Looking rather similar to the Breville model, this De’Longhi surpasses it in several departments. The tamper is weightier and largely metal rather than plastic. The autodosing technology is even better – not that the Breville’s is bad. But above all, the Specialista Arte triumphs thanks to a rather brilliant plastic collar. This screws onto the top of the portafilter with one simple movement and means no ground coffee can escape. The portafilter is then placed on a little plastic mat with grooves in it, which hold it in place. The result is completely mess- and fuss-free tamping; just the way we like it.
A clever circle of plastic is by no means the only good thing about this machine. The dosing control knob is easy to understand and experiment with, and means you always get just the right amount of ground coffee for your single or double shot.