Delonghi Specialista Arte EC 9155 Review

Introducing the La Specialista Arte and Arte Evo

The La Specialista line is Delonghi’s long awaited answer to Breville’s extremely popular Barista Express. This is a machine that includes a grinder, in an “all in one” semi-automatic espresso machine solution. That means that with the La Specialista, you have all you need – espresso machine, grinder and accessories.

What’s especially nice about these semi-automatic machines is the fact that they leave less mess. Since you don’t have to transfer the espresso grounds between a grinder and the machine, you have less clean up. In fact, you just grind directly into the cradled portafilter.

Looking below, you will see the La Specialista EC9155. The bean hopper is on the upper left, with 8 grind settings on the grinder – admittedly fewer than the Barista Express’ 15 settings.

In the middle of the fascia is a nice manometer with white dial and gray tick marks. Then you have a knurled turn dial on the lower left to set the grinding time, a button to choose either single or double baskets, and an “OK” button to start the shot.

To the right of the OK button is the temperature selection, and to the right of that is the selection button for drinks size (espresso, americano, hot water). Finally, you have a steam button on the furthest to the right.

Looking above, you will see the portafilter cradle, with black funnel. To the right of that is a small water outlet for the americanos, and right of that is the 51mm portafilter. Finally, you can see the single hole steam wand.

What else is nice about the stainless steel steam wand is that it’s a “non-burn” type, meaning that the outside of the wand does not get hot.

La Specialista Accessories

The La Specialista line comes with a nice array of accessories, the heart of which is the massive 51mm stainless steel portafilter. This polished portafilter is very heavy, and feels of a much higher quality than their Dedica line, despite the plastic handle.

Inside the portafilter sit either a single or double basket, for either 10-11 grams or 15-17 grams respectively. These baskets are tapered by the way, which help to increase pressure during the extraction.

The La Specialista also comes with a metal based tamper, with a plastic handle and silver colored knurled knob on top. This tamper is pretty decent, and much better of course than the plastic one that comes with their cheaper machines.

One last thing to mention – these baskets are non-pressurized, meaning that they can provide a better espresso. But it also means that you have to use fresh beans, use a high enough coffee dose, and grind fine enough. Here’s a video showing how to get to the optimal pressure zone on the La Specialista.

Grinder:

While the integrated grinder does grind fine enough for espresso, more range would be nice. On the plus side, the included portafilter funnel helps avoid any messes, and acts as an excellent guide for WDT and plunging the tamper as well. There is an “extra grind range” setting, but this just lengthens the grinding timer by an additional 10 seconds. It DOES NOT give the grinder extra physical range.

Again, I really wish that this grinder allowed more than 8 grind settings, but with freshly roasted beans and the included tapered baskets, you should be able to grind fine enough for a good extraction. I would suggest trying to grind around a setting of 2-3 if you can.

Another thing to note is that the grinder hopper and burr carrier are not removable. You will need to take the machine apart if you ever want to get to the grinder.

How is the Espresso Extraction?

When I first made espresso with the La Specialista, I was a little surprised as the extraction phases. The pre-infusion phase of this machine is very long, at 8 seconds, plus the 0 to 2 second settable pause afterwards. Therefore, the shots do run quite quickly, since the puck is already saturated. Nevertheless, you can get a nice crema, and good flavor from the machine, and it is possible to choose between low, medium and high temperature settings (92°, 94°, and 96° respectively at the thermoblock). Just know that the shots tend to run fast due to the long pre-infusion.

The machine’s included conical grinder does provide grinds that make for nicely textured shots, and if you use a med-dark blend of espresso, you should get a nice chocolatey shot. Again, just be sure to use fresh beans. If on the other hand light roast is your jam, I’d consider getting an external grinder, as the included one will likely not bring the torque needed, or fineness to grind light roast coffee beans.

Steam Wand on the La Specialista:

I find that the milk frothing is decent with this machine. It is similar to the Delonghi Dedica Arte. The nice thing is, the steam wand is a non-burn type. This means that the outside of the steam wand does not get hot, making it easier to clean after steaming.

What about the power? The power is ok, but nothing to write home about. It takes me about 45-50 seconds to steam 200ml of milk for my cappuccino. It’s strong enough to get a whirlpool going after injecting some initial air into the milk, but it’s not overly strong, like for example the Breville Bambino Plus.

All in all however, I am quite satisfied with the milk steaming. The steam wand is on a nice articulating pivot, and it’s long enough to get deep in to a pitcher. Ergonomics of the milk frothing wand are quite good, therefore. Check out the video below for some tips on milk steaming with the La Specialista.

Americano vs Long Black?

You’ll notice this machine has a selector switch on it. With the selector switch, you can choose between espresso, americano, hot water for tea, and descaling. So what are these drinks? An americano is an espresso shot, then hot water on top of it to lengthen the drink. A long black is the exact opposite: first hot water in a cup, and espresso on top. I happen to like a long black more, because some of the crema stays intact.

What’s nice about the La Specialista is, that based on the selector switch, you can either just run an espresso, or you can automate the process to make an americano/long black. Pretty nice!

La Specialista vs Breville Barista Express?

I will be honest. Delonghi had every chance to take a look at the 10 year old Barista Express, and make their machine better – but they didn’t. The grinder doesn’t offer more adjustability, and the steam wand is not superior, either. I guess where Delonghi did beat Breville was on price. The La Specialista is a fair bit cheaper in most markets.

Also, the new EC9255 La Specialista Evo can do cold drinks, which the Breville cannot do. So, if cold drinks are your bag, then consider the EC9255, as shown below.

Thanks for taking the time to read this blog article, and I hope it was helpful!

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