How To Make Better Coffee on Home Espresso Machine: DeLonghi Dedica EC685 Tutorial 

Do you make espresso at home? What are your tips for better coffee with cheaper home espresso machines?

This was my first espresso maker. When using naked portafilter with non pressurized basket, and steaming with the rubber wand, and pairing it with a nice grinder, It gives you amazing lattes, it's so good that I stopped going to coffee shops. Highly recommend the upgrades!

We've just ordered this machine and this tutorial will be very helpful to us as the home espresso beginners! Thanks a lot for the very convinient and easy explanations and advices!

Wow! I have been using a home espresso machine for a year and I learned more fine detail in this short video than any other I have watched plus I got to learn about the Dedica. I'm off to buy one for camping.

Just ordered my machine so this video is a straightforward tutorial- thank you!

Wow thank you for your advices on this machine !! I was wondering why my coffee was not so tasty. I will follow your advices an look how I can improve my coffee

A very well explained video for us coffee lovers who need to learn more on how to improve our daily hit .👍

I can’t tell you enough how helpful this video was to me as a complete beginner. Excellently explained!!!

Awesome video it pretty much explained the entire coffee making process !!! Thanks

I'm thinking of buying a machine like this and your video clarified many doubts. Congratulations and thank you very much. ☕️🇧🇷

I recommend securitng the rubber steam wand with some kind of strap so it wont shoot out while steaming

Very helpful... just got my small machine today... learning. Thanks.

That moment when you realise his grinder costs more than the machine, coffee, tamper combined 😔

One of the most helpful video on the machine and technique.

Super nices Video, mega gut erklärt. 🙌 Danke

Excellent video with detailed description. Enjoyed it. Thanks a lot

Thank you for making this video it was very helpful and informative 😊

One thing i've noticed with this machine is if you have a very finely ground coffee compound, you need to ease off on the compressing in the filter basket otherwise the machine struggles with pressure. The thicker the coffee ground, the tighter you can pack it. I love this machine - budget friendly way to make great coffee at home for my wife and I.

Hey! What an excellent video, thanks for sharing your expertise

Thanks a lot! Just bought new dedica Arte and will try you tops ❤

This was a great video. Thanks

Switching from pre-grinded coffee to grinding it yourself is probably the best and most noticeable coffee taste upgrade. Switching from a $20 french press to whatever espresso machine is less of an upgrade and might not even be necessary, specially if milk frother is not used.

Thank you for those awesome tips. 👌

Thank you so much for your tip ❤

Good job on making this video. I use this one! Perfect espresso its around $500 but it will last you years.

This was very informative. I bought my machine today. Thanks for posting.

very helpful thank you.

good work ,very proffesional

Superb tips matey

Thanks for share this video... Very helpful for me 😊

Thanks for the video!

My first little Krups did really well , once the kids grew up I could get a better machine , that little machine pumped them out for years :)

Amazing ...thank you

Man, I love your video! Thank you.

love how you explain

And this is it, I wake up on 5 o'clock and arrived late to work again. But...what a coffee

Nice video. I already use a bottomless portafilter with this machine and the key is get a good enough grinder. I use the Sage Barista one and the combination is fantastic. BUT i couldnt make decent lattes with the existing wand. I have now removed the metal rod and by just using the existing rubber tube, i can make great lattes - not need to do the rancillo complicated exchange. I may see if I can get a longer rubber tube to make it a little easier. BUT by just using the existing rubber tube is a game changer in itself. Thank you. It does go to show , how capable this machine is.

Great to see Dedica on your channel guys :) Because of its low price point this should be a go-to machine for everyone interested in trying out espresso game at home.

Grinder is best investment in coffee equipment 😁👌

nice simple explanation 😅 for the beginner 🎉

Hi guys. Great video, thank you. Have you upgraded (supercharged) the shower screen on your machine? Is it possible/are there better quality shower screen’s available for this machine?

Amazing video❤

Thanks, good video .

Perfect video ! I have the same machine and it is very good . Could you suggest any portafilter ?

Thank you for this great tutorial, easy to understand and I like your step by step approach. I've watched a few videos on learning to use the Dedica and this one is by far the best.

Lovely video! 🧡

I've used a Dedica for years and it extracts a good coffee. I'm keen to try a non pressurised portafilter.

Grande, grazie!

Very useful video! I've upgraded my Dedica with a non pressurized basket and a good manual grinder (1ZPresso JX-Pro). Coffe is just so much better.

Learned so much from the video. I have the same machine, and im using 16.5g after i watched this video. And still learning to do latte art

As a budget home espresso machine user since the start of the pandemic i have some tips: 1. Most home espresso machine can be upgraded to a non-pressurized basket and you should upgrade it if you have a decent grinder. 2. While you can theoretically pull good looking shots with the non-pressurized basket, most of budget home espresso machine don't have high enough heat to extract coffee properly, so you either need to use darker roast or longer extraction time. 3. If you're planning to buy budget home espresso machine, pay attention to the group head shower screen design, try to find a machine with one screw in the middle (if that makes any sense?) because you could maybe upgrade it to a compatible shower screen like IMS and it's usually better at dispersing water evenly because the water stream gets 'break' before it hits the shower screen, unlike mine that is so bad at dispersing water evenly because the stream of water hits the middle of the shower screen and the pressure is concentrated at the middle of the puck. 4. Always use contact shower screen / puck screen, it helps ALOT in extracting the coffee evenly, although you gotta preheat it first like dipping it in a bowl of hot water, also there's a neat little trick where after you put your puck screen, you pour hotter water to 'pre-infuse' it, maybe it can help raise the initial heat. 5. If im not wrong if you have a steam knob you could potentially control the amount of pressure you're extracting with(?) I haven't tested it because mine doesn't come with a separate steam knob, but i think you do it like when you're extracting, you turn the steam knob a little bit so it can open and release a small amount of pressure while you're pulling a shot, but i honestly don't know cause i read this from a comment in another video.

You may end up blasting the plastic nozzle thing straight off the machine if you remove the outer housing. Not a big problem but if def can happen, just saying :) I use the same bottomless portafilter for my EC685! Another highly recommend tip would be getting a WDT tool, coffee bed leveler, and a better tamper and use them in that order

nice video. always like videos with this guy

Hi there, Is the portafilter that you are using called "NEOUZA Espresso Bottomless Portafilter 51mm"? Also, if I am using 16.5g of coffee beans, do I use the single shot or double shot button? Many thanks.

Great video and tips, although my machine is too old to upgrade so I am saving for a good quality machine. Probably Breville Infuser

brilliant

13:13 be careful about that, there's quite a lot of a pressure build up in the steam wand and the rubber spout can and eventually will shoot out from the rest of the steam wand so I'd suggest to use some kind of a rubber band to hold it in place.

Hi, I'm trying to use solid metal tamper and bottomless portafilter on my EC685, and it resulting in coffee spattering from the bottom around the cup in totally random directions. Grinder is Eureka Mignon Manuale, any change of grind result in same issue.

Great video! Im getting this machine very soon to go along with my 1Zpresso JMAX.

Hello i have few questions about Delonghi Dedica that i just bought. Can I change the filter basket with a bigger one that can hold about 15-18 gr of coffee without changing the portafilter because the double that already has its small. If I can change it I just fit it in or does it require a modification? If I use a non pressurized portafilter with a new double cup basket filter and with a proper tamper can I use pre ground coffee or it's necessary to grind my self coffee if I use non pressurized portafilter? Thanks in advance :)

Wow i love your video about this :)

Good explication

thanks

Hello thank you for the video i have buy the espresso machine but i need also buy the bottomless filter but there is many sizes and i don't know which size i have to buy can you tell me please which one do you have?

Hi, what bottomless Porta filter did you use?

I would say the EC685 is a decent machine and when u own one, your coffee quality will be as good as your grinder and beans.

Hi! Thanks for the video. Can you make a video about making espresso and cappuccino with delonghi eco310?

I have already replaced the basket but till I get a grinder,which café from the market should I get for best results?

I have this machine and at 13:10 you most certainly cannot only use the plastic bit as it will blow off due to pressure and splash into your milk ruining your drink. Maybe it stays on the machine first arrives, but not after taking the rubber part off a couple of times to clean it.

Hello, do you have a link for the bottomless portafilter you used? I don't see one. Thanks! (I found a couple on Amazon that either don't have the best reviews or people said it wasn't compatible with the Deduce EC685)

have you already changed the default doses? I have bought a bottomless portafilter and non-pressurized 14g basket, and it puts out 80gr of liquid i like the taste as it is (recently got the graef cm802 grinder). how can i get closer to the 1:2 ratio? if i change the quantity the 685 puts out via adjusting like the manual says it will pump less water but in less time as well so it will violate the 25-30sec rule of thumb (by default the 80gr of liquid are pumped in 30 sec for double dose and 40ish in 15ish sec for the single dose)

great

Que molino necesito para sacar este tipo de café con la Delonghi?

Which portafilter did you use? I have checked the links but cannot find it?

great video! do you guys count the pre-infusion? the roasts that I use (dedica plus eureka mignon and same bottomless portafilter, with most of the times 18gr in 36 out) come a bit underextracted when I brew 30 secs with pre infusion included. so I counr 30 after the the pressure starts!

nice video. defintely makes me want to buy that machine. the grinder though is much more expensive than the machine itself. could you recommend any cheaper alternatives? thanks!

Best video I’ve watched for making coffee on the dedica

Hi, I bought a portafilter the same with you to use with my Delonghi, but it came out no creama on my espresso shot and seem like the coffee running too fast through it. (Never happened with the Delonghi's portafilter) Any recommendations?

Excellent video

I have had a delonghi dedica for a while now and these tips have been really handy as I have wanted to try and upgrade eventually. What was the upgraded port filter that you used?

Hello! I have one question regarding this kind of coffee machine. I have this model about 2 years now and I see that something is not working very well since the 1st time. Please note that I always do the desalination process as indicated on the book and when the machine requires it. But from the beginning I didn’t get that rich cream as I can see on this video. Am I doing something wrong? Second question: lately I realised that the coffee is getting lighter or watery. Is there any component that needs to be changed inside the coffee machine?! Thank you!

I was hoping you would share more tips on dialing-in with the pressurised portafilter. How much coarser was the grind size compared to unpressurised? How fine should one actually go? Did you use the single or double basket? Why did you use that 11g:30g ratio instead of 2:1? Did you change the setting to the hottest level? Cheers.

I love copper grinders

Did you press the double or single button on the machine with the bottomless filter in the end? Still 25Sec?

the time when i am working 8:00 in the mornig and i wake up from 6:00 in order to make the perfect coffee.

Can i just use coffee powder ? If im not that demanding on quality? Wonder if we can extract tea or now, knowing tea cant be too high temperature but some times i want a fast n concentrate tea

hey , I have a dedica with a bottomless portafilter from NEOUZA but unfortunately it still does not quite work with the double shot as it should. I put in my sieve 16.5gr coffee and then press the double Shot button. the ground coffee is already very finely ground yet I get about 53gr coffee in my cup pure. so I expected so ideally a 1:2 ratio so about 33gr. what can I do? do you have a tip for me? I use as a grinder the sage barista Pro. Many greetings Oliver

How many clicks on the Comandante C40 did you use both for the original portafilter and for the non-pressurized one? Have you ground finer for the non-pressurized one?

Thank you for this video. Could you please share the brand/link of these beautiful pink cups?

Mi cafetera DeLonghi Dedica EC685, por qué muy poca crema. El mismo café en polvo en otras marcas de cafeteras, sí tiene mucha crema. He probado muchos polvos de café.

Did you manually stop the machine when you got the espresso yield within 30 seconds. Or did you let the machine run on default time

please tell me, 11g beans is for the 1 cup button or the 2 cup button. let's say for a standard latte I want to pull a dopio. Am I putting 11 grams and choosing the 2 cup button or something different?

Hello. What hardness of water should I choose on the machine if I use bottled water?

Hi! Really good video, thanks. I have the same machine but I had little to no success brewing with the advanced modes. First I modified my delonghi coffee grinder to be able to grind finer coffee. That worked out great. Then I tried loading that finer coffee into the pressurized basket but the machine fails to brew it. It just pumps and barely any coffee comes out. Whatever comes out is super bitter. At the end I did not tamper the coffee at all (just scoop it in and brew) and it just simply fails to brew fine coffee. I have a feeling the machine has some trickery with the OPV valve and it is just pumping and never releasing pressure completely pressing the coffee together and not letting any water through. I have purchased unpressurized baskets obviously. I had to cut out plastic pieces from the portafilter to fit it. It is a basket with many holes on the middle but not in the entire basket like yours. This was the only one I found locally. But it is not pressurized and that is the point. I had better success brewing espresso grind coffee with it but even after many many attempts the quality never come close to the one brew with the pressurized basket on default coarser coffee. The output was always bitter, you have no control over the water quantity only the brew length. Also I think the OPV might have some special tuning not really suited for this. I was -to be honest- surprised it worked for you and now I'm suspecting it is something with my machine. I was also suspecting my skills are bad (and they might be still), but then if you copy everything at least some crappy coffee should come out not undrinkable bitterness. So I just go with the crappy machine theory. Not in general, but mine. I'm a bit tired of upgrading it (I also did the wand upgrade) and I think I will step forward to a Breville Dual Boiler.

Can I use the cup warmer on top to preheat the portafilter?

We have this exact machine and just purchased a naked/bottomless portafilter but we can’t get a clean pull because the espresso just sputters and spits leading to minimal crema. Have tried different grinds and quantities but no luck so far. Any advice? Only piece we’re missing is a scale to more precisely measure quantity.

hey. where to buy bottomless portafilter? I have one, but I'm not as happy with it as it locks loosely in the group head

I like these wonderful yellow ceramic espresso cups. Where can I find it?

in the barista routine, are you using 2 Tass porta filter or 1 Tass porta filter ? To reach 25 seconds, you used programmation mod on the dedicated ?

What's the brand of your bottomless portafilter? I can see many on Amazon but with some negative reviews. What's ur suggestion? Thanks 😊