Our comparison of the Breville Barista Express vs Delonghi La Specialista will help you decide which of these espresso machines is the more worthy option. This is the answer for those who don’t have time to read an article in its entirety.
While both machines are great, after using them for quite a while, I personally think that the Breville Barista Express is a slightly better choice than the Delonghi. The Breville Barista Express’s durable design, adjustable grind settings, and high-quality espresso make it an easy pick as a winner.
Although, if you are looking for something stunning and unique, then the Delonghi La Specialista may be the perfect choice as it has some additional features, except for some of those found in the Breville. Besides two independent heating systems, the machine features automatic tamping and selections for three types of coffee. This makes it ideal for beginners and those who prefer automatic machines.
Breville Barista Express vs Delonghi La Specialista: Comparison Chart
Last update on 2023-03-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Breville Barista Express vs Delonghi La Specialista: Differences
Both Delonghi La Specialista and Breville Barista Express have several distinctive features that make them stand out from the crowd. Based on our experience with both espresso machines, we can conclude that Breville Barista Express won 3-2 against La Specialista.
BUILD QUALITY AND AESTHETIC DESIGN
The Winner: Breville Barista Express
If you put these two machines side by side, you won’t see too much difference in their appearance. There are a number of features common to both espresso machines, including a removable water tank, bean hopper and cup warmer positioned on top, pressure gauge, hot water dispenser for americanos and tea. Additionally, both have a single steam wand, a single group head…
Nevertheless, one of the great conveniences of Breville that Delonghi lacks is the specially designed tool compartment cleverly hidden inside, behind the drip tray. This way you don’t have to worry about where your filters are every time you need them and your kitchen won’t get cluttered.
In terms of size, the La Specialista is an inch or two longer and wider, but none of these factors should be a major concern.
A machine’s durability is a key determining factor when it comes to its quality. I am therefore confident that Breville Barista is a significantly better alternative to La Specialista in this instance
Portafilter handles, bean hoppers, and tampers are frequently used parts in a coffee machine. In Delonghi La Specialista, however, they appear to be partially made from hard, cheap plastic. In spite of these minor details, they are enough to reduce Delonghi La Specialista’s reputation with buyers. Meanwhile, I think the Barista Express is quite reliable since most of its parts are made of tough, durable stainless steel.
GRINDING
The Winner: Breville Barista Express
Breville Barista Express and Delonghi La Specialista are both equipped with a precision conical burr grinder. Grinding is made easier by this device, which provides freshly and consistent ground in a short amount of time.
Nevertheless, Breville Barista Express still offers a better coffee grinding experience overall with 18 grind options versus Delonghi La Specialista with only 6.
The more grinding levels available, the more options we will have for grinding coffee finely or coarsely for a variety of beverages.
TAMPING
The Winner: Delonghi La Specialista
A large part of the reason I like the La Specialista is the built-in tamping system. It makes brewing espresso a lot easier. Simply press the lever at the side of the machine after the coffee is ground into the filter basket, and you will get a perfectly pressed coffee in the filter basket. Therefore, the portafilter or tamper does not need to be removed by you, and no mess will be created.
However, tamping can be a little bit messy with Barista Express, because it relies on the traditional hand tamper. Beginners may find this challenging. However, it is very easy to adapt to.
ESPRESSO QUALITY
The Winner: Breville Barista Express
From my point of view, these two machines differ most significantly in terms of the quality of coffee they can produce.
La Specailista’s espresso isn’t as good as advertised, even though it’s marketed as “professional”. The reason is that La Specialista is only be used with 51mm pressurized baskets, the same as on the lower end of the market, or super-automatic machines with spouts of this size.
It is actually easier to get an espresso with the pressurized basket, and we can use pre-ground coffee as well. But you cannot call it “professional”. Their method produces a thin, watery cream that lacks body, sheen, and velvety smoothness.
Barista Express, on the other hand, creates a rich, high-quality espresso by using the non-pressurized basket.
While Delonghi La Specialista uses pressurized baskets only, Barista Express offers both types of filters for you to choose from.
EASE OF USE
The winner: Delonghi La Specialista
The De’Longhi machine offers three preprogrammed coffee drinks: Espresso, Coffee, and Americano. Likewise, the Breville machine does not offer any pre-programmed coffee options; it simply makes good espresso.
Nevertheless, this does not indicate that the Breville machines are limited to producing only one type of coffee. Due to the fact that, in both machines, you can adjust the grind amounts, coffee extraction volumes, and make coffee using the hot water and steam spouts to suit your preference.
But in conclusion, La Specialista still wins when it comes to ease of use, especially for beginners.
Breville Barista Express vs Delonghi La Specialista: Similarities
There are many similarities between Delonghi La Specialista vs Breville Barista Express, both in terms of functionality and appearance. Among them are:
- Both espresso machines have a 2-liter water tank.
- Both the Delonghi La Specialista vs the Breville Barista Express have a pressure gauge that allows the user to adjust the pressure according to their specifications.
- You can prepare different types of coffee by using the hot water spout on both espresso machines.
- The amounts of coffee produced can be customized for both espresso machines. The Delonghi machine allows you to do this by pressing the “My” button. And on the Breville machine, to do so, you need to press the “PROGRAM” button.
Quick Rundown Of Breville Barista Express
- Please refer to user guide or user manual or user guide (provided below in PDF) before first use
Last update on 2023-03-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Quick Rundown Of Delonghi La Specialista
- Please refer to user guide or user manual or user guide (provided below in PDF) before first use
Last update on 2023-03-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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References
- Breville Barista Express from Breville: https://www.breville.com/us/en/products/espresso/bes870.html
- Delonghi La Specialista from Delonghi: https://www.delonghi.com/en-int/products/coffee/la-specialista
I am Ralph Mason and I am a passionate coffee drinker. I worked as a barista for a few years and since 2012 I have been trying to convince as many people as possible of good coffee.
I started writing on the barista blog on RepublikCoffeeBar in 2018. It was a pure hobby site and I tested coffee products like coffee machines, beans, mug, and other accessories. After the first year, my blog is becoming a well-known coffee site with about 100 thousand visits per month.
In 2019 I decided to focus on RepublikCoffeeBar only. I became a full-time coffee blogger and was declared crazy by many.