Delonghi Dedica Maestro Plus Review EC950

Introducing the Dedica Maestro Plus EC950

Wow. It has been a loooong time, since Delonghi released a new Dedica. Sure, we’ve had slight iterations over the years, but essentially the EC680, EC685 and EC785 are all technically the same. The EC885 introduced a proper steam wand. But now this, the EC950 comes with a new look and new features! Let’s have a look below.

Looking at the photo above, you’ll see that the Dedica has kept its pleasing shape, and small footprint, albeit slightly larger at 7.5″ or 19cm. What’s different however, is a brand new steam wand, that froths milk automatically. More on that later. The new Dedica also looks a little bit more bad-ass in my opinion, with the slanted chassis, 4 vertical slanted cooling fins, and slightly wider design. From a purely aesthetic standpoint, I like the new Dedica Maestro more than the previous versions. But, does it do a better job for espresso and milk foam?

What does the Maestro come with?

Thankfully, the Maestro Plus finally comes with just about everything you need to get started on your espresso journey. All that is really lacking is a knock box and a grinder. The machine comes with the following:

• 2 pressurized baskets
• 2 non-pressurized baskets (USA)
• 350ml milk pitcher
• 51mm tamper
• Steam wand cleaning tool
• Brush
• Directions

The Looks and Features of the EC950

The Dedica has won over many partners’ favor, because of its cute looks and small footprint. This is still the case, as it still uses rounded edges, and a good mixture of stainless steel and plastic, for an aesthetically pleasing machine, that still fits within many peoples’ budget.

With this new machine, we have a slightly tilted or slanted chassis, noted at the back. I think it’s around 3-4 degrees. That looks cool in my opinion. They have also included the 4 heat slits. I don’t know if that’s purely for looks, or if they need the heat to escape. There were no such heat slits on the previous model.

The Maestro also comes with a new water tank, holding 1.6 liters, compared to the previous 1.1 liters. The best thing about this tank though, is the fact that it now includes a water level sensor! No more starting a shot and aborting half way, because of insufficient water in the tank!

The Maestro Plus also comes with a brand new steam wand, jettisoning off the right side of the machine. This wand can be used to froth milk either automatically, or manually. It has an attached heat probe, which measures the milk’s temperature, and stops at either 60°, 65°, or 70° celsius.

Another new feature is an updated control panel, which allows for more intuitive temperature control, and more. Let’s look below.

How is the new Control Panel?

The control panel on the new Dedica is a nice upgrade. We now have direct access to the temperature settings for espresso extractions, on the upper left. These are as follows:

• 1 bar = 92° C
• 2 bars = 94° C
• 3 bars = 96° C

Working counterclockwise from there, we have a button for a double espresso, then for a single espresso. Just hold these buttons down for a few seconds to start programming them for the volume you want. Press the respective button again to stop the extraction, and save the volume in the machine’s programming.

Then, we have two buttons for the auto milk frothing feature. The first button is for the froth amount. This affects how much air is injected into the milk. As I understand it, air is intermittently added to the milk, in between phases of milk steaming. Finally, you get to select the temperature of the steamed milk:

• 1 bar = 60° C
• 2 bars = 65° C
• 3 bars = 70° C

There are also two more welcome additions, in the middle of the control panel. First, we have a light to indicate that the water is low! This is a new feature, which was previously missing in the other Dedica models. Next to the low water indicator is a light to tell you to descale. This is set based on the number of extractions, and the water hardness level that you choose in the settings.

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

The Dedica still omits a 3 way solenoid valve, meaning that the coffee will keep dripping for up to 60 seconds after the extraction. That’s too bad, but something I have gotten used to with Delonghi machines. The upside is, less maintenance (no backflushing), and fewer parts to potentially go bad.

It does include temperature control however, which I will test soon, and update this blog post with. The advertising material claims temperature control throughout the shot, so I am curious how well this works.

In this machine, we get a new kind of pre-infusion, which sounds similar to the La Specialista line (it sounds like a choo choo train). The good thing is, you can choose a pre-infusion pause of 0, 1 or 2 seconds in the machine settings.

So how does the EC950 perform for Espresso?

So far, the new Dedica performs as I expected for espresso. I normally use a med-dark espresso bean blend, with 80% arabica and 20% robusta, and this machine is able to pull a nice shot with these aforementioned freshly roasted beans. It is able to make a good crema (either artificially with the pressurized baskets, or genuinely with the non-pressurized), which offers nice mouth feel. It can extract well enough to offer nice notes of dark chocolate, and a little sweetness at the end. In the case of the beans I use, sometimes I get hints of almonds, or cherry.

That being said, the results are going to depend a lot on the beans you’re using, your grinder, and your experience with the machine. I have not tested it with lighter roasts yet, but I will do that and update here, to see if it can extract hot enough to avoid too much sourness. It does at least offer the 96 degree temperature, so hopefully that will suffice.

How does the Auto-frother do for Milk Foam?

So far, the automatic steam wand does pretty well. It is able to froth the milk each time, consistently. It even froths oat milk pretty well. It also steams up to the temperature set – I measured it with my own temperature probe, and it nails the temperature of the milk foam.

With that being said, it will never get as silky smooth as when you steam manually. It simply does not get a whirlpool going, to get the milk incorporated. But I have not found any machine with an automatic milk frother, that does a great job at producing silky milk, not even the Breville Barista Touch Impress.

I think probably the most annoying thing about the automatic milk frothing wand is how LOUD it is! Its tip is very close to the bottom of the metal pitcher, so it really screeches while steaming. Also, it’s cool down phase sounds like a weird gurgling geyser or something. This is not a quiet machine.

Best Accessories for the Maestro Plus?

I think this machine benefits the best from a bottomless portafilter and IMS basket. Just be sure to get the portafilter designed for the La Specialista line. The older Dedica portafilters to not fit, even if they are 51mm and 3 tabbed.

Pros and Cons of the new Dedica Maestro Plus?

I think this machine has taken 2 steps forward, and 1 step back, to be honest. I think this is a cool looking machine, a nice step forwards for the Dedica line. The automatic milk frother is nice. The water level sensor is super nice to have. But, it’s loud, and it isn’t as cheap as the other Dedicas. Also, it has no hot water outlet, a big swing and miss in my opinion.

Specifications of the Dedica Maestro Plus:

– Dimensions: 190 mm x 450 mm x 325 mm

– Weight: 5.5 kilos or 12 pounds

– 1450 watt machine

– Build Materials: stainless steel and plastic

– 1.6 liter water tank

– Country of Origin: China

Verdict

So far, I very much like the looks of the machine, and the better operation panel than before. But, the machine is loud, and more expensive than other Dedicas. I’d say this is a good purchase if you love the looks, and will use the auto-frothing feature. Otherwise, choose a much cheaper Dedica below.

Other Dedicas

Check out these Dedicas below, which offer similar performance for less money:

Find your Dedica Maestro Plus here: