Dedica Maestro Plus EC950M

The De'Longhi Dedica Maestro Plus Espresso Machine is actually one of the better entry to mid home machines from De'Longhi. It heats up fast, the steam wand is pretty solid for the price, and the Dedica line is known for being beginner-friendly. Since you’re already a barista, you’ll probably get even more out of it than most people. The biggest upgrade you can make is pairing it with a good grinder that’s where a lot of home setups fall short.

I got a Delonghi Dedica Maestro Plus on sale on Amazon for $300. It was between this and the Bambino Plus because my wife wanted the auto steamer. My grinder is a Baratza Virtuoso+. I know it's not an espresso grinder but I also make a lot of cold brew at home and could only afford one grinder after my last one gave out, so I got a jack of a trades grinder. Grinder does work for espresso, it does get fine enough, it's just bigger jumps in size compared to a dedicated espresso grinder, so I may not dial it in as perfectly.

We just replaced our machine with a De'Longhi Dedica Maestro Plus and it's great. There is a huge jump in prices to a boiler model machine and I doubt it's worth it for a home machine. We have bought beans from a local cafe for years. A little pricey but good quality.

The Bambino Plus was on sale for $399 for the past few weeks on Amazon, Williams Sonoma, Sur La Table and Best Buy, but the sale price went back up to $499 to catch out those late Christmas shoppers. The price will probably go back down to $399 on Amazon some time in January ~ March 2026. Breville puts this espresso machine on sale a few times a year and the discount is usually $100 off. One option would be to wait until a week after Christmas and buy a “Used Like New” Bambino Plus from Amazon. Machines in great condition are often returned for petty reasons like not liking the color, etc. Another option to consider is the DeLonghi Dedica Maestro Plus, currently $299.95 on Amazon. I have this machine and it has several options not available on the Bambino Plus: a cool-touch steam wand, 3 temperature options for extracting espresso (good for light, medium & dark-roasted coffee beans) and the milk frothing component allows you to choose among three different temps. & textures for making milk drinks. There are several YouTube videos comparing the Dedica Maestro Plus with the Bambino Plus. 1) https://youtu.be/kZNsICfhJ6E?si=8I0EAlivR7ioZPyV 2) https://youtu.be/kiwifxUR1z0?si=UN1uPzm1tiWtmoDp 3) https://youtu.be/vJK_KHgFzPk?si=h4m3aCwoUJZcfFkt The Bambino Plus is usually the favorite of the two, but, honestly the lack of a PID in the Dedica’s group head isn’t a big deal for me. Additionally, while the Dedica’s automatic milk frothing function is good for lattes, etc., I usually froth milk manually for cappuccinos. The Dedica gives very silky, smooth results just like the Bambino Plus, in my experience. With the Dedica Maestro Plus, I just let the portafilter drip into a tiny bowl for 1~2 minutes and after 3 minutes of naturally depressurizing, I can remove the portafilter to start making my next espresso. The lack of a PID on the Dedica means that I can start the pre-infusion, hit the stop button after 8~10 seconds, wait a minute or two to get the puck thoroughly wet and then hit the button again to resume the extraction for an overall sweeter-tasting espresso. After making my espresso, I’m usually frothing milk while the portafilter is depressurizing, so the lack of a PID never actually causes me inconvenience. On the topic of grinders, you may find advice for espresso beginners suggesting that you opt for the less expensive DF54 model of grinder. It’s a very nice little machine. I have both DF coffee bean grinders, and I’d suggest you go with the slightly bigger DF64. It has a stronger motor that will be perfect for when you eventually start grinding light-roasted beans (which are bigger and harder). The DF54 is perfectly adequate and it’s a cuter little machine, but its motor is not as robust for the longer term, in my opinion. Also, since the DF64 uses 64 mm flat burrs (as opposed to a conical burr grinder like a Baratza Encore ESP Pro…another grinder to consider for $300), you will have a wide variety of alternative 64 mm flat burr sets to choose from (for around $200) should you one day wish to experiment with a different flavor profile for grinding your beans. With the DF54’s 54mm flat burrs, there are almost no other burr options available for purchase at this time. However, most people who buy the DF54 are happy with their machine’s performance and the light, fluffy espresso grinds it produces. It’s capable of grinding very finely.

Not as great as the machines people will list. But i do like my delonghi dedica plus maestreo. The temprature selection is quite nice