La Specialista Arte opens the range of semi-automatic coffee makers at Delonghi. Like its elders, it invites us to play baristas and even pushes the concept even further by forcing us to pack the coffee ourselves after grinding.
Compact, simple and well finished, it has everything necessary to make the user an apprentice barista in the rules of the art. With this machine, it is fun to get into the game, even if the tamping work requires a certain amount of help. It is finally because it is full of tips and accessories that maintenance can be complex. Still, this very good coffee maker is intended for a niche of amateurs and will not suit those who want their coffee to flow at the touch of a button.
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The Delonghi Specialista Maestro is not perfect. Certain aspects of a machine sold all the same for 1299 € when it was launched make us wince, such as the plastic parts or sometimes a little tight finishing qualities which result in play on the wheels on the front or on the Smart arm Tamping. But above all, the blocking system of the filter on its support has not evolved, which was already one of the very big weak points of the first Specialista of the name. Nevertheless, it is just as friendly as its elder and it retains its main qualities, such as ease of maintenance or the pleasure one feels in playing baristas without effort. The few extra milk recipes make it even easier to use without purists feeling aggrieved since it is quite possible to disengage the machine for a manual experience from A to Z.