Structured UK machine comparison · reviewed 24 Jul 2026
De'Longhi La Specialista TouchvsDe'Longhi La Specialista Maestro
Both are current La Specialista integrated-grinder portafilter machines with guided controls and automatic or manual milk. Maestro adds Smart Tamping, five temperature profiles, a larger tank and separate LatteCrema and My LatteArt hardware.
The direct exact-model pages produced an £800 recorded gap. Catalogue promotions can conflict, and the extra hardware does not prove better espresso, milk, reliability or value without comparable testing.
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Option 1
De'Longhi · EC9455.M EX:2
La Specialista Touch
Buyers who want café-style espresso and milk drinks with on-screen guidance, but still want to handle a portafilter
Current recorded price
£499.99
Published footprint
31.9 cm sales page · manual says 32.3cm W × 36.7 cm sales page · manual says 46cm D
Checked 24 Jul 2026 · direct retailer link · no commission enabled
The useful decision
What does the difference actually buy?
Both are current La Specialista integrated-grinder portafilter machines with guided controls and automatic or manual milk. Maestro adds Smart Tamping, five temperature profiles, a larger tank and separate LatteCrema and My LatteArt hardware.
The direct exact-model pages produced an £800 recorded gap. Catalogue promotions can conflict, and the extra hardware does not prove better espresso, milk, reliability or value without comparable testing.
Interactive evidence table
Compare the whole ownership route.
Change the priority lens, detail level and ownership assumptions below. A highlighted fit is evidence for one selected priority—not an overall winner.
Select two or three complete machine routes2/3 selected
Lowest known starting basketDe'Longhi La Specialista Touch£499.99 including a connected grinder where required · delivery excludedNarrowest published widthDe'Longhi La Specialista Touch31.9cm conservative width · depth still mattersMost complete recordDe'Longhi La Specialista Touch91% complete · not a quality score
Decision lens
What matters most to you?
Choose one priority to surface the strongest evidenced fit. This changes the explanation, never the underlying data or table order.
Best evidenced fit for this priorityDe'Longhi La Specialista Touch
Lowest known starting basket at £499.99. A connected grinder is included where required.
This is a single-priority signal, not an overall winner or CoffeeScore.
Machine: De'Longhi La Specialista Maestro (£1,299.99)
Current retailer context
£499.99 · De'Longhi UK · verified delivered · exact model verified
£1,299.99 · De'Longhi UK · verified delivered · exact model verified
Known starting equipment
£499.99
£1,299.99
Machine type
Espresso machines
Espresso machines
Capsule ecosystem
Not applicable
Not applicable
Checked pod-cost example
Not applicable
Not applicable
Daily effort
Medium
Medium
Milk workflow
Auto LatteArt or manual · 4 temperatures, 5 foam levels
Automatic LatteCrema Hot carafe plus manual My LatteArt cool-touch wand
Built-in grinder
Yes · 15 settings
15 settings
Best for
Buyers who want café-style espresso and milk drinks with on-screen guidance, but still want to handle a portafilter
High-budget households wanting assisted puck preparation plus a choice of automatic LatteCrema milk or a manual steam wand
Main trade-off
This is not one-touch bean-to-cup: you grind into a portafilter, tamp, move it to the group, brew, empty the puck and wipe the milk wand after every use. Published data also conflict: the manual says a 180g hopper and 46cm depth, while Currys says 250g and De’Longhi's sales specification says 36.7cm depth. Measure for the manual's larger footprint and treat nine-versus-ten recipe wording as marketing variation, not an extra drink. Independent taste, milk, noise and durability tests are pending.
The exact product page showed £1,299.99 when checked, despite a conflicting lower promotional presentation elsewhere in De’Longhi’s catalogue; this record uses the direct product price and excludes it from under-£1,000 lists. It weighs 16kg and the published 419 × 368 × 465mm dimensions do not label axis order in the extracted specification. Under-five-minute Cold Brew and sub-20-second readiness are manufacturer claims. Independent performance testing is pending.
Change the assumptions to match your household. Pod machines use the same editable capsule figure for a like-for-like scenario; the table above shows when an exact checked system example exists. Other machines use bean cost and dose. A connected grinder is included where the machine needs one.
2,190 coffees
De'Longhi
La Specialista Touch
Starting equipment
£500
Coffee beans
£841
Known maintenance
£0
Estimated total
£1,341
Known cost per cup
£0.61
De'Longhi
La Specialista Maestro
Starting equipment
£1,300
Coffee beans
£841
Known maintenance
£0
Estimated total
£2,141
Known cost per cup
£0.98
Planning estimate only. It includes only maintenance with priced, model-specific cadence. It excludes milk, water, electricity, repairs, optional accessories and delivery. Recorded equipment prices can change; always check the retailer’s final price.