DeLonghi Dedica Digital Review
Pros: Good dosage accuracy
Cons: Pricey, annoying sound
Manufacturer: De'Longhi
Our Verdict
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 This Product
DeLonghi Dedica Digital | |||||
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| Awards |  |  | |||
| Price | $200 List $199.95 at Amazon | $200 List $199.95 at Amazon | $100 List $99.95 at Amazon | $25 List $22.99 at Amazon | Check Price at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Pros | Good dosage accuracy | Great grind consistency, intuitive interface, relatively clean and quiet | Good grind consistency, relatively inexpensive | Relatively clean and easy to use, quieter than most blade models | Inexpensive, small footprint |
| Cons | Pricey, annoying sound | Not ideal for coarser grinds, expensive | Somewhat loud, can make a mess | Produces inconsistent grinds | Inconsistant grind-sizes, heavy static |
| Bottom Line | The average performance doesn't match up with the relatively high cost | This grinder provides top-notch performance in every category except for the coarsest of grinds | Excellent performance and one of the best values on the market make this a great choice | One of the better blade models on the market, but definitely don't expect it to produce consistent grinds | A basic burr grinder one-step above a blade grinder, providing mediocre grind consistency |
| Rating Categories | DeLonghi Dedica Dig... | Breville the Smart Pro | Bodum Bistro | Mr. Coffee 12 Cup E... | Krups GX500050 |
| Grind Consistency (35%) | |||||
| Cleanliness (25%) | |||||
| User Friendliness (25%) | |||||
| Noise (15%) | |||||
| Specs | DeLonghi Dedica Dig... | Breville the Smart Pro | Bodum Bistro | Mr. Coffee 12 Cup E... | Krups GX500050 |
| Grinding Mechanism | Conical burr | Conical burr | Conical burr | Blade | Flat burr |
| Burr/Blade Material | Stainless steel | Stainless steel | Stainless steel | Stainless steel | Metallic |
| Dosing Mechanism | Scale | Timer | Timer | Timer | Timer |
| Best Brew Application | Pour over, french press | Pour over, espresso | Pour over, french press | Pour over, french press | Pour over, french press |
| Dimensions | 6.9" x 11.2" x 18.1" | 12.5" x 8.5" x 16.3" | 7.6" x 7.1" x 12.5" | 5" x 5" x 9" | 4.29" x 7.24" x 10.4" |
| Weight | 7.6 lbs | 6.4 lbs | 3.2 lbs | 1.7 lbs | 3.2 lbs |
| Cup Material | Plastic | Plastic | Plastic | Plastic, metal | Plastic |
Our Analysis and Test Results
The DeLonghi Dedica Digital is almost impressively mediocre. Nothing about it is particularly remarkable, but nothing is so egregiously bad as to elicit disdain, either. Unfortunately, the price tag doesn't match that aggressive mediocrity.
Performance Comparison
Likes
While nothing about the performance of the Dedica Digital in our tests particularly stands out, we will say that it is quite consistent when it comes to dosing. In our testing, it was able to keep all of its doses within 1 gram of one another, meaning you can rest assured that you are going to get the same amount of coffee every time you tell it to grind a cup's worth.
The machine also offers some programmable functions, so you can adjust exactly how much coffee it grinds when you tell it to make 1 cup or 1 shot. While this certainly isn't a necessary feature, it can make your mornings a bit more streamlined. It is also one of the few ways the Dedica Digital lives up to its hefty price. Beyond these minor touches, nothing about this grinder feels particularly noteworthy.
Dislikes
Our most salient complaint with the Dedica Digital is the noise it emits. Though it is objectively not that loud (it only registered 85.5 decibels on our meter, putting it on the quieter end of the spectrum), it shrieks with such a high-pitched whine that it tends to rattle the eardrums. Thankfully the whine isn't that loud; otherwise, the grinder may be borderline unusable.
We also encountered a significant static problem with this model, enough so that a conspicuous amount of grinds clung to the side of the grind cup with each and every use. It's very easy to spill some of those electrically charged grinds when dumping the coffee into your brewing mechanism, and though all that is required for cleanup is a quick wipe with a wet rag, the situation is less than ideal.
Value
The DeLonghi Dedica Digital is priced as a top-shelf grinder, yet it performs well below that level. There are many options on the market that can provide much better performance for the price, or similar levels of performance for less.
Conclusion
Average performance with an above-average cost makes this a fairly uncompelling option for most consumers.
— Max Mutter and Michelle Powell
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