The La Specialista Arte Evo suits most buyers: the Arte's grinder and 15cm-wide-basket build plus cold brew for around $700. The Opera suits anyone who wants more steam power and a bigger tank. The Touch suits anyone who wants automatic milk. The Maestro suits anyone who wants dual heating and automatic milk together, at the top of the range.
All five are manual espresso machines with a built-in conical burr grinder, 15 grind settings, three or more brew temperatures and single-wall baskets. This is De'Longhi's answer to Breville's Barista range, and the steps between models are cleaner than Breville's.
The range at a glance
| Machine | Price | Pump | Water tank | Milk | Cold brew | Temps | Weight | Owner rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arte | $450–500 | 15 bar | 1.7L | Manual | No | 3 | 13kg | 4.7 (6) |
| Arte Evo | $600–700 | 15 bar | 1.7L | Manual | Yes | 3 | 13.3kg | New |
| Opera | $800–900 | 19 bar | 2L | Manual | Yes | 3 | 17.5kg | 4.8 (24) |
| Touch | $1,000–1,100 | 15 bar | 1.8L | Automatic | Yes | 4 | 14.5kg | 4.8 (16) |
| Maestro | $1,200–1,300 | 19 bar, dual heating | 2.5L | Automatic | Yes | 5 | 19.5kg | 4.7 (26) |
All five carry a 180g bean hopper (the Opera and Maestro hold more), 15 grind settings and a two-year warranty. Owner ratings are from The Good Guys; review counts are small across the range because De'Longhi's manual machines sell in far lower numbers than its automatics.
La Specialista Arte
The base model: 28.5cm wide, 1.7-litre tank, 180g hopper, 15 grind settings, three infusion temperatures and a manual My LatteArt steam wand. Comes with a dosing and tamping guide that keeps grinds tidy. Owners at The Good Guys rate it 4.7 from a small pool.
No cold brew and no automatic milk. The tamping guide is a plastic funnel rather than an assisted lever.
What We Like:
- Grinder included at this price
- Three brew temperatures
- Narrower than a Barista Express
What We Don't Like:
- Manual milk, no cold brew
La Specialista Arte Evo
The Arte with cold extraction (a cold brew in under five minutes) and Active Temperature Control, which holds the water temperature steady during the shot. Everything else, including the manual wand, is the Arte. Too new for owner reviews at The Good Guys.
Around $200 more than the Arte for cold brew and a stability feature.
What We Like:
- Cold brew
- Steadier shot temperature
What We Don't Like:
- No owner track record yet
La Specialista Opera
Bigger everything: 19-bar pump, 2-litre tank, 38cm wide, 17.5kg. Cold brew, Bean Adapt (it suggests grind and dose for a new bean), three temperatures, pre-ground option, and a manual wand with more steam pressure behind it. Owners rate it 4.8 from about 25 reviews at The Good Guys.
It is heavy and wide, and the milk is still manual at nearly $900.
What We Like:
- Strongest steam of the manual-wand models
- 2L tank
- Bean Adapt
What We Don't Like:
- 38cm wide, 17.5kg
La Specialista Touch
The one with automatic milk. A 3.5-inch colour touchscreen, Auto Latte Art texturing with cappuccino, flat white, latte and latte macchiato recipes, four brew temperatures, cold brew, a cool-touch wand and a 19-second heat-up. 32cm wide, 14.5kg. Owners rate it 4.8 from about 16 reviews at The Good Guys.
The pump is 15 bar rather than the Opera's 19, and the tank is smaller at 1.8L.
What We Like:
- Automatic milk with recipes
- Touchscreen
- Cool-touch wand
What We Don't Like:
- Smaller tank than the Opera
La Specialista Maestro
Top of the range: a thermoblock plus a second heating system so steam and brew don't fight, 19-bar pump, 2.5-litre tank, five brew temperatures, automatic milk with cappuccino, flat white and latte macchiato recipes, cold brew, and a bigger hopper. 42cm wide, 19.5kg. Owners rate it 4.7 from about 26 reviews at The Good Guys.
Buttons and a dial rather than a touchscreen, and it is the heaviest, widest machine here by a margin.
What We Like:
- Dual heating
- Automatic milk
- 2.5L tank, five temperatures
What We Don't Like:
- 42cm wide, no touchscreen at $1,300
Which step up is worth it
Arte to Arte Evo, about $200. Worth it if you drink cold brew in summer. Otherwise the Arte does the same job.
Arte Evo to Opera, about $170. Worth it for steam power and tank size if bench width isn't a constraint. Not worth it in a narrow kitchen.
Opera to Touch, about $170. Worth it for anyone who doesn't want to learn milk. You give up a little steam pressure and tank capacity and gain the recipes.
Touch to Maestro, about $250. Worth it for dual heating and a big tank in a milk-heavy household. Not worth it if you want the screen.
Against Breville, the Arte lines up with the Barista Express, the Opera with the Barista Pro, the Touch with the Barista Touch and the Maestro somewhere between the Barista Touch Impress and the Dual Boiler.
FAQs
Do the La Specialista machines take pre-ground coffee?
The Opera, Touch and Maestro list a pre-ground option. The Arte and Arte Evo are designed around the built-in grinder.
How wide is each machine?
Arte and Arte Evo 28.5cm, Touch 32cm, Opera 38cm, Maestro 42cm. Measure the bench before choosing an Opera or Maestro.
Is 19 bar better than 15 bar?
Not for espresso, which extracts at about 9 bar; both pumps are regulated down. Where it shows is steam pressure on the manual-wand Opera.
