If you’ve been looking for a mid-range semi automatic espresso machine for home use, you’ve done right by considering La Specialista by DeLonghi. This machine comes as a direct competitor to the beloved Barista Express by Breville, and is the first of its kind by DeLonghi, a brand that usually excelled in making smaller Espresso machines (like the Dedica) or super automatic espresso machines.
In this post, you’ll read about the features of all three DeLonghi La Specialista machines, how they compare to each other and how they compare to the Breville Barista Express as well as other Breville machines.
I do encourage that you read the whole article before making your decision, especially the comparisons with Breville as I prefer some of their machines to DeLonghi’s.
DeLonghi La Specialista Comparison
Ever since the release of the La Specialista (the original), three upgraded models have been added to the line: La Specialista Prestigio and La Specialista Maestro and La Specialista Arte. Let’s have a look at the upgraded models to help you decide which is best for your needs…
DeLonghi La Specialista Arte vs Prestigio
The Prestigio is the mid-range machine in the La Specialista line, while the Arte model is the entry-level machine.
The differences between DeLonghi La Specialista Arte vs Prestigio
Integrated Tamper vs Manual Tamping
Prestigio has the integrated tamper. After grinder, you pull down a lever and it will tamp and give you the perfect level puck to extract your Espresso. Arte does not have this feature, it comes with a stainless steel tamper that you manually use, which gives room for error, but it’s a task that you’ll do perfectly with practice.
Heating Systems
Heating systems are different. Prestigio has two heating systems, one for extraction and another for steaming, while you can’t do the two things at the same time, switching between brewing and steaming is almost instant. With the Arte, you have to wait a bit when switching between the two tasks.
Prestigio is a 19-bar pressure pump, while the Arte is 15-bars. This isn’t something that you’ll feel the difference of really, at most espresso machines will only use 9 bars of pressure to extract, but it’s an indication that Prestigio is more powerful than the Arte.
Included Accessories
la Specialista Prestigio and Arte both include a frothing jug. Arte also includes a tamper and tamping mat, which is what DeLonghi called ‘Barista Kit’. Since Prestigio has an integrated tamper, there’s no need for a tamper.
DeLonghi La Specialista Prestigio vs Arte – Which To Pick?
If the La Specialista Prestigio is within your budget, it’s the better pick for sure. The integrated tamper is great for a sure perfect result, instead of spending countless tries to get things right. Also, the quick heat up time and switch between steaming and brewing is awesome.
La Specialista Arte isn’t bad at all, it’s a great machine for its price if you’re willing to give up some convenience.
Related: DeLonghi La Specialista Arte vs Barista Express
DeLonghi La Specialista Maestro vs Prestigio
DeLonghi Maestro is La Specialista’s high end model packed with automated features, but also has manual settings if you’re ever in the mood to do your coffee drinks manually.
Difference Between DeLonghi La Specialista Maestro vs Prestigio
Control Panel
La Specialista Maestro’s control panel has several buttons and displays. The display on the grinder’s side will show you your dose level, gives you indications of which step you’re at and guidance. On the middle, there’s Pressure gauge, and then over the steam wand/automatic frother side, there’s a display with preset drinks like latte, cappuccino, flat white, long black and more.
La Specialista Prestigio has a much simpler interface with no digital display.
Preset Drinks
La Specialista Maestro has a set of milk based drinks to select from, in addition to the espresso, coffee or americano settings that La Specialista Prestigio has.
If you want to automatically prepare a milk based drink, you’ll need to use the LatteCrema built-in frother instead of the steam wand, which will automatically froth and dispense the milk into your cup. If you want to steam manually, you can simply select Espresso, then switch to steaming.
Temperature Settings
- La Specialista Prestigio, like the Arte model, has three temperature settings, which is pretty standard for many DeLonghi machines.
- La Specialista Maestro has 5 temperature settings.
DeLonghi La Specialista Maestro vs Prestigio – Which To Pick?
It really depends on what you need. the Maestro model has some really great upgrades over the Prestigio, like the automated frothing or LCD displays with indications or preset drink menu and additional programmability overall. But all of these come at a cost. If you don’t the extra bells and whistles, you’ll be great with either machine. Both Prestigio and Maestro have 8 grind settings and integrated tamping, which are the two steps that make or break an espresso shot and both machines got those covered for you.
DeLonghi La Specialista vs La Specialista Prestigio
The first La Specialista, now discontinued, is a step down from all other La Specialista machines. While it has many of their features, like the tamping station, built-in grinder, programmable settings… it also used a Panarello steaming wand, which is a very basic frother that can’t create micro foam texture like a professional steam wand.
DeLonghi La Specialista line now starts with the Arte model as the entry-level, followed by the Prestigio then Maestro model.
DeLonghi La Specialista Presets: Espresso vs Coffee vs Americano
As you’ve seen by now, all La Specialista models have a preset for espresso, Americano and Coffee. What is the difference between these settings?
- Espresso is just that, either a single or double shots of espresso, as per your selection.
- Americano is a espresso diluted with hot water. So the machine will do a single or double shots of espresso, then follow it with hot water using the dedicated hot water spout located behind the group head.
- Coffee, on the other hand, is not exactly drip coffee as you would expect. It’s basically a long shot of espresso (without the added hot water).
Features of DeLonghi La Specialista Prestigio EC9355M
This model is a direct upgrade of the original La Specialista. It has a few upgrades but can make a difference to your experience:
To start, the Prestigio model has 8 grind settings instead of 6. This means you can tweak your grind even more. For this reason, this model does not come with a dual- wall basket for your portafilter since you won’t need it anymore – the single wall basket will be enough.
The second upgrade is the steam wand. The original La Specialista has a semi-automatic steam wand where you just place your milk jug and select the type of foam you want. The Prestigio model has a more professional wand and you’re in total control of how you steam your milk. This type of wand requires some practice until you get things right, but you’ll be happier with the results of this type of steaming that the automatic.
You also have three temperature settings to choose from.
Features of DeLonghi La Specialista Maestro EC9665M
The Maestro model is the highest upgrade of all La Specialista models. It has several upgrades to enhance your user experience:
- Like the Prestigio model, it has 8 grind settings instead of the original’s 6 settings.
- All La Specialista models have the pressure gauge that displays the pressure level your machine is currently using. However, the Maestro has two additional displays, on the left, you’ll find a digital display that shows you which stage the machine is operating at and the level of dosing. The display on the right allows you to select from preset recipes. It has 6 preset recipes: espresso, Americano, coffee (uses lower pressure), cappuccino and flat white.
- When it comes to steaming milk, you have two options to choose from: a professional steam wand or the LatteCrema system, which is a plug-in automatic frother. When selecting a milk based recipe, the frother will use a preset amount of milk and froth it to match the recipe and automatically dispense it to the cup.
- Maestro has 5 temperature settings to choose from.
Features of DeLonghi La Specialista Arte EC9155MB
La Specialista Arte comes as a cost-effective alternative to La Specialista Prestegio and La Specialista Maestro and Original model. It comes with a few less features, but they could be features that you don’t need to begin with, so wouldn’t it be great to give up on a few things to get a better price?
- To start, Arte does not have the integrated smart tamper that other models has. But it does include a tamper, you’ll have to tamp manually, though.
- It has a thermocoil heater, but it’s a single heater machine. What that means for you is that there’s going to be a bit of a wait between extracting espresso and steaming milk.
- It has three temperature settings and active temperature control.
- It has a built-in grinder with 8 grind settings.
- It also has a hot water dispenser.
It comes with a pack of accessories to get you started: milk jug, tamper, dosing funnel, a tamping mat as well as the portafilter with baskets.
What are you giving up on when going for the Arte model?
You’ll get a machine with a single heater. No built-in automatic tamper.
That’s not a bad deal, if you ask me. This is a great pick if you’re someone willing to learn the proper way to tamp and steam milk. These things require a bit of a learning curve but are not hard to learn.
Delonghi EC9155MB vs EC9155M
When buying the DeLonghi La Specialista Arte, you’ll find it under two model names:
EC9155MB – which refers to the Metal and Black finish
EC9155M – which refers to Metal finish
That’s the only difference between these two models, it’s just a reference to the colors/finish of the machine.
Features of La Specialista Espresso Machine (Original Discontinued Model)
- Built-in coffee grinder with adjustable settings and smart sensor to deliver consistent grind and optimal dose every time.
- Built-in smart tamping station: just as your beans have been filled in the portafilter, pull a lever down for the built in tamper to tamp your coffee perfectly and evenly.
- Active temperature control helps keep your machine’s temperature optimal and stable for espresso extraction and steaming.
- Incredibly fast one second start up time.
- Dual heating system, so you don’t have to wait between coffee extraction and milk frothing.
- Pannarello steam wand style allows you to create professional textured milk for cappuccino or latte without any work on your part. Simply adjust the steam wand to the type of texture you want to create.
- Built-in hot water dispenser for Americanos or tea.
- Pre-set buttons for espresso, americano or coffee. You also have a ‘My’ button to program your own recipe.
- Rinse button rinses the group head and portafilter to heat it or clean it.
- Gauge allows you to see what temperature your machine is operating on and when it has reached optimal temperature.
- 2 liter water reservoir capacity.
- 250gr hopper capacity.
- Includes: 2 filter baskets, dual-wall single and dual-wall double baskets.
- Also includes a stainless steel frothing jug.
Click here to learn more about the DeLonghi La Specialista, read the customer reviews and buy it.
DeLonghi vs Breville – Comparing La Specialista to Breville Espresso Machines
DeLonghi La Specialista Prestigio vs Breville Barista Express
As I already mentioned, the DeLonghi La Specialista comes as a direct competitor of the popular Barista Express.
Now, both machines have quite similar features:
Built-in grinder, hot water on demand, temperature gauge, button controls, hands-free grinding directly into portafilter.
So at this point, it would be easier to see what differences these two machines have
La Specialista Prestigio vs Breville Barista Express Grind Settings
the Breville Barista Express has 18 grind settings giving you a variety of options when it comes to grinding different coffee beans and how it can turn out. DeLonghi La Specialista Prestigio only goes from 1 to 6 in grind settings, so it’s less options when it comes to coffee ground.
Included Filter Baskets
the La Specialista comes with two filter baskets, a single shot dual wall basket and a double shot dual basket. The Breville Barista Express includes four baskets in total, a single and double shot baskets, single and dual walled. Dual wall baskets are usually a better choice for someone who is still not advanced in dosing and extracting espresso, as it controls pressure better.
Steaming Wands
Both machines have professional style steam wands, but they are manual so you’ll have to learn some steaming and milk texturing skills.
Built-in Tampers of La Specialista Prestigio vs Breville Barista Express
The DeLonghi La Specialista has a smart tamper. The built-in tamper, smartly located inside the same head where the portafilter goes to collect the coffee grind from the grinder, requires one single pull of a level (located on the side of the machine) to tamp the coffee perfectly. You don’t have to worry about any mess or any uneven tamping, this built-in tamper does it just right, every single time!
The Barista Express has a tamper that is magnetically attached to the machine, but tamping is done manually. And just like milk texturing, tamping is an acquired skill.
Coffee Pre-Sets
La Specialista has three pre set drinks, espresso, coffee and americano. Upon selecting coffee or Americano, hot water is added to your espresso shot (in different volumes according to recipe). Water pours in automatically and you don’t have to even move your mug, as the hot water nozzle is conveniently located right by the portafilter.
On the Barista Express, the hot water nozzle is slightly behind the portafilter, so you do have to relocate your mug slightly and you have to manually start the hot water.
DeLonghi La Specialista or Breville Barista Express?
As you can see, there’s really not much difference in these two machines. However, one wins over the other in terms on advancement…
the Barista Express gives you more room to experiment and practice. If you’re new to semi automatic machines, you’ll most likely need to make a few shots before you get it right. Same goes for tamping and milk texturing. Since it’s somewhat manual, you’ll have to practice until you get things right. So if you feel like you want to acquire some barista skills, and don’t mind the practice and experimenting part of it, you’ll certainly enjoy using the Barista Express.
You can learn more about the Barista Express on the following links:
DeLonghi La Specialista Maestro vs. Breville Barista Touch
You can read about the difference between the Barista Express vs. Barista Touch here. But let’s compare it to DeLonghi La Specialista Maestro
Differences Breville Barista Touch and DeLonghi La Specialista Maestro
The Touch Screen
Breville Barista Touch is called that because of the touchscreen that sits in the middle of its control panel. It’s an impressive colored touchscreen that displays the full drink menu, and allows you to easily customize your beverage.
DeLonghi La Specialista Maestro has three displays in total, but those are informational that will give you feedback on your grind, dose and machine temperature. Drink presets are press-buttons.
User Profiles
The Barista Touch also allows you to save up to 8 customized recipes and name them so you don’t have to play with the settings each time you brew.
La Specialista Maestro does not have this feature or a similar feature.
Milk Steaming
The Breville Touch has a great steam wand that does the work for you. It allows you to adjust the milk temperature and texture to suit your taste. You can expect professional micro-foam quality that you can use to create beautiful latte art. And in case you want froth manually, there’s an option for that.
On the other hand, La Specialista Maestro includes two options for frothing. One is the manual steam wand, and the second is an automatic milk frother that attaches to the machine to automatically froth and dispense milk into your cup. When using this frother, your coffee preparation becomes more automated.
DeLonghi La Specialista Maestro vs Breville Barista Touch – Which To Pick?
Again, I have to give it to Breville’s Barista Touch over DeLonghi. Breville Barista Touch is actually LESS expensive and it gives you a lot more features for your money!
La Specialista Maestro is a great espresso machine, don’t get me wrong. But it is worth its price? Not when compared to Breville, which packs full set of features that are great for both beginner and intermediate espresso machine users.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Use a Non Pressurized Basket in Delonghi La Specialista
DeLonghi La Specialista machines will include two pressurized baskets. You can always buy a compatible non-pressurized basket and it will work. The problem is, non-pressurized baskets require really fine precise grinds to give you a good shot of espresso, which is something the grinder on the La Specialista can’t offer.
Does the DeLonghi La Specialista have a water filter?
It is compatible with water filter but it does not come included. It is compatible with this DeLonghi water filter.
What Size is La Specialista Portafilter
It uses a 51mm portafilter size. So if you want to buy an additional portafilter or tamper, make sure they are 51mm size.
Does DeLonghi La Specialista Take Pods?
No, La Specialista is not designed to take pods, not even ESE pods. You can either use the built-in grinder or bypass doser for pre-ground coffee.
