The Italian Delonghi brand enjoys well-deserved popularity among many coffee lovers and has long been among the industry’s innovative leaders.
As known, today coffee machines are mainly produced at the factories of the Swiss company Eugster/Frismag or Saeco. For example, Eugster/Frismag is an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) supplier for Jura, Bosch, Melitta and Nivona. But, unlike its main competitors, Delonghi produces coffee machines in its own factories. The list includes one factory in Italy, two in China, three in Romania and a stake in a joint venture with TCL Group in China.
Delonghi carob coffee makers
Of course, most of the popularity is driven by fully automatic coffee machines, including the legendary Delonghi Magnifica (Start and Evo), great Delonghi Dinamica Plus, exquisite Delonghi La Specialista in steampunk style, etc.
However, the company hasn’t forgotten about carob, drip, and even capsule coffee makers. For example, Clessidra ICM17210 drip coffee maker and Dedica Maestro Plus EC950M carob coffee maker successfully expanded the Italian company’s product line.
Furthermore, this year, Delonghi released a new series of espresso machines called Linea Classic for the first time in five years, which currently includes only one model, the EM450.M. Traditionally, the ‘M’ at the end stands for color (metallic).
As known, the Delonghi’s carob coffee makers includes the legendary Dedica series with a thermoblock, and the budget-friendly Active Line and Stilosa with a boiler, both with the ECP prefix in their names. Linea Classic is slightly more expensive than the Stilosa, but cheaper than the Dedica, and is possibly being positioned by the company as a replacement for the Active Line.
For reference, the Delonghi Linea Classic EM450.M is a Chinese OEM platform equipped with a thermal block. Prejudices about the low quality of Chinese products have largely long since been dispelled. Of course, skeptics still remain. But successful competition in high-tech segments, including TVs (Hisense and TCL) and smartphones, an innovative dominance in projectors (Formovie, Dengbui, etc), robot vacuums (Dreame, Ecovacs, Dreamtech, etc), and quadcopters (DJI, etc), proves their inconsistency. However, to be fair, it should be noted that the quality of service in some regions is still inferior to competitors.
Key Features
The nearly square form factor (30 x 20 x 26 cm) and metal finish with chrome elements will fit harmoniously into interior of any kitchen.
The pressure gauge gives the model a popular steampunk style, but its usefulness is significantly limited. The included baskets have a double bottom, 51 mm in diameter, but they are slightly less capacious than the original DeLonghi (maximum 14 grams of coffee per double basket). Therefore, the coffee maker always ensures the optimal pressure.
The Classic EM450 uses a thermal block. It heats water almost instantly and is ideal for brewing one or two coffee shots. The boiler maintains a constant temperature of large water volume and is designed for professional use, such as in a coffee shop. The Linea Classic’s thermal stability is almost identical to the Dedica series.
The Delonghi milk frother with customizable milk texture provides milk frothing or heating modes, which is convenient, for example, for those who prefer a latte without foam.
Unfortunately, the milk froth isn’t finely dispersed due to the excessively large bubbles, which is typical of any ‘panarello’ milk frother. However, using it’s very simple and requires no skill.
The spacious 1.7 liter water tank is almost identical to the Dedica Maestro Plus.
A silumin holder is quite adequate for the price segment. But premium models usually come with a stainless steel holder.
A side-by-side comparison of the Linea Classic and Delonghi Dedica yields a nearly identical flavor profile with the same grind. Subjectively, the Linea Classic’s coffee seems slightly more acidic and flatter. But perhaps this is due to the legendary Dedica’s impeccable reputation, which overshadows its competitor. In any case, the micro-differences are indistinguishable in a blind comparison.
Cold Brew vs Iced Coffee
The list of one-touch recipes includes espresso and double espresso. The Panarello milk frother expands this list to include cappuccino, latte, and macchiato. The specs also list an Iced Coffee function, but this requires further clarification.
Cold Extraction
The cold water extraction method was invented by Dutch traders due to a shortage of hot water on ships. The technology uses coarsely ground beans that are steeped in cold water for up to 24 hours. Cold brewing adds a more smooth, sweet flavor with low acidity. Furthermore, many people prefer cold coffee in hot weather.
In response to the popularity of cold coffee, many companies have equipped even budget models with this feature. Essentially, it simply involves cooling coffee with ice, and its support in coffee makers is limited to included ice trays and a line in the instructions.
Unlike Iced Coffee, Cold Brew technology uses relatively cold water for brewing, ensuring a coffee temperature into cup of 30–35°C.
Today, this technology has been developed and successfully implemented only in certain premium models from Jura and Delonghi. The Swiss company compensates for the reduced extraction efficiency due to lower water temperatures by increasing the contact area with the coffee tablet. To achieve this, the piston head has a convex shape. The company calls this technology 3D Cold Brew.
Delonghi, in collaboration with the Specialty Coffee Association, developed its own version called ‘Cold Extraction Technology’. It uses precisely controlled pressure and a slower flow of water through ground coffee, which compensates for the lower extraction temperature. Moreover, for lovers of cold milk-based coffee drinks, the Italian company additionally has developed a LatteCrema Cool milk system, which is implemented, for example, in Eletta Explore ECAM 450.55.
Conclusions
Delonghi has successfully updated its carob coffee maker lineup, replacing the Active Line ECP series with the Linea Classic. Essentially, this model utilizes a slightly improved platform, including:
– thermoblock vs boiler;
– stainless steel finishing elements;
– 1.7 liter vs 1 liter water tank (for example, in Active Line ECP 33.21).
Thus, Delonghi carob coffee makers cover all price segments:
– Delonghi Dedica Maestro Plus EC950M ~ $350 / £280 / €365;
– Linea Classic EM450.M ~ $180 / £175 / €150;
– Stilosa EC260 ~ £72 / €100.
Offering virtually identical quality and functionality as the legendary Dedica, the Linea Classic is significantly cheaper. This could be an ideal choice, for example, for students and newlyweds.
The video introduces the new Delonghi Linea Classic EM450.M coffee maker.
