If the soaring cost of living has you limiting your trips to the local cafe for a $5-plus latte, you may be considering buying a home espresso machine.
Special Buy: the DeLonghi La Specialista Arte EC9155AL. Image: Aldi.
If you’re after a new brewing bestie but you’re on a budget, Aldi’s latest Special Buy may have caught your eye: the DeLonghi La Specialista Arte EC9155AL espresso machine with a built-in grinder.
This semi-automatic model is on sale for $429 from Wednesday 7 October.
Interestingly, at the time of writing, this model isn’t sold on DeLonghi’s Australian site, but it is on their NZ site for $599NZD (approximately $485AUD), discounted from $899NZD (approximately $729AUD).
So if you pick up the machine with your groceries you’d be making some savings, but it’s not a huge difference.
It looks almost identical to the DeLonghi La Specialista Arte EC9155.MB which we’ve tested in our onsite labs, but it’s ever-so-slightly different on the outside.
It also has 15 grind settings rather than 8, and it has a slightly larger water tank.
We can’t tell you whether the one Aldi is selling is exactly the same on the inside as the DeLonghi we’ve tested, but we can give you the rundown on how the EC9155.MB performs to help you decide whether the lookalike version could be worth buying.
Is this type of machine any good?
CHOICE coffee machine experts have assessed hundreds of espresso machines over the years, comparing them side-by-side and giving them scores based on factors such as the flavour of the coffee they produce, how well they froth milk and how easy they are to use.
We’ve tested machines ranging in price from $80 up to many thousands of dollars to help Australians find the perfect coffee machine that fits their needs and budget.
“Manual coffee machines like this allow you to make fresh coffee similar to what you can get at your local cafe,” says CHOICE coffee machine expert Kim Gilmour.
“But the quality of coffee comes down to a number of elements such as the freshness of the coffee beans – and your skills as a home barista, of course.”
How does the DeLonghi La Specialista Arte EC9155.MB rate?
As with any machine, the EC9155.MB which we tested has its good and bad points.
Here’s what we found in our testing.
Good and bad points
Unfortunately, our testers weren’t overly impressed with the La Specialista Arte EC9155.MB, giving it a CHOICE Expert Rating of just 67%.
By comparison, the top manual and semi-automatic machines score 80% and above.
The La Specialista Arte EC9155.MB we tested is slightly different to Aldi’s Special Buys model.
Here’s what they didn’t like about it:
The espresso it makes is nothing to write home about: our experts scored it 60% for taste – that’s just ‘OK’ in our books
It’s very light, so when you’re unlocking and locking the group handle you’ll need to steady it with one hand so it doesn’t move across your bench.
It takes 1 min 40 seconds to froth 200mL of milk, which could feel like an eternity when you’re hanging for your first coffee of the day. Some machines bash out frothed milk in under a minute!
Its milk frothing abilities weren’t bad but they didn’t blow us away – our experts rated it as just ‘good’ for this test, whereas the best machines are rated as ‘very good’ and ‘excellent’
Our expert taste testers (from left): Matthew and David Gee (Barista Basics), and Denis Simione (Samson Coffee House).
But it wasn’t all bad news. Here’s what was good about the machine:
It’ll give you a reminder when the water tank needs refilling.
It has a built-in grinder, so you’ll have freshly ground beans for every cup, which is a big factor in coffee taste
It turns out espressos at consistent temperatures over consecutive cycles
Aside from being lightweight, our experts found it quite easy to work the controls, adjust the grinder, pull an espresso and clean inside and out.
Heat-up time is just 22 seconds, so you won’t need to wait long to get brewing.
You can pre-program the amount of coffee it pours, so you won’t have to eyeball it.
“The DeLonghi machine Aldi is selling has a few improvements over the model we tested, namely the extra grind settings which could affect overall taste,” says Kim.
“Some of the DeLonghis with built-in grinders we’ve recently tested rate 70% or more on taste which could be down to their finer settings.
The DeLonghi machine Aldi is selling has a few improvements over the model we tested, namely the extra grind settings which could affect overall taste
Kim Gilmour, CHOICE expert
“If you’re just looking for a more affordable semi-automatic machine that’ll get you brewing at home so you can save money, we recommend several coffee machines with built-in grinders under the $800 mark, and even more under $500 that deliver better-tasting coffee, although you’ll need to invest in a decent grinder for those.”
It might seem like an afterthought, but a good grinder is a key factor in how good your coffee will be.
“Using freshly ground beans, ground in a conical or flat burr grinder as opposed to a blade grinder, will always give you better results in terms of flavour than using store-bought ground coffee,” says CHOICE coffee machine expert Adrian Lini.
“The type of grind can make a big difference to your coffee: too coarse and the coffee will lack flavour and be thin and watery; too fine and the coffee will taste burnt and bitter.”
The perfect grind is the key to good coffee, says Adrian.
Buying a machine with an inbuilt grinder means you won’t need to pay extra for a separate one – and a good coffee grinder can cost $500 or more, so an inbuilt one is a cheaper option.
“The grinder will likely not be as good as a standalone grinder, but buying a machine with an inbuilt grinder can be a great entry point to practice with different settings and use fresh beans all while having it conveniently in one unit,” says Adrian.
The La Specialista Arte EC9155AL’s inbuilt grinder has 15 settings, which gives finer control over grind size, which could potentially affect coffee extraction and performance.
How to find the perfect coffee machine
If you’re serious about your coffee, Adrian says it’s important to do your research to find a machine that suits not only your budget but your lifestyle, your coffee preferences and your skill level.
“A manual or semi-automatic machine is great if you like to fiddle around with settings to get the perfect cup of coffee, grind your own fresh beans and froth your own milk, but you do need to dedicate some time to learning how to use them properly,” he says.
“Once you get that nailed though, you’ll be able to make great-tasting coffee if you have the right machine.”
If that sounds like too much work, you might be better off choosing an automatic or a capsule machine. Read our coffee machine buying guide for more information on each of the different types of machine.
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Pru Engel is the Audience and Engagement editor at CHOICE. Her job is to ensure as many Australians as possible know about the great work we do at CHOICE.
She works closely with our testers and experts to find the gems of information in our data and research that will resonate with Australian consumers and help them make the best decisions, whether they're purchasing an air fryer, looking for a new mattress or trying to find the cheapest car insurance. She also helps to drive meaningful change for consumers by collaborating with our Campaigns team on content covering issues such as grocery pricing, product safety and scams.
Prior to CHOICE, Pru worked as an editor at many of Australia's leading food and lifestyle titles.
Pru has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Journalism) from the University of Technology, Sydney.
LinkedIn
Pru Engel is the Audience and Engagement editor at CHOICE. Her job is to ensure as many Australians as possible know about the great work we do at CHOICE.
She works closely with our testers and experts to find the gems of information in our data and research that will resonate with Australian consumers and help them make the best decisions, whether they're purchasing an air fryer, looking for a new mattress or trying to find the cheapest car insurance. She also helps to drive meaningful change for consumers by collaborating with our Campaigns team on content covering issues such as grocery pricing, product safety and scams.
Prior to CHOICE, Pru worked as an editor at many of Australia's leading food and lifestyle titles.
Pru has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Journalism) from the University of Technology, Sydney.
LinkedIn
Alice Richard is a Content creator and marketer. Alice writes on a range of topics, from health insurance to heaters and BBQs to bargain-hunting, always with the aim to help consumers find the best products to buy, and which to avoid.
Alice can take vast amounts of data from CHOICE product tests and turn it into content that is easily digestible and fun for readers.
Alice has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland.
Alice Richard is a Content creator and marketer. Alice writes on a range of topics, from health insurance to heaters and BBQs to bargain-hunting, always with the aim to help consumers find the best products to buy, and which to avoid.
Alice can take vast amounts of data from CHOICE product tests and turn it into content that is easily digestible and fun for readers.
Alice has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland.
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