De'Longhi Eletta Explore Espresso Machine

The De'Longhi Eletta Explore makes hot foam and cold foam, and brews genuine cold extraction coffee in under three minutes. Over 50 one-touch recipes, a 13 setting burr grinder, a 3.5 inch colour touchscreen, and a travel mug in the box.

Most bean-to-cup machines treat iced coffee as an afterthought: brew it hot, pour it over ice, watch it go thin. This one has two separate milk systems, one that foams hot and one that foams cold, and a cold extraction process that brews the coffee cold in the first place. That is what makes an iced latte here taste like an iced latte rather than a cooled-down hot one, and it is why the machine has fifty recipes instead of a dozen.

Highlights

• Over 50 one-touch recipes, hot and cold, from espresso and cappuccino through iced lattes and cold brew
• LatteCrema Hot and LatteCrema Cool, two automatic milk systems, so cold foam is built in rather than bought separately, and both handle dairy or plant milk
• Cold Extraction Technology, which brews cold brew in under three minutes using controlled pressure, flow and temperature rather than an overnight steep
• Bean Adapt Technology with a 13 setting burr grinder, tuning the grind and the brew to whichever beans you are using
• 3.5 inch colour touchscreen with saved profiles and custom recipes
• Travel mug included, with 15 hot and cold recipes sized for it, up to 16 oz
• 300 g bean hopper and a 1.8 L tank, so it goes longer between refills than most machines this size

Who it's for

• Households that drink iced coffee seriously, not just in August
• Anyone who wants cold brew without planning it the night before
• People who want the full café menu, hot and cold, without a second appliance or a manual wand

Two things to be clear about. This is a fully automatic machine, so there is no portafilter and no tamping and the milk is textured for you. That is the point for most buyers, but if making the coffee yourself is the appeal, we will show you the machines that are. And it is the largest machine in this part of the range at 26 cm wide and 44.5 cm deep, so measure your counter depth if it is going under a cabinet.

Living with it

Day to day, say yes when it offers the milk clean after a milk drink, and empty the grounds container and drip tray. Both carafes lift off and go in the fridge between uses, and the removable parts are dishwasher safe.

Then periodically, the touchscreen tells you when a descale is due and walks you through it, and the brewing components come out to be rinsed. Fit the water filter and set your water hardness on day one, because that is what sets the descaling interval.

FAQs

• Is the cold brew real cold brew?
  It is genuinely cold extracted rather than brewed hot and chilled, which is the distinction that matters for taste. De'Longhi's Cold Extraction Technology uses controlled pressure, flow and temperature to pull the coffee cold in under three minutes. It is not an overnight steep, but it is not hot coffee over ice either, and it comes out smooth rather than bitter.
• What is the difference between the hot and cold milk systems?
  They are two separate carafes doing two different jobs. LatteCrema Hot makes the dense warm foam a cappuccino needs. LatteCrema Cool makes cold foam at the right temperature for iced drinks, which a hot system cannot do. Both are automatic and both take dairy or plant milk.
• Do I need to know anything about espresso?
  No. It grinds, doses, brews and textures the milk on its own, so there is no portafilter and no tamping. You pick the drink on the screen.
• Do I have to adjust the grinder when I change beans?
  Not really. There are 13 grind settings if you want them, but Bean Adapt tunes the grind, dose and brewing to the beans you have loaded, so changing bag does not mean starting over.
• What is the travel mug for?
  It comes in the box and the machine has 15 recipes sized specifically for it, hot and cold, up to 16 oz. If your coffee usually leaves the house with you, that is more useful than it sounds.
• How much counter space does it need?
  26 cm wide and 44.5 cm deep, which is 10.25 by 17.5 inches. The depth is the number to check if it is going under a wall cabinet.
• What is the warranty, and who services it in Canada?
  De'Longhi covers this machine for 2 years, extended to 3 when you register it, which is worth doing the day it arrives. Warranty service is handled by De'Longhi Canada at 1-888-335-6644. We are here for setup, bean choice and any question about using it, before you buy and long after.

Specifications

• Type: Fully automatic bean-to-cup espresso machine
• Drinks: Over 50 one-touch recipes, hot and cold
• Cold drinks: Cold Extraction Technology, cold brew in under 3 minutes
• Milk systems: LatteCrema Hot and LatteCrema Cool, both automatic, dairy and plant milk
• Grinder: Built-in burr, 13 grind settings, with Bean Adapt Technology
• Display: 3.5 inch TFT colour touchscreen, saved profiles and custom recipes
• Pump: 19 bar
• Power: 1250 W
• Bean hopper: 300 g
• Water tank: 1.8 L
• Dimensions (W × D × H): 26 × 44.5 × 38.4 cm, or 10.25 × 17.5 × 15.1 in
• Weight: 11.3 kg, 24.9 lb
• Warranty: 2 years, plus 1 additional year with product registration
• In the box: LatteCrema Hot carafe, LatteCrema Cool carafe, travel mug, water filter, measuring scoop, cleaning brush, instruction manual

Why buy from Coffee Warehouse?

• Two Ontario showrooms, Markham and Richmond Hill, where we will pull you a cold brew and let you taste the difference against iced hot coffee, plus live virtual demos if you are not nearby
• Help getting it set up, from water hardness to beans, so it tastes at home the way it did here
• We will remind you to register it, because that is the difference between a 2 year warranty and a 3 year one
• Free shipping and financing available
• Toll-free support at 1-888-742-1777, before you buy and long after