I’m an ex-barista — and this entry-level De’Longhi bean-to-cup is the best-value espresso machine I’ve tested so far

I test loads of the best espresso machines, so you know it’s a big deal when I proclaim that something is the “best”. But that’s the case with the De’Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo: this is the best-value machine I’ve tested thus far.

So, I know $699 is still an objectively large amount of money, but in the grand scheme of espresso, it’s… kind of not? I’ve tested $1,800 machines without grinders, and I’ve tested $3,000 computerized espresso machines. The Arte Evo is neither of those: it’s a compact yet powerful $700 workhorse.

I love pretty much everything about this machine. Its size, its grinder, its espresso extraction, its powerful steam wand. It’s the best “affordable” bean-to-cup I’ve ever tested. Find out the full story in this De’Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo review.

De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo review: Cheat sheet

• Who is it for? Beginners and enthusiasts alike
• What does it do well? Pretty much everything: delicious coffee, powerful steam wand, great design
• What are its weaknesses? The steam wand is a little low-lying
• Anything else to know? This is the best-value bean-to-cup I’ve ever tested

De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo review: Specs

De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo review: Price & availability

In the U.S., the La Specialista Arte Evo is $699. In the U.K., the La Specialista Arte Evo is £429 at John Lewis. There is a model on Amazon U.K., but it’s an older version, so I’d recommend buying from John Lewis. The Arte Evo has two different models, the cold brew and non-cold brew versions. I tested the non-cold brew version, but the cold brew version is more common nowadays. The non-cold brew version has the product code “EC9155”, and the cold brew version has the product code “EC9255”.

The beautiful yellow model I tested is the TrueStart Edition. This model is available for £449 from TrueStart direct. There’s no difference in the functionality between the standard (so, non-cold brew) and TrueStart models — it’s just an aesthetic difference. Oh, and the fact that the TrueStart Edition comes with four bags of freshly roasted TrueStart coffee. Trust me when I say this artisan coffee was utterly divine. I felt like I reached nirvana with my first sip.

The model I tested doesn’t have De’Longhi’s rapid cold brew tech, but the Arte Evo models linked above do. I’ve tested the cold brew functionality on the La Specialista Opera, and it’s surprisingly good.

As it’s part of De’Longhi’s La Specialista series, the Arte Evo shares a few similarities with its brethren, the La Specialista Opera, La Specialista Touch, and La Specialista Maestro. I’ll go through the differences and which one is best suited for which type of barista.

All the “La Specialista” models are manual machines, meaning you, the barista, can control everything. You can also let the machine take care of things if you so desire.

The La Specialista Opera ($899) has the same cold brew functionality as the La Specialista Arte Evo, but with an added “smart tamping” system that tamps the coffee inside the machine, so you don’t have to get your hands dirty with coffee grounds. This would be the recommended model if you’re short on time, space, or just don’t fancy cleaning up your countertop between uses. I’ve tested the Opera and I loved it.

However, the Arte Evo does come with a tamping collar, so it’s still easier to master tamping than on, say, the Breville Bambino Plus ($499).

The Maestro is the top-of-the-range La Specialista, and has auto milk frothing. This is the most “automatic” model, and would be for the barista happy to spend a lot of money for easier coffee-making.

While $699 is objectively a lot of money, it’s actually a fantastic deal for a bean-to-cup of this caliber. When you consider that the Breville Bambino Plus (my personal favorite compact espresso machine) is $499 and then grinders cost around $200, it’s actually the same price overall as the La Specialista Arte Evo.

De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo review: Design

As you can see from the photos, I tested this gorgeous TrueStart Edition. For readers based in the U.K., I’d recommend grabbing this same model. You get a unique yellow body and four bags of artisan coffee included — that’s a major score if you ask me.

In the U.S., you’ll have to get the standard silver version, but it’s still a good-looking machine. De’Longhi, like Breville, has mastered the premium-for-the-masses aesthetic, and the Arte Evo is no different.

The Arte Evo has a built-in grinder, which I’ll discuss in full below, and a flat space on top for storing the milk jug and tamping collar between uses. On the front of the machine, you’ll find all the brewing controls, like espresso/long black/hot water button, steam wand button, and shot dose button.

As with other machines in the La Specialista range, the Arte Evo has a pressure gauge on the front. This isn’t a true manometer, so it doesn’t actually show the bar-pressure or PSI, but it’s a good visual indicator for beginners. More experienced baristas will find this more of a gimmick, though, as they can likely gauge pressure by eye.

The only qualm I have with this machine is the steam wand. I had the same issue with the La Specialista Opera, so, De’Longhi, if you’re reading this, please rectify this issue on future models.

The steam wand lies quite low on the drip tray. By this, I mean its joint isn’t as flexible as on other machines I’ve used, like the Breville Bambino, Bambino Plus, and De’Longhi Stilosa. Although I could still get a nice vortex in my milk, I found that I had to angle myself weirdly to do so.

Anyway, inflexible steam wand aside, I have nothing else negative to say about the De’Longhi La Specialista Opera. I mean, look at it. It’s utterly gorgeous. Everyone in the office was obsessed with it, and rightfully so. If I were to buy the Arte Evo for myself, I would 100% get the TrueStart Edition.

De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo review: Grinder

Now, coffee nerds will tell you that built-in grinders are inherently inferior to standalone grinders, and I would agree with them. Built-in grinders tend not to be as good as standalone grinders. However, if you’re short on space, time, and money, then a bean-to-cup could be the ideal machine for you.

The Arte Evo grinder has 8 ‘clicks’, which is around thirty to fifty fewer ‘clicks’ than one of the best coffee grinders like the Comandante C40 MK4. Again, this is fine for a built-in grinder, and I doubt that anyone other than espresso purists will be able to taste the difference. The La Specialista Opera’s grinder has 15 clicks, so you’d be able to get more precise grinding with that pricier machine.

I used setting 3 and 4 while testing with my medium-roast triple-origin True Start beans. I found these settings resulted in the best-tasting espresso.

The La Specialista grinders also run based on your pre-set “dose level” rather than a pre-set length of time. You’ll need to experiment to find your optimal dose level for your coffee beans, so be prepared to recalibrate this if you change bean type.

I set my dose level to 10, which resulted in 36g of coffee in 29 seconds. This was the setting that, again, resulted in the best-tasting espresso.

For a built-in grinder, I think the La Specialista Arte Evo is pretty strong. I used my Kruve coffee sifters to measure consistency (if all the coffee granules are the same size or not), and I found that the espresso setting was literally 100% consistent. This means that 100% of the coffee granule size was the same, which results in better-tasting coffee. You don’t want a grinder that grinds coffee grains different sizes, as this means some coffee will be over-extracted, and some will be under-extracted.

I also love the tamping system. Unlike the La Specialista Opera, which tamps your coffee inside the machine using an automatic handle, the La Specialista Arte Evo has a tamping collar and a tamper. This means you can still control the pressure and angle of tamping without making a mess all over your kitchen.

I actually think this is a better tamping system than the Opera, and I need to figure out a way to bring this to my home coffee setup. I’m sick of cleaning coffee grains off my countertop!

For the grinder nerds amongst you, I did a condensed version of my super-scientific grinder analysis on the Arte Evo.

Uniformity

This metric refers to how uniform the grinds are — how many of the grinds are the same size. As this is an espresso machine, I only ran the test for espresso grind size.

This shows that the Arte Evo’s grinder is super uniform, which means it’ll be able to make technically perfect coffee.

Clumping

Although I was really impressed with the grinder’s uniformity, I was a little more put off by the clumping. There were about three big clumps in my 18g dose, which is more than I’d like. However, this is fine for a built-in grinder, and you can easily rectify it with a WDT.

De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo review: Espresso

Right, let’s get into the meat. I know what you’re here for. You’re here because you want to know how the Arte Evo’s coffee actually tastes. The Arte Evo has an “Active Temperature Control”, which, while not a PID controller, still manages water temperature during extraction to ensure your coffee isn’t burned or weak.

Oh boy, it tastes amazing. As I reviewed the gorgeous True Start Edition, I used the English roastery’s speciality beans during testing. Here’s a photo of the espresso I made on the Arte Evo.

The thick, fluffy crema and the honey-colored body are clearly visible in this photo, which is visual proof that this is a perfectly extracted shot. You can also see the deep black heart of the shot, which is where the intense coffee flavor comes from.

This espresso tasted delectable: fruity, caramelly notes danced across my tongue as I took my first sip, and a rich, satisfying amount of strength without bitterness to round it all out.

I pulled 36g of espresso in 29 seconds, which is one second above the “golden window” of extraction, but there was no bitterness in the shot whatsoever. I had to stop and start extraction manually, which some users might find annoying, but I think it’s the perfect way to brew. I used my MHW-3BOMBER Cube Coffee Scale to measure.

This is the ideal machine for beginners who are serious about coffee, as you’ll be able to make barista-quality drinks with very little skill (and I mean that in a positive way).

De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo review: Milk

Now I’ll discuss the steam wand. I was able to craft delicious, technically perfect microfoam worthy of a specialty coffee house, and I’m positive that you will too.

Although the steam wand is a little low-lying, I was still able to get the all-important “vortex” to texturize my milk. Here’s a photo of an oat milk latte I made on the Arte Evo.

As you can see, the milk texture is perfect. Not to, you know, toot my own horn or anything, but I’m pretty proud of this. The bubbles are evenly sized and evenly distributed, and the latte art shows a perfect melted-ice-cream texture.

I found it a little weird that the Arte Evo doesn’t auto-purge, as my Breville Bambino Plus auto-purges after every use. I guess I’m just used to the Bambino Plus by now, but, again, De’Longhi, if you’re listening, please can we have an auto-purge setting in the future?

At the end of the day, for a $699 machine, the steam wand is incredibly powerful. I’m sure that you’ll be able to beat your local barista with a little practice using this steam wand. It can make professional-level dairy and plant-based milk, and takes just a couple of seconds to heat up. I’m majorly impressed with this steam wand.

De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo review: Storage & maintenance

As the La Specialista Arte Evo is a bean-to-cup, it naturally takes up a little more space on your countertop than a non-grinder espresso machine. Just for comparison, the Bambino Plus and Bambino are around 7 inches wide, and the De’Longhi Stilosa is 8 inches wide.

The Arte Evo is 11 inches wide, almost 16 inches tall, and 15 inches deep. This means you’ll obviously need to have a big enough counter space for it to fit, but I’m sure you know that.

We’ve also tested the Diletta Mio and the Breville Oracle Dual Boiler, which are both pretty huge, at 15 inches wide. In comparison, the Arte Evo is positively tiny.

I’ll compare to other models in the La Specialista range: the Opera is 14 inches wide, the Maestro is 16 inches wide, and the Touch is 15 inches wide. As its price may imply, the Arte Evo is certainly the best choice for those tight on space.

In terms of cleaning, De’Longhi usually provides you with a bottle of descaler and some cleaning tablets, but if you lose these or run out, you can easily repurchase them via De’Longhi’s website.

I’d recommend cleaning the drip tray and steam wand after every use, as those areas can quickly get gross. Unfortunately, the grinder isn’t removable, so you might need to get a blower to clean out the burrs.

As with other De’Longhi machines, the Arte Evo has a 1-year warranty, which is less than Breville’s 2-year warranty, but the same as Ninja’s.

De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo review: How does it compare?

Although $699 is objectively a lot of money, for a bean-to-cup espresso machine, it’s actually a fantastic deal. In the U.K., £429 is even better.

The La Specialista range starts with the $699 Arte Evo and goes all the way up to the $1,299 Maestro. If you want an excellent espresso machine for as little money as possible, I’d recommend the Arte Evo over the Opera.

While I love the Opera, and the Touch is our highest-rated machine overall, the Arte Evo saves you $100 and $200, respectively. Consequently, I’d recommend the Arte Evo for beginners or the budget-conscious.

You still get a mess-free tamping system, barista-quality espresso, and a powerful steam wand. You just save a few hundred bucks while doing so.

I’ve tested the $349 Gevi Espresso Machine with Grinder, and it was very meh. The weak steam wand and finicky boiler made the machine more stress than it was worth. I would recommend spending a bit more for the very wow Arte Evo instead.

I have also tried and loved many of Breville’s machines. My personal espresso machine is the Bambino Plus. While I adore this machine, I acknowledge that $499 is a pretty premium price for a machine sans-grinder. If you buy the Bambino Plus and a decent grinder, that’s the $699 MSRP of the Arte Evo.

De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo review: Verdict

The De’Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo is the best-value bean-to-cup money can buy. There’s no doubt in my mind. If you want an espresso machine with a built-in grinder and you want the cheapest one possible, then it’s the Arte Evo or bust.

With a powerful steam wand capable of crafting barista-quality microfoam, a temperature stabilization controller, and a gorgeous retro-yet-modern aesthetic, the La Specialista Arte Evo both looks and performs like a premium model. All for the (comparatively) low price of $699.

This is now my go-to recommendation for all-in-one espresso machines on a budget. I’m a huge fan of the De’Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo.