La Specialista Espresso Machine with Grinder, Milk Frother, 1450W, Barista Kit - Bean to Cup Coffee & Cappuccino Maker,Stainless Steel, Black

I have had my D'Longhi espresso machine for two and a half years and I thought I should come back and write a review. When I bought this machine, I had never pulled a shot of espresso before but I really wanted to learn how to do that and learn latte art. It took me watching a few youtube videos and lots of practice to learn how to make my daily latte! I love this machine though I don't know many people who choose this brand over Breville. It's definitely underrated. Out of all of the capabilities of the machine, the grinder dosage knob doesn't function as it ought to but I measure out my beans to 16 grams and run it through the grinder until it all comes out. It should come out at 18g of grinded beans and it takes two "run throughs" of grinding. (I don't keep the hopper full of beans all the time like I started out doing). Here are a few other thoughts about this machine. 1. If you've never pulled a shot of espresso before, it's going to be difficult learning on any machine, so give it a couple of weeks to feel comfortable. I almost gave up because it seemed like I would never get a good shot. If it's your first time making espresso... Don't blame the machine right away. 2. My kids who are 5 years old and under are able to use the tea option easily to make me or themselves tea in a jiffy. The amount of water from the tea option is perfect for a standard size mug. 3. This machine is easy to clean. I always buy the D'Longhi descaler and descale when the "warning" light comes on. It's a very simple process to descale. 4. I've started buying distilled water to fill this machine and other machines around the house (humidifier, etc.) to help elongate the lifespan of the machine due to our hard water. 5. I pop the bottom trays in the dishwasher once a week. 6. The machine comes with a frother tool that I've used a few times. It's basically a needle that you poke in the end of the frother to clear out built up milk. To clean the frother now, I've learned to turn it on with a wet rag all around it and wipe until clean (maybe 10 seconds). 7. I like how the machine looks and it has a little storage pocket on top that I keep the cleaning tools and extra single-shot filter in. 8. I've learned to make all sorts of fun hot and cold drinks with this machine! If you make a coffee that doesn't taste right, you probably need to adjust the temperature or grind size. It's part of figuring out how to pull a good shot.

In view of our experience with DeLonghy products, and in spite of the many negative reviews from previous owners, we decided on the La Specialista Arte Model. It has never worked well. When the grinder worked, it only gave us extra fine grinds. Now it has stopped grinding altogether. I followed the troubleshooting recommendations, but it still does not grind. DeLonghy will repair the item. More later. Several weeks later, I contacted De' Longhi and had a lengthy discussion over the phone regarding the unit. I explained the issue I had with it. After several tests, De'Longhi agree that mine was faulty and agreed to repair it. The sent packing materials and prepaid shipping label. It took them about a month to process and repair it. It now worked as it should from the beginning. Excellent coffee!!!

I purchased and used this machine for three months. At the end of the third month, the grinder started to have problems and I did a video session with Delonghi to show them on video the problems I was having. They sent me instructions to send the unit out for repair and the repair location in Pennsylvania only cleaned the grinder but did not fix the problem. They tested the grinder to ensure the grinder does go around but did not test the grinder with coffee beans. upon return of the unit, I found the grinding worse than before I sent it for repair. The grinder still does not grind to the proper level for a dosage as indicated and now the grind is so off that the unit will not function in the optimal zone and over extracts coffee and it drips out slowly and takes several minutes to deliver a single shot of expresso. The cream on the coffee is limited and hardly there indicating once again that the extraction process is off. I am now returning the unit to Delonghi for a second repair and I expect it will come back unfixed. I would not recommend this product and ask potential buyers to seek out other manufacturers like Breville whom make similar models. This model is more of a toy and very fragile. I own many espresso machines and I find this hard to use to get the grounds right for the perfect espresso. The box comes with a guide for settings for dosage and grind level based the type of bean. I was only able to use the machine to grind 1 kilogram of coffee before the grinder failed. I believe if the grinder/dosage is this fragile that Delonghi should have tested their products longer before they were ready for the market. I have emailed and communicated via phone with Delonghi and can clearly state that they are not coffee aficionados nor are they concerned about providing customer support. Think twice before buying this model. The coffee grinder does not come off and there is little a consumer can do to clean the grinder. Recommend closing other products and read the reviews. This is a fragile toy and not a low end professional coffee machine.

Have been brewing espresso from the Arte for a few months now. Very impressed with the overall package, but some minor disappointment as well. First off, this comes with a non-pressurized brew basket which is great! The included tamper and mat are also really nice inclusions. I ended up buying a bottomless portafilter to see how my shots were being pulled and the entire setup still works with the new filter. Second the grinder has been great so far, even with the new portafilter. I've been grinding on 4--meaning there still is room to grind finer if I need it. Big downside is the non-removable hopper. But it's recommended to only put in the amount you need anyway. Steam wand had me less than impressed at first since I'm used to commercial steam wands. However it has grown on me and it will finish steaming in about 10-15 seconds. I recommend looking up proper steaming technique for people just starting out. You don't want to plunge the wand in all the way right when you start and only want to steam until the pitcher is too hot to grasp. All in all, it's a great machine. No plastic taste from any of my shots. Non-pressurized baskets. PID to help control the temperature of the water. Steam wand performs well. Customizable shot times. Grinder that performs well. It's a complete package. Two downsides: Plastic and lots of it. At MSRP I hesitate to say it's worth it for the amount of plastic you receive. It looks nice. But once you start using and feeling it, I would be disappointed. On sale, it's such a great buy for all the features you receive. Second, why the dark grey plastic for the water tank? It's impossible to see the water level. Yes it has an indicator to warn you before you run out of water but it'sa simple design choice that could have made a huge difference.

***Update Below*** As most of you have probably done, we got a hankering for espresso from watching the Latte art vids on TikTok. I bought this for my wife, with her permission lol, for her birthday. We have been drinking multiple cups everyday since we got it. It definitely won’t save you money on coffee because with everything we have bought for it I think it would be cheaper to go to a coffee shop lol, BUT, it is awesome to have at home. If you read the manual you can really set it up how you want it. There are liquid oz settings on the machine if you are trying to dose with a scale. It is really perfect for the average amateur barista. It’s great. Get it and you won’t be disappointed. It is 2/29/24 now and we have had it for over a month. Everything is still working great, flawlessly really. If anything does come up I will update. Side note: don’t get mad because you can’t make latte art like they do on the videos. It’s very hard but it still tastes just as good when you mess it up. Lol ***Update**** 11/20/2025 This thing is still working flawlessly. One thing we have learned is to make sure you test your water and clean it with de-scaler frequently. Especially if you have hard water. If you have very hard water I would suggest to put bottled water in it. But this thing is awesome. My wife is now addicted to coffee. She doesn’t go to coffee shops anymore. She’s always drinking iced coffee in her Stanley cup like a straight up basic you know what. But yea, it’s still working over a year later. I would get it, it’s well worth the money. No complaints, nothing is broken, great machine.

I've been using this machine for almost 3 years now and it's been perfect every day. It's solid and heavy, needs minimal cleaning and is easy to with water and beans. I simply wipe it down with a wet rag after use and it still looks perfect after almost three years. Once a week I'll take the bottom off and clean the drip pan out and use a brush on the extraction area. While there is a learning curve to make perfect coffee every time using these, a bit of effort will yield the perfect cup every time. The internet is full of "influencers" telling you how to make a cup of perfect espresso, I'm not one of them, I have a real job. So just stick with the basics. Pressure too high?? Grinder towards coarse. Pressure too low? Grinder towards fine. Of course this only works if you keep your tamping pressure the same. I tamp lightly, just enough to flatten the surface. It's not rocket surgery, you'll get it.

This machine worked good only for a FEW MONTHS. After that it started leaking from the bottom, pressure doesn't go up, it drips only half of what it should. No crema anymore. This machine was not cheap and didn't even last a year of proper espresso making. After that it's been dripping from under the machine. I have to put towels under it if I want coffee. It's ridiculous. It became a space filling useless piece of plastic. There is no way a product that costs this much should last less than a year. *UPDATE: I've contacted support and after they acknowledged the issue and told me they would send me a label for me to ship it for repair under warranty, now they sent an email saying that they "reviewed" my claim and said that my warranty has expired. HOW IS THE WARRANTY "EXPIRED" IF ITS UNDER THE WARRANTY PERIOD? The manual says you get an extra year of warranty when you register the product which I did and I bought it less than 2 years ago, therefore it should be covered until July 2024. It's obviously not July 2024 yet so how is it expired?!!???! This company is not only trying to pass plastic junk as quality products but their customer support try really hard not to resolve problems when they occur, and believe me, they will occur as this is a really low quality machine. Buy a Breville instead and stay away from delonghi!!!!!!!!!! UDATE 2: After I questioned their false claim of me having an “expired warranty” they said their previous email was a “mistake” and sent me a box, I sent the machine and they sent it back fixed. It is working now. Happy that it is working and they fixed it quickly. Coffee tastes good again. Not sure whether I would buy from them again after them trying to get away from fixing doing warranty work. It will depend on how long it lasts this time. So far so good.

Purchased in 2023, and found light smoke emitting from side vents in 2026. Disappointing for both the price and the waste this appears to create, as repairs seem unlikely vs a serviceable Italian machine. Machine was used an average of 5 days per week, making two double shots each time, plus steaming. Light to normal use in other words. UPDATE: De'Longhi provided a "one-time exception", and repaired the machine. It came back promptly, and no longer smoked. That repair lasted for a couple months...and then it suddenly began making an awful sound when trying to pull a shot. No pressure built up. The grinder also stopped working. Calling their Customer Support resulted in no assistance, other than a phone number to a local repair center...which turned out to be only a parts replacement center. Oh, yes, they also offered a 20% discount to purchase another product from them. Uhm, no, I don't believe I will be purchasing another De'Longhi item, thanks. Caveat emptor.

Es una excelente cafetera, todos en casa sacamos excelentes cafés. Lleva 3 años de uso diario y no ha presentado ningún problema.

Je voulais faire un cadeau à ma conjointe, elle adore le café mais il n'est jamais assez fort pour elle. J'ai magasiné longtemps en ligne car je voulais m'assurer d'avoir une machine de qualité sans que ça m'en coûte 1500$. Delonghi est une référence dans les machines à café expresso, lorsque j'ai vu ce modèle automatique avec plusieurs réglages pour l'intensité et sous les 1000$ j'ai décidé de l'acheter et je n'ai pas été déçu. Facile à opérer même pour un amateur, le bac d'eau a l'arrière est suffisamment grand pour plusieurs café, le mouleur fonctionne très bien et le café est bien chaud. La buse de vapeur pour le lait est merveilleuse elle bouge dans tous les sens et réchauffer le lait est rapide et efficace. Tel que mentionné dans le livre d'instruction ça peut prendre quelques essais pour trouver le café parfait alors ma femme qui est très pointu sur la force du goût a réussi à trouver le siens assez rapidement car la double dose d'expresso qui se trouve déjà dans les réglages sur le devant avec la cup rempli au maximum et la température interne de l'eau chaude au minimum a suffit à la remplir de joie. Facile d'entretien, look d'enfer et un café comme notre tendre moitié le désir que vouloir de plus! Seul point négatif mais tout de même normal est le bruit assez assourdissant du jet de vapeur pour chauffer le lait qui a fait sursauter mes invités lors d'une visite où nous avons voulu les impressionner avec cette machine expresso qui disons-le a bien réussi à satisfaire tout le monde. Je vous la recommande assurément

Pros: Overall, the build quality is good and it has a nice look. It doesn't take up too much space on a table. It's easy to use, and the hop attachment on the portafilter really helps with puck preparation. Some brewing adjustments are available through hidden settings (read the manual!). Cons: The grinding is not very uniform, which is probably due to the conical burr used. It's not too bad, though. The amount of ground coffee varies with the same setting, as it is based on time rather than weight. The grinder can be messy sometimes as grinded coffee is flying out around the machine. There is no water flow adjustment, so it always passes the same amount of water regardless of your coffee weight. Overall: It's a good starting point if you want a little bit more control over your coffee brew. One can adapt and tweak the machine to their liking to a certain point. However, don't expect full control here, it is a basic mass consumer model.

Ya llevo 15 días usándola y se ve muy bien. Dicen algunos comentarios que se descompone rápido pero no creo. Si se me llega a descomponer regreso a este Review a actualizarlo. Mientras puedo decir que hace muy muy buen café, todo de maravilla. Si es necesario el molino para que salga bien el café porque sin molino es imposible atinarle al grado exacto de molido que necesitas para tener la extracción de los 9 bares. Si no vas a ver muchos tutoriales en Youtube para aprender a usarla te recomiendo que no la compres. Update: ya pasó casi un año, es la mejor compra que he hecho jaja. Aprendí a hacer una buena extracción como en 3 meses y ahora solo tardo un par de minutos en hacerme un excelente capuchino cada mañana. Hasta ahora funciona perfectamente. Si la recomiendo, es una maravilla, si estás aprendiendo a hacer café, el indicador de presión que trae es lo que necesitas, es perfecto para saber si lo estás haciendo bien o mal. Actualización: ya llevo año y medio usándolo diario, se descompuso y lo lleve a garantía, era algo sencillo que arreglaron y de nuevo funciona muy bien. No me arrepiento de la compra

Hasta el momento he visto que es un buen producto precio calidad domestica