Here's why the Lavazza Desea is the ideal Christmas gift for latte-lovers

The Lavazza A Modo Mio Desea is one of the most versatile pod coffee machines out there, with a range of settings for both your coffee and your milk. As a shameless lover off frothy coffees, I was excited to take this machine for a spin in my own kitchen to see how well it would hold up in my household. 

This machine delivers decent value for money. It has an RRP of £199, but at the time of writing, it's on sale for under £150 at several retailers. The Desea also features in our guide to the best pod coffee machines (many of which were tested by me), so I know that this offers a lot more for your money than rival brands on the market, which rely on locking you into costly coffee subscriptions to justify lowering the price of a relatively cheaply-built machine. 

There's none of that flimsy plastic here, just a sleek matte exterior that's made of chromed metal, and a sensitive touch-controlled menu that offers over ten variations of coffee, for whatever you're in the mood for. The coffee options are limited, but they're quality too, with the staple rich roasts we all associate with Lavazza as a brand. 

Lavazza A Modo Mio Desea

• Coffee type: pod
• Water tank capacity: 1.1 litres
• Heat-up time: 28 seconds
• Coffee options: 9 - from Espresso to Latte Montato Caldo
• Power: 1500W
• Dimensions: 14.5 (W) x 38 (D) x 28 cm (H)
• Weight: 4.5kg

Millie Fender

Millie Fender is Head of Reviews at Ideal Home. Formerly our expert for all things small appliances, Millie has tried dozens of coffee machines and prefers an oat milk latte when she's out and about, exploring the immense coffee culture that London has to offer. 

A former barista herself Millie has a good knowledge of what makes a good (and bad) coffee, and can tell the difference between user error and simply a poor machine. 

Getting started

For a small machine, the Lavazza A Modo Mio Desea comes in quite a big box. It's got a handle on the top which came in handy when lugging it up my stairs, and I was pleased when I opened it up to mostly cardboard packaging, with no polystyrene in sight. 

The machine comes with a removable water tank that sits at the back of the machine, but can be easily lifted out for refills. The tank is 1.4 litres, which is pretty good for a pod machine, and when it runs low the machine will alert you that it needs refilling before it steams milk or runs a shot. 

The dimensions of this machine are definitely counter-space friendly. In my small kitchen this was a big win, and the machine is still quite space-efficient by fitting in up to ten used pods in the inner drawer, and fitting the included milk frothing jug inside the base of the machine itself. 

Making espresso in the Lavazza A Modo Mio Desea

When making a black coffee in the Lavazza A Modo Mio Desea there are four options to choose from: Espresso, Espresso Lungo, Caffè Lungo, Dose libera. The last allows you to press a button and run the shot of coffee continuously until you're happy with the size of your drink. My partner really enjoyed this feature as someone who mainly drinks americano coffee, and it's something you won't find in a lot of pod machines, which usually have just an Espresso or Espresso Lungo setting. 

When opting for a Lavazza coffee machine, you're limiting yourself to quite a small range of A Modo Mio coffee capsules. I counted nine blends available online, and my local big Sainsburys only stocked one box of Lavazza pods. This just so happened to be my favourite of the bunch, the Qualità Rossa eco caps. 

That's the one I used in the shot below, which didn't come out overly complex but had a classic, full-bodied medium roast flavour that I would happily drink every morning. The crema is good too; sturdy and long-lasting.

Making milky coffee

To make a milky coffee in the Lavazza A Modo Mio Desea, you'll need to add some milk into the glass cup that comes included in the machine. This comes with a lid that has a whisking mechanism, which spins and steams the milk. This is a very different take to a steam wand because it's completely hands-free, which means you'll struggle to adjust your milk depending on whether you want to make a cappuccino or a latte. 

The frothing process takes close to two minutes when making a large cappuccino, and something that I didn't realise at first is that you need to add a pod into the machine before you add your milk, because coffee will automatically be dispensed once your milk is finished steaming. You can also opt for a milk-only option if you'd rather pour your milk over espresso. 

At the bottom of the control panel there is a button that allows you to toggle the temperature of your coffee or milk, and another button that adjusts how foamy your milk will be. I'll happily drink a milky coffee, but enjoy an oat milk latte as my go-to. In the Desea I noticed that the milk comes out a bit too hot for the average dairy-free milk, which burns more easily because of its lower fat content. If you can't handle much dairy or you're vegan, I'd suggest opting for one of the best milk frothers to give you more control over temperature. 

Another thing I noticed when making milky coffees in this machine is that the foam fades quite quickly, which is probably due to the fact it's been steamed in an unconventional way. If you're a puritan about your flat whites, a pod machine probably isn't for you anyway, but the Desea is still one of the most unique machines on the market when it comes to making a cappuccino or latte in one go. 

Recycling the pods

Lavazza makes it clear that it does genuinely care about sustainability. There's a big section of the brand's site dedicated to this, and the ¡Tierra! for Planet line of coffee is bio-organic and designed to increase education about climate change. That said, there's no denying that a pod of coffee is never going to be as sustainable as simply using a bean-to-cup machine, because it involves a lot more packaging and even if this is to be recycled or composted, it needs to be sent to an often energy-intensive plant to make this happen. 

Lavazza's latest pod line is compostible through TerraCycle, which is certainly better than nothing, or even if you're someone who already owns a Lavazza machine but wants to make a sustainable switch. And when I bought my A Modo Mio Passionale Capsules, they did say Zero-CO2 on the box. I'd have liked to find out a bit more about what this means in real terms (for example, is it Zero-CO2 before or after I've sent them to TerraCycle?) but it's nice to see a brand making an effort to make their pods more sustainable. 

How does it compare

There is no shortage of pod machines on the market, some with more options than others for making home coffee. There's the original Nespresso line of pods - now phased-out by Nespresso itself for its patented Vertuo line - which will work in a range of major machines including the Grind coffee machine, and the Hotel Chocolat Podster. You can pick up subscriptions from a huge range of roasters if you opt for a machine that's compatible with the original Nespresso pods.

With Lavazza, much like the Nespresso Vertuo line , you're limited to Lavazza brand pods. Unlike the Vertuo line though, I really enjoy Lavazza pods, which offer enough variation for you to find a favourite, without being overwhelming. 

Other machines I've tried include the Hotel Chocolat Podster, which I marked down for its plastic-y design. However, it's also an eco-conscious choice with pods that can be recycled in your household bins. 

I also really rated the Lavazza Voicy, which is enabled with an in-built Alexa speaker (I found it very handy for listening to music while cooking) but does lack the milk frothing functions of the Desea. 

Should you buy the Lavazza A Modo Mio Desea?

If I were to buy a pod machine, the Lavazza A Modo Mio Desea would be the one I'd go for. I have faith in its sturdy construction, which I think would last for a long time even in my busy kitchen, and it's got lots of thoughtful features that punch well above its price point. 

I'm far from an expert barista, so the fact that the milky coffee made in this machine isn't the most authentic doesn't bother me one bit. And if it sounds like it would bother you, I'd steer you away from a pod machine altogether. If you're someone who enjoys having all the options when making a morning coffee, or live in a busy household with a range of tastes and preferences to account for, I'd recommend the Lavazza A Modo Mio Desea in a heartbeart. 

About this review

Millie Fender is Head of Reviews at Ideal Home. She tested the Lavazza A Modo Mio Desea for a number of weeks in her flat in South London with her partner, who has very different coffee preferences to her. Millie was allowed to hang onto the machine, so we'll keep this review updated to see if we still think it's top of the pack in the years to come.