Transcription
We are standing again behind two DeLonghi Espresso Machines, once the 885 and once the 685, and today it's about upgrades, upgrades that make these two espresso machines better espresso machines. These are two entry-level espresso machines that we have tested many times. There are many videos from us on how to improve them, and there is also an old upgrade video. And today we're going to look at a few new tools that you have gathered for us, Felix. And now I would say, let's just get started. [Music] Very good, then let's start. And as we have also said in the other videos, these here, these have to go first. These are the double-walled baskets, so-called pressurized baskets. They are there for old coffee that no longer builds up resistance on its own, or was pre-ground and not ground correctly in the right grinder, and doesn't build up enough resistance. This means the water would then normally rush through. This means we would have a much too fast extraction, and yes, we can't even adjust the grinder cleanly. And they help with that. It looks like you're making good espresso afterwards, but ultimately it's not just a dirt slinger or dirt collector, but it doesn't make good coffee either. Yes, you just said old coffee. Yes, have you looked inside? No, but I just had an idea. We could try that. We could dry the extracted coffee once and then extract with it. Maybe that will work with the basket. Great idea, great idea. We can save ourselves that too. We're just graduating here. [Laughter] We're replacing them. For this, we can recommend that you simply order the corresponding baskets online. There is a tiny problem when you want to change the baskets, when you take out the old baskets and want to insert new baskets, especially ones that also have a good size. They are usually cylindrical in shape. They don't fit because there is this plastic spout at the bottom. Therefore, you would have to remove the plastic spout. That's also relatively easy because there is a hole. But something happens. Yes, we then have three holes. Exactly. Then, if you want to fill two cups, you'll have a mess anyway. So you somehow reach your limits. Yes, we've already discussed this and so on. You can see that in the other video that we also made on the topic. The other option is another portafilter. These are available in various places online. We were asked very often which one is good and which one is not good, which is why we also offer our own portafilter in our online shop in the meantime. One looks like this. Where is the other one? I've attached it somewhere else. That's the second one. So, one is a bottomless portafilter, and one is with a double spout. The bottomless one has no bottom, and the idea is that you then extract into one cup. You can see relatively well whether you have a nice flow development, whether you have channeling. But it also has a bit of potential to make a mess if you have channeling. Exactly. And this is really meant for you to get a double espresso. Yes, and with that, one person makes coffee. Exactly. That's stylish, but not necessarily necessary. No, no, no. It's also practical in that the espresso doesn't cool down as it runs out because it doesn't have to run through the spout. But you can no longer divide it well into two espresso cups, which is why we now have a second model. This one looks like this. It classically has a double spout, and the coffee can then run into two cups. And yes, otherwise the whole thing is the same. Exactly. But it can also run into one cup. But it can also run into one cup. So, in that sense, it's a bit of a multi-tool, you could say. Exactly. So for a double espresso, you can also use it very well. That would be our first recommendation: new basket, new portafilter, modify the old portafilter, something like that. The second is definitely a tamper. With the 685, this plastic tamper is included. With the 885, there is a nice tamper included. A 59mm tamper that also fits perfectly into the portafilter. If you have this machine, this would be my second upgrade tip. Because with this, this is not a tamper. No, I don't know what this is either. You can stick it to the wall and tie your cable mess around it or something. So that doesn't make much sense. You also don't need the dosing spoon. We don't need it. We don't need the dosing spoon because we recommend working with a scale in any case. We've also made a video about that. I'll link it for you up here. We used to have the "Kaffeemacher" tamper for the larger portafilters, and now we thought, come on, let's make a special edition for the DeLonghi Dedica with the 51mm diameter. But it also costs almost as much as the machine. It costs almost as much as the machine. So we'll see if this is interesting, but you can find 51mm tampers on the market. And yes, that's just a tip from us. And those who want to support us can also look for our tamper. In the last video we made about the 885 compared to the 685, I explained the problem with this drip tray again. And actually, when you think about it, they could save a lot of material if they just put holes in it. Yes, totally absurd. Yes, thank God there are resourceful people. Thank God there are resourceful people. And thank God we have a 3D printer and have searched a bit. Now the brother is coming around the corner with the whole army. This is the maximum of feelings. We'll link you to where you can find the thing. On Thingiverse, you can look for yourself or print it yourself. There are also various places. You can certainly find it on Etsy too. Exactly. This is now a really nice, Felix, large drip tray. It's a basket. It's even still a stand area. Where is the scale? Where is the scale? I don't know. You don't need the scale. Such good volumetric. Yes, but you're right again. But if I were to adjust it now, the scale would fit nicely here. Two cups fit next to each other. Look at this. That's just the good. Exactly. And if you take it apart piece by piece now. Yes, in your euphoria. So we'll take this off the machine here now, and let's just take everything here. The new drip grid. Show the new drip grid again properly. It's really a grid now. It wasn't a grid before. Now I can just go ahead and if I rinse now, I won't have a mess here anymore. The water runs off. I can even place the cups on it almost without using a cloth. Really nice, right? You could say DeLonghi could build it like that too. Yes, there are other manufacturers who always do that. They look at what's being developed and then they make skipped grinders and so on. There are several. One thing that I noticed with these self-printed versions is that you have to be careful that it is temperature-consistent here. Otherwise, the grid can bend. So you don't mean temperature consistency, but you mean just being careful with the high temperature, although you did pour a lot of hot water on it during your temperature measurement attempts. And if you now draw an espresso with it, it will be cooled down by the coffee powder, but it's of course not, it's self-printed, right? And if you draw it somewhere, it's also self-printed, and then it's something that you have to consider, Felix. Then there's also an enlargement. Exactly, the enlargement. We noticed that when making cappuccinos with two cups, it's always a bit tight if you place it next to it. Then two cappuccino cups fit very comfortably next to each other. Super, very elegant too, I think. Really nicely solved. So, brother, can you clamp in the bottomless portafilter there? Because when we have it clamped in now, now comes the part I'm most looking forward to. This is not meant for checking nose hairs, but this little mirror is meant for it. And I'll clip it on here. It will be permanently fixed now. It's meant for you to see nicely whether the extraction from the bottomless portafilter is running as it should, without you having to bend down every time. You can then very confidently. I'll stick it on for us now. You have to look from the front so you can position it properly. So I can see beautifully here how the espresso is running out. Perfect. I'll stick it on here. It's a bit like a dentist's mirror, isn't it? You can see nicely whether the filling is still properly seated on the molars. So we see here whether our shot is running cleanly, whether we have channeling, and yes, we don't have to look from below every time. It's just fun. It's a nice little toy. What kind of mirror is that? How do you find that? I don't know. I'll put the link below, but I hope you give it to me. I'm already laughing. It's a mirror that you actually stick on. An exterior mirror for the blind spot. Cool, brother. Very good. You came up with that yourself. Yes, of course. So, you have more things. Wait, where did I put that again? I'll find it too. And we found this so cool. Moritz probably printed this for us too, and we're allowed to pass it on to you. Exactly. We now have this in our shop, and it's meant for when you have the portafilter, and the machine is not running, or if you have a second portafilter for cleaning, you can stick it on here with double-sided tape, or you can stick it on, and then the spare portafilter can hang here. For example, the one you use for cleaning and so on. Then it just hangs there, and it's a fixed and very tidy solution. Nice. Exactly. Now for an important upgrade for this machine. A small tip, big impact. We said that the 885 has a good milk lance. We've already completely replaced the milk lance on one machine by opening everything up. That's also great if you want to see a machine from the inside, but you don't necessarily have to do that. You can also just pull this thing off. Exactly. You can pull it off, and theoretically, you can even froth with this. What is this? A silicone hose. Yes. The only problem is that it comes off relatively easily, and for that, there's a very, very simple trick. Mhm. Yes, I'll go look for it. I have it, of course. Do you want one or two? I need two. Cable ties. Cable ties. And we're going to make it here. It has a perfect curve or indentation where I can put the first cable tie. I'll make it as tight as possible. Zip. And then we'll put the second one on top. So we cut off the little nubs here, and now we can froth milk with it. And now we don't have to hide behind the 885 steam lance with the 685 either. And the upgrade for 2 or 3 cents. That definitely makes sense. And I can always go back to my milk frother maker at any time if I don't like it, or maybe the rubber wears out over time. Then there's also the option to upgrade it, and that is here through this metal fitting. Do you have a link for that too? Exactly. It's just a bit tidier here. With this one, you do have the problem that milk residue can get stuck in it. So you might have to replace the cable tie sometimes. So here it's a bit cleaner. These are our upgrade tips for the EC 685 and the EC 885, and all other DeLonghi machines. One or the other might help you. We've also stated the priorities. Some things are just for fun, but fun is also nice sometimes. Some things are really useful, like replacing the baskets, maybe with a portafilter, or just replacing the basket itself if you want to modify it. We'll link our entire series of DeLonghi videos below. So if you want more information about your machine, or if you're considering whether this is the right entry-level espresso machine, you'll definitely find what you're looking for. The next video will continue with our preparation tips, and I'd say until then, we say goodbye. Have fun, see you soon.