Quick answer: The best Delonghi espresso machine is the Delonghi Dinamica ECAM35025SI.
This is my roundup of the best Delonghi Espresso machines.
I own the Delonghi ESAM 3300 and spent two days researching Delonghi’s range of espresso machines online to put together this roundup.
Let’s get started.
Top Picks
Best Overall/Best for Beginners: Delonghi Dinamica With Frother ECAM35025SI
Best Affordable: Delonghi ECP3630 with Premium Frother
Best If Money Were No Object/Best Quality Coffee: De’Longhi EC9665M La Specialista Maestro
| Specification | Delonghi Dinamica with Frother ECAM35025SI | Delonghi ECP3630 with Premium Frother | De’Longhi EC9665M La Specialista Maestro |
| Type of machine | Superautomatic | Semi-automatic | Automatic |
| Milk frother | Yes – automatic milk frother | Yes – steam wand | Yes – automatic milk frother and steam wand |
| Black coffee presets | Espresso Double Espresso Ristretto Lungo Filter Coffee Iced Coffee | Espresso Double Espresso | Espresso Double Espresso Filter Coffee Americano |
| Milk-based coffee presets | Cappuccino Latte Latte macchiato Flat white | None (manual milk frother) | Cappuccino Latte Flat White |
| Control Panel | Buttons and LCD screen with text instructions | Dial operated | Buttons and LCD screen with symbols |
| Inbuilt coffee grinder | Yes – 10.5 oz (300 grams) | No | Yes – 8.8 oz (250 grams) |
| Coffee grinder settings | 13 settings | N/A | 8 settings |
| Water tank capacity | 60.8 oz (1.8 liters) | 38.8 oz (1.1 liters) | 68 oz (1.9 liters) |
| Dimensions (Width x Depth x Height) | 9.3” x 16.9” x 13.7” | 7.3” x 9.5” x 12.2” | 16.5” x 14” x 18.5” |
| Best for | Best overall Best for beginners | Best affordable Best for limited counter space | Best if money were no object Best quality coffee |
| Buy on Amazon | Check latest price | Check latest price | Check latest price |
Delonghi Dinamica with Frother ECAM35025SI – Best Overall
The Delonghi Dinamica with Frother ECAM35025SI is the best overall Delonghi espresso machine due to the unparalleled value for money that it offers you.
This machine has all the features necessary for an excellent superautomatic machine while sparing some of the more peripheral features that inflate a machine’s price without adding much to its performance.
Quality of Drinks
The Dinamica ECAM35025SI can make a good, but not excellent espresso.
The machine’s high-quality grinder and finely calibrated dosing system mean that the average daily coffee drinker will not have any complaints about the espresso that it creates.
The machine only allows you to control coffee dose by having five strength settings. These measure coffee dose by a number from one to five, rather than by weight.
This unfortunately puts a ceiling on how finely you can control your espresso brewing.
While espresso snobs may well turn their nose up at this, this is just part of the parcel of using a superautomatic espresso machine.
You trade off a small reduction in coffee quality in return for being able to make drinks quickly and easily. As far as superautomatic machines go, the Dinamica ECAM35025SI makes a very good espresso.
The Dinamica ECAM35025SI’s automatic milk frother is also excellent.
The fact that it has dedicated steaming and frothing modes means that it can make both steamed milk drinks (like a latte) and frothed milk drinks (like a cappuccino) to a high standard.
Quality of Drinks Rating: 8/10
Functionalities
The Delonghi Dinamica ECAM35025SI is the Delonghi espresso machine with the second-highest number of coffee presets (just after the Dinamica Plus).
The machine also gives you five strength options and four temperature options for each coffee that you make.
Unfortunately, it does not let you specify serving sizes for coffee and milk.
This does put some limitations on how far you can customize your coffee and is something that Delonghi’s (more expensive) Eletta line of machines has over the Dinamica.
Still, you cannot argue with the number of coffee types that you can make with this machine.
Functionalities Rating: 9/10
Ease of Use
The Dinamica ECAM35025SI has a button-operated control panel and text-based LCD screen to guide you through the coffee-making process.
While this LCD screen is very simple, it does its job well, as it tells you exactly what you need to do in plain English.
Something that I hate about my Delonghi Magnifica ESAM 3300 is that all its buttons are labelled with symbols.
These are often very hard to understand, and the Dinamica’s addition of a text-based screen makes the machine so much easier to use in comparison.
The machine can self-clean its internal pipes and milk frother. Make sure that you are standing by it to regularly change cups to catch all its water as it dispenses a lot of water when self-cleaning.
Ease of Use Rating: 9/10
Value for Money
The Delonghi Dinamica ECAM35025SI is possibly the best value-for-money espresso machine on the market.
It is definitely the best value for money Delonghi espresso machine.
The machine maximizes the most important features of an espresso machine – namely making excellent coffee, offering a wide range of coffee presets, and being easy to use, without having too many superfluous features inflating its price.
The machine is far better than the similarly priced Delonghi Magnifica S (which has a terrible user interface) and is better than similarly priced Jura machines.
If you pay the same amount of money for a Jura machine, you are unlikely to get one that has any milk functionalities whatsoever.
Value for Money Rating: 10/10
What if I can’t get the Delonghi Dinamica ECAM35025SI?
If you cannot get your hands on the Delonghi Dinamica ECAM35025S, your next best option is the Delonghi Dinamica Plus ECAM357095TI.
The machine is very similar to the Dinamica ECAM35025SI but has:
- Three extra black coffee presets
- A stronger pump
- A better quality LCD screen with color and images as well as text
- App compatibility to allow you to make coffees with your phone
- Extra coffee customisations and the ability to save custom presets
The machine is a fair bit more expensive than the ECAM35025SI, and while these features do marginally elevate it above that machine, I don’t think it offers as good value for money.
Still, the Dinamica Plus is an excellent machine at a reasonable price.
Delonghi ECP3630 With Premium Milk Frother – Best Affordable
The Delonghi ECP3630 is a basic but well-built machine. Its excellent milk frother is a particular highlight, making it one of the least expensive espresso machines available that can actually make a good latte and cappuccino.
Quality of Drinks
Since the ECP3630 is a semi-automatic espresso machine, its quality of coffee depends a lot on your ability to control grind size and coffee dosing.
The machine does not have a built-in grinder, so you will need an espresso grinder to make excellent espresso with this machine. This will generally set you back in excess of $100.
If you can get your grind size right, and have the patience to precisely weighing out your coffee and water doses, you can get the machine to make a good espresso.
Unfortunately, the machine’s pump is not strong enough to make espresso with very finely ground coffee. This means that even if you get your dose perfect, your espresso will always be a bit blander than with a better quality machine.
Still, for the price, the machine can make a decent coffee.
The milk frother on this machine is very good and sets this machine apart from other affordable Delonghi espresso machines.
The steam wand has two settings, one to steam milk and one to froth milk. This allows you to make a wide range of milk-based espresso drinks to a high standard.
The wand is powerful enough to steam enough milk for several coffees. Very few machines in this price range have such a powerful steam wand.
Quality of Drinks Rating: 7/10
Functionalities
The ECP3630 allows you to make single and double espresso, and to both froth and steam milk.
The machine’s portafilter is adjustable, allowing you to dose up just the right amount of coffee for a single and double espresso.
The steam wand’s froth and steam settings mean that, with enough practice, you can make pretty much any milk-based espresso drink with this machine.
Functionalities Rating: 8/10
Ease of Use
The ECP3630 has a very intuitive layout and workflow. However, the machine is very manual, making you grind the coffee, dose up the coffee, and pull the shot yourself.
This means that you do need to play around with the machine a fair bit before you can start pulling consistently good shots.
The machine is operated with a dial that allows you to turn the machine on (which heats it up), and to start and stop its brewing.
You have to manually stop it’s brewing yourself.
While this gives you a large amount of control over how your shots are pulled, it would be nice if the machine had a timer to help you optimize your brewing times (this is meant to be around 25 seconds).
You need a bit of trial and error to get good foamed milk from the steam wand, however, this is true of all machines that use steam wands rather than automatic milk frothers.
Ease of Use Rating: 7/10
Value For Money
Delonghi’s decision to do away with unnecessary features on this machine means that the ECP3630 offers you excellent build quality and reliability for a relatively low price.
It offers you the best value for money from all of Delonghi’s more basic espresso machines.
Value For Money Rating: 9/10
What if I Can’t Get My Hands on the Delonghi ECP3420?
If you cannot get your hands on the Delonghi ECP3420, then your next best option is the Delonghi Dedica Deluxe EC685.
I’d recommend the Dedica Deluxe because it also has the premium steam wand.
Delonghi’s other affordable machines have really weak steam wands that can barely generate enough heat and power to froth milk. I cannot, therefore, recommend them.
The Dedica Deluxe is slightly more expensive than the ECP360 and I don’t think it does enough to justify this extra cost.
Still, if the ECP3630 is not available then this is the next best affordable Delonghi machine.
DeLonghi EC9665M La Specialista Maestro – Best if Money Were No Object
The DeLonghi EC9665M La Specialista Maestro is Delonghi’s best espresso machine if you don’t take the price into account. It gives you unparalleled control over how you brew espresso and steam your milk, allowing you to make the best possible coffee drinks.
Quality of Coffee
You can make superb espresso with the Maestro as it gives you a huge amount of control over your coffee dosage.
The machine uses a “smart tamping” system which ensures that your coffee is dosed and tamped perfectly. This system combines the high level of control that you get with an automatic machine with the consistency that you get from a superautomatic machine.
It is also the only Delonghi machine that has both a steam wand and an automatic milk frother, so you can get your milk exactly the way you like it.
The level of customization that these two milk systems provide you with is unreal.
Quality of Coffee Rating: 9/10
Functionalities
The Maestro has six coffee presets.
While this may not seem like a lot, the Maestro focuses on maximizing your ability to customize your coffees rather than having as many preset as possible.
The Maestro gives you a huge amount of control over your coffee dose, milk dose, and how your milk is frothed, far more than any other Delonghi machine.
This puts it on equal footing with the Dinamica ECAM35025SI as far as functionalities are concerned.
Functionalities Rating: 9/10
Ease of Use
While the Maestro looks intimidating with all of its buttons and gauges, it is actually one of the easier Delonghi machines to use.
Although the Maestro is technically an automatic machine, its smart tamping system does all the hard bits of dosing out the coffee for you. All you have to do to dose out coffee is lift its lever when you reach the dose level that you want.
Other than that, all coffee presets are made for you at the touch of a button.
The steam wand is powerful. While this means that you have the potential to make excellent milk foam, it also means that it will take a bit longer to master than the wand on the ECP3420.
If you cannot be bothered to master the steam wand, the machine also has an automatic milk frother.
The biggest downside of this machine is that it does require a fair bit of cleaning, with its smart tamper, portafilter and milk wand requiring a manual clean after every drink you make.
Some users of this machine also say that it tends to drip and splash after dispensing coffee. This is annoying and will, over time, significantly add to the amount of time that you need to spend cleaning this machine.
Ease of Use Rating: 8/10
Value For Money
While the Maestro is not the cheapest Delonghi machine, it outperforms all the machines that are more expensive than it.
The machine is so good that it still represents good value even at its price.
Value For Money Rating: 8/10
What if I Can’t Get My Hands On the Delonghi EC9665M La Specialista Maestro
Honestly, the Maestro is a one-of-a-kind espresso machine. If you have your heart set on it and can’t get it then I would wait for it to become available.
The other Delonghi La Specialista machines lack the smart tamping system or have both an automatic milk frother and steam wand.
These are the two coolest features of the Maestro, so I cannot hold up the other La Specialistas as decent replacements for it.
What to Consider When Buying a Delonghi Espresso Machine
Below are the four most important questions that you should ask yourself when buying a Delonghi espresso machine.
What is Your Budget?
Delonghi espresso machines vary in price from about $150 on the cheaper end to around $2,500 on the more expensive end.
Unsurprisingly, the more features and automation that a machine has, the more expensive it will be.
Features like an LCD screen control panel, a built-in grinder, automatic dosing and automatic milk frothing particularly bump up the price of these machines.
I find that all Delonghi machines feel quite cheaply built and plasticky, regardless of how much they cost.
While this is not a problem for the more affordable and mid-priced machines, it does let down Delonghi’s higher-end machines. The most expensive Delonghi machines are similarly priced to mid-range Jura machines, however, Jura machines look and feel far more expensively built-in comparison.
This is the main reason why I have not listed any of the most expensive Delonghi machines (the Eletta range) as my top picks.
Below are three tables that list Delonghi’s currently available espresso machines in order of price from lowest to highest.
Please note that prices may vary online:
Most Affordable Delonghi Espresso Machines
| Machine Name | Price (fewer dollar signs means cheaper) |
| Delonghi Stilosa EC260BK | $ |
| Delonghi ECP3420 | $ |
| Delonghi Manual Espresso Machine with Premium Frother ECP3630 | $ |
| Delonghi Manual Espresso Machine with Premium Frother ECP3630 (best affordable) | $ |
| Delonghi Dedica EC680M | $$ |
| Delonghi Dedica Deluxe EC685M | $$ |
| Delonghi Dedica Arte EC885M | $$ |
Mid-priced Delonghi Espresso Machines
| Machine Name | Price (fewer dollar signs means cheaper) |
| Delonghi La Specialista Arte Espresso Machine EC9155MB | $$$ |
| Delonghi Magnifica Espresso Machine ESAM3300 | $$$ |
| Delonghi Magnifica Evo Espresso Machine ECAM29043SB | $$$ |
| Delonghi Magnifica XS Espresso Machine ECAM22110SB | $$$ |
| Delonghi La Specialista Prestigio Espresso Machine EC9355M | $$$ |
| Delonghi Dinamica Espresso Machine ECAM3520B | $$$ |
Top of the Line Delonghi Espresso Machines
| Machine Name | Price (fewer dollar signs means cheaper) |
| Delonghi Magnifica S Espresso Machine ECAM23270S | $$$$ |
| Delonghi Dinamica Espresso Machine with Frother ECAM35075SI (best overall) | $$$$ |
| Delonghi Dinamica Plus Espresso Machine ECAM37095TI | $$$$$ |
| Delonghi La Specialista Maestro Espresso Machine (best if money were no object) | $$$$$ |
| Delonghi Eletta Espresso Machine ECAM44660B | $$$$$ |
| Delonghi Espresso Eletta Deluxe ECAM45760S | $$$$$ |
| Delonghi Eletta Cappuccino Evo | $$$$$ |
Ease of Use vs Quality of Coffee
Delonghi makes two broad types of espresso machines: automatic and superautomatic.
(For the purposes of this explanation I am lumping automatic and semi-automatic machines under “automatic” as they are essentially the same in this context).
Automatic espresso machines have you dose up the ground coffee in a portafilter, whereas a superautomatic machine doses the coffee for you within the machine (you just need to put whole beans in the machine).
An automatic machine allows you greater control over the brewing ratios of your espresso, as you can measure out ground coffee by weight.
While a superautomatic machine lacks this fine-tuning of coffee dosing, they are much easier to use.
A superautomatic machine will produce pretty much the same shot every time you use it, whereas the quality of coffee from automatic machines can vary wildly (both for good and bad) depending on your coffee dose.
Automatic machines also have more removable parts that require cleaning than superautomatic.
| Superautomatic espresso machines | Automatic espresso machines |
| Easier to use | More difficult to use |
| Makes very consistent espresso shots | Can make a better coffee if used correctly |
| More expensive than automatic machines | Needs to be cleaned after every shot |
Below is a table that categorizes all the available Delonghi espresso machines as either automatic or superautomatic. These machines are listed by price, with the most affordable at the top.
Please note that machines marked with an asterisk are technically semi-automatic rather than automatic.
| Machine Name | Automatic or Superautomatic |
| Delonghi Stilosa EC260BK | Automatic* |
| Delonghi ECP3420 | Automatic* |
| Delonghi Manual Espresso Machine ECP3630 | Automatic* |
| Delonghi Manual Espresso Machine with Premium Frother ECP3630 (best affordable) | Automatic* |
| Delonghi Dedica EC680M | Automatic |
| Delonghi Dedica Deluxe EC685M | Automatic |
| Delonghi Dedica Arte EC885M | Automatic |
| Delonghi La Specialista Arte Espresso Machine EC9155MB | Automatic |
| Delonghi Magnifica Espresso Machine ESAM3300 | Superautomatic |
| Delonghi Magnifica Evo Espresso Machine ECAM29043SB | Superautomatic |
| Delonghi Magnifica XS Espresso Machine ECAM22110SB | Superautomatic |
| Delonghi La Specialista Prestigio Espresso Machine EC9355M | Automatic |
| Delonghi Dinamica Espresso Machine ECAM3520B | Superautomatic |
| Delonghi Magnifica S Espresso Machine ECAM23270S | Superautomatic |
| Delonghi Dinamica Espresso Machine with Frother ECAM35075SI (best overall) | Superautomatic |
| Delonghi Dinamica Plus Espresso Machine ECAM37095TI | Superautomatic |
| Delonghi La Specialista Maestro Espresso Machine (best if money were no object) | Automatic |
| Delonghi Eletta Espresso Machine ECAM44660B | Superautomatic |
| Delonghi Espresso Eletta Deluxe ECAM45760S | Superautomatic |
| Delonghi Eletta Cappuccino Evo | Superautomatic |
What Type of Drinks do You Want to Make?
All Delonghi espresso machines have milk foaming capacity, either in the form of a steam wand or an automatic milk frother.
While this means that you can technically make all the common milk-based espresso drinks if you are going to regularly drink milk-based espresso drinks I would recommend opting for a machine with an automatic milk frother.
Machines with automatic frothers have presets for specific milk-based coffee drinks that allow you to make these drinks to a consistent standard at the touch of a button.
While you can make lattes easily with just a steam wand, mastering more complex drinks that have both foamed and steamed milk (cappuccino, flat white, and latte macchiato for example) is quite difficult.
Below is a table showing the milk functionalities of all the currently available Delonghi espresso machines.
| Machine Name | Milk frother type | Black coffee presets | Milk drink presets |
| Delonghi Stilosa EC260BK | Steam wand | EspressoDouble Espresso | N/A |
| Delonghi ECP3420 | Steam wand | EspressoDouble Espresso | N/A |
| Delonghi Manual Espresso Machine ECP3630 | Steam wand | EspressoDouble Espresso | N/A |
| Delonghi Manual Espresso Machine with Premium Frother ECP3630 (best affordable) | Steam wand | EspressoDouble Espresso | N/A |
| Delonghi Dedica EC680M | Steam wand | EspressoDouble Espresso | N/A |
| Delonghi Dedica Deluxe EC685M | Steam wand | EspressoDouble Espresso | N/A |
| Delonghi Dedica Arte EC885M | Steam wand | EspressoDouble Espresso | N/A |
| Delonghi La Specialista Arte Espresso Machine EC9155MB | Steam wand | EspressoDouble Espresso | N/A |
| Delonghi Magnifica Espresso Machine ESAM3300 | Steam wand | EspressoDouble Espresso | N/A |
| Delonghi Magnifica Evo Espresso Machine ECAM2903SB | Automatic | EspressoFilter CoffeeLungoIced CoffeeAmericano | N/A |
| Delonghi Magnifica XS Espresso Machine ECAM22110SB | Steam wand | EspressoDouble Espresso | N/A |
| Delonghi La Specialista Prestigio Espresso Machine EC9355M | Steam wand | EspressoDouble Espresso | CappuccinoLatteFlat WhiteLatteo Macchiato |
| Delonghi Dinamica Espresso Machine ECAM3520B | Steam wand | EspressoLungoAmericanoIced Coffee | N/A |
| Delonghi Magnifica S Espresso Machine ECAM23270S | Automatic | EspressoLungo | Cappuccino |
| Delonghi Dinamica Espresso Machine with Frother ECAM35075SI (best overall) | Automatic | EspressoLungoIced Coffee | CappuccinoCappuccino+Cappuccino MixLatteFlat WhiteMacchiatoLatte Macchiato |
| Delonghi Dinamica Plus Espresso Machine ECAM37095TI | Automatic | EspressoDouble EspressoLungoFilter CoffeeFilter Coffee Pot | CappuccinoCappuccino+Cappuccino MixLatteFlat WhiteMacchiatoLatte Macchiato |
| Delonghi La Specialista Maestro Espresso Machine (best if money were no object) | Automatic & steam wand | EspressoFilter CoffeeAmericano | CappuccinoLatte Flat White |
| Delonghi Eletta Espresso Machine ECAM44660B | Automatic | EspressoAmericano | CappuccinoCappuccino+Cappuccino MixLatte MacchiatoLatteFlat White |
| Delonghi Espresso Eletta Deluxe ECAM45760S | Automatic | EspressoLungo | CappuccinoCappuccino+Cappuccino MixLatte MacchiatoLatte Flat WhiteMacchiato |
| Delonghi Eletta Cappuccino Evo | Automatic | EspressoDouble EspresssoLungoRistretto | CappuccinoCappuccino+Latte MacchiatoCappuccino MixLatteFlat White |
Do You Want A Built-in Grinder?
Many of the more affordable Delonghi machines do not have grinders, meaning that you will either need a separate grinder to use the machine or buy pre-ground coffee.
I wouldn’t recommend using pre-ground coffee for espresso. As soon as coffee is ground it starts losing its flavor, meaning that pre-ground coffee will make for a very flat-tasting espresso.
If you are going to grind your own coffee, then you ideally want a coffee grinder specifically designed for espresso. Espresso needs to be ground much more finely and evenly than filter coffee, and cheaper blade grinders often are unable to do this.
The Delonghi machines with built-in grinders use stainless steel conical burr grinders. These are one of the better grinders for espresso and a standalone grinder of this quality will usually set you back in excess of $80.
The grinders on premium Delonghi machines have a greater number of fineness settings than on more affordable machines.
This allows you to fine-tune your espresso even further, resulting in a higher ceiling of coffee quality from your machine.
The table below shows whether each machine has a grinder or not and if the machine has a grinder than the number of settings it has.
| Machine Name | Grinder & Number of Settings |
| Delonghi Stilosa EC260BK | No |
| Delonghi ECP3420 | No |
| Delonghi Manual Espresso Machine ECP3630 | No |
| Delonghi Manual Espresso Machine with Premium Frother ECP3630 (best affordable) | No |
| Delonghi Dedica EC680M | No |
| Delonghi Dedica Deluxe EC685M | No |
| Delonghi Dedica Arte EC885M | No |
| Delonghi La Specialista Arte Espresso Machine EC9155MB | No |
| Delonghi Magnifica Espresso Machine ESAM3300 | Yes – 13 settings |
| Delonghi Magnifica Evo Espresso Machine ECAM29043SB | Yes – 13 settings |
| Delonghi Magnifica XS Espresso Machine ECAM22110SB | Yes – 13 settings |
| Delonghi La Specialista Prestigio Espresso Machine EC9355M | Yes – 8 settings |
| Delonghi Dinamica Espresso Machine ECAM3520B | Yes – 13 settings |
| Delonghi Magnifica S Espresso Machine ECAM23270S | Yes – 13 settings |
| Delonghi Dinamica Espresso Machine with Frother ECAM35075SI (best overall) | Yes – 13 settings |
| Delonghi La Specialista Maestro Espresso Machine (best if money were no object) | Yes – 8 settings |
| Delonghi Eletta Espresso Machine ECAM44660B | Yes – 7 settings |
| Delonghi Espresso Eletta Deluxe ECAM45760S | Yes – 7 settings |
| Delonghi Eletta Cappuccino Evo | Yes – 7 settings |
Final Verdict
The best Delonghi espresso machine is the Delonghi Dinamica with Frother ECAM35025SI.
This machine offers you the best value in terms of the number of different coffee types that you can make versus the amount that it costs.
It is, in my opinion, one of the best value-for-money espresso machines available.
