How to Use a DeLonghi Coffee Machine

Key takeaway: How you use a DeLonghi coffee machine depends on which type you own. A bean-to-cup model like the Magnifica S grinds, brews and dispenses automatically once you fill the tank and hopper and press a single button, while a manual pump machine like the Dedica has you grind, dose and tamp coffee into a portafilter yourself before locking it in and starting the shot. Steaming milk for a flat white or cappuccino is always a separate step on both, done after the coffee’s poured, not before.

Unboxed a new DeLonghi and not sure where to start? Working out how to use a DeLonghi coffee machine comes down to first knowing which of the two broad types you’ve got. Fill the tank, load beans or grounds, and press the right button, and either machine will get you a coffee, but the actual sequence, and how much the machine does for you, differs a lot between an automatic bean-to-cup model and a manual pump espresso maker. This guide walks through both, using the Magnifica S and the Dedica as the worked examples.

A quick note before the steps: DeLonghi’s range runs well beyond these two machines. The walkthroughs below are verified against the Magnifica S (an automatic bean-to-cup machine) and the Dedica (a compact manual pump machine), using De’Longhi’s own instruction books for each. Other automatic ranges such as the Dinamica, Eletta, PrimaDonna or Rivelia run a touchscreen or dial-based menu that automates several of the steps described here differently, and a different manual pump model may label its buttons slightly differently again. If a light, dial or on-screen prompt on your own machine doesn’t match what’s described below, check the instruction book that came with your specific model rather than assuming every DeLonghi behaves the same way.

Bean-to-Cup vs Manual Pump: Quick Reference

Feature	Magnifica S (bean-to-cup)	Dedica (manual pump)
Coffee input	Whole beans in a 250 g hopper, ground fresh per cup	Pre-ground coffee or an ESE pod in a portafilter
Grinding	Built-in grinder, adjusted with the grinding dial	None, a separate grinder is your own gear
Brew control	One-touch buttons for short or long coffee	Manual dosing, tamping and a 1 Cup or 2 Cup button
Default coffee volume	Approximately 40 mL short, 120 mL long	Approximately 35 mL single, 70 mL double, both adjustable
Milk system	Traditional cappuccino maker wand	Adjustable Cappuccino System dial (cappuccino or hot milk)
Pump pressure	15 bar (1.5 MPa)	15 bar
Water tank	Fill to the MAX line, removable from the rear	Fill to the MAX line, removable from the front

What You’ll Need

• Your DeLonghi coffee machine, with its water tank filled with fresh cold tap water
• Fresh whole coffee beans (Magnifica S) or finely ground espresso coffee, or an ESE pod (Dedica)
• A jug of cold milk, ideally straight from the fridge at around 5°C, if you’re making a flat white or cappuccino
• A few extra minutes on the very first use, while the machine primes its internal circuit

1. Using a DeLonghi Bean-to-Cup Machine (Magnifica S)

The Magnifica S does the grinding and dosing itself, so most of the work is choosing your settings before you press the button.

1. Fill the water tank to the MAX line with fresh cold tap water and slide it back into place at the rear of the machine.
2. Fill the bean container with fresh whole beans, up to its 250 g capacity. Never use caramelised or candied beans, they can stick to the mill and damage it.
3. Press the power button. The button flashes while the machine runs its automatic preheat and rinse cycle, then settles once it’s ready. Avoid touching the coffee spouts during this cycle, since a little hot water is released.
4. Set the coffee taste dial anywhere between MIN (extra mild) and MAX (extra strong), depending how strong you like it. It’s worth testing a couple of settings the first time you use the machine.
5. Place one or two cups under the spouts and lower the spouts as close to the cup as the machine allows, for a creamier result.
6. Press the button for the coffee you want: a short coffee button for an espresso-style cup (around 40 mL by default), or the long coffee button for a milder, longer cup (around 120 mL). Each has a matching button for two cups at once.

Those default volumes and the hopper capacity come straight from DeLonghi Australia’s own Magnifica S support and instructions for use, so treat them as the reference point rather than a guess. Both buttons are programmable too: hold one down until the light flashes, let the machine pour to the level you actually want, then press the same button again to save it as the new default.

2. Making a Cappuccino on the Magnifica S

1. Make the coffee first, into a cup large enough for the added milk.
2. Fill a jug with about 100 mL of cold milk per cappuccino, ideally straight from the fridge, remembering it roughly doubles or triples in volume once frothed.
3. Press the steam button. Its light flashes while the boiler reaches steam temperature.
4. Once the light stops flashing, immerse the cappuccino maker’s wand in the milk and turn the steam dial on. Rotate the jug slowly in an upward motion for a creamier, more even froth.
5. Turn the steam dial off once you’ve got the texture you want, don’t run steam for more than about 3 minutes continuously, then pour the froth over the coffee.

Wipe and purge the cappuccino maker straight after, running a short burst of hot water through it before milk left inside has a chance to dry on and clog the spouts.

3. Using a DeLonghi Manual Pump Machine (Dedica)

The Dedica hands grind, dose and tamp over to you, and rewards a bit of technique with a noticeably better shot.

1. Fill the water tank to the MAX line and press it firmly back in, so the valves on its underside open properly.
2. On a brand new machine, run the priming sequence first: attach the empty filter holder, place a container under the spouts, and press the coffee button five times to rinse the circuit through, then briefly run the steam dial to clear the steam line too.
3. Fit the 1-cup or 2-cup filter into the filter holder, depending how many coffees you’re making, or the pod filter if you’re using an ESE pod.
4. Fill it with finely ground espresso coffee and press down gently with the tamper. Press too hard and the shot runs slow and strong; too light and it runs fast and weak.
5. Wipe any grounds from the rim, then attach the filter holder to the machine, twisting the handle from INSERT to CLOSE until it locks.
6. Place your cup underneath and press the 1 Cup or 2 Cup button. The machine stops delivery automatically, at a default of around 35 mL or 70 mL.

Prefer pods over grinding your own? The Dedica also takes ESE-standard espresso pods, identified by the ESE symbol on the packet, using the dedicated pod filter instead of the ground-coffee ones. Any pod without that symbol isn’t verified to fit the filter holder correctly, so it’s worth checking the packet before you buy, the same way you’d check a Nespresso pod actually matches Original or Vertuo before assuming it fits. DeLonghi Australia’s own Dedica product and manual page confirms the ESE filter as the compatible pod format for this range.

4. Making Milk-Based Coffee on the Dedica

1. Set the frother dial to CAPPUCCINO for froth, or HOT MILK for warm, unfrothed milk.
2. Purge the wand into an empty container for a second or two first, to clear any water sitting in the line.
3. Immerse the wand in a jug of cold milk, without submerging the black ring, and turn the dial on.
4. Move the jug slowly in a circular motion for denser froth, and stop once the milk feels warm rather than hot, around 60°C is the ideal target.
5. Turn the dial off, then pour the froth over your espresso.

Don’t run the steam function for more than 60 seconds at a time. If the coffee light and steam light flash together afterwards, the boiler’s telling you it needs to cool before it can pull another shot, that’s normal, not a fault.

How Often You’ll Repeat Each Step

Filling the tank and hopper (or grinding and dosing on the Dedica) happens every time you make a coffee. The priming or rinse cycle is only needed the first time you use the machine, or after it’s sat unused for a few days. Beyond that, day-to-day upkeep, descaling and cleaning are separate routines on their own schedule, not something you do before every cup.

Common Mistakes

• Turning the coffee taste dial too far toward MAX on the Magnifica S, which slows delivery to a drop at a time rather than actually making a stronger coffee.
• Tamping unevenly on the Dedica, which pushes water through the softer side of the puck and leaves the shot tasting thin.
• Adding pre-ground coffee to the Magnifica S while the machine is switched off, which can spread grounds through the inside of the machine.
• Skipping the wand purge after steaming milk, letting residue dry on and block the spouts.
• Assuming an Eletta, Dinamica or PrimaDonna uses the identical button layout, when those ranges automate several of these steps through a screen instead.

When It’s a Fault, Not Just Technique

A shot that runs a drop at a time no matter how you adjust the grind or dose, a filter holder that won’t lock into place, or milk that refuses to froth at all despite fresh cold milk and a clean wand, point to something mechanical rather than a technique tweak. Mineral scale is the most common culprit behind slow or blocked delivery on either machine, so it’s worth ruling that out with a proper descale before assuming something’s actually broken.

Keeping It Running Between Coffees

Using a DeLonghi well and maintaining it are two separate jobs. On the Magnifica S, the integrated grinder benefits from an occasional brush-out, covered in our guide to cleaning a coffee grinder, since stale grounds dull flavour long before anything actually breaks. Day-to-day rinsing, the brewing unit and the milk system on both machines get their own full routine in how to clean a DeLonghi coffee machine. Mineral scale builds up over months rather than days regardless of which type you own, which is what our dedicated walkthrough on descaling a DeLonghi coffee machine deals with once the descale light comes on.

Still weighing up whether a bean-to-cup machine or a manual pump model actually suits how you drink coffee day to day? That decision belongs in our full How to Choose the Best Coffee Machine (Buying Guide)] rather than a using guide focused on two specific models.

Frequently Asked Questions