Customer Ratings & Reviews

Having an espresso machine at home is really a game changer for coffee and latte lovers - but having one like the De’Longhi La Specialista is a real treat. So far my time with this has been quite enjoyable. SETUP & UNBOXING: - Taking this out of the box you realize this thing is legit. It’s big and heavy, but not small enough to look nice on your counter and light enough that I could carry it myself. - Like any actual espresso machine, it takes a little bit to set up but that doesn’t mean its difficult! Just make sure it’s assembled properly, fill it with beans & water, and let it run through some cleaning cycles first. - The most important and vital part of setting up an espresso machine is getting the grind down correctly. Basically espresso beans are not all the same so you might have to mess with the grind level on if it needs to be more coarse or fine. So that being said you will likely have to run a few shots of espresso through to make sure you are brewing it in the “optimal zone” as DeLonghi puts it. - After that initial setup though, you are ready to go and use it everyday! PROS: - I really like the look of this machine! It’s sleek, its modern, and the touch of black on the stainless steel looks really good. - The most important part of any espresso machine is, does it make good espresso? And the answer is yes! The color, consistency, and smell are all fantastic. It really makes you a great espresso. - The bean grinding is really nice on this, its essential to have fresh ground beans and this does the trick perfectly. - The machine is also very high tech! So because of the dual heating system, it is ready to go immediately and doesn’t need much time to boot up like some other machines do. - Probably my favorite part of this is the Smart Tamping station. It self contains all of the beans that have been ground into the portafilter, and then it has a lever you pull to tamp everything! This just makes it so the beans are all compacted together nicely and everything is level and even. It’s so much easier than doing it on your own as that can be a little bit messy at times. - Another perk of the dual heating system is that you can brew espresso and froth milk at the same time! The steam wand is really great and easy to use. Once again its something you will get the hang of and its just so nice to be able to make frothy warm milk for your latte all from your own home with one machine. - I also like the hot water “tea” feature. Basically saying it you just want to use your espresso machine to brew you some hot water for tea you can do that. It’s nice that Delonghi recognized that people do that with their espresso machines. - Lastly, its easy to clean! With the self tamping and the self cleaning functions, it just makes for an easy clean up after use. CONS: - I do wish they had more options on grind level. The machine has 1-8 as coarse - fine options, and the selection gauge is a little clunky. It still works fine but for the price point you would think it would be something with a greater range and smoother operation. - The machine does not come with the 2 glass espresso shot glasses that are shown in the retail pictures. It just seems like such an inexpensive thing to provide the customers, but instead you have to buy them on your own. BOTTOM LINE: - Any true espresso lover will know, having a machine like this is the way to go. It grinds your beans fresh and gives you a perfect espresso shot every time. Yes it may seem intimidating at first but once you get the machine down you are really going to enjoy making espresso as a part of your day. It’s a high end look in your kitchen and will definitely be used everyday!

I don’t always drink espresso, but when I do it's made with a De’Longhi. For this review I used Starbucks Dark Roast Espresso Whole Bean. My typical coffee go to is a Dark Roast or Decaf. I drink it black and for the flavor. I don’t rely on caffeine or sugar to fuel my day. I can go with or without it, as I don’t crave it. I enjoy it...quite frequently. So maybe I have an issue that I refuse to recognise. So I have really enjoyed the change of pace from traditional drip brew coffee. The latte treats have been nice and I don’t drink as much in one sitting as normally would. I have had some truly nice espresso over the years, I do prefer more a latte if I am being honest, typically because I am just cutting the caffeine buzz down and I like the drink to last a little bit. I like my coffee like I like my beer...tall and dark. One of my favorite treats as a dessert drink is a Vietnamese brew that uses a robusta bean. The Vietnamese restaurants I have been to typically use the Cafe Du Monde from New Orleans. The brew pot it is like a pour over combined with a drip but the yield is that of an espresso (double shot). It delivers a consistency close to that of espresso but does not have the creme tan top. The brew drips into a cup that already has condensed milk added to it and then mixed when finished. You can drink it hot or add it to ice for chilled drink. Either way is great. I also was turned on to Turkish coffee. It too is sort of a dessert coffee since it is traditionally brewed with chocolate shavings. The brew method is boiled in a pot and I have only attempted it once as if you get it wrong it can boil into a mess. To get the flavor I would just add a tablespoon to some Ethiopian Decaf which really complimented the flavors of each other. And if you have ever eaten Indian or Thai food these coffee’s that are roasted with added flavors take on a whole new flavor profile! The Ethiopian mixed with the oils from spices and ginger oils make the Ethiopian have almost a floral flavor. So my rambling is not without cause here, as with the De’Longhi La Specilista Prestigio I can use it to achieve quite a few of the types of coffee I like to drink with ease. I love the built-in plunger as I can add my own ground coffee amount to the cup (I usually use the double) and pack it really nicely. The Dose indicator can be turned to an off position of sorts labeled by a heaping spoon icon, so that the grinder is not automatically activated when placing the portafilter in the grind/tamping station. I have been giving my hand at the frothing attachment and can definitely say I am still learning; I end up making more of a flat white than a latte. My daughters are wanting to be a barista’s for their first jobs and see the process as an art challenge; I am definitely looking forward to benefiting from their attempts! The La Specilista Prestigio definitely takes a lot of guesswork out of the brewing process. I would say this slots in at about 50/50 auto-to-manual brewing. What you will have to figure out is your flavor profile for your brews and blends that you like. The bean typically dictates the grind level, but you can experiment with that too. The Dose level will also give you a better dial in on the final flavor, but the machine intelligently keeps the grind level and dose level in ratio that helps you get a great brew each time. I find the dose level to be equivalent to the fine tune adjustment dial on a microscope. The grind level is the 40x, 100x, 140x lens you select to begin with the magnification. All of this adds up to me being able to use the machine in many different ways and easily mix different flavors of ground coffee and fresh ground beans. I am really liking the versatility of the machine. The hot water feature is great as we are also tea drinkers and usually are just brewing a single bag. We have used an electric kettle for ages, but this makes the process all the quicker and we have cleared up a little more space at our drink station being able to put away the kettle. The sturdiness of the machine is great! Attaching the portafilter to the grind station is very light, while attaching it the brew station is nice a firm to create a good seal. I use to hands to brace the machine just incase it wants to slide as a precaution. But doing it one-handed, this has not happened either. Having the option for tall and short cups is nice especially when I tend to brew using a larger cup. The machine definitely feels and operates as high-end and I know will last for years to come. The three year warranty (2 year out-of-the-box + 1 year-after registration) will definitely help me get there! Best to keep a spot for the box just in case. The size of the machine will make this difficult for use under standard size counter-to-cabinet heights @ 17.5”. The machine to the top of the bean hopper is 17.5” Even if you don’t use that to gain space, you still have to be able to add water to the machine and so it won’t come easy trying to do that. So if you are going for this make sure you have a counter space without a top obstruction or a buffet table of sorts where this can sit as you will need it. In my situation I don’t have any issues with use, but to know the water level. The tank slots in the back and the sides continue the highly polished stainless steel body all the way to the back, so there isn’t away to know the water level without opening the lid and peering in. The max water line is easy to see, so I just fill it up with a pitcher instead of removing the tank each time. The brew select guide of Espresso, Americano, Coffee is a nice feature which continues to let you dial in the flavor you are after with the amount of water. For a home machine it has the right level of technology and user input to experiment and get the brew the way you want it. I am getting quick to at brewing and cleaning the machine immediately after being done with use. Once you get your rotation down it takes about 3 minutes from start to finish to get to enjoy that brew (assuming you are using the frother; even quicker if you are not). The only complaint I have has to do with the unboxing. If you want to keep the styrofoam insert intact, then you will need to open the box upside down add slide the machine out once all the top flaps have been opened. The machines weighs in at almost 30lbs, and there isn’t a really good way to get it out of the box without just destroying the foam packing insert. I did have one session where I had turned the machine on, walked away for a few minutes, and then returned and the grinder would not activate when putting the portafilter in position. I ended up taking out the beans cleaning it out per instructions and putting it back together, but that did not fix it. In the end, I unplugged the device. Held down the power button on the front of the machine to purge any electricity and then replugged in and turned on the main power switch. Since then it hasn’t happened again. Prior to that I had went to use the tamping station as I was using my own ground coffee and forgot to turn the Dose know to tamp only. It the next time I went to use the machine I had the issue. So maybe something I did to interpret the grind process since the bowl was already full caused a malfunction and the machine just needed to be reset. I did the cleaning process first as I had already forgotten about my mistake the day before. Hope you enjoy this as much as I do! If you an avid espresso drinker, I think you will be pleased with the machine. Each time I brew the cup looks picture perfect on the espresso setting...after I add the steamed milk...still a work in progress. PRO TIP-When registering I would only doing it via the webpage and only after signing for an account. I new better, but I did the SMS version. While I got the email my machine was registered, I did not actually get an account. I’m not sure if something glitched using my phone or what, but there wasn’t an account with the same email I used to register after it said it was complete. I then made an account with same the email address and my device is not in my list of devices (I didn’t really think it would be). So I will need to see if De’Longhi can combine and/or add my device to my account.

Large for a small countertop but makes great coffee. Perfect for the coffee lover.

Well made machine. A bit bigger than usual for most counter tops. The coffee tamper is a great addition.

Setup and initial use is a little bit of work, but that’s common with getting familiar with any machine similar to this. Once we got the machine setup, making various coffees worked like a charm from 5-6 minutes depending on the type of drink being made. Used Barista Oat (preferred) and Almond Milk to ensure a true froth vice using regular of either as they tend to not froth easily. Highly recommend as with any espresso or coffee maker to use filtered or soft water as it tends to be easier on the machine. As for now, enjoying some great coffees at strengths expected and grinds exactly how they should be. Notes. -Check counter space when determining the best place to place due to height and needing to refill at times. We place this in our coffee bar area, which worked out perfect due to the open area. -Not the only company doing this, starting o notice more plastic these days on espresso machines, not sure how long this will last and if will hold up with more than just daily use as we host quite often.