Sara Waxman, OOnt, is an award-winning restaurant critic, best-selling cookbook…
I crave a really good cup of coffee in the morning. The first cup, the most important cup, sets the foundation of my mood for the day.
De’Longhi design engineers have surely spent many sleepless nights pondering the mysteries of temperature, grinder, compact design and more, to create the perfect coffee making appliance for us. And over the years, they have introduced a number of brilliant machines. Until today, my favourite was the De’Longhi TrueBrew.
Nathan Dumlao, unsplash
Today, I received La Specialista Arte Evo. I set this glistening sculpture of chrome and black in the prime spot in my kitchen, stepped back and admired. Gorgeous. Now, having explored all the nuances of my new Specialista Arte Evo, I have a question. Can a human being fall in love with a machine? Yes, indeed. This is it, my espresso loving friends, my search is over. I’m feeling empowered. I am a confident hands-on home Barista, as I unlock all the secret aromatic flavours of my carefully chosen beans.
But I am curious. What goes on inside this compact machine and how does it really work? It’s all at my fingertips. The conical burr grinder has 8 precise settings that cleanly grinds all bean varieties in a single or double dose. Depending on my mood, I can enjoy a perfect Espresso, Americano or Cold Brew at any time of day. I need only to adjust the dose on the dial for the variety of beans I’m using right now.
La Specialista Arte Evo
This model includes the all-new Cold Brew style which has gained popularity of late, and with good reason. “Wow.” The flavour nuances are exceptional and totally satisfying, no craving for “just a little more coffee.” Cold Brew could easily become my favourite coffee. The De’Longhi proprietary, innovative, Cold Extraction Technology developed in collaboration with the Specialty Coffee Association, utilizes precisely measured water flow and pressure rates, along with specific extraction temperatures, to create a delicious Cold Brew coffee in less than five minutes.
Armin Lotfi, Unsplash
And here is the fun part—the Barista Kit of tools. It comes with a tamper, dosing funnel and more, which prepare the freshly ground beans into a mess-free single or double dose. Even an electronic fumbler like me can become a Latte-Artiste, and after a bit of practice, I am becoming quite pleased with my designs. My family eagerly places their requests. There are four beverage presets: Espresso, Americano, Cold Brew and Hot Water, and the temperature control guarantees the made-to-order technique. The powerful, commercial-style wand heats up quickly and delivers the right steam pressure needed to create consistently smooth micro-foam for latte art. I am so excited about this!
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Buyer Beware. Owners of La Specialista Arte Evo might find that there is a line-up of new friends and neighbours outside their door every morning, hoping to be invited in for an Espresso, Cappuccino, Americano, Cold Brew to go, or Latte-Arte with their initial in the foam.
Sara Waxman, OOnt, is an award-winning restaurant critic, best-selling cookbook author, food and travel journalist and has eaten her way through much of the free world for four decades, while writing about it in books, newspapers and magazines. She is the Editor in Chief of DINE and Destinations magazine.
