I test over a dozen coffee makers a year here at TechRadarand De'Longhi espresso machines are consistently ranked among the best. If you're looking for a new machine to spruce up your kitchen, the brand has something to suit every budget, equally well designed and crafted. You can't go wrong with any of these, but if you're overwhelmed by the sheer number of options available, I've put together a list of my three favorites.
All of these machines were released within the past year, so you can be sure you're getting all the latest features, including cold extraction, which has become the biggest trend among home coffee makers in 2026. This feature bypasses your coffee machine's boiler and pumps water directly from the reservoir into freshly ground coffee for a smoother flavor similar to coffee brewed overnight in the refrigerator. It is great as a base for iced lattes and Americanos, espresso martinis or desserts such as affogato.
Best budget
De'Longhi Dedika Duo
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De'Longhi has released some really great coffee makers this year (in fact, it won the Home Brand of the Year award). TechRadar Choice of reward), and Dedica Duo is a prime example of this. This is a compact manual espresso machine that is reasonably priced, but is significantly superior to other machines in the same price range.
Most of the inexpensive espresso machines I've tested are of poor quality and can't maintain the consistent temperature and pressure needed to make quality espresso. After testing several similarly priced smaller brand machines, I doubted my ability to even make a simple latte… until the Dedica Duo restored my faith in my own abilities.
This is truly an excellent little espresso machine – and once you figure out the right grind size for your coffee, you can be sure it will deliver delicious results time after time. Its steam wand is particularly good, and despite the Duo's small boiler, it holds enough pressure to produce the perfect microfoam for cappuccinos and lattes.
There's even a cold-press mode for when you want your coffee cold and don't want to wait 24 hours for it to sit in the refrigerator. Some espresso machines I've tested recently ask you to make a cup of ice and then pour a shot of hot coffee on top, but the Duo uses cold water straight from the reservoir, slowly running it through the ground coffee over two minutes.
If the Dedica Duo is out of your budget, check out its predecessor, De'Longhi Dedik style. It doesn't have a cold brew setting like the Duo, plus the design is a little less convenient—we found it difficult to fit two cups of espresso on its small drip tray—but you can often pick one up for a third of the suggested retail price.
Read my full Review of De'Longhi Dedica Duo
Best middle class
Of Longhi The Specialist Touch
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The De'Longhi La Specialista Touch is an excellent semi-automatic espresso machine that doesn't just make delicious coffee with perfectly frothed milk – it also teaches you how to do it yourself and helps you understand the consequences of making even small changes to the taste of your finished drinks.
It all starts with us talking about the importance of grind size. Enter the type of coffee bean you use (Arabica or Robusta and the roast level) and it will estimate the appropriate grind size for you and dispense the ground coffee into the portafilter handle. If there is too little (which can happen if the grind size is fine enough), you will be asked to dose a little more to get the appropriate dose. If the filter is too full, the machine will prompt you to remove it a little using the included trimming tool. Either way, it will adjust its settings and save the correct dosage for next time.
You then tamp the coffee using a spring-loaded “calibrated” tamper, which is designed to apply just the right amount of pressure and do so evenly to produce a neat, crack-free serving of coffee. Insert the handle into the machine as directed (you will be guided every step of the way) and press the button to start firing the shot. The machine will determine how long it will take and recommend adjusting the grind size if it is too fast or slow. You're also encouraged to taste the espresso to see what you think, even if it's probably a little over- or under-extracted.
Finally, you can either froth the milk yourself (the machine comes with an excellent steam wand) or use the automatic steam system and let La Specialista Touch do the work.
During testing, I wasn't a big fan of the spring-loaded tamper (I'm used to tamping coffee with a regular one); but you can simply change it to a regular one, as I did, otherwise it’s difficult to find fault with the car. This coffee maker will grow with you as your coffee making skills develop and we highly recommend it.
Read my full Review of Longhi The Specialist Touch
Best premium
De'Longhi Primadonna Aromatic
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If you're looking for a fully automatic espresso machine that will do all the work for you and brew the perfect drinks at the touch of a button, can I recommend the De'Longhi Primadonna Aromatic. This is one of the best automatic coffee makers I've tested this year and is a lot of fun to use.
It produces consistently well-extracted espresso and creamy milk foam (hot or cold), as you'd expect from a machine at this price point. What impressed me most about Primadonna Aromatic, however, was its ability to “learn” what you prefer to drink at what time of day and place those options at the top of an extensive drink menu so you don't have to scroll through to find your favorite drinks. It also saves your preferences (it supports up to four user profiles), so you don't have to adjust your settings every time—and there's no risk of another member of your family overwriting your latte preferences.
It's definitely a big machine (when it was under my kitchen cabinets, there wasn't much room to open the grain container), but it looks stylish, and its five-inch touchscreen is bright and easy to navigate.
Like all De'Longhi coffee makers in this review, the Primadonna Aromatic can brew hot and cold espresso (and they're delicious, too), but unlike the others, it can also produce chilled milk foam using a special carafe with a special attachment. In my tests, it worked brilliantly with both dairy and plant milks (I love a good iced latte macchiato), and you can store the carafe in the refrigerator between uses.
It's definitely a premium espresso machine with a price tag to match, but since I first reviewed it in June, the price has come down a bit, making it a more tempting proposition. If your budget fits this, you won't be disappointed.
Read my full Aromatic review of De'Longhi Primadonna
The best coffee makers you can buy
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