De'Longhi's newest manual coffee machine has the stainless steel looks to rival Sage – here's why it's a big deal for at-home baristas
The La Specialista Opera is packed with features to make your coffee experience as close to an at-home barista as possible. Here's our first look at what it can do
The release of a sleek new coffee machine is always welcome news on the Ideal Home desk, and this week it's the news of a new De'Longhi machine, namely the De'Longhi La Specialista Opera that's turning heads in our office.
This manual machine, which is of the best bean-to-cup coffee machine variety, is available to buy now from retailers such as John Lewis for £799.99. For your money, you get a machine which boasts 15 different grind settings, a Smart Tamping Station, and options for hot and cold coffees at home.
The recent De'Longhi launches that we've tried and tested here at Ideal Home, including the Eletta Explore and the Rivelia have been a huge 5-star hit with our expert reviewer. While those two machines are both automatic, this is a manual espresso offering from the brand. Here, we're going to take a first look to see how it shapes up.
Hot and cold coffees are possible with this sleek manual bean-to-cup machine.
The new De'Longhi La Specialista Opera coffee machine
If you're unsure on the difference between automatic and manual bean-to-cup coffee machines, then what you need to know is that while the former usually just invovles the pressing of a button on a screen, the latter is a hands-on affair. With a manual machine, you'll be in charge of the grinding process, tamp your grinds and pull your own espresso shot.
That makes the De'Longhi Specialista Opera fit for those who want to tweak the brewing process of their morning coffee down to the tiniest detail. This machine has 15 grind settings to choose from in total and you can choose from hot or cold brew profiles.
Our top-rated pick of the best coffee machines ever, the Sage Barista Express Impress, has a similarly involved design, including a one-armed bandit you use to tamp your grinds. While it would take a seriously special machine to sway me from my beloved Sage, I do love the look of the included HomeCafé kit you get with the La Specialista Opera.
Featured in the kit is a vacuum sealed canister to keep your beans in, glasses that suit hot and cold coffee and a knock box for you to dispose of your used grounds into. Usually if you're forking out for a bean-to-cup coffee machine, these are the things you'd have to fork out extra for, so it's great to see them included for the (rather hefty) price tag here.
Get the Ideal Home Newsletter
Sign up to our newsletter for style and decor inspiration, house makeovers, project advice and more.
As with all of the coffee machines we recommend in our buying guides, we're hoping to test out this De'Longhi machine to see how it shapes up next to our current favourite picks. If it performs as well as it impresses us looks-wise, we think it'll be a winner.
Molly is Ideal Home’s Kitchen Appliances Editor and an all-around baking and cooking enthusiast. She joined the team in September 2022 as an Ecommerce Editor after working across Real Homes, Homes & Gardens and Livingetc. She's been reviewing products for 4 years and now specialises in weighing up kitchen essentials' pros and cons, from air fryers to bean-to-cup coffee machines.
She's always been a keen reader, so after graduating from the University of Exeter in 2020 she was thrilled to find a way to write as a full-time job. Nowadays, she spends her days at home or the Ideal Home test facility trying out new kitchen innovations to see if they’re worth a space on your worktop. Her most beloved and hard-working appliance is her Sage coffee machine though she also takes the title of Ideal Home’s in-house air fryer expert after writing about them religiously over the past few years.
-
Christmas decor trends 2024 – the 5 new styles set to define this year’s festivities
The hottest themes to deck your home with
By Sara Hesikova
-
Experts have revealed the best place to position your bed to stay warm this winter - how to create optimum cosiness this winter
Stay more cosy in bed with one simple change
By Kezia Reynolds
-
You can now visit the iconic Beetlejuice Deetz Residence - here's how to book
'I'm the ghost with the most, babe'
By Kezia Reynolds
-
Air fryer covers are emerging as the latest cooking must-have, but do you really need one? This is what the experts say
Here's why we're not entirely sold on the merits of air fryer covers
By Molly Cleary
-
Experts reveal what the numbers on your fridge dial actually mean - and it’s not what you think
Those numbers are a little different to what you might thing at first
By Kezia Reynolds
-
These 5 kitchen lighting trends are going to be everywhere in 2025 - this is why they're a must for a polished and radiant layout
Help your cooking space shine by trying out one of the newest lighting trends
By Holly Cockburn
-
I'm finally moving to a bigger rental kitchen - 5 lessons I learnt from living with a tiny cooking space that I'll be using in my new home
Nothing teaches you organisation skills like a small kitchen
By Holly Cockburn
-
Should you buy a toaster or an air fryer? I've found the products that mean you don't need to compromise
Narrow down the number of kitchen essentials you need by one
By Molly Cleary
-
Nespresso's advent calendar is here and ready to keep you caffeinated all December long - I had a sneak peek at what's inside
You get 24 Vertuo pods to gift to a coffee lover this Christmas
By Molly Cleary
-
We got a sneak peek at Sage's newest coffee machine - it's their easiest to use yet for a barista-level cuppa at home
With this machine, Sage claim you can get barista-level results with almost no effort
By Molly Cleary
-
How many lights should there be in a kitchen? Design pros reveal the golden number for a well-lit cooking space
It can be hard to get the lighting of this all-important space spot on - these tips will make it simple
By Natasha Brinsmead