Best overall
Breville
Bambino Plus
8.4Great
A compact 54 mm machine that heats in 3 seconds and textures milk hands-free; just add a good grinder.
Espresso Machines5$500
De'Longhi
La Specialista Arte Evo
Compact grinder-equipped espresso machine with 3 brew temperatures, a strong steam wand and a cold-brew mode reviewers found underwhelming.
7.3
Good
Coffee Reviews score
See the breakdown →
Community
—/10
- Type
- Manual espresso machine with built-in grinder
- Grinder
- Integrated conical burr grinder, 15 grind settings
- Pump
- 15 bar
- Typical price
- $699.95
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Last reviewed October 17, 2026 by the Coffee Reviews editors · How we score
Compact grinder-equipped espresso machine with 3 brew temperatures, a strong steam wand and a cold-brew mode reviewers found underwhelming.
De'Longhi's manual espresso machine with an integrated conical burr grinder (15 settings on the US model), a 15-bar pump, thermoblock heating with Active Temperature Control and three brew-temperature profiles. A front dial selects espresso, Americano, hot water or Cold Brew made with Cold Extraction Technology in under 5 minutes. It is the La Specialista Arte model De'Longhi currently lists in the US; Coffeeness praised the steam wand but found cold brew weak and needed a scale to dial in shots.
Best for
- Beginners who want a grinder-equipped machine with presets
- Households that drink both hot espresso drinks and cold coffee
- Small kitchens
What we like
- Built-in grinder plus 3 brew-temperature settings
- Cold Extraction cold brew in under 5 minutes
- Strong, ball-jointed manual steam wand
- Dedicated hot-water spout and a generous barista kit
Watch-outs
- Grinder is less versatile than reviewers would like
- Timed dosing means you'll want a scale
- Cold brew mode underwhelmed Coffeeness (watery, bitter)
- Thermoblock needs flushing to warm the group and portafilter
How it scored
The breakdown.
7.3Good
Gear score out of 10, weighted across five factors.
- Performance30%7.3
Coffeeness got very tasty espresso only after much trial and error with a scale, praised the steam wand, and found the cold brew watery and bitter with a medium roast.
- Build & reliability20%7.6
Metal body, 15-bar pump and thermoblock with Active Temperature Control, backed by a 2-year warranty plus a third year on registration.
- Ease of use15%7.5
Front-dial presets, a dosing funnel and tamping guide simplify the workflow, but timed dosing and thermoblock preheating (flushing the group and portafilter) add steps.
- Value20%7.2
$699.95 matches the Breville Barista Express; it adds cold brew and a dedicated hot-water spout, but reviewers call its grinder less versatile.
- Community love15%7.0
A smaller creator following than its Breville rivals; Cafelista's three-week test found the grinder frustrating, while new owners on TikTok are enthusiastic.
Creator video reviews
Watch it in action.
2 positive1 mixed
Independent creators, verified with YouTube and TikTok. We don’t pay for reviews and creators don’t pay us.
What people are saying
From the forums.
Verbatim from Reddit, forums and long-term owner write-ups — linked so you can read the full thread.
“During my testing I was very impressed by the La Specialista Arte Evo’s professional steam wand.”
“To be honest, the La Specialista Arte Evo performed admirably in that regard, although it was a struggle to achieve shots that I liked.”
“As it turns out, I was rather underwhelmed by the results, especially when using the medium roast coffee I’d been testing as espresso. In fact, the “cold brew” was watery and rather bitter.”
Specifications
By the numbers.
- Model
- EC9255M (De'Longhi US SKU EC9250M)
- Grinder
- Integrated conical burr grinder, 15 grind settings
- Pump
- 15 bar
- Heating system
- Thermoblock with Active Temperature Control; 3 brew-temperature settings
- Presets
- Espresso, Americano and Cold Brew, plus hot water
- Cold brew
- Cold Extraction Technology; cold brew in under 5 minutes at room temperature
- Milk
- Manual steam wand
- Dosing & tamping
- Dosing and tamping guide; metal tamper and tamping mat included
- Water tank
- 56.13 oz
- Max cup height
- 4.45 in
- Voltage
- 120 V, 60 Hz
- Dimensions
- 14.4 × 11.2 × 15.9 in (as listed by De'Longhi)
- Weight
- 25.8 lb
- Power
- 1600 W
- Warranty
- 2-year (plus 1 additional year with product registration)
- Brews
- Espresso, Lattes & milk drinks, Cold brew, Iced / over ice
- Typical price
- $699.95 (checked October 2026)
Community
Member tasting notes & discussion.
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Discussion
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Own De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo? Ask a question or share your recipe — you’ll be the first.
FAQ
Good questions.
Does the Arte Evo really make cold brew?
De'Longhi says its Cold Extraction Technology makes cold brew in under 5 minutes at room temperature. Coffeeness found the result watery and rather bitter with a medium roast, and better with a fruity Ethiopian coffee.
How many grind settings does it have?
De'Longhi's US listing specifies 15 grind settings and 3 temperature settings. Some European reviews describe eight grind settings, so check the exact model you are buying.
What warranty does it have?
De'Longhi US includes a 2-year warranty and adds one more year when you register the product.
Sources (7)
- delonghi.com/en-us/p/la-specialista-arte-la-specialista-arte-evo-manual-coffee-maker-ec9255.m-ex2/EC9250M.html?pid=0132126162
- delonghi.com/en-us/c/coffee-e-espresso/coffee-machines/manual-espresso-machines
- delonghigroup.com/en/group/profile
- delonghigroup.com/en/group/history
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De%27Longhi
- youtube.com/watch?v=IEUgqwAz310
- coffeeness.de/en/delonghi-la-specialista-arte-evo-review/
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