The De’Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo is the “evolution” of one of De’Longhi’s best-selling coffee machines in recent years: La Specialista Arte.
This “new” model adds the cold brew recipe thanks to the use of Cold Extraction technology that De’Longhi has already been using in other super-automatic coffee machines from the company.
Earlier I put new in quotes, because in appearance this Specialista Arte Evo is exactly a replica of its predecessor, with the same design, same dimensions, same weight. Also in the bulk of the specifications. Let’s take a look at them and then dive into the review.
De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo
 | disponible | in Amazon |
| Power | 1550W |
| Pump | 15 bars |
| Heating system | Thermoblock |
| Grinder | Stainless steel conical |
| Grinding levels | 8 |
| Portafilters and filters | 2 of 54 mm, non-pressurized |
| Control panel | Analog |
| Programmed recipes | Espresso, cold brew, americano |
| Manometer |  |
| Steam wand | Adjustable, 1 hole |
| Water tank | 1.7 liters |
| Independent hot water outlet | |
| Size | 28.5 x 36.5 x 40.2 cm |
| Weight | 9.3 Kg |
About La Specialista Arte, I read some criticisms regarding its control panel, which was labeled as not very intuitive. The truth is that I love it, especially for having a dedicated button to choose between three extraction temperatures. Thus, you can select the highest temperature with lightly roasted coffee beans, and the lowest temperature with darker roasts, without having to look at the instruction manual every now and then to see how to change the temperature through strange button combinations.
The dial for selecting programmed beverages seemed very curious to me in the original Specialista Arte, and after trying it in the Specialista Arte Evo, I also find it practical and smart. Why? Because it results in a cleaner control panel, with fewer buttons: you simply select the beverage on the dial and then, with the corresponding button, choose whether you want one or two cups of that beverage. Easy, intuitive, convenient.
The other dial, the one for the grinding dose, is less intuitive. This type of selector is common in coffee machines of this range and price, and this one is no different. Unfortunately, the numbers it has marked are just a guide. The best approach, as always, is to add to the grinder hopper only the amount of coffee beans you’re going to use for your drink and run the grinder until they’re all ground.
There’s been a lot of chatter about the grinder on these De’Longhi Specialista coffee machines. Some say it’s the same for all models, and it doesn’t have many settings. Others claim it doesn’t grind very finely and can’t be extracted. The latter is true, and it’s one of the few downsides of the machine. It’s also true that, at first, eight settings might seem a bit limited. But after trying it, I can say that it’s not true that it doesn’t grind fine. At levels 1 and 2, this grinder grinds fine enough to use specialty coffee beans recently roasted.
In fact, one of the things that surprised me the most about this De’Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo is how easy it is to calibrate and dose the espresso. I only needed two tests to achieve an espresso with a 1:2 ratio in just over 20 seconds and with the manometer right in the center, within the optimal pressure range. This is something unusual.
As a result, I achieved a fantastic espresso, and most importantly, consistently. That consistency is the key to this Specialista Arte Evo: it extracts a great coffee time and again, regardless of the coffee beans you use, and relatively easily.
The barista kit that comes with the machine helps. It consists of a mat, a tamper, and a dosing funnel, three of the recommended accessories for every good home barista. None of them stand out for supreme quality, neither in construction nor in material quality, but it’s better to have them than not, and they are a clear help in preventing ground coffee from falling outside the filter, leveling it, and tamping it.
Of course, the great quality of the espresso is also due to two other factors: the only two filters that come are not pressurized, and it is noticeable that the pump this coffee machine uses is good, basically because at no point during extraction are there sudden peaks or drops in pressure, as happens with other express coffee machines of this type but cheaper.
The surprise at the good results achieved with the Specialista Arte Evo has continued with the cold brew. First of all, it should be clarified that what the coffee machine does is not a cold brew in the strict sense, although it comes close. Essentially, a cold extraction is performed, at very low pressure and much more slowly. For all this, it is advisable to grind coarser: you have to modify the grinding setting and put it between levels 6 and 8.
The result is surprisingly good. The key to cold brew, most of the time, is getting the coffee variety and the grind size right, but De’Longhi makes it quite easy with a fairly forgiving technical execution in both aspects, achieving a very decent cold brew in all the tests I have done.
Something that also surprised me is the power of the steam wand. In fact, it seemed even too powerful, and it’s tricky to get the hang of it at first. Contrary to what is usually recommended when frothing milk, with the Specialista Arte Evo it is advisable to submerge the tip of the steam wand a little more in the milk at the start to avoid injecting too much air, which could give us foam with larger bubbles and a denser texture than recommended.
The steam wand moves well laterally, but greater vertical mobility is missed, and the angle at which we can place the tip is somewhat limited. Undoubtedly, the best thing about this steam wand is that it doesn’t get very hot externally, so the milk doesn’t stick and it is incredibly easy to clean with a damp cloth.
The last recipe is for an americano coffee. There is not much mystery here, and the De’Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo prepares the americano as it should, serving 35 ml of espresso and then 85 ml of water to fill 120 ml, a quantity quite close to how americano coffee is usually served.
Speaking of quantities. The volume that comes programmed is 35 ml for a single espresso and 70 ml for a double espresso, 120 ml for a one-cup americano and 240 ml for a two-cup, and 110 ml for a single cold brew and 180 ml for a double. These quantities can be reprogrammed by holding the OK button for 3 seconds and then pressing it again when we reach the new desired amount.
My final verdict on the De’Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo
I liked it so much that this Specialista Arte Evo can be part of my recommended express coffee machines without any problem, except that its predecessor, the Specialista Arte, is already among them. Here an interesting dilemma arises about which one to choose. The truth is that the Specialista Arte Evo only has the addition of cold brew, and just for that addition, De’Longhi is charging you 200$ more.
Therefore, there is no doubt that, unless you are a regular cold brew consumer, the Specialista Arte is a more logical purchase with a better quality-price ratio. The only thing I fear is that De’Longhi will soon discontinue the Specialista Arte to keep only the Arte Evo. I say this because for months I have been seeing that there is no stock of the Specialista Mini Arte in many online stores, and often that is a sign that they have stopped manufacturing that product. It does seem that it is still being sold in the official De’Longhi store, and also in striking colors, like yellow or green.
In any case, you may want to consider alternatives from other brands. The most obvious is the Breville’s the Barista Express, a coffee machine that is often compared with the Specialista Arte. The most popular coffee machine from Breville is more expensive than the Specialista Arte, but it is very close in price to the Specialista Arte Evo. So, it all depends on whether you are going to prepare cold brew. Either way, this Specialista Arte Evo is a very good coffee machine that I absolutely recommend buying.
