De’Longhi La Specialista Touch Espresso Machine

Pros

• Environmental packaging sustainability ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 5.0
  Packaging relies mostly on cardboard with clearly labelled biodegradable soft plastics, and the side-opening box design lets you slide the machine straight onto the counter, earning rare full marks from reviewers for both practicality and eco-friendly packaging.
• Assembly & Setup ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5 reviews 4.9
  Bean Adapt style guidance and on-screen prompts walk beginners through water-hardness setup, bean profiling, grind and dose adjustment and tamping feedback, and this review adds that even a setup-averse barista felt calm as the touchscreen steadily led them from filling the tank to dialing in a personal profile and basic settings.
• Design, ergonomics & footprint ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 7 reviews 4.9
  Owners praise its compact, sleek footprint and stainless steel finish that fit small kitchens and even tiny flats, and newer reviews highlight the 3.5 inch full-colour touchscreen, front-loading bean hopper and top accessory cubby, along with the bright display, cup riser and enclosed drip tray, all of which make it intuitive for daily use and help keep counters looking tidy without sacrificing ergonomics.
• Espresso & beverage quality ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 6 reviews 4.8
  Reviews highlight consistently tasty espresso with deep nutty and chocolatey notes from a variety of beans, alongside reliable long blacks, Americanos, and milk drinks, with one barista-tester calling the coffee technically flawless and praising its sweet marzipan and rich chocolate flavors, while more recent testing notes very smooth, delicious shots with chocolatey, nougaty sweetness and a sweet yet mild cold brew profile that even beginners can achieve with the machine’s guidance.
• Overall user experience ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5 reviews 4.8
  Owners describe an intuitive, beginner-friendly experience where touchscreen guidance, Bean Adapt assistance, tamping tools and detailed user profiles make good coffee easy while still leaving room to experiment and grow, and this reviewer notes that even after initial skepticism about the touchscreen they ended up delighted by how quiet, compact, convenient and self-cleaning the overall workflow feels, saying they have never felt in safer hands with a coffee machine.
• Cup, tray & carafe handling ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4 reviews 4.8
  The adjustable cup platform and espresso booster riser make it easy to fit small espresso cups without splashing, and reviewers like how the mostly enclosed drip tray is simple to carry and empty at the sink with minimal risk of spills; this tester also highlights the hot water outlet beside the brew head and included height extension that let you build Americanos and long drinks in the same cup while keeping the area around the mug neat.
• Automation & sensors ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 7 reviews 4.6
  Automation features like Bean Adapt, guided touchscreen menus, automatic grind stopping, a temperature-probed steam wand, water level detection and user profiles use sensors and prompts to tune brew parameters and milk texture, and newer reviews add that the interface regularly checks in after grind changes and walks you step by step through grinding, tamping and steaming, even though a few users note it can time out and reset to the main menu if you leave a step too long.
• Brewing performance & consistency ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5 reviews 4.6
  Reviews report that once Bean Adapt settings and grind size are dialed in, the machine delivers consistently good espresso and milk drinks with repeatable extraction and flavor across sessions, and this tester’s timed back-to-back single and double shots with matching brew times, thick crema and deep color lead them to describe the coffee as technically flawless in everyday use.
• Accessories ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 6 reviews 4.3
  Included accessories such as the milk jug, tamping tools, tamping station, booster, baskets, funnel and scraping or cleaning tools give beginners everything needed for tidy puck prep and milk drinks, with some pieces and spare baskets storing neatly in the top cubby so the counter stays organized, though the abundance of gear and lack of an included knock-box for spent pucks can still feel like a bit much for some.
• Build quality & durability ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 6 reviews 4.3
  The largely stainless steel build and quietly attenuated pump give the La Specialista Touch a solid, premium feel that reassures owners about everyday robustness, and while this comparison notes a few plastic exterior pieces that make it look slightly less tank-like than all-metal rivals, it still comes across as well made so long as users keep up with routine cleaning and maintenance.
• Speed & time-to-cup ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4 reviews 4.1
• Milk, steam & frothing ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 6 reviews 4.1
  Reviews explain that the La Specialista Touch’s automatic steam wand quickly produces good steamed milk and creamy microfoam for classic hot lattes and cappuccinos, and while it cannot foam cold milk and the temperature probe can get in the way of creating a perfect manual vortex, both manual and automatic steaming can still create well-textured milk suitable for simple latte art while helping prevent burnt dairy or plant-based milks.
• Value & Price ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 6 reviews 4.1
  Positioned in the middle of the La Specialista range, this model sits firmly in the luxury bracket yet remains one of the more affordable touchscreen machines with a built-in grinder and smart assistance, and reviewers add that its compact footprint, cold-brew option, and advanced personalization help justify the cost, especially given that it delivers authentic-tasting chilled coffee for roughly half the price of a Jura J10, even if some cheaper assisted espresso machines exist.
• Capacity ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 6 reviews 4.0
  The rear water tank is sized to handle several espressos and milk drinks in a row and, while it is not the very largest reservoir, reviewers find that the 1.7L capacity and 250 g bean hopper generally hold enough for multiple rounds while still fitting into a compact footprint, with newer feedback noting that the hopper’s modest size and the machine’s popularity in busy homes can mean more frequent bean refills even though the tank itself lifts out easily via its handle for quick top-ups.
• Water system, maintenance & descaling ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5 reviews 4.0
  Daily upkeep is generally straightforward—rinsing the portafilter, wiping stray grounds and the steam wand, emptying the thoughtfully designed drip tray, and following on-screen descaling and water-hardness prompts—and this tester further notes that the large rear tank with water level detection, automatic circuit rinses, an auto-emptying steam wand, and fingerprint-resistant surfaces mean the machine largely looks after itself and simply alerts you when deeper maintenance or a refill is due.
• Iced / cold-brew function quality ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 6 reviews 3.7
  Across reviews, the La Specialista Touch’s dedicated cold-brew mode is praised for producing smooth, sweet coffee that works well over ice, and while it remains a little lighter-bodied than slow-steeped cold brew or the richer Jura J10, recent testing finds its flavor impressively close to overnight methods given the speed and price, making it a genuinely useful bonus feature rather than just a gimmick.
• Grinder, hopper & dosing system ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5 reviews 3.5
  The integrated espresso-focused conical burr grinder works with Bean Adapt to hit target yields and suggest grind settings per bean profile, providing around 15 adjustment steps and time-based dosing that hovers around 18 grams and is easy to use, and recent testing appreciates the airtight, front-loading 250 g hopper that keeps beans fresh in a compact footprint even though its modest size means more frequent refills and the non-removable hopper still makes accessing the burrs for deep cleaning tricky.