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DELONGHI DINAMICA ECAM35025SB REVIEW 2021

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De’Longhi has produced some of the world’s greatest coffee machines. The Dinamica ECAM 35025SB makes its way onto that list very well. This is a fully-automatic espresso machine that features 13 different grinding settings. It has a full stainless-steel body along with high versatility. This machine can be used to brew espressos, lattes, Americanos, cappuccinos, and even iced tea.

It’s one of the best candidates for commercial use because it houses a burr grinder, a 20 lb. bean hopper, and a 60-ounce water tank.

However, it has low-points that can’t be ignored. The controls are slightly more complicated, not to mention the fact that there’s no continuous water supply.

The question still stands though: Is the De’Longhi Dinamica a good machine? What are its limitations? And most importantly, is it worth the time and money? 

We tackle the question head-on in our ultimate De’Longhi Dinamica ECAM35025SB review.

Pros

  • Compact; leaves more clearance on the counter.
  • Large-capacity water tank.
  • 13 grinder settings.
  • Makes iced coffee with the TrueBrew over Ice feature.
  • Easy to clean and maintain.
  • Produces two types of froth.

Cons

  • The Control panel is complicated to use.
  • The water tank needs refilling.

Should You Choose A Fully Automatic or A Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine?

Before we begin, you should know the difference between a semi and a fully-automatic espresso machine. A semi-automatic machine automates a lot of functions, such as grinding, boiling, brewing, and pumping. 

However, a fully-automatic machine automates even the cleaning, dripping, and steaming process. You don’t even need to transfer the coffee from the grinder to the boiler. It does that for you. Simply feed in the instructions to the machine and you’re good to go.

While they sound good, fully-automated machines are rather expensive. And they are more difficult to use and program. So they’re not usually recommended for personal use unless you know for sure you need one. Otherwise, a semi-automatic machine will suit most people. 

Comparison Chart:

FeaturesDinamica ECAM35025SBMagnifica ESAM3300La Specialista EC9335M
TasteRich and flavorful.Smooth and creamy.Rich in taste and texture.
Brewing capacity61 single shots, 30 double shots.60 single shots, 30 double shots.60 single shots, 30 double shots.
User-friendlinessIntuitive control panel with Panarello wand.Simple controls with a hot water dispenser.Tradition controls, pressure gauge, tamping station.
Design and materialsStainless steel body and burr grinder.Burr grinder and stainless-steel body.Dip tray and stainless-steel body. 
Cleaning and maintenanceEasy to clean and descale.Low-maintenance, includes a descaling solution.No automatic cleaning programs.
FrothingPanarello wand with two settings.Panarello wand with a separate boiler.Separate steam boiler, fully-articulated steam wand.
Grinding13 grind option, bypass.Internal bean hopper with bypass.External bean hopper, 6 grind settings.
Additional features40-second heat-up, TrueBrew iced coffee.Adjustable coffee spout, dual heating system.Advanced thermal control, dual heating system.
Value for moneyMaybe overpriced.Meets the value.Slightly overpriced.

The De’longhi ECAM35025SB Coffee Machine Review:

Taste:

The De’Longhi Dinamica provides a smooth and rich taste through its stainless-steel burr grinder. But since “rich and smooth” isn’t everyone’s cup of coffee, the Dinamica allows you to change the settings.

The machine offers 13 different adjustable settings for the burr grinder. Which means you get full control over the texture and taste of your coffee.

Moreover, the De’Longhi Dinamica can also be used to brew some stunning iced coffees. It uses its special TrueBrew Over Ice technology to ensure a consistently smooth iced coffee. The TrueBrew process ensures that your coffee doesn’t feel too watered down.

To maintain brew freshness, the De’Longhi Dinamica measures out just the right amount of grounds before brewing. 

The De’Longhi Magnifica uses a similar feature, called the Direct-to-Brew system. Through this, it’s able to produce freshly brewed coffee that doesn’t taste stale. 

Similar technology can be found in the De’Longhi La Specialista as well. It uses the special Sensor Grinding technology, which measures out the precise amount and consistency of grounds.

Brewing Capacity:

The De’Longhi Dinamica features both a bean hopper and a grinder. You might not see the hopper at first glance, since it’s housed inside the machine’s body. It can hold up to 20 lbs. of beans, making it the smallest coffee machine to include a grinder.

Apart from that, the De’Longhi Dinamica also features a large water tank, of 61 fluid ounces approximately. That means 61 single shots and 30 double shots, as well as 12 150ml cups of cappuccino.

The De’Longhi Magnifica is a relatively smaller unit, with a bean hopper capacity of 8.8 pounds. The coffee grounds container can make 14 cups at a time, which should last you about 72 hours. Moreover, it has 60 fl. oz. water reservoir that will last you for days. 

As for the De’Longhi La Specialista, it has a water tank capacity of 67.63 fluid ounces. It also has a large bean hopper, but the bean hopper is outside the main body. 

User-Friendliness:

The De’Longhi Dinamica has a highly intuitive user-interface, with an elegant control panel and a hot water dispenser. With this machine, you can make two shots of espresso, a cup of cappuccino, and a cup of iced coffee. The iced coffee functionality is of particular interest here, as many espresso machines don’t have it.

This machine has been designed to be small and compact, measuring only 13 inches high, or about 1 foot. This is a big achievement considering that it includes an onboard bean hopper, grinder, and a large water tank. 

You also get full control over the temperature of the brew as well as the grind size and consistency. 

Unlike this product, the De’Longhi Magnifica features a more analog and streamlined design. It’s not very compact, but the bean hopper is inside the unit, so that’s a plus. 

The De’Longhi La Specialista features the most sophisticated user-interface out of the three. It features dial and push-button controls as well as a pressure gauge at the very front face of the machine. There’s also a tamping station and a grinding station. And the steam wand is fully articulated instead of fixed in one place.

Design and Materials:

Coming onto the materials, a good espresso machine uses materials that are functional and durable. Metals of high thermal conductivity are normally preferred, such as copper or stainless steel. 

The De’Longhi Dinamica uses a fully stainless-steel housing. This not only means that the product is durable but also easy to clean. And it will passively dissipate heat, thus preventing overheating. 

The burr grinder is also made from stainless steel, which means cleaning it is as simple as wiping it. Several accessories come with the machine, such as the milk jugs and ice tray, are also made from similar materials.

As for the De’Longhi Magnifica, it follows the same design, with a full stainless-steel body. This material is naturally resistant to both dirt and water. However, it is still susceptible to general corrosion.

The De’Longhi La Specialista also features the same material. This makes the three products so durable and easy to maintain.

Cleaning and Maintenance:

Cleaning the exterior of the De’Longhi Dinamica is as easy as simply wiping it down with a damp cloth. Internally, the machine can be back-flushed, descaled, and cleaned with ease. Descaling in particular can be performed using the provided descaling solution.

Adding to that, there’s a water filter that filters out the water before it gets brewed into coffee. This means that the tubing hardly accumulates any calcium deposits. So the machine is very low-maintenance. 

There’s a stainless-steel drip tray at the bottom to keep the counter clean. And both the grinder and the internal components can be wiped down with ease. 

The Magnifica is also pretty easy to clean, being made out of the same material. Cleaning and backflushing are mostly automatic. There’s also a water filter to keep the tubes calcium-free, and cleaning takes half the time.

Lastly, the De’Longhi La Specialista also features back-flushing and descaling. But the process is more manual. You’ll need to put in the back-flushing disk into the portafilter.

Frothing:

The De’Longhi Dinamica makes frothing and steaming simpler and easier with the integrated steam wand. Unfortunately, the steam wand is not articulated and is the case of many semi-automatic machines. But there’s enough space to keep both the coffee cup and a milk jug.

You can control whether steam is dispensed from the wand or hot water through the control panel. And there’s also a separate knob for that. The wand itself features a switch for dispensing either hot milk or for steaming cappuccinos.

What’s best is, this wand can work for most types of milk, for example, soy, almond, rice, coconut, and cow. In this way, you get more versatility in the type of coffee you can brew.

You get similar functionality in the De’Longhi Magnifica, but you can’t choose the texture of the milk. There’s a whole integrated Cappuccino system for producing fine rich-flavored milk for cappuccinos.

La Specialista wins this one. Not only is there a separate boiler for the steam, but the steam wand is fully articulated too. So you can steam milk jugs at the side. And there’s a Flat or Foam choice in the wand as well.

Grinding:

De’Longhi’s Dinamica revolutionizes grinding by using a built-in stainless-steel burr grinder. You get to choose from over 13 brew strengths, and they’re programmable too. The bean hopper is inside the machine, leaving more clearance at the top.

Dinamica makes use of its special technology. Through this, it measures out the right amount of grounds for the current cup of coffee. This means there’s no over or under-saturation. And each espresso shot is just as rich as the previous one. 

There’s also a special TrueBrew Over Ice function that brews up iced coffee. Each cup of iced coffee has a smooth silky texture with a unique rich taste. This also means that the iced coffee is never watered down and is just the right consistency.

De’Longhi’s Magnifica also places its burr grinder inside the chassis. And it’s entirely automated. You get to program the grind size as well as texture. It also features the Direct-to-Brew system, which results in freshly brewed coffee every time. 

La Specialista has its bean hopper outside the body. However, it features Sensor Grinding technology, so you get the right dosage of grounds every time. It also has a smart tamping station for easy tamping. 

Additional Features:

The De’Longhi Dinamica has some other amazing features that lend its quality and taste. The most notable feature is the fast heat up time. It takes hardly 40 seconds for the water to boil and the unit to begin brewing. This is responsible for ensuring the freshly brewed coffee every time you make a shot.

This is a fully automated espresso and cappuccino machine that lets you choose between 13 different settings. It also has a separate setting for iced coffee, which a lot of espresso machines don’t have. The iced coffee function is rigged with the TrueBrew process which ensures a creamy smooth texture that isn’t watered down.

Apart from that, you also get a lot of accessories with the Dinamica. You get one measuring spoon, a descaling solution, a water filter, and a bean-shaped ice cube tray. You also get a free cleaning brush, which can be used for both the exterior as well as the grinder’s blades.

The one feature that sets the De’Longhi Magnifica aside is that it has an adjustable coffee spout. So you’re not limited to the usual 4-inch coffee cup size. Another special feature is the dual boiler system, which means you can brew and steam at the same time.

La Specialista also has some features that are worth noting, such as the smart tamping station. This lets you tamp the portafilter by pulling down on a lever. It also has the dual-boiler feature, so you get more versatility in the same product.

Value for Money:

So is the De’Longhi Dinamica really worth your money? Well, you need to consider a lot of things. 

Firstly, just look at how compact the entire thing is. Although it’s heavy (24 pounds), it is only 16 inches wide and 13 inches tall. And the fact that it cramps a grinder, a large-capacity water tank, and a bean hopper in there is insane.

This is also a fully-automatic unit, with all-round stainless-steel construction. So, the price is going to be high. 

Still, there isn’t any feature that mainstream automatic espresso machines lack. The only unique features here are the iced coffee function and the immense portability. So the price is somewhat justified, but it could be lower.

As for the De’Longhi Magnifica, the price seems to be on point. It’s not extensively compact, neither does it have an iced coffee function. Plus, it has two boilers along with an in-built grinder and hopper. 

The La Specialista seems to be overpriced, considering it’s a semi-automatic espresso machine. It does include a fully articulated steam wand and a tamping station, but just how expensive can those get? The only thing that does increase the price is the in-built grinder.

Who Should Buy the De’longhi Ecam35025sb?

The De’Longhi Dinamica ECAM35025SB is recommended for commercial and professional use. For personal use, there are cheaper models available. The product has great potential, with 13 grinder settings and even an iced coffee function. 

It’s also a very compact model, great for cafes that want to clear the clutter. The in-built cleaning programmers, as well as the easy descaling, make this product low-maintenance.

You can make lattes, espressos, cappuccinos, Americanos, hot chocolate, tea, and iced coffee with this. So if you’re looking for a versatile product, then definitely go for the Dinamica. 

Another feature that idealizes this machine for commercial use is the energy-saving model. It’s been designed to shut off after 3 hours of inactivity. And it saves you a lot on your electricity bill.

Who Shouldn’t Buy the De’longhi Ecam35025sb?

This isn’t for personal use. You could use it, but it’s too expensive. You should try a cheaper model, or go for a semi-automatic machine entirely. 

Also, consider the fact that the controls are difficult to get used to. The icons on the control panel have no labels, so you need to refer to the manual every time. And programming an automatic espressos machine is no child’s play either.

Additionally, this machine doesn’t feature a continuous water supply, so you’ll have to refill the tank now and then. But it’s big enough to warrant a few days’ uses.

The Verdict:

De’Longhi has produced some of the world’s top-class espresso machines, and the Dinamica is proof of just that. This is a fully-automatic espresso machine with 13 grinder settings and high programmability. It’s small, compact, and saves both space and energy.

Since it’s an automatic machine and has a higher price point, we recommend it for commercial use. It’s highly versatile, even being able to make iced coffee. And it’s a great addition to your coffee machine regime.

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