Customer Ratings & Reviews

De’Longhi La Specialista Prestigio is a hybrid semi-automatic espresso machine designed with more features like active temperature control, sensor grinding technology, smart tamping station, dynamic pre-infusion, My LatteArt steam wand for milk frothing that gives home baristas handcraft the best espresso, Americano, and coffee. I tried different coffee beans from local coffee stores, Starbucks espresso beans, Lavazza Barista Gran Crema Espresso Medium roast beans for this review. What’s in the box: La Specialista Prestigio Espresso Machine with Dual Heating System, Single Portafilter, Double basket portafilter, Descaler packet 100ml, Water hardness test strip, cleaning brush, Stainless Steel Milk pitcher for frothing, Manuals in 2 languages. Out of the box, the design and quality of the machine is very good and attactvie with its shiny stainless-steel look with black control panel and modern knobs and center pressure gauge. After assembling the grinder chute, the machine is quite heavy at around 29 pounds. Water tank holds around 2 liters or 67.7 ounces of water. On the left side of the machine, it has a dedicated grinder for grinding beans and smart tamper, while the right side it where you have the brew head, hot waterspout, and milk frothing wand. It also has a shelf that can be opened or closed for small cup shots. For the first time, you need to flush the system by pressing the hot water button twice and running it for some time and hitting the ok button. You may also run the steam through the wand for few minutes. Dialing this machine for a perfect espresso or coffee takes time initially. It took more than 5 or 6 attempts before achieving the desired results with good crema. So, keep in mind, it won’t be perfect on the first try and many factors play a major role like coffee bean roast, age, temperature and so on. Once dialed, you can make great coffee everyday morning with no issues until you shift to different brand of beans or variety. Control panel has notifications like low bean light that flashes when the hopper runs low on beans or the water light notification when the water on the reservoir is low. The grind hopper has eight grinding levels to grind from coarse to fine consistency. Level 1 provides the fine grind setting for espresso and level 8 for coarse for coffee. Suggest trying at 6 and slowly increase if needed. Portafilter docks into place with a click which activates the grinder, and the ground coffee is dispensed depending on the dose level set on the dial. Try to keep the dosage level at the middle and try increasing it. Smart Tamping on this machine is the best feature to avoid the guess work of manual tamping and compacting. Tamping lever allows to achieve consistent pressure and avoids the mess of ground coffee spills on the countertop. Suggest tamping the lever twice or thrice and try holding the lever down when removing the portafilter for best tamping results. By default, you get a single shot and if you need double shot, you need to push or select the X2 button before grinding. You also have 3 different infusion temperature settings ranging from 92 degrees to 96 degrees to select from on the control panel. Select the temperature to min (1) for dark roasted beans, medium (2) for dark or medium roast and max (3) for light to medium roasted beans. Water temperature is precisely controlled for extraction consistency. This is one of the important steps for best tasting coffee to have the temperature and grind consistency in right settings. Once dialed, insert the portafilter into the coffee brew head and hit the ok button to start a perfect espresso. Pressure gauge has an optimal zone which is a great tool to indicate perfect extraction. Its better to aim for the needle to be in middle range or little higher. This machine has a dedicated wand for hot water and is dispensed for americano or for making Tea without the need of pitcher. Milk steam wand is easy to use and creates silky smooth textured micro foam. Menu Settings: If you wish to change any of the settings that was defaulted by manufacturer, follow the instruction. You can change the energy savings option, extra grinding adjustment, water hardness and so on. For quick setup on menu settings and to get it started, suggest watching YouTube videos posted by the manufacturer and is very well explained instead of reading the manual. Pros: Active temperature control, sensor grinding technology, dynamic pre-infusion, smart Tamping station to avoid spills, sensor grinding technology, three one touch recipes (espresso, americano, coffee), dedicated hot waterspout, LatteArt steam wand, 1 second quick start, Intuitive setting functions, easy cleaning, quiet operation, 3-year warranty (2 year + 1 year after registration), Cons: Dialing in takes time to get a perfect tasting coffee and need work to fine tune settings, Height of the machine is around 18 inches to the tip of the grinder hopper and may not fit under the most of kitchen cabinets unless you have a clearance of 20-21 inches from your countertop. Verdict: Prestigio espresso machine is a solid hybrid well-made machine for home baristas to make best tasting espresso, coffee, americano, latte and other drinks. It does take some skill and time to dial this machine initially for best results. I would greatly recommend to anyone who needs better tasting coffee drink and a hybrid machine (not manual or fully automatic).

Gotta say I really love De'Longhi espresso makers! I got their Dedica Espresso Machine and I loved the built and the machine's consistency on the pour, but I didn't ever invest in a quality grinder so I was mostly using espresso pods. I was eyeing machines and knew I wanted something with a dual heating element, off of a suggestion from a coworker, but wasn't quite sure which I wanted to get. The built in grinder was definitely one of the things that made me go with this machine, it was one less thing for me to pick up, plus the built in tamping was a bonus. It's nice that the portafilter has the swappable inserts for the two different amounts of grounds, you can select the amount you want to brew and grind accordingly. The machine is pretty simple to use also, select x2 if brewing double, lock the portafilter into the grinder, wait for the grind to finish and tamp it down (I did leave the little "remove before use sticker" on the underside of the tamper that shows the pull distance for ideal force). Lock the portafilter on the right side to brew, make sure you got it set to your preferred brew (Espresso, Americano, Coffee) and press the OK button to start the pour! I have used the steaming wand once to test it out, but it's still really hot where I live so I stick to iced lattes. I do appreciate the frothing jug, look forward to using/ learning the steaming process. Got a buddy who knows some latte art so I will likely hit him up for pointers! Overall though I am really happy with this machine and looking forward to getting better at the latte arts. This is a great machine for me, plus being a single unit that is well designed and high quality, it's got it's space on the counter without any comments from the wife. :-) I would highly recommend this machine to anyone that is looking, It's simple enough that I feel more comfortable making my drinks, with a much better port without pods. Plus with a machine like this, I have cut back more on my coffee pit stops while heading to work.

- Delonghi La Specialista Prestigio is such a beautiful machine, it’s a mid rage coffee machine and it’s a user friendly machine that is easy to use and clean. Prestigio is not a light machine, it’s beautiful design with stainless body and a little bit of plastic from the back and the bottom tray. - Prestigio also comes with built in coffee grinder, it felt very intimidating to me the first I finally opened the box, since my previews latte machine didn’t have its own grinder and I didn’t have this much button to understand in front of me, but after all the buttons are fairly simple and straight forward - from the front of the machine you have the power button on the top left, but keep in mind to make sure you turned on the switch behind the machine - button left you have your dose level for your coffee grind, this can be adjusted to the type of brew you want, from light roast , medium roast, medium dark and dark roast. i’m more of a light roast kind of guy so my gauge will stay around the minimum area - moving to the next section is the x2 button for double shot of espresso, and beside that is the temperature button, on of the most useful setting in Prestigio is the temperature button. this could effect the type of coffee you would to brew, keep it on its right temperature could improve your coffee tasting pleasure. - light roast will need 3 light temperature bar, medium roast and medium dark will be 2 light temperature, while dark roast will require 1 light bar temperature. - you have an OK button which it’s your “start” button to start brewing. you will also have a dedicated button for hot water and buttons for the type of brewing you would like to make, from espresso to americano and coffee settings - comes with single wall basket holds 12g, and double basket that should 20g of coffee - when it comes to grinding the coffee the machine will automatically start once you have the portafilter on the lock position, it will grind on which setting you have it set. - the machine also include its own tamping station, this is such an amazing that benefits coffee lover, you wouldn’t have to press the espresso manually and have that chance on causing coffee grinds to be spilled, less mess and helps for a better cleaner coffee area to work with. now it’s part of the machine, just makes things a lot easier at that point - at the bottom when it’s time to brew, the machine also come with its espresso tray - if you’re new to making espresso there’s couple things to understand about how you are extracting, at the middle of the machine you will see that there’s a pressure gauge, depending on how you extracted the espresso gauge will change depending if you have it on perfect, under extracted or over extracted. you will need the gauge to stay about in the center area, if it’s below to the left it’s under extracted and if it’s over to right near the red meaning it’s over extracted ( you will get a quick start guide to help you understand about extracting a lot better with pictures to provide as well ) - now to the right we have a triple hole steam want in not that great when it comes to creating latte art, my previous steamer was alot shorter, very happy that Prestigio have a much longer want to work with. - I didn’t experience any brewing inconsistency at all, from past few days of watch the device it was brewing the same I amount I would expect and haven’t disappoint. - Delonghi have created an amazing coffee machine, the built in grinder works, for me the grind size is enough to choose from, I doubt i’ll be changing it much since i mainly stay with light/medium roast. the ease of use and having less mess from making your coffee make this a machine a solid buy, not only that the look of the machine is such an eye catcher. my only tip about using this machine is to discale first, i’ve noticed some debris came out of the tube after doing so, overall i’m very happy how simple this machine works, it brews perfectly, solid recommendations.

REVIEW: DE'LONGHI - LA SPECIALISTA PRESTIGIO ESPRESSO MACHINE WITH DUAL HEATING SYSTEM - STAINLESS STEEL Model:EC9355M Best Buy Tech Insider Network ESPRESSO MACHINE GOODNESS 4 YOUR INNER BARISTA The DE'LONGHI - LA SPECIALISTA PRESTIGIO ESPRESSO MACHINE is a great balance of manual processes and automatic (hybrid) brewing that lets you control the major aspects good coffee making, without needing to become an engineer. Once you get the hang of it, fantastic coffee drinks await you. The DE'LONGHI - LA SPECIALISTA PRESTIGIO ESPRESSO MACHINE gets us closer to the process and more involved in the making of a perfect cup of espresso / coffee including lattes and cappuccinos. There is a small learning curve to produce the coffee we liked best. It is not hard to use, but takes some patience experimenting with Temps, Grinds, Levels, and so on to zero in on the perfect cup (it took us about 4 hours and 1 pound of beans). Fortunately, there are handy pictorial guides in the quick start manual that show you what to do if your drink it too strong or weak or bitter, etc. The main thing that you need to know is that every type (roast and blend) of bean is a little different, so your settings for one style of bean, won’t work for the next style bean. In general, our advice is to pick the bean you want for a period of time then take your time to zero in on the perfect cup, and then leave your settings alone until the next time you switch up your beans. Because the DE'LONGHI - LA SPECIALISTA PRESTIGIO ESPRESSO MACHINE is semi-manual, you can also easily grind your own beans, outside the automatic grind process, and still brew a custom cup of specialty coffee now and then (just spin the level knob to the picture of the scoop). The water gets plenty hot (just under 200 degrees) on max temp setting. BEST FEATURES - Built-in Burr Grinder and a Decent Sized Hopper - High Quality Overall Build - Semi Automatic + Semi Manual puts you closer to the experience - Large water reservoir - High Quality Accessories - “My Menu” for your own tweaks to the built-in recipes (eg more / less water etc) - Dual heaters means no waiting to use the frothing wand for lattes and cappuccinos - Built in Tamper for perfect presses - Relatively Quiet Operation compared to other models we have owned. - Separate hot water output for tea or cocoa (not mixed with coffee grounds) RESULTS The DE'LONGHI - LA SPECIALISTA PRESTIGIO ESPRESSO MACHINE makes some of the best coffee we have had. It takes experimentation to get the settings just right. The crema is not especially tall, but it is strong and appropriate for a non-aerated crema. It is full bodied with a great aroma. The foaming wand works very well, and it make very good steamed or frothed milk. SUMMARY / RECOMMENDATION Overall, the DE'LONGHI - LA SPECIALISTA PRESTIGIO ESPRESSO MACHINE gives you all the tools you need to make a great cup of espresso, coffee, or americano as well as other specialty drinks. As a semi-automatic (hybrid) machine, it has a little longer learning curve then De’Longhi’s other fully automatic models, but it is worth the effort. Besides, what a great way to spend a fall weekend day, experimenting and sampling coffee with your significant other. I think it is best suited for those who tend to use the same bean for longer periods of time, instead of changing bean types 4 times per day. If you do change beans a lot, then you probably also want to invest in a separate dedicated grinder so you can run the machine in manual mode without changing up your standard grind settings. I fully recommend the DE'LONGHI - LA SPECIALISTA PRESTIGIO ESPRESSO MACHINE for anyone wanting a better coffee drink and an overall more immersive experience but is not yet ready for a 100% manual machine. --------- SOME TIPS: - Follow the picture guides in the quick start where it shows you how to adjust your grind level based on your brew results (color, crema, etc). - It is important that each time you change the grind (only change the setting when the grinder is running) that you also adjust the fill level knob to completely fill the portafilter to the “perfect brew line” inside the filter basket. Finer grinds take up less space so then you need to increase the fill level. Also keep in mind it will take about 2 cycles to see the full effect of your changes. - The manual says to start at lowest fill level and work your way up. This took us forever. We ended with a grind of about 2.5 and a fill level of about 95% (estimates on the knob position) for our medium dark roast decaf to produce the desired results. This was far from the guide’s suggested starting points for this bean roast type. - Be prepared to toss out a lot of beans and lot of coffee while you zero in on your perfect cup. There is no shortcut. You can’t start with a cheap grocery store bean and plan to switch to your $20 / lb bean after you zero in on the cheap stuff. Because every bean roast is different, you need to experiment with the beans you plan to use (keep a log). Maybe once you are an expert you can look at a bean and know that you need x,y,z settings. Still, that will just be a starting point. We used about 1 pound of beans getting it perfect for that particular bean. - You can’t start the brew process with the portafilter already in place under the grinder. Snaping the portafilter in, is what starts the grind process. - There is a small wire “ring” inside the portafilter. This is needed to hold the filter basket in place, don’t remove it or your filter basket will get stuck on the group head (the output pipes) and not stay in the portafilter assembly. The portafilter has a small indent on the right side where you can force off the single cup filter basket and replace it with the dual cup filter basket. We could find no mention of this ring clip anywhere, so we took it out thinking it was not needed, but later had to reinstall it. - If you want to customize your brewer (eco mode, auto off, custom recipes) you will need to pay close attention to the cryptic instructions in the bigger manual. Example, press and hold 2 buttons for 10 seconds, press coffee for auto on, etc. You won’t be able to do this without the manual. Manual change all the time, but in my manual it is page 13 under “Menu Settings”. - It is a tall unit (about 17 inches) so although it would fit under our cabinets, we could not reach the water reservoir (in the back) or refill the beans (with only ½ inch clearance to our cabinets). We ended up putting it at an angle which gave us just enough room to access both the reservoir and the bean hopper. (see pics) - To get only hot water, (for tea or instant hot chocolate) once the machine is on, just lightly tap the “tea cup” picture. I could not find this mentioned in any manual. I guess it is too obvious to mention, but I kept triggering rinse mode instead by pressing it for too long. - To Rinse the unit (which you should do daily at least), press and hold the tea cup picture. It will show some red raindrops and take a few minutes to run its cycle. There is also a stopper of some sort for a more advanced cleaning. I did not recall seeing the process in the manual, but maybe it is in there and I’ll look again. I assume you use it force water to backflush the group head assembly. - ALWAYS USE A GOOD QUALITY WATER FILTER WITH HIGH TEMP / HIGH PRESSURE DEVICES. I can’t emphasize this enough. You can get a cheap inline water filter to put under your sink for about $40 at any big box or local hardware store. At work (and home) we used to burn out our single cup coffee makers about every 9 months. After installing a simple filter, we are now 3 years without losing a single maker (5 in total). Plus, your coffee will taste better with most of the fluoride and other chemicals filtered out.

This is the second espresso machine that I have owned, and by far, La Specialista from De’longhi is a high-class machine for coffee connoisseurs. My entire family loves this machine, including my teenage children; we use it at least twice a day. It is quick and straightforward to use. The house's favorite coffee drinks are the frappé or frappuccino. I like to drink a cappuccino in the morning to give me an energy boost. My wife is a coffee lover, and she drinks a minimum of two coffee drinks per day. She is very good at noticing coffee’s freshness and flavors. Preparing your machine for first use is essential to remove any manufacturing particles and to purge all components. It took about 15 minutes to wash, clean, dry all accessories, and cleanse/rinse portafilter and frothing wand. We use medium-dark roast coffee beans because it produces a more rich flavor. Using the grinder and tamping mechanism takes a bit of exploring and finding what quantity/temp and grinding level fits your particular taste. After knowing your preferred selection (including 1 or 2 shots setting), insert the portafilter under the grinder/tamping. After making sure the tamped ground coffee is within the line inside the filter, place the portafilter under the extraction insert. Select first the desired beverage: (1) espresso, (2) regular coffee, or (3) americano, and then the coffee temperature based on the roast chart guidance (quick start guide book) and the type of coffee bean. Next, press the OK button, the machine automatically adapts pre-infusion for the correct extraction. Using this machine every day, I have learned to adjust the grinding setting to achieve the perfect espresso (not under/over-extraction). Using the frothing will require a couple of tries, but once you know how to make the milk rotate (vortex) during frothing, you will enjoy a hot cappuccino with a nice foam. The machine has a hot water spout which I use to make my midday tea, which doesn’t require a boiling temperature; the hot water temperature is around 150 degrees Fahrenheit (60 Celsius). The stainless steel and design make this home espresso machine look stunning and professional. The features and included accessories add value to the machine. La Specialista from De'Longhi is a multi-type coffee drink machine that freshly grinds coffee and makes three types of coffee drinks: frothing and hot water. My friends and family are amazed when I serve them fresh coffee like a barista. My entire family loves this machine.

The De’Longhi La Specialista Prestigio Espresso Machine is like having your own barista in your home. I used to work in a café back in the day and would make lattes cappuccinos and espressos for our customers, this was on a $7000.00 machine. The De’longhi Espresso Machine is the same type of machine but built for the home. It is made out of a high quality stainless steel not some cheap plastic, it weighs just under 30 pounds. The controls knobs are sturdy, and the machine is well made and built to last. The Machine has a lot of great features and when you read them, you’re thinking that this is pretty much an automatic machine. Just follow the basic steps and voila you have the prefect Espresso, but not so fast. Let’s break the machine down a little more. 1. It has a built in grinder: That is a great feature and when the burrs wear down after years of use, you can replace them. But what settings to use is the conundrum. You need to set the grinding dial (there are six positions) for the specific bean roasting and type of drink you are making, too fine of grind for coffee and your drinking mud, too coarse of grind for espresso and you might as well have tea. 2. Adjustable Dose: This is where it tells the machine how much beans to grind for the coffee you are making. This can vary depending on the roast of the bean and the strength of the coffee you are making. 3. Smart Tamping Station: it sounds pretty straight forward, but one word of warning, make sure you have your settings finalized before you put the portafilter in the tamper, one you put it in and lock it the grinder starts to grind. There is a line on the inside of the single and double filter basket that is the mark of the perfect dose, you have to play with the grind and the dose to get it perfect. 4. Milk Frother: The perfect foam takes a lot of practice, too hot will scorch it, wand being too shallow in the milk will make larger bubbles that you really don’t want. Just keep the wand moving and when you can’t touch the bottom of the jug you have the right temperature. Those are the big things you need to worry about and adjust as you experiment with to get to the perfect cup. Just don’t think you can take it out of the box and make the perfect cappuccino or flat white to impress your friends. It can happen but it takes practice and spending the time to learn the machine and get your skills there.

First of all, if you've never used an Espresso Maker, De'Longhi makes it so easy to become a professional batista in your own home and office. I put thing into the break room at the office and the eyes lit up. Friday morning coffee and cookies was a huge hit. It comes with everything but the coffee beans and cream. Grinder, frother, filters and a huge water reservoir for seemingly endless cups. There's even a cold down stand to make the perfect single or double shot Espresso. I'm actually going to post a video of the first use later on YouTube. I'm so happy I got this. This is a truly high end machine and it makes everyone happy when it's activated. Get this thing and be up some smiles.

I am notorious for buyers remorse, but that just isn’t the case here. I get giddy like a child when I turn this machine on because it consistently pulls beautifully developed shots with such a user friendly interface. In my opinion, De Longhi’s integrated grinder is much quieter and sounds heartier than Breville’s. However, you don’t get an indicator light for smart tamping like Breville’s, just the notches on the handle. Pre infusion takes minimal time for single or double shots. The pressure dial does not give the PSI in whole number digits, but an “optimal range” that suffices just as well with correct application. Shots are auto timed. My one and only true disappointment with this machine is the steam wand. Your steam knob is either in stationary on or off, no biggie, but the pressure just is not enough. Other than a slightly tricky first use, this machine has taken every coffee stop out of my life. You will have a beautiful, quality product if you purchase the Specialista.

I am loving this product. Has a tamper and grinder already in it, so it makes making coffee, espressos and americanos so easy and fast.

Really loved this machine and great start for a great fay with this one , and the beans also we can grind with the perfect amount

Great machine !!! Grinds well and brews amazingly!! Now to find the best tasting bean is the question

Quick Review ------------------ Looks stylish beautifully designed and rich, Also, makes Expresso, Coffee and Cappuccino which tastes so good, it will remind you of your "All Inclusive Cancun" Resort coffee! Its that good. The sensor grinder delivers precise and consistent grind for optimum coffee/expresso. If you really long for a no frill superb tasting coffee (americano, European), expresso or cappuccino, this is the one to get. What's included ---------------------- Espresso Machine Portafilter Single & Double Filter Basket Milk Pitcher Descaling Solution Cleaning Brush Instruction Manual & Quick Start Guide 2 Year Warranty + 1 addition year if you register your product (Make sure you do!! ) Pros ------ 1. It’s a grinder, Americano, European coffee maker , tea and cappuccino maker. 2. Different coffee strength settings. 3. It's beautiful, you can show off to your friends 4. It has a milk frothier 5. Perfect sensory grinder 6. Support double expresso 7. Heats up in matter of seconds. 8. Smart tamping 9. Independent heating system for coffee and milk Build Quality ----------------- The design is truly professionally inspired. It looks like straight out of a movie or a replica of your Mexican riviera hotel! It will go well with your modern kitchen. It's not too tall so you won't have issues putting in coffee into the grinder but it will take some sizeable space on your countertop. But now everyone has larger kitchens so it should be fine. Usage -------- First is preparing the coffee grinder, put the setting at 3-medium and then use the filter like C2 or C3 (stronger) in the portafilter and place the portafilter below the grinder then close it. Once the grinding it done, you tamp it using the tamping lever and remove the portafilter. Use the mode selector to select the desired coffee and attach the portafilter to the appliance and close it then just push the OK button to make the beverage you selected. You can see that the operation is pretty straight forward. The coffee machine also lets you program your settings which is a great feature… The flat/froth milk dispenser is a great feature for making coffees and cappuccinos! The expresso shots and cappuccinos are really comparable to store quality! Delonghi makes quality product and this one is no exception. It is a little pricey but its well worth considering the high end aesthetics and the taste.

I’ve been a K Cup user at home for many years and have always been happy with it. For higher-end coffee I would venture out to the local Starbucks or higher end coffee houses. That has all changed since receiving my De’Longhi Las Speicalista Prestigio Espresso Machine with Dual Heating System. Now I’m able to enjoy top-shelf espresso and coffee drinks at home! When initially opening the box, my first impression was it’s a big unit and there are a lot of pieces and parts. I was a little hesitant until reading through the directions and starting the setup process. Although it is a relatively large unit, it was quite simple to setup and use with just a little guidance from the manual, online resources and practice. I also ran a cleaning cycle before use. This is an impressive machine that is built with quality and looks great at the same time. It is perfect for home or office use based on the quality and ease of use. In the box is the system itself, hardness test strips, a cleaning brush, descaler, single and double coffee filters and a stainless steel milk frothing jug. All you need to be up and brewing are beans and appropriate glasses. Using the system if relatively straight forward, the bean grinder is integrated into the top of the machine and has 8 different grind sizes. Proprietary Smart Tamping technology tamps perfectly every time to provide a more consistent extraction and it also keeps the mess down. There’s a number of settings on the face of the systems for dosage, 2X for a double shot, temperature control (3 levels, not specific temperature setting), tea or hot water selector, drink selection type (espresso, Americano and coffee), the OK or start button and “my” drink selector. The coffee output is so far off the charts from what I have been drinking over the years, I was actually a bit regretful that I hadn’t moved to a system like the Prestigio sooner. I’ve only tried two different beans so far but can say without a doubt the coffee drinks will rival any of the fancy coffee shops and in the long run will be much more cost effective as well. Pros: - Solid build of the machine and accessories – this system should last for years to come. - Single walled (non-pressurized) filter baskets create a much more rich and tasteful extraction. - Integrated bean grinder with 8 grind settings – fine tune your grind based on bean type/roast - Dual Heating System cuts down the time to create drinks including steamed milk, etc. - Double walled and insulated LatteArt Steam Wand is easy to use and protects against accidental burns and is also easy to clean. - Active Temperature Control – allows for dialing in the perfect temp for your specific brew. - Easy to Clean – removable spill tray and Smart Tamping technology alone help to make this the neatest machine I’ve ever owned. Cons: - Onboard grinder provides fresh ground flavor but limits the ability to change beans quickly…may be nitpicking on this one! Overall the De'Longhi La Specialista Prestigio is an incredible system for producing “fancy” coffee drinks or the perfect Cup of Joe. It’s overall ease of use, combination of manual adjustability and programmability make it a great choice for home use by coffee lovers or a small office environment that needs a coffee upgrade. I can honestly say after using this system for just a few days, I am completely comfortable making most espresso/coffee drinks. My decoration skills need a little work, but I’ll get practice every day! The taste is definitely worth the purchase!

This is my second DeLonghi LaSpecialista machine. The first was the standard LaSpecialista and it has been excellent, making very nice espressos, cappuccinos, and lattes at a fraction of the coffee shop price. I’ve had it for about two years with absolutely no issues other than the occasional descaling maintenance, which is an automated process. The machine alerts you when it’s time to descale, and you simply add their “Ecodecalk” solution to the water tank, turn a knob and press a button, then repeat with clean water, and you’re done. So maintenance is really easy. My first machine has been great, and expect nothing less from this one! The LaSpecialista Prestigio is nearly identical to the original, but includes a few key upgrades. There is now a three level temperature control, which allows adjusting for different bean types to optimize your extraction. There is a new steaming wand, which is more traditional, but also works better than the auto-frothing wand of the original machine. And there is a dual heating element, which allows the machine to heat up faster and hotter, providing better extraction and better steam. Finally, the portafilter design uses improved filter cups, which work better and are easier to clean. Both machines feature a built-in grinder and tamper. When the portafilter is locked into the left side, the grinder automatically starts, grinding the beans in the desired quantity and to the consistency that you set, then a quick pull of the tamping lever, and you have a perfect dose ready for extracting. The quick start guide helps you setup the grinding and dosing by providing guidelines based on bean type. So far it has been very accurate providing great results. The espresso is very nice with excellent crema. Overall these are simply fantastic machines. I thought the original LaSpecialista was an amazing machine. Hats off to DeLonghi for improving things that worked quite well and introducing the LaSpecialista Prestigio at the same price point. If you’re a serious coffee lover, you need this machine!

Why pay premium pricing every day for a quality cup of coffee, latte, or espresso when this machine can make it for you without having to get dressed? During the COVID shutdown, I found myself working from home and no longer enjoying the occasional cup from my the coffee house on my way to work. With this machine, I have been able to quickly and efficiently make wonderfully rich and creamy café lattes and espressos as well as bold Americanos. With the integrated grinder and bean hopper that funnels directly into the porta-filter and smart tamping system, I don't have to worry about grinding and filling the porta-filter manually and getting the wrong amounts; the machine takes the guesswork out of the equation. It might take a couple of tries to adjust to get the perfect cup, but once you do, the results are repeatable and you are left with a great pull with a rich and frothy crema. The included milk-frothing system makes you feel like a café barista and couldn't be simpler to use. I like that there are dual heating elements, so I can let the milk froth while the espresso is brewing. And the giant water container holds so much water, you hardly ever have to refill it. My only complaint is that you can't see the water level without turning the machine around and looking at the back, but there is a low water warning light that comes on prior to you running out, which doesn't happen very often given its large size. Overall, I am very pleased with this machine and that I no longer have to wait in the long lines and pay the exorbitant prices at the local coffee shop.

I have been waiting for an espresso machine for a long, long time and now I can finally break free from the Starbucks overlords. This machine is very simple to use, whole beans go in, the grinder does it’s thing, and there is a pull handle to tamp the grounds, one and done, ready to brew. Not only can you draw shots of espresso, you are able to brew single cups of coffee, which is good if you are caffeinating solo, but leaves a bit to be desired if you have breakfast guests. My major gripe about this machine is the steaming wand. It is lacking the oomph needed for frothy milk that allow you to make my favorite, fancy, foamy drinks. All things considered I would recommend this machine to anyone looking to get their espresso fix without leaving the house.

This expresso machine is top-notch and makes crafting your favorite brew a breeze. My favorite aspect is that it has the built-in coffee grinder. It allows me to really fine-tune my morning routine with my favorite bean. This is an excellent home machine for beginners and experienced baristas alike. It truly is an automated experience at home and there is no down-time between cups.