good enough job. Need to get a grinder though to get the most out of it.
Our ec680 has been going strong for over 8 years, averaging 4 cups a day. Tempted to buy this to replace it and let it retire peacefully.
Can I ask if it is worth buying 2 Year Replacement Plan which cost $22.50? Thx.
Three little letters for you: ACL
Thanks.
Nah
Thanks,
Picked up mine from TGG.
Can I get the price difference or just simply return it?
No, the only time you can get the difference back is if the same retailer drops the price. You can’t price match with another retailer after the transaction has been made. Your best bet is to return the item provided it hasn’t been opened.
TGG charges restocking fees.
Yep haven't opened just yet.
Thanks mate.
Do any that own think it's suitcase packable so I can have some decent coffee in Canada and US when skiing? otherwise I will take my Wacaco Picopresso.
Needs 240V so can't be used in North America
Good point! thanks
Funnily enough, I managed to fit it into a backpack and take it on board a 10 hour international flight as carry on! The risks are obvious and you need to make sure the voltage is compatible, but it is possible :)
Although it takes a small footprint and <$150 on its own but after adding a burr grinder and upgrading to a bottomless portafilter and basket etc. it gets close to $400 in total.
Kingrinder K4 for $125
+
Bottomless portafilter from AliExpress $25
will have you pulling excellent shots for just under $300, while retaining a small footprint on the kitchen bench
Is that grinder really better than a ~$40 one on amazon?
It will be significantly better, the grinder is actually the most important component in espresso, most cheap grinders can't actually grind fine enough to dial in the grind setting for a good shot of espresso.
Start with freshly roasted beans, Aldi beans are a good place to start while you're learning. Get yourself a scale - ideally one that's capable of doing 0.1g changes, that's going to be key to extracting good shots. A portafilter like the one I've linked above will let you get 18g of ground coffee in it (as opposed to the 16g with the included pressurised portafilter). A good starting point to aim for is 18g of coffee beans ground at a fine enough setting for you to obtain ~36g of espresso in about 25-35 seconds. If it's too slow grind coarser, if it's too fast grind finer. This is known as the “sweet zone”.
From here, you can then fine tune your shots. If the shot is too bitter, then it is “over-extracted”, and you need your shot to flow faster, so you grind coarser. If your shot is too sour, then it is "under-extracted", and you need your shot to flow slower, so you grind finer. You do this with each set of new beans, until it is suited to your taste. You don’t have to throwaway shots, I enjoy tasting my way through the process. Cheap grinders will make it difficult or even impossible to hit the sweet zone, a grinder like the K4 will give you enough range to dial in a shot just the way you like it!
I'd strongly recommend checking out Lance Hedrick, Emilee Bryant and James Hoffman's YouTube tutorials - they're all incredibly helpful, especially for dialling in espresso shots and steaming milk for latte art.
Have fun and welcome to the club!
@poppingtags: What do you think about this grinder. I've seen it in multiple youtube videos. Just wondering how do they compare.
https://amzn.asia/d/2DSr9UM
Btw, great info. Thank you.
@Mi2: I've read into this as a potential recommendation for a budget grinder, but based on what I've read, while it can technically grind fine enough for espresso - it doesn't really have a wide enough range
@poppingtags: Here's a question, if your coffee machine has a pressure guage (Delonghi specialista arte) which is more important hitting the optimal zone or the extraction timing?
I also have the K4 grinder putting 15.5 grams into the basket if it hits optimal zone it pours way too fast. 30 grams out less than 20 seconds.
If i grind finer (with K4) the pressure goes close to red zone to get the right timing.
This is with fresh beans less than 4 weeks old.
@Tehcookiemonsta: The pressure gauges on consumer machines aren't always accurate - definitely focus on the hitting your ratio + timing. For ~15g, you should hit 30g of espresso in about 25ish seconds and then fine tune from there to adjust to your taste.
@poppingtags: I'll add you can program the volume of water put through the system, if pressure (from the coffee puck) isn't an issue, by holding down one of the two coffee buttons.
I've tuned the single shot 🥃, now for the 18g 🥃🥃
Is a manual grinder better than the Breville Smart Grinder Pro? I didn’t know where to buy one until your posted link. Not that I’m not happy with my SGP but it does have certain amount of retention stuck in the burr that can be a bit annoying when I need to adjust how fine to grind with new beans.
I know it might sound ridiculous - but the best hand grinders can deliver a noticeable improvement to your shots. For example, I currently use an 1Zpresso J-Max, which is widely considered to be one of the best hand grinders for espresso. I originally bought it purely to use while travelling, but was pleasantly surprised by how much nicer the shots were compared to the built in grinder on the Breville Barista Express (that's very similar to the SGP) that I used at the time. Now a noticeable improvement doesn't necessarily mean a night and day difference, I think its worth asking how much more you want out of your shots - just like so many hobbies, diminishing returns kick in pretty early in the upgrade chain with coffee.
One other thing to note is that on finer settings or with lighter beans, some people do struggle with powering through the whole manual grinding process. An electric grinder is just so much faster and more convenient, which is why I've placed an order for the Timemore 078s via Kickstarter. Hand grinders are still an excellent option for people who have very little bench space or travel often.
@poppingtags: I need a hand grinder for the Wacaco Picopresso, so looking at the Kingrinder K4, K6 and 1Zpresso J-Max. What would you recommend? price wise the Kingrinder's seems good value and will do most of what the 1Zpresso J-Max will do, so down to the K4 or K6 most likely I would say at half the price.
@dandandan: I use the Kingrinder K4 with the Picopresso and can confirm it works well.
Grinding 18.5-19g takes less than 30s.
The K4 has burrs that are well suited for espresso, and the click adjustments are fine enough to dial in shots.
@repeat: I'd agree with this, the J-Max has been great - but I reckon Kingrinder offers far better value for money and likely minimal difference in output.
@dandandan: I chose the K4 specifically because I needed an espresso grinder to be used with BES920, Picopresso and Dedica EC685 (with occasional Moka or Aeropress).
Also the initial reviews seemed good, the burrs on the K4 were Titanium coated (longer lasting) and ground the dose fast.
(I have not tried the K6) Kingrinder seems to suggest the K4 if you are after an espresso grinder, the K6 if you also want to do pour overs, french press and so on.
https://www.kingrinder.com/blog/comp-k4-k6
https://coffeewitness.com/kingrinder-k4-review/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep9BWDawxGc (in Vietnamese, some comments in English)
https://www.reddit.com/r/espresso/comments/11c3qhu/kingrinde…
I'm sure its a silly question but what is the benefit/need for a bottomless portafilter?
Not a silly question - the genuine benefits of a bottomless portafilter vs a spouted one are debatable, but in this specific case - the bottomless portafilters tend to be some of the cheaper options available for this machine, they will allow you to get more ground coffee in it compared to the included portafilter, and it has a non-pressurised basket (vs a pressurised basket that's included) - which will help you extract better, more flavourful shots if you have a good grinder. One other benefit that a bottomless portafilter gives you is the ability to spot mistakes in your puck prep - if the shot flows out too quickly or too slowly or shoots out everywhere instead of a single steady, syrupy stream, that points to a flaw in the process. The single steady syrupy shot is also beautiful to look at when it flows out of a bottomless portafilter :)
How about scale? Any recommendations?
This machine is actually a bit tricky with scales, as the area under the group head is quite small.
This type of scale is what a lot of people start with, its all you really need and gets the job done for about $15.
If you want something a bit fancier, you could go with the SearchPean Tiny2S for about $35-40 (make sure you choose the Tiny2S and not the Tiny which is an older version), which includes a shot clock and a few different espresso and pour over specific modes.
@poppingtags: Yes, I got the $15 one. However, I need the one with clock this time.
You sure can find a good deal. I saw from GoldenBrewing for the Timemore scale $99.
Plan to get the K4 grinder as well.
Thank you again @poppingtags
@kollier: Oh good point, I don't have the Dedica but the La Specialista Arte, it fits under that and for the coffee cups I use the "cappuccino style" cups.
If you get a bottomless portafilter that will also increase your clearance slightly as i had mine… but then it exploded while making a shot.
Bought mine from ALDI and very happy with it. So I bought another one from fb marketplace for $40 as backup.
Aldi one is EC685
thanks, at a glance though the same.
Cheers OP just price matched TGG on the phone $145
Just did the same.
What are the recommendations for a grinder
I use this https://alternativebrewing.com.au/products/porlex-tall-grind…. Had it for years and never a problem.
The Kingrinder K4 would deliver significantly better results and has its adjustment mechanism on the outside.
@poppingtags: Personally I like the internal setting. Set once and forget. But I'm not switching between styles on a regular basis.
Cheers @AsxBTFD ,got one . Have the older model bought in the 2018 deals but keep figuring it will fail soon, so this will be the backup.
Can anyone recommend a bottomless portafilter and basket etc for this? And would a 350ml milk jug be a good size?
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000590806675.html
Credit to poppingtags
Edit: re jug Kmart has one $7 but some complain too big and Amazon AU has 350ml one for $9.95.
Good luck!
I ordered at TGG but haven't picked it up yet. I guess I'll just price match it there and cancel the other one.
Thanks! Got one, missed the ttg deal but I guess that worked out
Sold out between me adding one to a cart and watching some YT vids about modifying the porta… Bugger.
Ok… its gone. I guess the decision was made by my indecisiveness
Appears to be in stock again.
Back in stock
Instock but back to $199 :(
Just saw this morning as well. Tricky
picked it up this afternoon, invoice stating a pricing error and the pricing difference to $199 has been paid by head office. genuine bargain, thanks @AsxBTFD!
Interesting.. mine is ready for pickup. I'll post update if I have similar invoice
LOL, just got fro TGG yesterday for $35 more.