DeLonghi's La Specialista has slowly gained ground as a real workhorse in the all-in-one espresso machine category. While the early iterations of the machine had a lot of room for improvement, we've seen DeLonghi tackle issues and work to improve the line immensely over the years. Today we've got a review of the La Specialista Touch - their touch screen model.
Design
The design of the La Specialista touch is very sleek and minimalist. Without built-in tamping like you find on the Opera and the Maestro the Touch has no need of a lever on the side of the machine. This combined with the touch screen mean that it's not loaded up with buttons and gauges.
While some will prefer the more tactile nature of other La Specialista options, this interface achieves the goals that the Touch lays out with its name. Just about everything the machine does is controlled by the touchscreen, which we feel is fitting and will give users the experience they're hoping for.
The rest of the machine's visual design maintains this modern, streamlined approach. The brushed nickel finish has the signature DeLonghi shine, and the black furniture and accessories provide a nice contrast. We really like the bit of texture on the end of the portafilter that provides a bit of grip too.
Features
The La Specialista Touch has quite a few features that we find really helpful. For starters, the star of the show is DeLonghi's "Bean Adapt" technology. This optional system will help you to dial in the settings on the machine (including the grinder) over a few shots. It will guide you through initial setup and then provide advice, like adjusting the grind setting, after a shot to try to hit an ideal shot time of 25-30 seconds. This is an incredibly useful feature for those new to home espresso, and it's one that we think makes this machine especially great for new users.
On the steaming side of things, the La Specialista Touch offers manual and automatic steaming modes, which is always welcome. The automated mode has an adjustable rate of air injection that allows you to set the amount of froth you want from your milk. You will still be able to froth better milk manually once you get the hang of it, but the automatic mode here is good and helpful to use as you learn your techniques.
The touchscreen menus on the La Speciliasta provide some great education for new users, fitting with the theme of the Bean Adapt system. While the menus are a bit fiddly, they give you access to a wide range of settings as well as information about these settings to help you learn why you might want to make adjustments in the first place. This is a nice touch that many machines do not provide. You can also easily save your adjustments with the press of a button.
Finally, we want to call out the accessories provided with the machine. The tamper that is included in the La Specialista Touch is unique and works great, but it is especially cool when used with the guide ring that comes with the machine. This ring allows you to calibrate your tamp depending on your basket size to help you remove tamping as a variable when combined with the included tamping mat. We love this touch (no pun intended)!
Using the Machine
Getting up to speed on the La Specialista Touch is much more accessible than on many other similar machines. The Bean Adapt system paired with the information in the menus makes setup and dialing in something you can achieve with very little knowledge and just the tools in the machine's box. This is genuinely impressive!
We do think that you will get less use out of these features if you're already an experienced home barista, so just keep in mind that many of these bells an whistles may not mean much to you if you already know what you're doing.
The workflow on this machine is easy to adapt to, but it's worth noting that the space can feel a bit cramped, but given the machine's relatively small footprint it makes sense and is understandable.
Who's it for?
The DeLonghi La Specialista Touch is a fantastic option for anyone with a budget in its price range looking for their first espresso machine. The built-in grinder and calibrated accessories mean that you can get everything you need for your espresso setup in one purchase, and it will help you get started every step of the way.
This means that this machine makes a great gift for the coffee lover in your family who wants to start making espresso at home too. You'll know that whoever is using this machine can count on guidance and assistance throughout the setup, dialing-in, and brewing process.
This machine is a less compelling option for someone who got up to speed on lower price machines like a Breville Bambino. You may find that for the price you are better off looking at a more performance oriented machine than the La Specialista Touch. If you're ready for a big upgrade and and stretch your budget a bit more, then there's also heat exchangers and other larger machines that might be a better fit for you.
That said, those other upgrade options just don't have the clever assistance and guidance of the La Specialista, so we still think it's an excellent purchase for your first machine.
How do you feel about this entry in the La Specialista line? Let us know in the comments, and check out our video review below to see it in action.