De'Longhi, the Italian brand behind so many bestselling coffee machines, has released what I think is its most enticingly simple-to-use offering yet.
The De'Longhi Specialista Touch (which is available to buy for £699.99 from De'Longhi) is a manual bean-to-cup machine but with a difference. Like the stunningly popular Ninja Luxé Cafe, it guides you through every step of the brewing process and features an automatic milk frother, for a seamless experience.
I've been lucky enough to try out this machine, as part of my quest to find the best bean-to-cup coffee machines out there. Here are the three things that I think set it apart during my first look at the machine before my full review.
Who needs barista training when you've got a machine to guide you through the process of making a huge menu of coffees?
1. The touch screen
Touchscreen controls are usually reserved for fully automatic bean-to-cup machines like the De'Longhi Rivelia. That's why it's such a treat to see a full-colour touchscreen here which capably guides you through the coffee-making process.
Everything from rinsing the machine during the set-up to the frothing of your milk is guided via the large screen, so you really feel like you can't go wrong.
This new generation of uber-user-friendly espresso machines is welcome news for me as Ideal Home's Kitchen Appliances Editor. Demystifying coffee machines is a mission of mine, which is why I loved how straightforward Ninja's espresso machine was for beginners in my Ninja Cafe Luxe review.
This machine takes that user-friendly initiative and amplifies it in a very stylish way. Plus, the colour screen goes back to black when it's not in use, which is a winning formula when set against the lovely stainless steel of this machine.
2. The BeanAdapt technology
Getting to grips with an espresso machine can be confusing. You can skip all of that with the BeanAdapt tech that equips the Specialista Touch – I've tried it, so I know that's actually true.
It's the same tech that our reviewer loved in our De'Longhi Eletta Explore review. In short, it's a program on the screen that guides you through the practice cups of espresso you have to sample to find the perfect grind size for your coffee beans.
To do so, you input various pieces of information and taste the ensuing espresso and then the machine will give you its recommended grind size.
It's seriously clever and takes just a few minutes for you to get your espressos tasting lovely, rather than having a trial and error period that takes days to get out of.
3. The price
I've tested a fair few De'Longhi machines recently (the Magnifica Plus and La Specialista Opera for starters) and my main complaint is about the pricing.
That's why I was pleasantly surprised by the pricing of this machine. Yes, £699.99 is still so steep in the grand scheme of things, but considering that you get the BeanAdapt tech, a (very good) automatic milk frother and all of the bells and whistles that come with a manual machine (tamp, portafilter etc), I was expecting it to be more.
Especially compared to the Specialista Opera, which will set you back an additional £100 but only features a manual milk wand.
Another little perk is that if you buy directly from De'Longhi then you get a set of glass coffee glasses thrown in for the price too.
Does the Specialista Touch tick the at-home coffee box for you?
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