If you haven't heard already, Gaggia has released some brand new espresso machines onto the market and they're nothing less than intriguing. If you're a curious coffee lover that likes to stay in the know, or if you're on the prowl for a new, better automatic coffee espresso machine for your home, here's a quick comparison of the Gaggia Cadorna Barista Plus and the De'Longhi Dinamica. We'll break down the different drink options, features, sizes, capacities, and expenses, so you have a better understanding of what a new machine like the Cadorna Barista Plus can offer.
$629.30
The De'Longhi Dinamica is an automatic espresso machine with world-first tech for brewing iced coffee. Expect smooth, full-bodied iced coffees that are never watered down and specialty drinks that you could swear came from the cafe.
$899.95
Drink Options
Drink options are comparable between the Gaggia Cadorna Barista Plus and the De'Longhi Dinamica, with the Cadorna Barista Plus edging ahead. Here's a quick list of what each machine offers.
Gaggia Cadorna Barista Plus
- Ristretto
- Espresso
- Espresso Lungo
- Coffee
- Americano
- Hot Water
De'Longhi Dinamica
- Espresso
- Long Espresso
- Drip Style Coffee
- TrueBrew Over Ice
When it comes to traditional coffee drinks, the Cadorna Barista Plus has the fundamental favorites. Personally, I really appreciate that it differentiates between Espresso Lungo, Americano, and the classic Coffee. Most machines on the market will typically settle on Espresso Lungo only to satisfy the need for all three. That being said, the Dinamica does have a unique advantage in its TrueBrew Over Ice option, exclusive to De'Longhi machines. For that, the Dinamica uses a special brewing process designed specifically for brewing coffee over ice.
The Complete Guide to Coffee and Espresso
Features
Both the Cadorna Barista Plus and Dinamica offer similar programmable settings for drinks, including customizable strength, temperature, and volume. For grind settings, the Cadorna Barista Plus has 10 grind settings, and the Dinamica has 13. The Cadorna Barista Plus wins in maximum cup height at 6.1 inches, compared to the Dinamica's 5.3 inches, and features a pull out platform for brewing espressos and ristrettos.
Where the two machines really differ is in the way they handle milk-based drinks. The Dinamica uses an adjustable auto frothing wand, whereas the Cadorna Barista Plus uses a real commercial style steam wand. There really isn't anything quite like it. Now, the Dinamica's auto frothing wand will be easier to use, but the results you can get from the Cadorna Barista Plus' steam wand are undeniable. With a little skill and knowhow, you can texture milk exactly the way you want and make drinks on par with the local coffee shop.
Size and Appearance
The Cadorna Barista Plus and Dinamica are two very different looking machines, there's no doubt about it. The Cadorna Barista Plus is slightly bigger at 15" tall and 10.2" wide, compared to the Dinamica at 13.7" tall and 9.29" wide. Hopper capacity is the same between both machines. For spent coffee pucks, the Cadorna Barista Plus can hold 10 pucks before emptying whereas the Dinamica can hold 13, so you get a little extra room to spare on the Dinamica there.
When it comes to displays and controls, however, the Cadorna Barista Plus sprints ahead with a full color TFT display. The display is simply a lot easier to use than the Dinamica's, which only offers backlit buttons for drinks and arrow keys to navigate the monochrome menu. Using the Cadorna Barista Plus, you can program drinks individually and even create different profiles for different users.
The Cadorna series are the first from Gaggia to feature full color TFT displays.
Expense
The biggest question always comes down to price, and the answer is a little nuanced here. The Cadorna Barista Plus is more expensive than the DeLonghi Dinamica ($1199 compared to the Dinamica's $899.95 at the time of this writing), but the style, commercial steam wand, high quality display, individual drink customization, and user profiles really help justify the price. For a quick breakdown on maintenance and cleaning expenses, check below.
Water Filter
- Mavea Intenza - $12.99
- De'Longhi Water Filter - 19.99
Cleaning Tablets
- Gaggia Coffee Clean Tablets - $12.99
- Urnex Cafiza Super Auto Cleaning Tablets - $5.99 (De'Longhi doesn't offer branded cleaning tablets)
Decalcifier
- Gaggia Decalcifier (x1 use) - $9.99
- De'Longhi EcoDecalk (x2 uses) - $11.99
Wrapping Up
The quick and simple judgement is this: if you want a simple machine with an automatic milk frother and a recipe for coffee over ice, the Dinamica is a safe bet, but if you want real quality, barista style drinks, and some quality of life features, you need the Cadorna Barista Plus.
