On specials 3rd Jul
Great simple sleek machine , hoping to see other vendors price match
Enjoy
De'Longhi Dedica Pump Espresso Machine $169 @ ALDI Special Buys
830
nikpik on 28/06/2024 - 16:46 aldi.com.au (4016 clicks)
Last edited 28/06/2024 - 16:47 by 1 other user
Last edited 28/06/2024 - 16:47 by 1 other user
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What's with that little chode of a steam wand tho..
Panarello steam wand - common on entry level machines, to make frothing easier (not better).
Can be replaced with a Rancilio Silvia steam wand, which I believe is a common and relatively simple mod.
@luckylittle: I guess "simple" is relative (also I did say "relatively simple"!). It's simpler than other coffee machine mods I've looked at - simple enough that I concluded I would be able to do it myself (as a complete noob!).
Also, there is a simpler way (titled "simple steam wand modification, fwiw - their title, not mine!):
https://youtu.be/UzOdineUXG4
@caprimulgus: 100% I followed that, replaced the wand and it's awesome.
I have had my machine over 4 years, I keep waiting for it to break or make a bad coffee - still going strong.
Tips for coffee starters:
- hacksaw the bottom, take out the plastic, get a double non pressurised basket = bottomless porta filter.
- Get a distributor & tamper all in one
- modify the stream wand as above (rancillo)
- I froth the milk first, then, switch the milk switch back to coffee and run the water through the milk frother in a small ramikin of water to stop the splashing to get it back down to temp quickly to pull a shot. Also helps keep the wand clean.
- Get a Breville smart grinder / pro - yes not the absolute best, but best bang for buck
- bonus points, appropriate milk jug, tamping mat and knock box.
@luckylittle: It's pretty straight forward. There's a great video on Youtube that steps you through the whole process. Took about half an hour and would high recommend it.
@luckylittle: I think you might be able to find the part cheaper via Aliexpress. Its a nice upgrade if you have the machine already, but as others have stated the Arte is significantly better value these days.
Why bother when you can just get the Dedica Arte for a few $$ more and it comes with the better steam wand? No warranty voiding mods needed.
@dontpanic: I wouldnt. :)
But someone else might if:
-They want to save the money, and see if they are happy with the panerello wand first (while still leaving the possibilty of upgrade in future). Case in point: the OP of this comment chain, who is very happy with the panerello wand!
-They are just starting out in espresso, and want to try the machine with generous Aldi return policy, to see if they are even committed to owning an espresso machine! (Not for everyone!). I personally wouldnt use/abuse the aldi return policy in that way, but certainly some people are happy to do that.
-They don't drink milk drinks and therefore dont care about the steam wand (but are happy to know they can upgrade the wand in future if they ever do!).So yeah, I wouldnt do it myself - but certainly it might be something some might consider doing (buying this machine, with the possibility of upgrading thw steam wand in future). For them, it may be relevant to know that they are able to do so! :)
(FWIW, if I was going to buy a machine in this ballpark, I'd probably get a Bambino anyway!)
@caprimulgus: Agree, the Bambino Plus is a much better machine (I have one, having had the Dedica previously), BUT it's at least double the price of the Dedica. For someone who doesn't want to spend that much or doesn't care about their coffee that much, I'd recommend just spending and extra $10-20 and getting the Dedica Arte.
Haha. You can actually just slip it off, I did. It makes it much easier to clean, and it's easier to see where the wand is in relation to the milk. Even I am a pro at steaming milk because of this. I should also add that it seems to have great longevity. Our unit is almost 4 years old and hasn't missed a beat after daily use.
it's doing the best it can with what it was given, ok! :'(
Good write up. Mine has been going strong since Covid.
I find that if i wait a minute longer after the lights stop flashing its at a better temperature.
Mine is also much faster to heat up the steam. No more than 30 seconds. Maybe because of the previous point.
Do you pull an empty shot first? does it get hotter and better on the second shot if you do?
Check this out. A madlad did an entire academic study on this very topic:
https://hackaday.io/project/162176-open-source-espresso-mach…
"From personal use, it was found that pre-heating with at least 2 cycles of double espresso resulted in much better tasting espresso. From the data it can be seen that pre-heating allows temperatures to be reached that cannot be reached otherwise, which could be one reason for the taste improvement."@naturaldecay: make sense to me.
I always pull an empty shot en my Nespresso, to clean the machine and to warm it up.
Switching between pulling shots and steaming takes at least 1 minute, so if you regularly steam milk, you can get one of those standalone $30 ones maybe.
Those standalone ones are milk frothers, they work differently and, just like the panarello on this Dedica, produce excessive amout of foam. Great for lattes, I guess.
Great write up, thanks
I had this, but upgraded 3 months later.
I found the 51mm portafilter limited the amount of coffee to 14g/28g shots. You could do back-to-back shots, but I'm used to double 18g/36 shots - this is slow for a morning routine.
It's not the 51mm that's limiting per se, it's the pressurised baskets.
I get an easy 18-19g in mine using a non pressurised basket. But you need a decent grinder to make that work.
Hi, I have 2 of these on rotation. The temp can be increased to highest setting.
For $30 more you can get the Dedica Arte model that comes with the Silvia steam wand and a decent tamper.
*$10 more @$179….. Yeah this really is the deal…. as atm JB have this for 10% off with code JUNECOFFEE10 and available now….
The real deals are in the comments
Good pickup!
That's a no brainer!
I got one of the Dedica Arte for Xmas just gone and it's been surprisingly great. Mostly happy with the frother as well when I use it. Heats up really quick, makes good espresso and takes up hardly any space. My in-laws have the one OP posted and it's worth spending the extra I reckon.
Any chance someone has the dedica Arte and also a manual kingrinder?? What setting do you have it at?
Have a Delonghi La Specialista Arte and Kinginder K4, settings really depend on the coffee beans themselves. Grinder is on 66 Clicks down from 80 (last beans became quite stale)
The advantage of this is that you can return it no questions asked if not satisfied in within 60 days
Got this for $104.50 in red on Amazon in 2018. We use it a couple of times a day and it's still like new.
Unbelievable coffee machine. It has been rock solid and consistent since COVID. We make around thousand coffees every year and they have all been fantastic. I cannot recommend this machine more.
Yeah, got my dedica (original) before our first child. She's 6 now and the machine hasn't missed a beat. And other than the odd descale no maintenance done (other than upgrade the steam wand).
I'd love to upgrade to something with at least a 3 way valve. But so hard to justify when this thing still makes decent coffee.
Out of the box it’s meh. But it has so many third party mods available as well as discussions of them. Considering its size I’d say it’s great.
Have you done the mods? Which ones and are they easy to do?
But it has so many third party mods available
By that you mean removing the panarello and changing the basket?
This vs a Breville Bambino?
For someone who isn’t a coffee connoisseur but do like a good coffee.
I've got both. Bambino at home and Delonghi in the caravan.
Bambino is much better. The Delonghi still does a good job, but I wouldnt want to use it every day over the Bambino.Thanks for the info.
I've had both, and I agree, Bambino is a superior machine. But it's also significantly more expensive. The Dedica is a strong entry level machine for those on a budget. Like you, I'm considering picking one up for the van, as I don't really fancy the idea of hauling my Bambino across bumpy corrugations.
Anyone recommend a non pressurised basket for this??
Is it as simple as swapping the basket out? I did that for my sunbeam and the coffee tasted worse and weak
You need to remove the plastic insert too. Very easy.
But you need a decent grinder to make it worthwhile. Pressurised baskets are used to make coarser grinds make acceptable espresso. Unpressurized will make coarse grinds taste weak. You need to be able to grind fine enough to get a proper extraction.
Neouza 51mm bottomless portafilter off Amazon for $40
https://www.amazon.com.au/NEOUZA-Espresso-Bottomless-Portafi…
I have this and it makes good coffee, when it works. I said when it works because after about a year I have issues with the machine where sometimes it doesn't work properly.
When it works, the machine make brief noise (I think this is called pre-infusion???) before dispensing espresso while the light blinking normally and finally all lights are steady when it finish brewing.
When it doesn't work, the "pre-infusion" doesn't happen, the machine straight away dispensing espresso (and it is weaker than usual) and when it stops brewing, all lights are blinking faster than the normal blinking.
Anyone experience this issue? I would like to hear some tips or feedback as to what might be wrong with the machine and if there is anything I can try myself to fix it.
In general I am happy with the quality of the coffee (to my taste) and would like to buy a new one but I am afraid if this is common issue and will happen again.
Had a similar problem where it would dispense a few seconds then stop and flash all lights.
I gave up diagnosing it so i took it to a service centre to get it looked at. They ended replacing a valve and its been fine ever since.
Also got it from a mothers day sale in 2018 for $105.
Thanks @wombok2 for the insight. I was contacting their support but decided not to send the item to them because the issue is intermittent and I didn't have confidence that they will be able to reproduce. But now when the warranty is out, the issues happens more often :-(
We just drink long blacks and espresso at home so the steam wand won’t be used. Would this still be the best buy? Or is there something else that would be better suited?
Same :)
If manual expresso interests you, you might be better served by something like a Flair (Neo Flex, Classic, Signature, Pro 2 or Flair58 depending on budget) or Cafelat Robot. Lack of steam wand wouldnt be an issue for you (and would be a positive in terms of compactness).
Otherwise, you're probably looking at this vs Breville Bambino (not Bambino+). Have a look at comparisons between those two (ignoring discussion on steam wands), and take your pick. (Fwiw, see vanreek's comment above about owning both and preferring the Bambino.)
Thanks for the reply!
I paid $89 last time Aldi had this machine. About 2 weeks after it came out, they kept dropping the price to clear them out.
Makes a great coffee…
I currently use a Nespresso Creatista. Can you recommend a good coffee bean machine that isn't too expensive? I want to avoid wasting my Nespresso Creatista by purchasing another machine. Thank you.
Alright Ozbargain - hit me up with a relatively priced grinder to get my home setup motoring!
I do get a free cuppa or two every day in the office, and am pretty happy w it. It is a nespresso capsule machine.
Sometimes over the weekend, I'd make my own using Aeropress.
Anyone could educate me on the differences between the Delonghi in the deal vs the two above? Am I perhaps comparing apples and oranges?
Thank you :)
The nespresso makes shit.
The aeropress makes a brewed coffee.
The deal machine makes espresso.
It's all apples and oranges.
Bought 3 years ago, lasted about 18 months.
Like said in last deal, if good beans its really good. Main issue is really need a scale, if basket is slightly under, wont make good coffee. It comes with a plastic tamper scoop, so its hard by default to get a good shot.
The machine lasted 18 months or you lasted 18 months with the machine?
2 years warranty, so if it only lasted 18 months you could have gotten a replacement / repair.
I do not recommend these. I replaced a $80 Sunbeam for space reasons but it just does not perform as well as the Sunbeam did. I think the pump is not good enough, and the resulting coffee is no better than a capsule machine - I've tried a lot of different coffee beans and grind settings but I'm always disappointed.
This was the Unit i had prior to my Barista Pro that i use now
A very good machine especially for sub $180 you can good coffee out of it mine lasted about 3 years being used everyday then the steamer had some issues so i upgraded but id recommend it if you dont want to drop >600 on a coffee machine this is the answer
This or Sunbeam EMM2900SS for $10 more? /espresso only no milk
https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/sunbeam-compact-barista-m…
How does this compare to the Sunbeam Compact Barista? The units look almost identical, same pricing tier, I wonder if they have the same components? The Sunbeam can be had for ~$10 more in many retailers.
I am looking at getting this. As someone who enjoys blonde roast from star bucks, what coffee would you buy for something close or similar and where from?
I've got this machine, and paired with a good grinder it actually makes pretty good coffee. The pros are it has an exceptionally slim profile, is very sturdy and made of metal,and is pretty quick to heat (thermoblok heat exchanger rather than boiler). The cons are I don't think it gets quite hot enough, and has a high enough pressure, for truly exceptional espresso. But for milk drinks using medium or darker roasts it's very good. It certainly beats everything in the price bracket, which is just cheap plastic that can't make drinkable coffee.Switching between pulling shots and steaming takes at least 1 minute, so if you regularly steam milk, you can get one of those standalone $30 ones maybe. Also, the tamper is a bit flimsy, but good enough I suppose. After it broke, I started using the little glass jars of woolworths spices, with the plastic lids, and achieved basically the same effect.