La Specialista Opera Espresso Machine with Coffee Grinder

I absolutely love my De’Longhi La Specialista Prestige! The espresso shots are rich, the build quality feels premium, and it looks stunning on my counter. Setup was straightforward and the results have been consistently impressive. The only thing I’m still working on is getting the milk frother right. I haven’t quite nailed the perfect foam yet, and I think it might be because I’m using 1% milk — not enough fat to get that thick, creamy microfoam. Something I plan to experiment with! Overall, this machine is a total winner and I’d recommend it to anyone looking to level up their home coffee game. ☕

I enjoy this machine so much. The lack of being able to remove the bean canister holder does not bother me when I take everything else into consideration. I hope with proper maintenance that this machine and brand live up to its long standing reputation of use for years to come. I’ve given up the box chain coffee shop and buying coffee creamer. I also appreciate that this machine offers the capability of a simple cup of coffee, for company who can’t handle espresso shot caffeine strength. There is a slight learning curve, but worth it to me. The two instruction manuals are amazing. One is color and both have pictures. Complete guide, walk through, with tips/suggestions. I enjoy seeing beans like a coffee shop. I appreciate how the steam wand doesn’t burn your fingers if touched. All temperatures work well. The machine feels sturdy. Highly recommend this espresso machine.

The grinder on this loves to jam. It worked great for me for about two weeks. It makes great espresso if you buy a separate grinder. It is now jammed. The bin does not come off, even though there are videos that show it being removable. I have been going back and forth with the manufacturer, and they keep telling me to clean it out with a vacuum and try to clear it by adjusting the grinder size. The customer service keeps bouncing me from agent to agent, and I have to explain the issue all over again. The only way to clear the grinder is to tip the thing upside down, which means emptying the water bin. It is heavy and a real challenge to do. I liked the machine, and it has a lot of nice features. The cold brew was really good, but I canno trecomened a machine that is constantly jammed. I have been through all of their troubleshooting steps with them and no resolution. It has been a week working with them.

Wife loves it

If you are hesitant about getting it? DONT! It’s the best purchase ever!

We spent a long time debating what type of espresso machine to get. We wanted something that was overall simple to use, but not a complete "push a button to make a latte" type of machine. And of course, decently affordable. We've been using this machine for a few months now, and I have no regrets. It offers many options for customizing the grind to achieve the perfect balance based on the beans you're using. We've tried almost every brew setting, and it consistently produces excellent coffee. It's been easy to use and maintain, and I get to enjoy a coffee shop grade latte every morning.

Update after one year: Still love this unit! My only significant complaint is that the labels on the control panel just rub off!!! This started within the first month and they come off just from mild hand use and not cleaning. I have not cleaned the control panel for fear that all labels will rub off. It is like theynused temporary rub on label decals! This cost a star as I have had to look in the manual to understand what the lights mean. Original review: This is an amazing step up from prior espresso machines. But also a great step up in price. Some people seem to feel like it takes time to get a balance between grind size and fill time but I have had no problem after the first week. I have been using this since January 2025 and it has worked flawlessly. It comes with cleaning materials both for cleaning scale and tablets for cleaning the water path for the coffee. The diagnostics let you know when this service is necessary however I believe they’re based strictly on runtime and not necessity. Regardless, if you have very good water, that’s not hard then I recommend you follow the instructions for changing the time length for the warning for descaling. After six months, I finally got the indicator for cleaning the water path for the coffee. Only two tabs were provided. I searched all over Amazon for more of the tabs from Di’Longhi but could not find any. I also recommend that you just purchase the materials from Di’Longhi to care for your espresso machine and not use knock offs. I think you will find that the normal size supplies are large enough to last at least a year or two and thus worth the price. The built in grinder and tamper are what give you consistently good coffee. There is nothing negative that I can add. But the only surprise is that the labeling for the OK button seems to be just coming off of the plate surprising for such a short period of time. It appears that this is the silk screened without any engraving for the paint This machine comes with everything you need to make many kinds of coffee to maintain the machine and to make cold brew, which I have not tried. It has smarts but still in many respects is a manual machine when it comes to operation. I highly recommend it. I have had Krups and Braun machines in the same price range if you adjust for inflation. Both of these machines still work, but they never produced quite the quality of brew or steam.

So amazing and I recommend it 100% the coffee comes out incredible and super creamy!!! This is for people that like to have full control on the machine and more hands on. For example if you would like to make a cappuccino or a latte, you will need to experiment with the frother and figure out how you like your foam. This machine is on the heavier side as it’s all sturdy stainless steel. If you would like something more press and go, I would suggest the de longhi magnifica as its more automatic!

I used a Nespresso machine using original pods for 6 years. Recently the pod prices have gone up crazy and I decided to buy an espresso machine. Since the machines are expensive for me I researched for 2 weeks and bought this one. I have never used a manual espresso machine before so I was struggling to find the right taste of coffee for me. I wasted almost half of a bag of coffee beans. I am not 100% sure this coffee tastes better than the Nespresso pod but I am sure that the espresso cool and cold brew is soooo good. I will buy another coffee bean next time and try if the taste is way different. I like that I can use hot water from this. The milk frother is also good. I can make hot milk pretty fast and easy to use. So far so good.

Espectacular! Tengo un mes con ella y hacemos entre 5 y 8 cafés diarios. Es fácil de usar. Al principio estaba entre una automática y esta, pero usé la automática en casa de un conocido y no me gustó, parece más endeble y siento que las partes de la construcción pueden dar más lata. La siento más de plástico toda y esta es más robusta y aunque tiene varios sensores que posiblemente a futuro pueden dar lata. En cuanto a construcción es muy buena. Antes de comprarla pensé que sería complicado enseñarle a mi esposa a espumar la leche por lo que compré un espumador aparte. Hoy me di cuenta que no se necesita. Es demasiado fácil y nada complejo y fácilmente aprendieron a usarlo en casa. Es espectacular y con la configuración de fábrica está perfecto para tazas y estándares. Solo ajusta la cantidad de café y listo. Y para los carajillos es una excelente opción la del face frío. Quedan muy buenos. Mi suegro tiene una de gama un poquito más baja y mi cuñada la especialista de hace dos años y todas son excelentes pero esta nos encantó!

I didn’t think I could switch from a Breville and be happy with an espresso machine, but this was on a good sale and this model “fixed” all the complaints in reviews of the previous versions of it. So wow, what a difference in making an excellent morning espresso and having little to no mess! My Breville grinder in machine always spewed grinds somewhere on the counter and what it didn’t spill I did during tamping. This machine is so much easier to keep the counter clean and to date every cup has been great! Just beginning to explore all the options of cold brews etc, the tea option for a quick cup of boiling water also great. DeLonghi has won me over! Great machine!

Es una de las mejores compras que he hecho, la cafetera funciona perfecto, prepara excelentes bebidas. El manual es complicado de entender a pesar de que viene en distintos idiomas, en línea solo encuentras cosas en ingles, tómalo en cuenta si no sabes el idioma. Es importante tener en cuenta los sedimentos del agua que utilizas debido a que van dos ocasiones que al hacer un cambio de agua común me enciendo el indicador de descalcificación. Para terminar espero que siga funcionando en buen estado el molino, ya que he leído que es lo más posible que llegue a bajar su rendimiento de forma temprana.

Antes de que llegara la cafetera hice la cancelación el mismo día que la pedí, a pesar de eso me la mandaron y me comuniqué con Amazon y me dieron el teléfono de la empresa D Longhi, que nunca contestó, ni me mandan factura, ni nada, además es muy complicada para usarla, por favor no la compren, podrían tener una experiencia como la mía