Delonghi Dedica Duo EC890 Review

What is the Delonghi Dedica Duo?

The Dedica Duo is Delonghi’s newest iteration of their slimmest, thermoblock espresso machine. Being a thermoblock machine, it heats up quickly, and uses just little energy.

The Duo saves space using a specialized design, housing all internal components in an efficient cassette. It also keeps things on the slim side by using a small, 51mm brew group.

This is not to say that a small espresso machine cannot provide good results – it can. The Delonghi Dedica has popular worldwide for the last 10 years for a reason.

Design of the Dedica Duo 890

Thankfully, the new Dedica Duo does not stray far from original design of the Delonghi Dedica EC680, EC685 and EC885. It still has the aforementioned 51mm portafilter, 1.1 liter water tank, and slim profile.

Nevertheless, there are a few optical differences:

• the cup tray is wider than before (before it was tapered)
• the handle on the portafilter has been updated
• the steam/hot water lever is now a dial
• the buttons are now capacitive, and colored.

Let’s have a look at the new operating panel:

I find that the new touch panel has been done quite tastefully. The high contrast icons look good against the dark black background, kind of giving the Dedica an updated look.

You also see the addition of the “Cold Extraction Technology”, meaning that the Dedica can now do cold brew. Again, these new capacitive buttons just require a finger to rest upon them, to trigger them. There is no traditional button depressing here, like before.

Above you see the Dedica Duo from the left side. As in the previous models, you see the water tank on the back, while the body is of metal construction, painted white. The drip tray is made of a plastic base, with a stainless steel cover. It does also have slightly more capacity than it did on previous models.

The top of the Dedica Duo shows a ribbed cup tray, which does get pretty warm, but space is limited, and I wouldn’t say the heat is enough to sufficiently preheat your cups. I’d suggest warming up your cups by filling them with hot water first.

What does the Dedica EC890 come with?

The Dedica Duo actually comes with all you need to make a pressurized extraction, plus steam milk, which is a super nice bonus. That means that it comes with a proper metal based tamper, and a nice milk pitcher as well.

Here is what my white Delonghi Dedica Duo EC890 all came with:

• 51 mm portafilter, with aluminum head and plastic handle
• 2 pressurized baskets, with removable disc inserts for easy cleaning
• Scoop
• Steam wand cleaning pin
• Quick start guide (symbols, but no text)

I DO have a little beef to pick with Delonghi. They include a quick start guide, and a warning booklet, but no proper instructions. I could not yet find either a written PDF with instructions online. Perhaps this is still being drafted.

What about a solenoid, PID, and pre-infusion?

Believe it or not, the new Dedica Duo does in fact come with a solenoid valve, but I do not know what it is for. It doesn’t release pressure off the brew group after the extraction. I opened up the machine and looked for a PID temperature probe, but I didn’t find one. So, I cannot confirm whether it has one, but I don’t think so. It does however include a short pre-infusion, as the Dedica always has. Check out the Dedica Duo’s innards below:

Looking above, in the upper right hand corner, you will see a blue and brown wire, which attach to a solenoid valve. Below that is the thermoblock, which has power attached via brown and gray wires, and at the exit is a newer type of over pressure valve. I do not think it’s adjustable.

So how does the Dedica Duo perform for Espresso?

So far, I have tried the new Dedica with a few different beans – a darker roast with mostly robusta, a med-dark roast with a mix of arabica and robusta, and a medium roast. So far, I have been able to get great looking extractions, with lots of crema.

That being said, I am not yet getting the smooth and well rounded shots I’m accustomed to with previous versions of the Dedica. I can’t imagine much has changed here design-wise, so that could very well lie with the beans I’m using, or my own skills. I will have to keep trying and report back.

Play the video below to see a short video of a bottomless espresso.

How does Dedica Duo do for Milk Foam?

I really have to be honest here. The steam wand blows. I mean it’s supposed to blow steam, but what I mean is that it does not work well. It’s weak. I’m having a really hard time getting decent microfoam, because of a lack of steam power.

The previous model, the EC885 already had relatively weak steam, but the new model seems to be worse. At least mine is. Anyway, here’s a tutorial I made about the Dedica Arte, to help a friend of mine, who was frustrated with the steam wand power.

How is the build quality?

I would say the build quality is fine, not amazing. It gets the job done. I mean, it does have a metal body, but it’s just 4.2 kg in weight. The components inside are what you’d expect for the money. There’s a fair amount of plastic in there, like the steam valve and over pressure valves. The water lines are made out of PTFE, also known as Teflon.

What I DO quite like, is that the steam wand is a “non-burn” type, meaning that it doesn’t get too hot. There’s a PTFE line running through it, down to the bottom, keeping the heat away from the metal exterior. That makes the steam wand much easier to clean off, as the milk doesn’t get caked on, due to the heat.

Delonghi Dedica EC885 vs EC890

I would say that the EC885 and EC890 are quite similar, yet the EC890 differentiates itself from the EC885 in a few ways, even if it does look similar.

Most important, the new Dedica Duo (EC890) is able to do cold brew. That means that it turns the heater off while pulling a very long and slow coffee, ranging between 25-35 degrees C. This takes about 5-6 minutes to brew, but that is much quicker than leaving coffee sit in the fridge overnight to make your cold brew coffee.

The EC890 also comes with a new interface – it has capacitive instead of haptic buttons. I actually prefer the haptic buttons of the previous generations myself.

Finally, the EC890 comes with slightly different steam power. The EC885 already had some pretty weak steam, but unfortunately, I have to report that the steam power on the EC890 is even weaker. That makes steaming milk difficult.

Alternatives

If you are looking for an alternative to the Dedica Duo, you could consider the Casaberws 5418 Pro or the Breville Bambino, however neither of these do cold drinks. The 5418 Pro has the thin film technology however, so it heats up super quickly. It also has a manometer which is nice. The Bambino looks the nicest I’d say, and it’s been a mainstay for a long time. If you want to save a little money, the EC685 is available too. It’s getting a little long in the teeth, but it still works well. I’d only recommend getting this one these days if you get it on a nice sale.

Pros and Cons of the Dedica Duo?

Let’s consider the pros and cons of the new Dedica Duo:

Specifications of the Dedica Duo EC890:

– Dimensions: 149 x 330 x 305 mm

– Weight: 4.2 kg

– 1450 watt machine

– Build Materials: steel and plastic

– Currently offered in Pink, White, Mint Green, and stainless steel.

– Country of Origin: China

Watch the full review: