De'Longhi · Super-autoDinamica Plus (ECAM38085SB)
A well-rounded super-automatic with a 3.5-inch colour touchscreen, integrated conical burr grinder, LatteCrema carafe system, and 24 one-touch recipes — the most capable Dinamica variant for multi-drink households.
The short version
The Dinamica Plus is a competent, Italian-made bean-to-cup machine that genuinely closes the gap between press-button convenience and drinkable espresso, courtesy of a grinder that can actually choke the pump.
What you must accept is that shot quality and milk texture are determined by the machine, not your hands — craft ceiling is real.
Why people buy it
- 24 one-touch recipes with genuine world-coffee variety (cortado, ristretto, galão, café con leche) covers nearly every household request
- Built-in conical burr grinder grinds fine enough to choke the machine — a rarity among super-automatics that actually yields syrupy espresso
Why they don’t
- Shot quality and milk texture are machine-controlled — no path to latte art or manual dialling, skill ceiling is structural
The full tally
- 24 one-touch recipes with genuine world-coffee variety (cortado, ristretto, galão, café con leche) covers nearly every household request
- Built-in conical burr grinder grinds fine enough to choke the machine — a rarity among super-automatics that actually yields syrupy espresso
- LatteCrema carafe handles dairy and plant-based milks with three foam-density settings; carafe is double-walled and fridge-storable
- 40-second heat-up, 4 user profiles, touchscreen interface, and Coffee Link app make daily personalisation genuinely low-friction
- Shot quality and milk texture are machine-controlled — no path to latte art or manual dialling, skill ceiling is structural
- Vibratory pump, cleaning cycles on startup/shutdown, and the grinder together make meaningful noise; not a quiet-kitchen machine
- Water tank (1.8 L) requires frequent refilling for households making multiple milk drinks, and oily dark roasts risk gumming the brew group
What the community knows
Years of owner threads, distilled — well regarded.
Excellent milk and repeatability inside the super-automatic lane draw milk-forward buyers and grinder enthusiasts, but plastic build, thermoblock durability anxiety, and low shot ceiling keep it from flagship status—respected for what it does, not a category default.
Beginner fit
kind to first-timers
Convenience
speed and simplicity, day to day
Value
price-to-performance the community respects
All 9 community measures
price-to-performance the community respects
shows up every morning, year after year
parts and repairs — you are never stranded
mods, guides, and community know-how around it
kind to first-timers
years before you outgrow or replace it
how far the cup can go, per dollar
speed and simplicity, day to day
Worth knowing before you buy — Most owners wish they'd spent the grinder investment on a better manual machine and a dedicated burr grinder instead.
Known weak points — Thermoblock durability concerns; plastic valve/gasket failures reported; proprietary basket size limits basket/tamper upgrade pathways.
The measurements
Scored 0–5 on the same rubric as everything on file — the words matter more than the numbers.
The measurements
0–5, one rubric- Shot ceiling
- capable2.5
- Steam power
- token2
- Built to last
- fair3
- Easy daily
- effortless4.5
Position in the market
Every dot is a rival, measured the same way. The gold one is this.
- Lower half for shot ceiling
- a higher ceiling than 14 of the 237 machines we’ve measured
- Fairly priced for its level
- 48% of machines this capable cost more
- Lower half for build
- sturdier than 28% of the field, by the community’s own record
Every dot is a machine measured on the same rubric. See the whole market
Living with it
The part spec sheets skip: counter space, upkeep, and what owners learn later.
The honest note — Owners who develop taste for actual espresso craft — dialled-in extraction, manual milk technique, latte art — will find the sealed-workflow ceiling frustrating and typically move to a prosumer single-boiler or HX machine (e.g. Breville Barista Express Impress, Lelit Mara) paired with a dedicated grinder.
The full spec sheet
- Type
- Super-automatic (bean-to-cup)
- Heat-up time
- 40 seconds
- Steam power
- 2/5
- Brew + steam at once
- No
- Guest recovery
- 3/5
- Shot quality ceiling
- 2.5/5
- PID temperature control
- No
- Milk system
- Integrated carafe (one-touch)
- One-touch drinks
- 24
- Removable brew group
- Yes
- Hot-water tap
- Yes
- Workflow demand
- 0.5/5
- Maintenance
- 3/5
- Noise
- 3/5
- Build longevity
- 3/5
- Dimensions
- 24 × 35 × 43 cm
Before it arrives
What completes this machine — the faded pieces can wait.
Descaler & backflush kit — Electric boilers scale up and grouts gunk up — a descaler plus backflush routine is what keeps the machine alive for a decade.
- Descaler & backflush kit — Electric boilers scale up and grouts gunk up — a descaler plus backflush routine is what keeps the machine alive for a decade.
- Espresso cups & glassware — Proper demitasse and latte glasses keep the drink hot and look the part.
Feed it right
Week one is dial-in — and stale beans will lose it.
Coffee more than a few weeks past roast won’t extract predictably, and a new machine gets blamed for it. Super-autos reward consistency: a stable medium roast keeps the hopper predictable and the milk drinks sweet.
Pick your coffee — any of these dials in beautifully here:
Wild Ember - Ethiopian Buno Dambi UddoSCA 92Medium roast · Odo Shakiso, Guji Zone, Oromia · NaturalBlueberry · MarmaladeSteady and repeatable — right for this setup’s lane.CA$26.83 · roasted to order
Etherea - Ethiopian YirgacheffeSCA 88Medium roast · NaturalJasmine · BergamotSteady and repeatable — right for this setup’s lane.CA$24.16 · roasted to order
Sergio - Brazillian Fazenda Joia Rara Aerobic FermentedSCA 88Medium-light · Cerrado Mineiro · Aerobic FermentedHoney · OrangeSteady and repeatable — right for this setup’s lane.CA$29.18 · roasted to orderNo proper grinder yet? Sort that first — it decides more of the cup than the machine does. We ship whole bean, roast-dated, timed so it lands fresh the week your burrs do.
Roasted to order, daily, in Ajax, Ontario · ships Canada-wide. We’re the roastery behind this database — measuring the machines is how we make sure the coffee gets a fair shot.
On film
How it runs on camera, from around the community.
Common questions
Does the Dinamica Plus work with plant-based milks?
Yes. De'Longhi's LatteCrema technology is designed to froth oat, almond, and soy milks in addition to dairy, across three foam-density settings.
Can I use pre-ground coffee with the Dinamica Plus?
Yes. A bypass doser accepts pre-ground coffee, which is useful for decaf without emptying the bean hopper.
How many user profiles does it support?
The ECAM38085SB variant supports up to 4 user profiles, allowing each household member to save their preferred recipes and settings.
How long does heat-up take?
Approximately 40 seconds from cold start to ready-to-brew, which is notably fast for this class of machine.
Is the brew group removable for cleaning?
Yes. The brewing unit is removable and should be rinsed monthly as part of the recommended maintenance routine.
Worth comparing
De'Longhi
Magnifica Plus (ECAM32070SB)
De'Longhi's top-of-the-Magnifica-range super-automatic packs 18 one-touch recipes, a LatteCrema Hot milk carafe, a 3.5-inch TFT touchscreen, and four user profiles into a genuinely compact footprint — all at a mid-tier price that undercuts the Dinamica Plus.
US$899–1,299 · CA$1,195–1,200
De'Longhi
Eletta Explore
De'Longhi's most capable super-automatic pairs a one-touch menu of 50+ hot, iced, and cold-brew drinks with dual LatteCrema carafes — one for hot foam, one for cold — and a rapid cold-extraction system that produces a cold-brew base in under five minutes. The trade-off is a modest shot ceiling and a grinder that makes its presence known acoustically.
US$1,499–1,799 · CA$1,745–2,000
Jura
E6 (2023)
A push-button Swiss super-automatic built around black coffee and cappuccino, with Jura's Pulse Extraction Process and a 2023 refresh that adds an 8th-generation brew unit and Professional Aroma Grinder. Straightforward enough for any household, limited enough to frustrate latte drinkers.
US$1,699–1,899 · CA$2,095
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