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Parade aims to feature only the best products and services. If you buy something via one of our links, we may earn a commission. I love a specialty coffee drink. Whether that means enjoying cappuccinos in Italy, which I’ve been lucky enough to do, or going to my local coffee shop (sometimes two days in a row) to have an iced hazelnut latte, I’m a coffee lover through and through. Because of my love of all things caffeine, I’ve always wanted to create a little at-home coffee station—a coffee credenza, if you will. I finally made that dream a reality this past year, but the only thing I was missing was an espresso machine. As I was searching for something to fill that spot, I was offered a chance to try out a De’Longhi espresso machine, which was an easy yes. De’Longhi’s espresso machines are pretty well-known. The company makes a wide range of coffee machines, including ones that serve up espresso shots, allow you to save custom profiles of how you like your shots or drinks and even some that will make a whole drink for you from espresso beans to milk. I’ve used a handful of different espresso machines in my life, and to be honest, the fully automatic machines kind of freaked me out—partly because I want to froth my own milk, and also partly because I don’t like the concept of my espresso machine housing milk (even if it won’t spoil). So when I chose a De’Longhi model to test, I knew a manual machine that also allows for customization—the De’Longhi La Specialista Touch Espresso Machine With Cold Brew—was right up my alley. Once the machine arrived at my house, I used it for two months to really get a feel for how it works and how it would perform for me in my everyday life. I used that experience to create my De’Longhi espresso machine review, which includes personal notes on how the machine worked in my house, plus info on how much it costs, how practical it is for daily use, the pros and cons of the machine and whether Parade recommends it. Related: We Tried 10 Aldi Coffees and the Winner Tastes Way More Expensive Than It Is De’Longhi La Specialista Touch Espresso Machine With Cold Brew: An Overview This machine comes with all you need to start making espresso drinks straight out of the box: a tamper (with its precision dosing and tamping guide), a portafilter with changeable inserts (for a single and double shot), a milk jug and more. Right off the bat, I noticed some of the La Specialista’s special features. It has 10 preset drink recipes ready to go and a programmable touch-screen display where you can customize your drinks. It also has a milk frothing wand that you can either use manually or choose the automatic milk frothing option. I was excited to see the cold brew drink option, which uses De’Longhi’s Cold Extraction Technology to make cold brew in less than five minutes. If you know anything about how cold brew is usually made, you’ll know that you have to let it steep for a long time to achieve the optimal amount of flavor and caffeine. So with this option, you can theoretically just brew it with the touch of a button, like it’s espresso or drip coffee. More on that later! Related: What’s the Difference Between Cold Brew and Iced Coffee? Experts Spill the Beans How Much Does the La Specialista Touch Espresso Machine Cost? De’Longhi espresso machines range from $149.95 for the Stilosa Espresso Machine to $1,999.95 for their Eletta Explore Espresso Machine. The De’Longhi La Specialista Touch Espresso Machine with Cold Brew that I tested falls in the middle of that price range. It costs $999.95 at De’Longhi and on Amazon. La Specialista Touch Espresso Machine with Cold Brew, $999.95 at De’Longhi and on Amazon Related: This Viral ‘Keurig for Cocktails’ Is the Perfect Holiday Gift How To Use a De’Longhi Espresso Machine I was never a barista, but I did work at a bakery where I made lattes and used the espresso machine daily. Before every morning rush, I made myself a 4-shot espresso to get through my early-morning shift and help me power through the rest of my day full of college classes. All of this is to say that I’m well-acquainted with a coffee-level-shop espresso machine. My fiancée worked at Starbucks for years, so everyone in our household knows their way around espresso makers. But even with our experience, there’s a learning curve when it comes to working this machine. For instance, grinding the beans and tamping the espresso isn’t super intuitive right off the bat, because it works slightly differently than other portafilters. Instead of just releasing the ground-up espresso into the portafilter and tamping it down, it comes with a precision “dosing & tamping guide.” This includes a nice tamping mat, an attachment to the top of the portafilter and a tamper with a dosing guide on the side. The instructions were a bit confusing, and it wasn’t clear right away what all of this was meant for. Plus, you have to have the attachment on the portafilter to get the grounds. If you’re also struggling with this first step, I have some advice. Once you put the tamper in the attachment and portafilter, look at the dosing guide on the side of the tamper. It has levels ranging from -2 to +2 with an “OK” in the middle; you want that “OK” line to fall at the top of the portafilter attachment. That means you’ll have just enough grounds to make espresso for your shot amount (the single or double insert). Another quick troubleshooting note: Once you put the portafilter in the side to get the actual espresso shots, if it isn’t producing anything, your grounds are too “big.” So that’s where the conical burr grinder comes in handy, because you can change the grind settings for a finer ground-up espresso. But once you have all that, it’s pretty self-explanatory. Of course, you have to know how to make latte drinks (like which order to pour the milk and espresso in, etc.), but other than that, running the espresso machine is intuitive at that point. The milk frothing wand can be in an “off,” automatic (“A”) or manual (“M”) position. For drinks with steamed milk, you can click that option on the screen, and depending on which position it’s in, the machine will know what to do. Related: The Middle Eastern Way to Make Coffee 10x Better Pros and Cons of the La Specialista Touch Espresso Machine Pro: It’s gorgeous This note is actually more important than you might think. I wanted a good espresso machine for my first time, “big girl” at-home espresso maker, so that I could spend less money at coffee shops. But I also wanted one that looked nice. I now have a coffee credenza—an aesthetic area to keep all of my coffee-making items in one place—which is this Virgo’s dream. I love that the front has a pristine steel facade that acts almost like a mirror. From the bean hopper down to the portafilter to the tray and even the water tank in the back, this is aesthetically what you would expect in a premium espresso machine. Pro: It’s decently fast for hectic mornings The fastest way to make your coffee is with a regular coffee machine, especially if you program it the night before. If you want cold coffee, you can make your own cold brew in a carafe with a built-in steeper. This takes some time to prepare, but once you’re finished steeping the coffee, you have ready-to-go cold brew every morning. So when it comes to espresso drinks, I was worried the machine would add too much time to my morning routine. I’m someone who pushes the snooze button and goes right back to sleep, so sometimes I’m rushing to get my coffee and breakfast made. (Sue me!) Lucky for me, the De’Longhi La Specialista Touch espresso machine was pretty fast once you know what you’re doing. Sure, there are more moving parts to making lattes, especially if you’re making it hot and frothing milk. But even with that, especially thanks to the automatic frothing option, you can set it up to make your espresso or froth your milk, leave it and come back to finish it (although maybe you should keep an eye on the milk, just in case!). For example, I prefer iced lattes right now from this machine, so I tamp my espresso grounds in the portafilter, set it up with a cup underneath and brew my espresso shots while I walk my dog. I can then come back, pour the shots in my cup of ice and syrup, pour in some milk and boom! I’m done. It really isn’t too complicated and doesn’t take that long once you know what you’re doing. I’d estimate that from the time I tamp my espresso down until I’m putting ice and pouring my milk in, it takes less than five minutes for an iced latte. Related: The Canadian Way to Make Coffee 10x Better Pro: You can really make it your own I haven’t messed around too much with the customization options because I like a lot of the pre-made options. That said, I do love that I have that choice if I want to play around with my coffee drinks in the future. Basically, there are pre-made options that include how many ounces of espresso grounds go into a single shot or a double shot. And you can also change how hot your milk is or how many ounces a shot is. You can save your custom preferences for each individual drink, so you can get each one just how you like it. Con: You can’t remove the bean hopper Probably the biggest con for me, thus far, is the fact that the bean hopper isn’t removable. Unlike some of the more expensive machines, you’re not able to unscrew or remove the hopper on top that holds your whole espresso beans. This is an issue for me because I don’t have a bean grinder, and I don’t like to drink full caffeine during the week. But I can imagine this will be a major problem for anyone who enjoys trying out different espresso bean varieties often. The only “fix” for this issue is to get your own, separate bean grinder. Con: The cold brew isn’t fantastic When I first used the cold brew function, I was expecting a lot more to come out (since it’s cold brew versus an espresso shot). So when it came out with only a tad more than a shot’s worth, I was confused. Turns out, it’s super concentrated, and you need a lot of milk or water to make it taste fine. So after that initial sip—when I didn’t use quite enough milk—I put in more milk and sugar. That time, I didn’t enjoy it a lot (I think because I overdid it with the milk and ice). Since then, now that I know what to expect, I can put the right amount of everything in and actually savor it. If you’re someone who is used to concentrated coffee or cold brew (several store-bought cold brew options are like this), then you’ll know exactly how to flavor the cold brew that comes from this machine. But if you’re like me, and this is your first time with concentrated cold brew, it might take a few tries to get your recipe down. For first-timers, I suggest putting in ice that fills your glass up 3/4 of the way, and then pouring in milk until it’s a caramel color. Then take your first sip (so that the bitterness doesn’t ruin it all for you). Now that I know what I’m doing, like I said, it’s a lot tastier. However, I do still prefer the cold brew I make myself by slowly steeping coffee grounds overnight. Related: I Tried 11 Popular Cold Brew Concentrates To Find the One You Should Stock in Your Fridge Con: The automatic milk frother doesn’t deliver great foam Back when I made espresso drinks daily, one of my favorite things about making hot lattes or cappuccinos was frothing the milk to get that beautiful foam that looks so good as you pour it into a mug of espresso. However, when I chose the automatic frothing option, the foam it created was very thin and not picturesque. Because I know how to froth milk well, from then on, I chose the manual option to get it closer to how I like it. Related: The Surprising Trick for Making the Best At-Home Iced Coffee My Final Thoughts As with any machine that allows you to manually make something, there can be a lot of user error involved. Even with my prior coffee-making experience, I’m still working out the kinks to make my perfect at-home latte. But overall, I think this is a good espresso machine if you have experience with some type of espresso maker and espresso drinks. If you’re someone who learns fast and figures out appliances or puzzles well, this could also be a great first-time espresso machine for you. The look of the machine and the tools it came with definitely make it worth it for me. Even though it took some trial and error to get my first espresso shots to brew, it’s now something I use multiple times a week. I do still love my Drew Barrymore coffee maker, and I still go to my local coffee shop for lattes because they’re so dang good (and better than what I can make, so far). I’m not fully reliant on this machine yet, and may never be. But that’s ok. It’s super convenient and offers more options for my morning coffee, which is something I really like. Related: I Made My Own Coffee Creamer and My Mornings Have Gotten a Whole Lot Better Where To Buy De’Longhi Espresso Machines You can buy the De’Longhi La Specialista Touch Espresso Machine with Cold Brew on De’Longhi’s website and on Amazon. If you’re looking for other De’Longhi espresso machine models, you can also buy them on De’Longhi’s website or Amazon. Other retailers that sell espresso machines by De’Longhi include Target, Williams Sonoma and Best Buy.
