De’Longhi Espresso Machine with Grinder & Frother

We purchased this on Prime Day in 2023 because our previous Latte Machine was not working properly and we wanted an upgrade. This has worked extremely well for us and we have had no issues. The espresso produced is far superior to our previous machines. The included coffee grinder is a bonus as is the milk frother. The grinder is a little messy; however, nothing laying down a towel underneath won’t solve. Our previous stand-alone grinder was just as messy. We would definitely recommend or purchase again.

By far the best espresso maker I’ve ever owned. The beans clog in the grinder a little bit, but that happens with every machine. I use it so much. I wish the water reservoir was larger. Find the settings that work best for the tamping and the beans used and this machine is golden. I look forward to espresso every morning from it. Everyone that uses, it wants to get one. The cleaning light comes on a little too often in my opinion, but the espresso it produces is awesome. Love this thing.

In recent years, I have become a bit of a home-brew coffee enthusiast.

I went from pod coffee, to French Press to hand pressure pressed coffee, I found myself always searching for that deep coffee flavour, with rich texture of an espresso with a nice crema.

This machine arrived, and I have to admit, there was a learning curve to be able to extract the cup of coffee as I wanted it to be. After watching some videos, and a lot of trial and error, I was able to get the dose right for a double (20) and the grind right for not bitter, rich extraction (5) and temperature (2) set.

The machine makes it easy to prepare an excellent coffee. The integrated grinder/doser is so much tidier than having to transfer grounds.

The two drip trays make it easy to prewarm cups/glasses/bowls. The stacking drip tray eliminates side splatter when using a shorter cup or bowl.

It took me some time again to learn to use the frothing wand, and even after some videos, my technique only became passable with the help of a digital thermometer and after an in person lesson from a friend who is a former barista.

The machine is easy to clean. The only mild inconvenience, is that the descaling indicator is based on metered usage cycles. SInce I only use reverse osmosis filtered water there should be little to no scale build up, since there are no minerals in the water. The red descaling light comes on regularly, and I need to run the descaling process in order to clear it.

The footprint of this machine is very convenient, and the storage space on the top, as well as the small compartment, make this machine a welcome addition to my counter top.

Pro’s:
Easy to use
Built in grinder
pressure Gauge
Big water tank
Price (especially on sale)

Con’s:
Frother could be stronger
Leaks after shot
learning curve is high (on all machines)
Built in grinder can’t be taken apart and cleaned easily
51mm accessories are harder to get than 53mm or 58mm

Thoughts:
I was torn between this and other brands but I had a lot of 51MM accessories from my old De’Longhi machine so I chose them again. The main problem I have with this brand is that they use 51mm though. There’s so many good accessories made that aren’t 51MM and don’t have the option to get it. Like from the brand normcore. The machine itself if really good though. Like any espresso machine, there’s a learning curve to get a really good shot. This helps you tune your shots to try and get consistently good shots. The pressure gauge really helps with that and is a feature I won’t be able to go without now. Especially when you first get a new machine. The grinder is good too and has a lot of different coarse options but I typically just stay on the finest. My big issue is that you can’t simply take it apart to clean it. Companies like Breville have that option to take it apart and blow it out. I feel like that obvious feature should be a standard and was simply looked over. Making a shot itself is easy enough, the included portafilter eliminates spraying from potentially bad shots. The portafilter also gets really gross if you don’t clean it properly after each shot. I would always rinse it out and clean it after but I didn’t realize the coffee would build up and dry on the little crevasses of where the shot comes out. I was probably 10 shots in before seeing the build up and made it a lot harder to clean. Now after each shot I scrub it like crazy and it’s been good. Now on to the frother. Probably the biggest learning curve for anyone starting out is learning how to properly froth milk. This frother doesn’t make it easy either. It’s a standard frother that most top machines and baristas use but without the power of professional machines. It could be me just absolutely struggling with it but it seems to get the milk hotter quicker than it can froth properly. I’ve found that you really have to add a lot of air into the milk to get a decent froth. I wish I could just go try frother on other machines to really see if it’s me or the machine itself. Overall though, minus some caveats, the machine is really good and looks really good. When in your kitchen, you’ll be sure to get a lot of questions about it from visitors.

Amazing product. My order was really easy to complete. The delivery was amazing, quick and with the care needed. I loved my purchase

Le café est super bon et que dire du lait mousseux 😋

Have been brewing espresso from the Arte for a few months now. Very impressed with the overall package, but some minor disappointment as well.

First off, this comes with a non-pressurized brew basket which is great! The included tamper and mat are also really nice inclusions. I ended up buying a bottomless portafilter to see how my shots were being pulled and the entire setup still works with the new filter.

Second the grinder has been great so far, even with the new portafilter. I’ve been grinding on 4–meaning there still is room to grind finer if I need it. Big downside is the non-removable hopper. But it’s recommended to only put in the amount you need anyway.

Steam wand had me less than impressed at first since I’m used to commercial steam wands. However it has grown on me and it will finish steaming in about 10-15 seconds. I recommend looking up proper steaming technique for people just starting out. You don’t want to plunge the wand in all the way right when you start and only want to steam until the pitcher is too hot to grasp.

All in all, it’s a great machine. No plastic taste from any of my shots. Non-pressurized baskets. PID to help control the temperature of the water. Steam wand performs well. Customizable shot times. Grinder that performs well. It’s a complete package.

Two downsides:
Plastic and lots of it. At MSRP I hesitate to say it’s worth it for the amount of plastic you receive. It looks nice. But once you start using and feeling it, I would be disappointed. On sale, it’s such a great buy for all the features you receive.

Second, why the dark grey plastic for the water tank? It’s impossible to see the water level. Yes it has an indicator to warn you before you run out of water but it’sa simple design choice that could have made a huge difference.