Grinder
Built-in grinder with 15 grind settings; beans or pre-ground coffee can be used.
Espresso machines · EC9155
EC9155
The La Specialista Arte is a compact manual espresso machine with a built-in 15-setting grinder, a 15-bar pump with thermoblock heating, three temperature settings and a manual steam wand, sold with a barista kit and tamping guide.
15 bar1400 W220-240 V
21 original reviews to read 4 video summaries Good to know
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The La Specialista Arte is a compact manual espresso machine with a built-in 15-setting grinder, a 15-bar pump with thermoblock heating, three temperature settings and a manual steam wand, sold with a barista kit and tamping guide. UK owners praise the coffee, the looks and how tidy it is to use once dialled in, which makes it a popular first step into proper espresso. Expect a learning curve: the instructions are thin, and the steam wand takes practice, with some finding it weak or noisy. A minority report leaks or failed parts within the first year, and long-term reliability is not independently established. It suits people who want hands-on espresso and milk drinks without a separate grinder. If you want one-touch drinks, very hot coffee or tall mugs, consider other options.
Before you buy
What the features mean in everyday use.
Built-in grinder with 15 grind settings; beans or pre-ground coffee can be used.
15-bar pump with a thermoblock heater, 1400 W, three coffee temperature settings (Active Temperature Control) and three preset recipes: espresso, Americano and hot water.
Milk is steamed manually with a steam wand; there is no automatic milk system or milk temperature/texture setting.
Supplied with a barista kit: tamper and tamping mat, dosing and tamping guide, stainless steel milk jug and 1- and 2-shot single-wall baskets.
About 40 cm high, 27.5 cm wide and 36.5 cm deep, weighing 9.76 kg; maximum cup height under the spouts is 120 mm and there is no cup warmer.
Coffee quality is the most praised point among UK store reviewers, with several comparing it to coffee-shop drinks; a trained barista reviewer called it impressive and simple to use.
Many owners find it easy to use once set up, but a large share describe a learning curve: dialling in grind and dose by trial and error, often with help from online videos.
Several John Lewis reviewers say the supplied instructions are too basic for setting up grind and dose.
A minority of reviewers report faults within months to about a year: water leaking from the base, the milk frother or bean sensor failing, a broken pressure gauge after descaling, or the machine stopping altogether. Some also complained about repair turnaround.
Milk steaming splits opinion. Many like the steam wand, but some found it weak, noisy or hard to get silky milk from.
Owners frequently praise the looks and the compact footprint. A few note the brushed steel finish marks easily, and Stuff found the metal top tray scratched.
A few users want hotter coffee or say it suits small cups better than large mugs; T3's hands-on found the coffee 'decidedly lukewarm'.
Owners in hard-water areas report frequent descaling prompts. One reviewer found the grinder very loud, another notes the grinder cannot be taken apart to clean, and several call the machine easy to clean.
One Amazon UK reviewer says the supplied tamper was plastic rather than metal and broke within three uses.
Stuff scored it 5/5 ('A sleek, premium, easy to use bean to cup machine that makes excellent coffee'). Its cons were a metal drain mat that scratches easily, a knock box sold separately and a pressure gauge without numbers. Which? has tested the EC9155.MB but its score is behind a paywall.
Sold in the UK by De'Longhi direct, Amazon.co.uk, John Lewis, Argos and Currys, in black, white, green, yellow and blue (blue is an online exclusive at De'Longhi).
Opinions on value vary: some reviewers call it good value, while one Argos reviewer felt it was no better than cheaper machines for the price.
A newer La Specialista Arte Evo (EC9255.M), with a cold brew function, is sold alongside it.
Applies to the model family
Milk is steamed manually with a steam wand; there is no automatic milk system or milk temperature/texture setting.
Supplied with a barista kit: tamper and tamping mat, dosing and tamping guide, stainless steel milk jug and 1- and 2-shot single-wall baskets.
About 40 cm high, 27.5 cm wide and 36.5 cm deep, weighing 9.76 kg; maximum cup height under the spouts is 120 mm and there is no cup warmer.
Coffee quality is the most praised point among UK store reviewers, with several comparing it to coffee-shop drinks; a trained barista reviewer called it impressive and simple to use.
Many owners find it easy to use once set up, but a large share describe a learning curve: dialling in grind and dose by trial and error, often with help from online videos.
Several John Lewis reviewers say the supplied instructions are too basic for setting up grind and dose.
A minority of reviewers report faults within months to about a year: water leaking from the base, the milk frother or bean sensor failing, a broken pressure gauge after descaling, or the machine stopping altogether. Some also complained about repair turnaround.
Milk steaming splits opinion. Many like the steam wand, but some found it weak, noisy or hard to get silky milk from.
Owners frequently praise the looks and the compact footprint. A few note the brushed steel finish marks easily, and Stuff found the metal top tray scratched.
A few users want hotter coffee or say it suits small cups better than large mugs; T3's hands-on found the coffee 'decidedly lukewarm'.
Owners in hard-water areas report frequent descaling prompts. One reviewer found the grinder very loud, another notes the grinder cannot be taken apart to clean, and several call the machine easy to clean.
One Amazon UK reviewer says the supplied tamper was plastic rather than metal and broke within three uses.
Stuff scored it 5/5 ('A sleek, premium, easy to use bean to cup machine that makes excellent coffee'). Its cons were a metal drain mat that scratches easily, a knock box sold separately and a pressure gauge without numbers. Which? has tested the EC9155.MB but its score is behind a paywall.
Sold in the UK by De'Longhi direct, Amazon.co.uk, John Lewis, Argos and Currys, in black, white, green, yellow and blue (blue is an online exclusive at De'Longhi).
Opinions on value vary: some reviewers call it good value, while one Argos reviewer felt it was no better than cheaper machines for the price.
A newer La Specialista Arte Evo (EC9255.M), with a cold brew function, is sold alongside it.
Applies to the model family
User experience
See the common points first, then read the original reviews yourself.
Summarised from the 117 reviews we read. A review can mention several points, so the theme counts can add up to more than 117.
UK owners mostly rate the coffee highly, often comparing it to coffee-shop drinks, and like the retro looks, compact footprint and the tamping guide that keeps dosing tidy. It is generally seen as a good first manual espresso machine, but expect a learning curve: grind and dose need dialling in, and many say the supplied instructions are too basic, so they relied on online videos. The steam wand splits opinion: plenty make good latte milk, while others find it weak, noisy or hard to get silky milk from. A minority report faults within months to about a year, mainly water leaking from the base, the frother or bean sensor failing, or the machine stopping altogether, and some were unhappy with repair times. Smaller complaints are coffee not hot enough, low cup clearance for big mugs, a loud grinder, frequent descaling in hard-water areas and steel that marks easily.
Summarised from 117 reviews; 4 reviews about delivery, packaging or the seller were left out. The summary is drawn from opinions that recur in the reviews read; each theme shows how many reviews mention it. These counts are not a rate and do not apply to every unit.
117 unique reviews: John Lewis 90 (all, via API pages 1-5), Amazon.co.uk EC9155.BK listing 12 (8 UK + 4 Saudi, on-page duplicates removed), Amazon EC9155.MB listing 5 (Australian), Argos 10 (newest). Currys text not read. Theme counts were hand-tallied by store (John Lewis counts approximate) and summed. Off-topic excluded: 3 gift-only and 1 used-item/packaging complaint.
21 original reviews can be listed on this page. The number of reviews analysed may differ.
V*** 5/5 16 October 2026 Amazon Colour Name: Metal Black
The De’Longhi La Specialista Arte is a lovely espresso machine, although I have to admit it takes a bit of getting used to at first. There is a little bit of a learning curve, especially if you are new to making coffee this way, but once you get to grips with how everything works, it really is a great machine. …
M*** 5/5 23 September 2026 Amazon Colour Name: Metal Black
Took a while to learn to make a perfect cappuccino, lovely machine perfect for me as I love my coffee
C*** G*** 3/5 26 August 2026 Amazon Colour Name: Metal Black
Loved this but one year on and it no longer works. In process of negotiating with manufacturer.
A*** C*** 4/5 3 August 2026 Amazon Colour Name: Metal Black
- the grinder is sooooo loud, or maybe it's just me, but it wakes my son everytime I use it. …
L*** 5/5 15 January 2026 Amazon Colour Name: Metal Black
I especially love the milk frother wand - literally make it as if you have cream on top of your latte! The milk jug that comes with it, is perfect - though we did also buy another larger one so I can do x2 lattes at one time. …
S*** C*** 1/5 3 April 2025 Amazon Colour Name: Metal Black
The machine itself is great—brewing delicious coffee with ease. Setup is a breeze, and operating it feels effortless. However, the product description claims it includes a Metal Tamper. In reality? That so-called “metal” is flimsy plastic. And worse, by the time I made my third cup of coffee, the tamper had already broken. …
d*** 5/5 20 September 2023 Amazon Colour Name: Metal Black
I have had this a few months now, it looks great, it makes great coffee (around 6 per day), its simple to clean and all round I am very pleased with it.
A*** 5/5 3 August 2026 John Lewis
Really enjoying it, simple and easy to use! introduced via a friend, who has one for the last 3 years.
a*** 1/5 9 May 2026 John Lewis
…after only a few months of extremely light use (roughly two coffees a day), both the milk frother and the coffee bean sensor stopped working properly. …
k*** 4/5 3 January 2026 John Lewis
…really complicated to set up and the very basic instructions included are not very clear. … The steam wand for the milk is also very noisy.
2*** 1/5 11 December 2025 John Lewis
The milk frother does not froth the milk. Raised issue with De Longhi but no response yet. I will be returning this item.
A*** 5/5 18 October 2025 John Lewis
I am a trained barista who has worked in many coffee shops over the years, and this really is an impressive and simple to use semi automatic machine. Out of the box it poured a great coffee with only very slight grind adjustments and guided by useful De'longhi videos online. The milk steamer is easy to use and make consistent latte milk, and the build quality is excellent. …
T*** 2/5 11 September 2025 John Lewis
After every use water was leaking from underneath, and we found it hard to create silky milk with the steam wand. Luckily we were able to return, and we've upgraded to the EC9455.M which has been fantastic.
H*** 1/5 26 January 2025 John Lewis
Having used this machine for a week, it was leaking water from the base of the machine with every single use right from the beginning. Have only been offered repair despite having major mistrust for the manufacturing of this item. …
m*** 3/5 5 February 2024 John Lewis
The machine is good for small cups of coffee however if you wish to have a normal size cup it is not the best. Somewhat disappointed in what the machine is able to do
R*** 1/5 13 August 2023 John Lewis
…I previously owned a Sage which served me well. Foolishly bought this to replace it. It didn't last a year and now I'm stuck in the cycle of trying to repair it. Buy a Sage instead.
A*** 4/5 24 May 2026 Argos
The coffee machine is brilliant. It grinds coffee very well . Makes the tastiest coffee ever! Very happy with my purchase
T*** 4/5 19 May 2026 Argos
Bought after researching several machines. Very happy with purchase
A*** 4/5 2 April 2026 Argos
Had it a month.Took a while to get used to it
J*** 2/5 22 December 2025 Argos
For the someone who knows coffee this machine is not perfect and suitable very weak steam pressure, …
E*** 5/5 29 September 2025 Argos
Product is easy to use, to clean and to descale.
No reviews match this choice.
See it in use
Read the summaries; tap a moment to watch the video from that second.
4 videos · Timestamped summary
YouTube · Review
The De'Longhi La Specialista Arte is a capable all-in-one espresso machine that comes complete with useful accessories such as single-walled baskets, a quality tamper, and a hands-free grinding funnel. It features a fast heat-up time thanks to its dual thermoblock system, along with a commercial-style steam wand suitable for latte art. However, it is largely made of plastic, lacks a three-way solenoid valve, offers only eight grind settings, and has a non-removable bean hopper.
YouTube · Review
The presenter highlights three major recurring issues reported by owners of the De'Longhi La Specialista Arte: defective selector switches, malfunctioning pressure gauges, and grinder jams that require disassembling the entire machine to clear. Viewers experiencing these issues are advised to return the machine under warranty or consider alternative options like the Breville Barista Express.
YouTube · Review
The De'Longhi La Specialista Arte is a stylish, manual espresso machine with a compact footprint, quiet operation, and an innovative 5-minute cold brew feature. However, the tall water container may be awkward to fill under certain kitchen taps, and double doses can easily overfill the portafilter. It is best suited to coffee lovers who enjoy a manual, experimental brewing routine rather than a one-touch automatic experience.
YouTube · Review
The De'Longhi La Specialista Arte looks like a great home barista setup with a solid accessory kit, fast heat-up time, and an impressive dedicated long black function. However, it is let down by its built-in grinder, which only has eight settings that lack consistency between steps and cannot easily be dismantled for cleaning. The pressure gauge also acts more like a gimmick than an informative tool.
Video summaries and timestamps were taken from the videos with AI (Gemini); the video itself is the source.
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Technical information with its source.
Where the information comes from, by type; each finding also links its own source.
This page is compiled from manufacturer, store, review and video sources; every piece of information links to the source it was read from. Technical values are as stated by the manufacturer or store; user experiences are summarised from the reviews read and do not apply to every unit. We do not test products ourselves.