Customer Ratings & Reviews

Had a fully automatic espresso machine for years. This machine is definitely an upgrade.

An Absolute fantastic investment. I love it so much. I no longer need coffee creamer. I’m so much happier with my morning routine!

Great machine for the price that will give you great espresso IF you put the effort in to learn and dial in the process. If you drink a lot of coffee and you’re willing to spend the time to learn a little about the craft, this machine will make you great stuff. Mildly life changing to have espresso better than most cafes at your finger tips. Don’t use greasy bad beans, freshly roasted will give you the best results.

Absolutely beautiful product. Take the whole coffee experience up 3 levels. Been wanting this for so long and is worth the wait!. Sadly, i wish i bought it sooner. The only thing inwish it had is way to add external water feeding sources. That due my low cabinet

I did a ton of research on a lot of machines. I kept coming back to this one. What I did not see though were the MANY negative review regarding the air pump. I had purchased this as a Christmas gift for myself that was also supposed to double as our Christmas Eve party coffee maker for all of my family members. Upon opening I was very excited, it has a sleek design and it perfect for ease and user functionality.. or so I thought. HOURS. We spent hours of time trying to get this to work. Our first issue was us not being able to flush the system. Which this issue was NEVER addressed as a warning within the manual. After many YouTube videos and some creative wording we found it. It like many other of these machines has an air pump issue. The correct verbiage is “air lock” we tried everything and nothing works. Unfortunately all of the techs were closed for the Holidays so we have a $800 machine sitting as a massive decor item yet useless. We also had issues with the grinder working although it might have just also been due to us never being able to flush the system because it appears once you do that the other functions work or are supposed to. Needless to say I am ANNOYED. I will wait until Monday and be optimistic but I already have a Terra Kaffee automatic espresso maker in my cart on standby for when I dissapointingly might have to return this machine.

This machine blows all the rest out of the water! One of the best cups of coffee/espresso I’ve ever had hands down! Yes, it’s up there in price, but this machine will pay for itself over time and not disappoint! Also, it’s aesthetically pleasing!

This product is great we use it every day the smart. Tamper is awesome you get the right pac every time.

I love it. We use it for this cold days every day.

High quality better than many coffee shops barista

Amazing quality! My morning are now a lot better thank you coffe!

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!

Love it makes perfect expresso,Capucinos,americano and regular coffee. Makes perfect froth

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).

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.

- 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.

I’ve tried a bunch of these home espresso machines. This specific one is, hands down, on the top tier. Best value for this tier/price point. Out performs others and even higher price points. Makes great espresso and has simple presets that you can use for any drink. Super easy to use and maintain. Plenty of water storage and grinds the beans perfectly. The best part of this specific model is that it has a dual heating element. The steam (and hot water) run independently from the coffee one. The steam comes out of the wand with good pressure and does not get bogged down while brewing other coffee. For being a home use machine, this really can handle high use reliably without feeling like it’s going to break down mid use (Like other brands). Get an almost commercial feel at home.

This is very good espresso machine but there is a big learning curve (at least in my case there was). The following concepts all influenced performance in my case: Beans Easily the most important factor in my opinion. You want fresh espresso beans, with high quality. In my case medium roast beans on the drier side have worked very well. This is a big factor in determining whether you get a good pull and not a bitter cup. Dosage You will need to experiment as to what the right dosage is for you based on your taste and the beans that you select. In my case, it goes up and down depending on the beans I am using, whether I am preparing a single vs. a double shot, time of day etc. Grind I have found 2 setting to work the best though for some beans I have used 1. Temp. 2 bars for my roasts. Be sure to read the manual and short guide and start with their recommendations. Smart Tamping I usually use three tamps but again see what works for your beans. Decalcification This machine need to be cleaned regularly to functions smoothly and efficiently. The minute the red light appears clean it. Follow the instructions in the manual and use the De’Longhi cleaning product. In particular it really helps the steaming wand. Steaming Wand Be sure to keep this clean and run some steam after use to clear out any residue. Issues on Start Up. With my model I did not get any pressure readings from the analog dial. I eventually used the single dose filter with the plastic stopper installed in it (so no water can pass through it) and ran it once. As the pressure built up on the dial the needle went almost all the way to the right and I shut off power and removed the single dose filter. It made pop sound and it appeared to clear whatever was clogging it. After that I have cleaned as normal when the light turns on and I have not had any issues. It really does make great lattes and macchiatos. Enjoy!

Excellent. Great coffee. High quality and easy to