The best espresso machines come in all shapes and sizes. Remarkably, my espresso machine — the De'Longhi La Specialista Opera — is Tom's Guide's number one espresso machine. It's the best overall — an almighty title, worthy of a fantastic, impeccable coffee machine.
The La Specialista Opera is all of those things — fantastic, impeccable, the best — but even though these accolades are true and correct, I just don't think it's the machine for me anymore.
Yes, it makes delicious coffee, and yes, it looks like an absolute treat. However, I think I jumped the gun and got the machine I was most excited about, rather than the one that suited me the best. I'll discuss why and what I wish I'd gotten instead: a hint, it includes a Breville espresso machine, because, of course, it does.
It starts with a Breville, and ends with a Bambino Plus
I know, how typical of me. I do love my De'Longhi, but my heart absolutely yearns for a Breville Bambino Plus. Why, you ask? Because, for starters, it's just 7 inches wide compared to my La Specialista Opera's 14, and 11 pounds to the Opera's 28 pounds.
I have a small kitchen, and I had to buy a freestanding kitchen unit, which cost me approximately $130. If I'd just gotten the Bambino Plus, I would've saved that extra dough.
Mean, bean, grinding machine
The size isn't the only reason I wish I'd bought the Bambino Plus, though. Although the La Specialista Opera's built-in grinder is fine, it's not as good as a standalone grinder, and it never will be.
There's a reason the best coffee grinders are just grinders, and not grinders inside other things, because something trying to do one thing is better than something else trying to do two things at once.
This is the grinder I would recommend over my built-in one.
Recently, I've been craving having to work for my coffee. When I grind beans by hand, I feel like I've earned my beverage. No? Just me.
There are so many reasons why the Comandante C40 MK4 is a perfect coffee grinder. It's stylish, features martensitic stainless steel conical burrs (the same material used in surgical instruments), and grinds beans like nothing else.
With the $400 savings on the smaller, cheaper Bambino Plus, I'd get this grinder.
But I've still got money left over
As the Breville Bambino Plus is $499 and the Comandante C40 MK4 is $282, that means I still have $118 left to play with. I would either buy lots of specialty coffee beans (or get a bean subscription) or I'd get some accessories.
Realistically, I'd probably get the $49 Wacaco Exagram Pro scale to make sure I'm extracting espresso at the perfect 1:2 ratio and in the golden window of extraction, 25-28 seconds. It's the best coffee scale, in terms of value.
Because the De'Longhi La Specialista Opera has a smart tamping system that tamps internally, it's great for a mess-free coffee routine. However, I'd happily clean up extra mess for better-tasting coffee. As a result, I'd probably get the Normcore tamper, $49 at Amazon, which has a spring that automatically applies pressure.
After all that, I've still got $20 left — just enough to get a bag of nice specialty coffee to hand-grind in my Comandante C40 MK4, and pull perfect espresso in my Breville Bambino Plus.
Don't get me wrong. The De'Longhi La Specialista Opera is a fantastic espresso machine, and it deserves its title as the best overall machine. However, it's probably not the right one for me.
I have a really small kitchen, so I should've gotten a smaller setup. On top of that, I am definitely a DIY-style barista, so I want to be innately involved with every part of the espresso brewing routine.
If you want a quick, reliable and high-quality machine, then the La Specialista Opera is for you. However, if you need to save space and you want to grind beans by hand, then the Bambino Plus + C40 MK4 setup is more your style. (And mine!)
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