The De'Longhi La Specialista Opera (model EC9555M) is a semi-automatic espresso machine that grinds, tamps and brews in one footprint, and adds cold brew and a cold espresso recipe to the usual hot drinks. De'Longhi sells it for $799.95 on its US store.
What is the De'Longhi La Specialista Opera?
It sits in De'Longhi's La Specialista range of machines with a portafilter. You fill a hopper with whole beans, set the grind and the dose, and the built-in conical burr grinder drops coffee into the portafilter at a tamping station on the front. You then pull the tamper lever (De'Longhi calls this Smart Tamping and quotes 20 kg of pressure), lock the portafilter in and press OK. Milk is steamed by hand with a steam dial and a commercial-style wand, so this is not a one-touch milk machine.
The control panel has a drink dial for espresso, americano, coffee, cold brew and espresso cool, a dose dial, 1x and 2x filter buttons, a hot water button and a coffee temperature button. A pressure gauge sits on the front panel. A milk jug and a removable 2 liter water tank come with it.
De'Longhi La Specialista Opera specs
| Model | EC9555M |
|---|---|
| Price | $799.95 on delonghi.com |
| Machine type | Semi-automatic, built-in grinder, assisted tamping |
| Grinder | Conical burr, 15 grind settings |
| Pump | 19 bar, 9 bar at extraction per De'Longhi |
| Heating | Thermoblock (aluminum and stainless steel) |
| Brew temperature | 3 settings between 92 and 96 C (197.6 and 204.8 F) |
| Pre-infusion | Yes (dynamic) |
| Pressure gauge | Yes |
| Steam wand | Manual, steam dial |
| Water tank | 2 liters (67.63 oz), removable |
| Power | 1600 W at 120 V / 60 Hz (manual) |
| Filters | 1 and 2 cup, single wall and double wall |
De'Longhi does not give a country of manufacture, a bottomless portafilter option, a shot timer or a weight with a unit on the product page or in the manual, so none of those is stated here.
How the Opera grinds, doses and tamps
The grinder is described as Italian made, with Sensor Grinding Technology that keeps the dose consistent when the grind setting is changed. A selector on the machine runs from fine to coarse across 15 settings, and a separate dose dial sets how much coffee is ground. The manual's advice is to turn the grind selector slowly, a step at a time, and judge by how fast the espresso runs: too fast means grind finer, too slow means grind coarser.
The tamping station is the part that separates it from a plain grinder and portafilter. The portafilter sits under the grinder outlet, and the lever presses the puck for you. De'Longhi says this removes the guesswork and the mess. The machine also takes pre-ground coffee, and De'Longhi supplies single wall and double wall filters for one or two cups, plus dedicated filters for espresso cool.
Temperature, pressure and pre-infusion
De'Longhi names PID temperature control among the machine's key technologies. In use that means three infusion temperature levels: MIN for dark roasts, MED for medium-dark and MAX for light to medium roasts, all inside the 92 to 96 C range. The manual notes this is the water temperature in the thermoblock, not the temperature in the cup. The pump is rated at 19 bar, with low pressure pre-infusion followed by 9 bar extraction, and the dial gauge on the front panel shows the pressure.
Cold brew and espresso cool on the Opera
De'Longhi's Cold Extraction Technology makes cold brew in under five minutes by controlling the water flow, pressure and extraction temperature. Espresso cool is a lower temperature espresso recipe meant to be served over ice. Both are set on the drink dial and delivered when the OK button turns blue. The cold recipes use their own filters, and the manual advises fresh water in the tank for cold brew drinks.
De'Longhi La Specialista Opera vs De'Longhi La Specialista Maestro
The De'Longhi La Specialista Maestro EC9885M costs $999.95, $200 more. It shares the 15 setting grinder, Smart Tamping, the 19 bar pump and cold extraction, but adds a one-touch LatteCrema Hot milk system, eight one-touch recipes and five brew temperature levels, and its tank is 2.5 liters. The Opera has three temperature levels, six drinks and a manual wand only. If you want milk drinks without steaming by hand, the Maestro is the machine De'Longhi built for that. If you are happy steaming milk yourself, the Opera gives you the same grind, tamp and cold brew system for less.
De'Longhi La Specialista Opera vs Breville Barista Pro
The Breville Barista Pro is $849.95 and also pairs a grinder with a manual steam wand. Breville publishes a 3 second ThermoJet heat-up, an LCD shot clock, a 54 mm portafilter and 30 grind settings, and its tank is 2 liters. The Opera publishes a pressure gauge and 15 grind steps, and adds cold brew, espresso cool and the tamping lever. De'Longhi does not publish a heat-up time for the Opera in labeled units, so the Breville is the one with a stated warm-up figure.
Is the De'Longhi La Specialista Opera worth it?
At $799.95 it is priced between the Barista Pro and the Maestro, and what you pay for over a plain grinder and portafilter setup is the tamping lever, the pressure gauge and the cold drinks. It does not cover automatic milk, and it publishes no shot timer. Nobody on this site has tested it, so how it tastes, how loud the grinder is and how long it lasts are not claimed here. On paper it is a complete grind, tamp, brew and steam setup for the money. Browse the rest of the espresso machines to compare.
Who should buy the De'Longhi La Specialista Opera (and who should not)
It suits someone who wants to learn a portafilter machine without buying a separate grinder or tamper, drinks iced coffee as well as hot, and is happy to steam milk by hand with a dial. It is a poor fit if you want push button lattes with no wand work, if you plan to plumb the machine into a water line (it runs from a removable tank), or if you want a built-in shot timer.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the De'Longhi La Specialista Opera cost?
De'Longhi's US store lists it at $799.95, and the page shows the machine in stock.
Does the La Specialista Opera have a built-in grinder?
Yes. It has a conical burr grinder with 15 settings and a dose dial, plus a bean hopper on top.
Can the La Specialista Opera make cold brew?
Yes. De'Longhi's Cold Extraction Technology makes cold brew in under five minutes, and the drink dial also has an espresso cool recipe.
Does it froth milk automatically?
No. It has a manual steam wand worked with a steam dial. The Maestro is the model in this range with an automatic milk system.
What is the difference between the Opera and the Maestro?
The Maestro costs $200 more and adds an automatic milk system, eight one-touch recipes, five temperature levels and a larger tank. See the comparison above.
How big is the water tank?
The tank is removable and De'Longhi lists it as 67.63 oz, which is 2 liters.
