I'm a former barista, and the De'Longhi Dinamica Plus is probably one of my favorite coffee makers I've tested
De'Longhi makes some of the most aesthetically pleasing, technologically capable coffee machines on the market. In fact, if I had to pick my favorite coffee machines, most of the contenders would be from De'Longhi, especially the Dinamica Plus is certainly one of them.
The Dinamica Plus will do almost everything for you. I have to fight my barista instincts and take a step back. My coffee rituals have been transformed from rigorous to relaxed. I don't mind this since the Dinamica Plus makes a coffee to rival even the best coffee makers on the market.
Owning the Dinamica Plus means that the only thing you'll have to worry about is which roastery you are buying your next bag of coffee beans. That doesn't sound like a tough life.
I love the sleek, stainless steel style and it's as easy to use as it is beautiful. It might be expensive, but, if you ask me, it's worth every penny.
De'Longhi Dinamica Plus: Key Info
Colors: silver, titanium, silver black
Dimensions: 9.3 x 17.32 x 14.17 inches
Pressure: 19 bars
Weight: 20.8 lbs
Water tank capacity: 16 oz
Bean hopper capacity: 10.5 oz
De'Longhi Dinamica Plus: First impressions
Once I had lifted this 21-pound coffee maker onto my countertop, I didn't want to move it again. It's heavy. It also feels like it has a large footprint even though it's relatively compact for a bean-to-cup machine, especially one which can make 16 different types of coffee.
In spite of size, on my countertop, this looked immaculate. It's all sleek, stainless steel finishes. Each tray, reservoir, and extra feature slots perfectly and satisfyingly into place. It's a pleasure to use and display.
De'Longhi also provides a generous starting package, which contains a carbon filter, hardness test, cleaning brush, descaler, measuring scoop, thermal milk container, and water spout. I did a rough calculation and this comes to roughly $124 in value. That's excluding the labour costs of scrolling, sourcing, and shipping the right products.
Making coffee in the De'Longhi Dinamica Plus
In my opinion, setting up a coffee machine is the least exciting part of the process. Instructions are rarely clear or easy to follow. The Dinamica Plus eliminated all my set-up suspense and dread. It walked me, step by step, through the whole process. It was the easiest start-up for a coffee maker: I plugged in the machine, filled the water reservoir and bean hopper exactly when the machine asked me to and that was it. De'Longhi sends paper instructions if you want a detailed deep-dive, but you don't need to read these to get started.
There's a few stages of cleaning that you have to push through before you can make coffee. You have to make five cups of coffee, so that the circuit can fill with water, clear out factory dust, and adjust to your beans. After this and some – sadly wasted – coffee, it’s ready to use.
As you would with a smartphone, the touchscreen lets you scroll through 16 different types of coffee. I always test three types of coffee and use them as the benchmark for the range. The first test for me is an espresso. A coffee machine has nothing to hide behind with espressos; it's concentrated coffee.
First, I used the height adjustable feature to lower my spout. This prevents too much splashing or unnecessary aggravation to the crema. Then I pressed 'espresso' on the screen and the machine whirred into action. Within thirty seconds, my espresso was ready. The thick crema told me everything I needed to know: my coffee was expertly extracted. The taste was intense, rich, and really nutty. It was 187 degrees Fahrenheit, so a little cooler than I would aim for (the typical range is 190 to 196 degrees). However, I prefer a cooler coffee. Hot coffee can burn the beans and burn your mouth.
My next coffee test is always an Americano. This isn’t much different to an espresso, except that the temperature of the water is crucial. If it’s cold, your coffee will be unpleasantly chilly. If it’s too hot, your espresso will get burnt and taste bitter. In under a minute my Americano was good to go. It was 194 degrees, which is the perfect temperature. The machine didn’t splash or spray any coffee and the crema on top was remarkably well-preserved too. It tasted smooth, aromatic, quite sweet and nutty, just like the espresso.
Steaming milk in the De'Longhi Dinamica Plus
My final test is any type of milky coffee. I tend to opt for a cappuccino seeing as these are the most frothy coffees. I took off the water spout and attached the LatteCrema milk frother container. This automatically dispenses milk into your cup, producing silky and sweet milk. You select cappuccino from the menu and the machine does everything. After selecting cappuccino, the next time I touched the machine was when I was collecting my creamy cappuccino.
I tested this on oat and dairy milk and it was equally good on both. The milk didn’t burn, was gently sweet and had a velvety texture. I found my cappuccino to be a little too strong, so I used the customizable settings to tell the machine to make my cappuccinos weaker. When I came back to it with my newly adjusted results it was perfect.
Should you buy the De'Longhi Dinamica Plus?
As an automatic bean to cup machine, this is almost unparalleled. If you want coffee without any fuss, this will revolutionize your morning rituals. It’s easy to use, makes a range of customizable coffees, each just as good as the next. It’s expensive, but you get what you pay for. This is exceptional. Its only rival is the other De’Longhi Eletta Explore which you can buy at Bloomingdale's. It is extremely similar, just with higher specs (and a higher price tag). In spite of this contender, I loved the Dinamica Plus, so I’m sure you would too.
At Living Etc we test all of our products before we recommend them to you, so that way, we can personally vouch for every coffee maker which we write about. In this instance, Laura, a former barista, tested all of the features of the Dinamica Plus in our dedicated test kitchen. She made notes on everything from unboxing to cleaning up, so that if there was anything she thought you needed to know, she could tell you about it.
She's also tested the best coffee makers on the market, so knows how it compares in terms of price, quality, and, most importantly, coffee. She'll always let you know if there's a similar product or one better suited to your needs.
