Delonghi La Specialista vs Breville Barista Pro is the next debate on mid-range machines that I will review. After comparing their espressos’ flavor consistency, I have to go with Breville Barista Pro as the true winner.
Breville Barista Pro boasts a more innovative brewing system. Its PID technology has proven effective in brewing delicious espresso at high temperatures. It also boasts a powerful grinder with a whopping total of 30 settings that allow users to fine-tune their espresso’s strength. I don’t have much to complain about this machine except for the detail that it is a bit minimalistic. There aren’t any additional recipes that can be brewed with a touch of a button beside espresso.
The runner-up Delonghi La Specialista boasts a good set of one-touch beverages, including standard espresso, coffee, and Americano. In addition, its steam wand has 2 different modes to froth flat or fluffy foam, according to users need. However, I put this model in second place because it lacks a powerful grinder. The part also doesn’t have many adjustable settings.
Delonghi La Specialista vs Breville Barista Pro: Comparison Chart
Last update on 2023-03-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Delonghi La Specialista vs Breville Barista Pro: Differences
Breville Barista Pro wins 3-1 against La Specialista, and they tie in the round of milk frothers’ performance. Both can brew very rich espresso, and they are potent latte makers. I will reveal what I like and don’t like about each one.
Espresso flavor
Winner: Breville Barista Pro
I find Breville Barista Pro to be much more robust and stable in terms of flavor. Due to the not-so-great grinder of La Specialista, the espresso flavor sometimes isn’t as strong as I want it to be. But it’s not always the case. So overall, the espressos taste great with these machines when they function smoothly, but consistency is what La Specialista lacks.
Milk frother’s performance and quality of milkfoam
It’s a tie!
Regarding the milk foam texture, I have no words to complain about Breville Barista Pro and Delonghi La Specialista. They are both very stable and consistent with the milk frothing. As a result, I have been able to make very creamy and rich foam for a latte. I believe Breville Barista Pro and Delonghi La Specialista will impress you if you are a fan of this beverage.
Can these machines make microfoam? To a certain extent, yes. It’s not as great as other mid-range machines like Philips 3200 LatteGo, but the steam wands’ performance is great enough.
Grind Settings
Winner: Breville Barista Pro
The conical burr grinder of the Barista Pro espresso machines has 30 settings. This is another feature of the Barista Pro that outperforms the DeLonghi La Specialista, which only has 5 grind stages. You can then dial in your espresso shots more accurately and effectively using the Breville Barista Pro.
Regarding the grinders’ real function, La Specialista doesn’t give me a good impression without considering their grind settings. Even when I set the grinder to the max level, which delivers the finest ground that the machine possibly can, the ground texture still isn’t fine enough. It still is quite coarse compared to what we usually get from other mid-range machines.
Heating system
Winner: Delonghi La Specialista
The Barista Pro features an extremely efficient heating system that uses Breville’s patented heating mechanism, ThermoJet. As a result, it will only take 3 seconds for the water to heat up to prepare espresso. On the other hand, the Breville single heater is utilized for both coffee extraction and milk steaming.
The Delonghi machine features two separate heating systems: one Thermoblock for extracting coffee and another for boiling milk or foaming. This setup allows for the fast preparation of foaming or steaming milk-based beverages.
The benefit of having two heaters is that once the coffee is made, boiling your milk for drinks such as latte and macchiato requires no further heating time. Delonghi appears to be the more tempting option in this regard.
Interface
Winner: Breville Barista Pro
The Barista Pro’s LCD screen makes it simple to operate. You’ll be able to view all of the information you need as well as the status of the coffee-making process on the machine’s LCD display. The LCD display also serves as a guide during the grinding and extraction procedures.
This page also allows you to verify the size and amount of photos. Thus, preparing coffee with this machine is simple since it provides straightforward directions.
The La Specialista’s user interface was not as user-friendly as the Breville’s. There are dials and buttons, some labeled with ambiguous symbols and phrases, such as the ‘OK’ button in the center. It’s OK if you read the manual, but I like the simpler layout of the Breville.
Delonghi La Specialista vs Breville Barista Pro: Similarites
Alongside the undoubtedly similar exterior design, other aspects are very akin between Delonghi La Specialista and Breville Barista Pro, like eliminating the dreg drawer and price. I will comment further below!
No dreg drawer
Since these devices are designed with semi-automatic standards, users will manually handle the external and detachable portafilter, which means that there is no internal dreg drawer to catch the used coffee pucks. Users can easily dump the wet puck in their trashcan after a brewing session. And with the pressure performance of these machines, I don’t think you will have any trouble with them. There is barely water in the pucks when I dump them, so they come off easily.
Price
These devices belong to the affordable middle price range in the world of home-use espresso machines. Based on their value and price, I think Delonghi La Specialista and Breville Barista Pro deserve a try.
Quick Rundown of Breville Barista Pro
- Please refer to user guide or user manual or user guide (provided below in PDF) before first use
Last update on 2023-03-29 / 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 2023-03-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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References
- Breville Barista Pro: https://www.breville.com/us/en/products/espresso/bes878.html
- Delonghi La Specialista: https://www.delonghi.com/en-us/la-specialista-espresso-machine-with-sensor-grinder-and-dual-heating-system-stainless-steel-ec9335m/p/EC9335M
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.