Daily Dose of Early-Morning Adoration
Coffee Machine Review: DeLonghi's La Specialista Opera Espresso Machine
Been a while since my old, cheap espresso machine packed it in. Some nonsense with a seal, causing it to drip way too much water after each shot. My wife and I have been making do with regular coffee since, but I've got a hankering for those double shots.
Enter the luxurious DeLonghi La Specialista Opera Espresso Machine with Cold Brew. It's Italian, it's sleek, and it promises perfectly ground and tamped shots every time. I can't say no to that, right?
This machine features a burr grinder with 15 settings, ensuring your beans are finely tuned for the best taste. Plus, it comes with a built-in tamping lever for consistent extraction. And let's not forget about the optimized water temperature - DeLonghi knows its stuff. Speaking of which, this beauty offers cold extraction for cold brew and espresso in under five minutes with a simple button press.
Before even unboxing this beast, I hit up the DeLonghi website for an interactive tutorial on making the perfect espresso. Convenient, huh?
Upon opening the box, I gave the removable parts a quick clean and was ready to rock. First up, grinding some beans and tamping them into the portafilter basket. There are options for single and double shots here, as well as pressurized and non-pressurized baskets for different preferences. I followed the included guidelines for grind size and went for it. The brewing side was next, and with a click of the espresso button, out came a shot that made my taste buds dance. I played around with the grind settings, and honestly, it seemed to taste even better. Local coffee shop, watch out.
Now came the big test: my wife's morning coffee. She said the first cup was nice but a tad different from her usual. So I tweaked the grind size a touch and served her an Americano for her second cup. Boom - she was smitten. Two cups, and I've found the winning formula for us both.
Tomorrow, I'm giving the "Espresso Cool" a go - DeLonghi's take on a refreshing, velvety coffee drink perfect for summer mornings. But first, I've got latte art to master. This bad boy comes with all the tools I need to create barista-quality designs. Plus, it handles thinner plant-based milks like a boss.
On the aesthetics front, the La Specialista Opera is a timeless, stainless steel beauty that takes pride of place on the countertop. It's no lightweight, either – it weighs 28.1 pounds and stands 17.5 inches tall. And let's face it, nothing makes the kitchen feel more welcoming than a coffee machine like this!
Wanna make Espresso Cool at home?
- Use room temperature water to brew at high pressure.
- Choose a finer grind suitable for espresso using the built-in grinder.
- Evenly tamp the coffee using the Smart Tamping Station.
- Initiate the brewing process with the portafilter in place.
- Pour the Espresso Cool over ice in a glass.
DeLonghi's La Specialista Opera Espresso Machine - say goodbye to your local coffee shop!
- DeLonghi's La Specialista Opera Espresso Machine, with its built-in grinder and tamping lever, ensures consistent espresso extraction and optimal temperature for a delightful cup, even exempting cold brew in under five minutes.
- Differing from my previous machine, the DeLonghi La Specialista Opera Espresso Machine's optimized water temperature and adjustable grind size produce flavorful espresso shots that have my taste buds dancing with delight.
- Incorporating DeLonghi's La Specialista Opera Espresso Machine's features to create Espresso Cool at home requires the use of room temperature water, a finer grind suitable for espresso, proper tamping, and brewing in the machine before pouring over ice in a glass, exemplifying the mastery of barista-quality beverages at home.
