Breville Barista Express vs De'Longhi La Specialista Arte EC9155
The Barista Express and La Specialista Arte are both $699 all-in-one grind-to-cup machines aimed at the same buyer. The Barista Express offers more grind settings (16 vs. 8) and PID temperature control. The Arte ships with non-pressurized baskets only and a genuinely strong manual steam wand with a pressure gauge. Choose based on whether temperature precision or milk texturing is your priority.
Spec face-off
Bars scaled to the higher value. Coloured = wins that spec.
Full specifications
Strengths & weaknesses
Full comparison
At the same $699 price, the Barista Express and the La Specialista Arte are the most direct competitors in this comparison set. Both include a built-in conical burr grinder, both require manual tamping, both use a single boiler with the same thermal-switching limitation between brew and steam modes. The differences come down to specific engineering trade-offs.
The Barista Express has 16 grind settings and PID temperature control that holds brewing temperature within 1 degree F. The Arte has 8 grind settings, Active Temperature Control with only 3 positions (not degree-level precision), and a visible pressure gauge that gives real-time feedback during extraction. The Arte's manual 'My LatteArt' steam wand is rated highly by reviewers as genuinely competitive with commercial wands. The Express's steam wand is capable but not its strongest feature.
The Arte ships exclusively with non-pressurized baskets, signaling it's aimed at users ready to learn real technique from day one. The Express ships with both pressurized and non-pressurized baskets, giving beginners a forgiving entry point. If you're confident in your technique or willing to skip the training wheels, the Arte's choice makes sense. If you want the option to start easy and graduate, the Express's dual basket system is a practical advantage.
A key quirk on the Arte: removing the plastic portafilter insert that ships installed noticeably improves shot quality, a widely reported fix that De'Longhi does not mention in its documentation. Both machines require puck prep work to get consistent results. At identical prices, the deciding factor is honest self-assessment: do you care more about temperature precision or steam wand performance?