Published: 02.12.2022
Updated: 08.12.2022
4 min read

A cold brew in five minutes: We tested De’Longhi’s La Specialista Maestro. Here’s our verdict

If you enjoy a cold brew, a cafe-style hot coffee at home, or even having all the options to change your mind each day, De’Longhi’s La Specialista Maestro might be for you.
So is De’Longhi’s La Specialista Maestro worth the $1,999 price tag? We put the machine to the test for a month, here’s our verdict.

A cold brew in five minutes: We tested De’Longhi’s La Specialista Maestro. Here’s our verdict

If you enjoy a cold brew, a cafe-style hot coffee at home, or even having all the options to change your mind each day, De’Longhi’s La Specialista Maestro might be for you.

A cup of coffee can be highly personal ritual with everyone having their own views on a perfect brew.

Whether it be a soy latte, a cold brew on ice, an extra hot flat white or an iced mocha - we all want it quickly, and most importantly, exactly to our liking.

So, what if you can make any of those options in under five minutes without leaving your kitchen?

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If you enjoy a cold brew, a cafe-style hot coffee at home, or even having all the options to change your mind each day, De’Longhi’s La Specialista Maestro might be for you.

 De’Longhi’s La Specialista Maestro.
De’Longhi’s La Specialista Maestro. Credit: STUDIOROCCI/Supplied

With eight pre-set hot and cold recipes, sensor grinding technology and automatic milk, the machine’s innovative technologies sets it apart from others on the market.

So, is De’Longhi’s La Specialista Maestro worth the $1,999 price tag? We put the machine to the test for a month, here’s our verdict.

What is the La Specialista Maestro?

The La Specialista Maestro is an at-home coffee machine that boasts all the options you could want, but a feature that has coffee-lovers talking is the cold brew function.

Traditionally, the process to make cold brew is a 15-24 hour process and due to this, cafes charges up to $7 for a cup.

But the game-changing cold brew features on the La Specialista Maestro delivers a cafe-worthy drop in under five minutes. Cold brew is best served straight onto ice, but can also be mixed with milks or even carbonated water.

If that isn’t enough, it also has eight grind settings, five temperature settings and eight hot and cold drink recipes including the cold brew and espresso cool.

The machine also has a smart tamping station, which means with just a flick of the lever on the side, the coffee is is put under 20kgs of pressure.
The machine also has a smart tamping station, which means with just a flick of the lever on the side, the coffee is is put under 20kgs of pressure. Credit: 7NEWS.com.au

The machine also has a smart tamping station, which means with just a flick of the lever on the side, the coffee is is put under 20kgs of pressure and there is no mess.

Using digital dials on not dissimilar to a luxury car dashboard, users can find all the classic hot coffee options including latte, flat white and espresso.

There is both manual and automatic milk options and any leftover milk in the automatic frother can be put straight back in the fridge to avoid wastage.

De’Longhi’s La Specialista Maestro is available now and retails for an RRP of $1,999.

What’s in the box?

When your machine arrives, here’s what you’ll find when unpacking it.

  • Your La Specialista Maestro with the inbuilt grinder, tamping station and removable drip tray
  • Stainless steel mill jug
  • Automatic frothing lid to attach to the mill jug
  • Portafilter
  • Single shot and double shot filter
  • Microfibre cleaning cloth
  • Tube brush
  • Double ended brush with a scrape tool
  • Test for water hardness
  • Cleaning needle for the steam wand and accessory for cleaning with tabs
  • Packet of SoftBalls to prevent limescale formation
  • Mini packet of EcoDecalk to remove limescale

The verdict

As the machine is manual, it can take time to find the perfect beans, the right grinding level and get the milk froth to your liking.

But the trial and error process is fun and once you get there, the La Specialista Maestro not only masters the at-home coffee, but makes the morning routine cheaper and faster.

After just a week of using the machine, I was able to consistently pump out cafe-quality hot coffees with my milk froth and bean preference.

Once I sourced the perfect beans for cold brew (Kenyam Kamwangi PB, washed, by Criteria Coffee) I found myself opting for that setting more and more.

The game-changing cold brew features on the La Specialista Maestro delivers a cafe-worthy drop in under five minutes.
The game-changing cold brew features on the La Specialista Maestro delivers a cafe-worthy drop in under five minutes. Credit: 7NEWS.com.au

Keep note that while it is stunning to look at, the machine is around 47cms tall and nearly 40cm deep with space for the cord and takes up a bit of bench space.

The box also does not include a thermometer and if you are an old school home barista like me and prefer to froth the milk yourself, you might be keen to purchase one.

The La Specialista Maestro will not only dramatically improve your coffee game in the short term, but it will also save time and seamlessly join your morning routine in the long term.

Not to mention the party trick of cold brew in under five minutes.

De’Longhi provided 7NEWS with a La Specialista Maestro for testing purposes. This did not affect our views on the gadget, and our review remains independent of the manufacturer.