DeLonghi Dinamica Plus Review

The DeLonghi DINAMICA PLUS is a premium bean-to-cup fully automatic coffee maker with a 2-cup capacity.

It’s a combination coffee maker with one-touch selections for cappuccino, latte macchiato, espresso and other types of coffee.

It includes a built-in coffee grinder, a milk tank and, obviously, a water tank.

If you are looking for an all-in-one luxury coffee maker (like these here), we highly recommend the Dinamica Plus.

Did I mention you can control it from your phone? That’s right, it comes with wireless connectivity via Bluetooth.

More on that in my full DeLonghi Dinamica Plus review below.

DeLonghi Dinamica Plus review

What I like

• Pre-set recipes
• Richly flavoured coffee
• Descaler
• High quality components

What I don’t like

• Expensive
• App could be better

What are you buying?

1. Combi coffee machine

Because the Dinamica Plus has both a built-in water tank and milk tank, it can make different types of coffee including pure black coffee and milk coffees.

For black coffee, specific varieties include Espresso, Long, Coffee, 2X Espresso and Doppio+. You can also just dispense hot water.

For milk coffees, options include Cappuccino, Latte Macchiato, Flat White and Espresso Macchiato among others. You can also just dispense hot milk.

Once you select a type of coffee, the machine does the rest for you. Each variety has a pre-set recipe associated with it.

The only thing you’ll need to do is adjust the amount of froth as well as the amount of coffee you want.

2. Integrated grinder

This is a bean-to-cup machine. It prepares coffee from freshly ground beans, providing an intensely rich flavour.

Pre-ground coffee can sometimes lose its flavour with time.

The machine has a built-in grinder that grinds up the beans on-demand. Using a dial, you can vary how finely the grinder mills the coffee to adjust the creaminess and texture of your coffee.

If you don’t have coffee beans or prefer not to use them, you can also use normal pre-ground coffee.

You’ll have to change the coffee setting to ground and make sure the machine is on before adding the coffee.

You can make the same types of coffees with ground coffee as you can with coffee beans.

3. Adjustable coffee settings

Just because the Dinamica Plus has pre-set recipes doesn’t mean you can’t make your coffee the way you like it.

The control panel lets you adjust the aroma and quantity of coffee.

You can configure your coffee to be on the milder side or make it stronger. You can also adjust quantity from a shot-sized serving to a large mug.

The height of the coffee spout is adjustable from 84mm to 135mm. This allows you to fit different cup sizes under it.

4. User profiles

One thoughtful feature we love is the ability to set unique profiles for different users.

So when you are configuring the aroma and quantity of coffee, that’s just for you. Another family member or your roommate can set their own preferences.

You can set up to 3 user profiles. There’s also a GUEST profile that delivers coffee at the default settings.

5. Water filter

The Dinamica Plus comes with a water filter to ensure you get the best quality coffee. The filter also prolongs the life of the coffee maker by reducing scale build-up (though you’ll still need to descale the machine regularly).

The control panel will display an alert when it’s time to replace the water filter.

6. Smartphone control

The Dinamica Plus comes with Bluetooth connectivity. You can connect your smartphone to it and access certain settings and features via the DeLonghi Coffee Link app.

You must be within range to control the coffee maker.

Unless you are really interested in trying out smartphone control, I’d recommend you just use the control panel on the unit.

The app has many dissatisfied reviews, with some users saying their phone failed to connect.

But you can try it and see if you’ll have more luck using the app.

How easy is it to use?

This is far from a basic coffee maker where you simply add coffee to a filter and press a button.

The first sign that it’s a bit more involved is the digital control panel with a display. The menu has multiple settings you need to configure to make the best use of the coffee maker.

The setup is the most involving bit. Once you’ve selected your preferred language, set the water hardness level and created your profile, making coffee is a breeze.

With the pre-set recipes, you simply press the type of coffee you want and it pours out.

You’ll of course need to make sure that the water tank and milk tank are filled and attached properly to the machine.

It takes a bit of a learning curve to make the perfect cuppa. You may have to adjust aroma, frothiness and milling several times until you get the taste and consistency you are looking for.

Maintenance is also a bit more complicated than with simple coffee machines.

There are many more parts to clean.

To help you out, the Dinamica Plus has a self-cleaning function where it rinses milk off the internal components. It also has a self-descaling feature.

But this kind of maintenance is in line with other bean-to-cup coffee machines, especially the combination styles.

What accessories are included?

Here are the accessories included with the coffee maker.

• An indicator paper for measuring your water hardness. You’ll need this to configure the settings to the right level of water hardness.
• A measure or scoop for pre-ground coffee. You should only add one measure of pre-ground coffee to the coffee maker (Except when making long coffee. You’ll be prompted to add another measure midway through).
• A water softener filter to reduce scale deposits in the coffee maker and improve coffee quality.
• A cleaning brush for use on certain components.
• A hot water spout. Attach this spout when running a rinsing cycle or when you want to dispense hot water.
• Use this when descaling the coffee maker.

DeLonghi Dinamica Plus key features

Pros

• Pre-set recipes make it easy to make different varieties of coffee, including milk-based types.
• Includes water filter.
• Adjustable coffee settings.
• Built-in grinder delivers richly flavoured coffee.
• Comes with a descaler.
• High quality components.

Cons

• Expensive.
• A bit challenging to set up because of all the different settings and options.
• The app could be better designed.

Anything else you should know?

The Dinamica Plus has an energy-saving feature that you can disable or enable.

When enabled, the machine uses less power than usual. Expect some delay in delivery of coffee, hot water or milk.

There’s also an auto-off feature. You can configure the coffee maker to go into standby mode after 15 minutes, 30 minutes or 1, 2 or 3 hours.

Conclusion

The Dinamica Plus is pricey but it’s like having your own barista at your home.

If you love high quality, rich coffee from freshly ground beans, the Dinamica Plus is worth the money.

I also recommend it to anyone who would love the convenience of ordering different types of coffee at the tap of a button.

Did you like my DeLonghi Dinamica Plus review? Please leave your comments below.

Where to buy?

• Amazon UK: >> Click here to see today’s price