Sage Barista Touch Impress with Cold Extraction: two-minute review

If you want to make sure you’re getting the best possible flavor from your coffee beans, the Sage Barista Touch Impress with Cold Extraction will help you achieve it with minimum fuss and zero mess. It guides you through the process of dialling in the grinder and preparing exactly the right amount, so that each shot of espresso is extracted in optimum time for a well-rounded flavor. It isn't the quickest way to make coffee (for that, look for a fully automatic espresso machine), but if you want to do justice to your beans, this is a great option.

The Impress Puck System is my favorite feature, letting you pull down a lever to tamp your freshly ground coffee without having to remove the portafilter handle from beneath the grinder. You never have to move a filter basket full of loose coffee and risk spilling it, and the tactile feeling of the lever is very satisfying.

Once you’ve got your basic espresso just right, you’ll unlock the whole menu of 14 hot and cold drinks. Some popular coffees are conspicuous by their absence (flat white and macchiato, for example) but everything in the list is easy to customize, so you can tweak a preset to create your own creation quite easily.

Cold brewing involves allowing the bed of ground coffee to infuse in cold water (a process known as blooming) before it’s extracted at high pressure. The result is a smooth-tasting drink that’s a good alternative to traditionally made cold brew, in a fraction of the time.

For me, the only real disappointment was the AutoMilq system, which struggled to create a smooth microfoam with dairy milk. The plant preset worked much better, particularly with oat milk, and using the steam wand manually was a piece of cake. The angle of the wand and shape of the pitcher make it easy to create a good whirlpool, and steam pressure remains consistent.

Sage Barista Touch Impress with Cold Extraction: price and availability

The Barista Touch Impress with Cold Extraction is available direct from Sage for £1,199.95 (about $1,600 / AU$2,500). That’s the same price as the original Barista Touch Impress, so you’re essentially getting the cold-brew option thrown in for free.

The Barista Touch Impress with Cold Extraction is currently only available in the UK. When it does launch internationally, it will be under the "Breville" brand rather than Sage.

If you’re looking for something more affordable, take a look at the Ninja Luxe Café. It's also a semi-automatic espresso machine, meaning it grinds beans directly into the portafilter basket, and guides you through the process of preparing different drinks. Like the Sage machine, the Ninja also has a cold-brew option for chilled drinks. The Ninja Luxe Café is available for $499.99 / £499 (about AU$750).

• Value score: 3.5/5

Sage Barista Touch Impress with Cold Extraction: specs

Sage Barista Touch Impress with Cold Extraction: design

The Sage Barista Touch Impress with Cold Extraction comes in four colors: stainless steel (shown here), black stainless steel, black truffle, and sea salt. When it comes to size, it’s one of the biggest home espresso machines I’ve tested to date, measuring 14.2 x 13.4 x 16.3 inches / 36 x 34 x 41.5cm. For comparison, the similarly specced Ninja Luxe Café is 12.99 x 13.39 x 14.57in / 330 x 340 x 370mm.

When you’re measure your work surface to see whether you have enough space, it’s also worth bearing in mind that the water tank slides onto the back of the machine, so you’ll need enough room to pull it away from the wall when it’s time for a refill. The tank is easy to remove thanks to a robust carry handle on the top, and has a hinged lid that snaps into place to keep the water clean.

The machine is supplied with a water filter to remove impurities, which can affect the taste of your coffee. The package also includes a water hardness testing strip, so you can configure it to suit your tap water. If your water is particularly hard, Sage recommends using pre-filtered water instead.

You’ll also need to make sure there’s sufficient space on the left-hand side of the machine to use the manual lever that compresses your freshly ground coffee. The grinder and tamper (together known as the Express Puck System) mean you’re never handling a portafilter handle full of loose coffee grounds, making the process of brewing espresso much less messy.

The Barista Touch Impress with Cold Extraction has a large power button on the front of the case, but everything else is operated via its bright touchscreen. This feels smooth and responsive – and, unlike the screens on some other coffee machines, it isn’t prone to fingerprints.

Something I particularly like about the Sage Barista Touch Impress is the number of accessories included in the box. You get a stainless steel milk pitcher with a fine spout that’s ideal for latte art; the usual set of single-wall and pressurized filter baskets; a cleaning pin tool for the steam wand; a barista towel; a water filter; and a full set of cleaning products. Open the Eco Starter Kit and you’ll find enough descaler, group head cleaner, grinder cleaner, and milk wand cleaner to keep you going for several months.

If you’re wondering where you’ll keep all that, don’t worry – pull out the machine’s drip tray and you’ll find a handy little accessory drawer. It’s a thoughtful touch.

The bean hopper is tinted, which reduces the amount of light reaching your beans (something that can cause the flavor to degrade) while also letting you see how many are left – a smart compromise. The hopper also has a good rubber seal to help keep unused beans fresh.

The grinder offers 30 settings, and can be adjusted using a dial on the left-hand side of the machine, near the tamping handle. The dial isn’t marked with numbers, but each time you switch between grind sizes you’ll hear a small beep, and the display will show the new setting. This is far easier than having to peer round the side of the coffee maker.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Sage Barista Touch Impress with Cold Extraction: performance

The Sage Barista Touch Impress with Cold Extraction guides you through the process of brewing a well-rounded espresso, handling the more complicated tasks for you to turn the usually tedious process of choosing the correct grind size into something fun.

The first time you use the machine, you’ll be guided through the process of configuring it for your particular coffee beans. This involves calibrating both the grind size and the dosage.

Usually this process (known as dialling in) involves brewing several shots of straight espresso, but the designers at Sage have acknowledged that people have different tastes, so you can pick from a short menu of different drinks right from the start: espresso, long black, latte, cappuccino, and flat white. You’ll unlock the more extensive menu of hot and cold beverages once the initial setup is complete.

Pick a grind size by turning the large dial on the left-hand side of the machine (near the lever), then follow the onscreen instructions to grind the beans into the filter basket. You’ll then be instructed to pull down the tamping lever to create a nicely formed puck. This is the most pleasing part of the process, and the machine recommends doing it twice for the best results. It doesn’t take much pressure, but you get some satisfying resistance with the right dosage.

If you don’t have enough ground coffee in the basket, the machine will offer to grind a little more, then let you try tamping again. If there’s too much coffee, you can use the trimming tool provided in the box to remove a little without creating cracks in the puck.

Once the machine has worked out the optimum amount of coffee, it will save it for future use. Don’t worry if you want to use different beans later on, or your coffee’s properties have changed as the beans age – the Barista Touch Impress will check each time you make a drink and make adjustments on the fly.

Once your coffee is nicely tamped, it’s time to insert the handle into the brewing group and start making your first coffee. The Barista Touch Impress will time how long it takes for your shot of coffee to pour, and warn you if it’s taking a long time (and is likely to be over-extracted and sour) or has poured too quickly (making it watery). I like the fact that the machine won’t insist that you discard over- or under-extracted shots, recognizing that some coffee-drinkers have different preferences.

Once the machine is dialled in, you’ll have access to the full menu of 14 hot and cold presets. It’s a pretty impressive list, but some (such as hot chocolate, shakerato, and espresso martini) are recipes rather than drinks you can prepare using the machine alone. It’s also worth noting that unlike the Jura J10 and the De’Longhi Primadonna Aromatic, there’s no way to foam cold milk.

The options are:

• Flat white
• Latte
• Cappuccino
• Espresso
• Long black
• Babyccino
• Café crema
• Hot chocolate
• Tea (ie. hot water)
• Cold brew
• Cold espresso
• Espresso shakerato
• Latte shakerato
• Espresso martini

I was a little surprised that Sage chose to forego some popular coffee drinks (such as caffe latte, flat white and macchiato) while including so many esoteric options such as shakeratos; but all drinks are editable, so you can easily create your favorites by tweaking the presets. The original Barista Touch Impress offered just eight options.

When you select a cold brew drink, the machine will pulse cold water over the bed of freshly ground coffee in the filter basket and wait a moment to let it bloom before passing cold water through at high pressure.

The result isn’t quite as full-bodied as that from the Jura J10, but it's still noticeably sweeter and smoother than coffee brewed hot, and a very good alternative to traditionally made cold brew when you don’t have hours to spend steeping grounds in the fridge.

The only feature I found lacking was the Sage Barista Touch Impress’s AutoMilq system, which is designed to heat and froth dairy and plant-based milk automatically.

During tests, AutoMilq seemed to struggle, in particular with full-fat dairy milk. This is surprising, because this is usually the top choice for creating a silky microfoam. Rather than creating a fine foam with the texture of emulsion paint when preparing a latte, the steam wand pumped in too much air, creating a lot of large bubbles, which were unstable and burst as it switched to heating the milk. The result was nicely heated milk, but barely any foam.

I had more success with oat milk, with the machine creating smooth and pourable microfoam for lattes, or thicker and "dryer" foam for cappuccinos. You can choose between milk texture options when making your drink, and the machine will incorporate different amounts of air to suit.

I had no problem using the machine to steam milk manually, though, and the angle of the raised wand made it easy to position the jug correctly to get a good whirlpool going.

Cleaning the machine after use proved straightforward. The machine rinses its brew head when powered on, the steam wand purges automatically after each use, and tapping the "settings" button at the top-right of the screen will let you access step-by-step instructions for descaling, using the blank disc and cleaner to refresh the brewing group, and cleaning the milk wand.

However, it won’t explain how to use the grinder cleaner, and the manual only explains how to dismantle the grinder and use the brush to remove debris. There's no explanation about how to use the sachet of milk wand cleaner, either.

• Performance score: 4/5

Should you buy the Sage Barista Touch Impress with Cold Extraction?

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

Sage Barista Touch Impress with Cold Extraction: also consider

How I tested the Sage Barista Touch Impress with Cold Extraction

I used the Sage Barista Touch Impress with Cold Extraction for two weeks in place of my usual coffee machine, and brewed coffee using a blend of freshly roasted Brazilian and Colombian arabica beans. I spent time dialling in the grinder for the beans to begin with, and followed the directions to tweak the grind size each time I made a new drink.

I went through the whole drinks menu, and tested the steam wand using full-fat dairy and oat milk. I used the AutoMilq system, and steamed milk manually.

Once I’d finished testing, I ran through all of the machine’s cleaning and maintenance programs.

First tested June 2025

De'Longhi Magnifica Evo Next: Two-minute review

The De’Longhi Magnifica Evo Next is an upgraded version of the Magnifica Evo we reviewed back in 2021, further expanding the Italian brand's range of Magnifica automatic bean-to-cup coffee machines. As a brewer of coffee, it’s excellent, delivering a delicious espresso with a lovely crema.

It can make a comprehensive selection of coffee-based drinks, each of which can be personalized and saved to profiles to ensure you get your perfect cuppa each and every time. It also uses De’Longhi’s LatteCrema milk frothing technology for making cappuccinos, macchiatos and other milk-based coffee drinks. But, despite an increasing percentage of the world’s population turning to plant-based milks, there aren’t any separate profiles for these dairy alternatives.

Day-to-day use of the Evo Next should be simple for most people, particularly those who are familiar with how fully automatic coffee machines work, although anyone new to coffee making might have to overcome a steep learning curve to get to grips with it. I was coming to the Evo Next as a user of either Nespresso pod machines or manual espresso machines, so it took me a few uses to figure out exactly how to extract the best from the Evo Next. If you’re in a similar position or have never used an automatic bean-to-cup machine before, let it be known you’re likely going to pour a few bitter espressos before you find your ideal cuppa.

The combination of the machine’s clearly laid-out buttons and bright, colorful display, however, made navigating through menus and settings a piece of cake. The only setting that did cause me some initial trouble was adjusting the grinder. I assumed I could adjust it whenever I wanted, but De’Longhi says it should only be moved when it’s in motion, which is counter to previous machines I've tested. I would have liked this instruction to have been a bit clearer. I also think the user manual could be a little clearer with regard to the effect changing the grind setting even just one increment can make on the resulting espresso. Those well-versed in coffee machines will likely already know this, but newcomers may struggle.

It’s not the smallest nor the quietest automatic coffee machine ever, nor is it even the quickest to pour an espresso shot, but once you’ve learned your way around it, the results and generous selection of available drink choices go some way to making up for these foibles, putting in contention with the best bean-to-cup coffee machines currently available.

Also helping its cause to be your next coffee machine is its low cost in comparison to similar models from other brands – although, perhaps not in the US at the time of writing.

De'Longhi Magnifica Evo Next review: Price & availability

• List price $999.95 / £499.99 / AU$1,149
• Cheaper than comparable competitor models
• Can already be found with discounts

The price of the De’Longhi Magnifica Evo Next varies across the globe. In the UK, its list price is £499.99, in Australia it costs AU$1,149, but in the US it’s more expensive than a currency conversion or tariffs would suggest at $999.95.

It’s not the first time we’ve seen an inflated price for US customers, with the De’Longhi Eletta Explore – also an automatic coffee machine – priced higher in the US than its UK and Australian equivalents would suggest, and that’s from long before any tariff announcements were made.

When compared to the similarly specced KitchenAid KF6 ($1,199 / £1,299 / AU$1,799) though, the Magnifica Evo Next still represents remarkable value. The KF6 is much quieter in use and offers some extra maintenance features akin to professional espresso machines, but doesn’t include a milk carafe as standard, instead leaving you to place a tube into a jug or cup (or pony up for the official optional one).

• Value score: 5/5

De'Longhi Magnifica Evo Next review: Specs

De'Longhi Magnifica Evo Next review: Design

• Side water tank for easier refilling
• Color display helps with navigation and setting changes
• Space needed above for pouring coffee beans

The De’Longhi Magnifica Evo Next is a smart-looking coffee machine in a matte silver-and-black colourway. It’s the same size as other models in the Magnifica Evo range, including the Magnifica Evo, at 44 x 36 x 24cm (W x D x H), making it pretty big by espresso machine standards. I had it set up next to my trusted Nespresso Vertuo Pop pod coffee machine throughout the testing process and the difference in size was, well, sizeable, even on my relatively large kitchen counter. You will, therefore, need to make sure you have the space on your countertop to accommodate it.

As with other models in the series, the beans container is on the top, so you’ll need to allow for a bit of extra space above to comfortably pour in coffee beans. With wall-mounted cabinets sitting directly above the machine in my setup, there was just enough clearance to pour a 1kg bag into the hopper. Ultimately though, as the machine's hopper isn’t airtight, I settled on storing my coffee beans in a separate container and scooping them in as needed. If you’re only making a few (or less) coffees a day, I’d recommend putting in just enough for each use to preserve freshness.

There is also a small chute that accepts ground coffee, if you don't have access to whole beans – although freshly ground beans make such a huge difference that using pre-ground with a machine of this caliber is, frankly, a huge waste.

A manual control wheel for the 13 grinder settings is nestled within the beans container. It’s labelled 1 to 7 – 1 being the finest and 7 the coarsest – with increments going up by 0.5 in between. De’Longhi says the default setting of 5 should be fine for most users, but if you want to adjust the grind setting, you should only do so when the machine is grinding to avoid damage to the burrs. De’Longhi adds that you should pour at least two coffees after you’ve made any changes to make sure that they’ve taken effect.

This, coupled with the five intensity settings available for each drink (which I’ll talk about more in the performance section), can make finding the perfect combination for your own tastes quite tricky and will likely require some experimentation during your first few days of use.

If you want a home espresso machine that reduces the grinding guesswork, the De’Longhi La Specialista Touch’s Bean Adapt Technology system recommends ideal settings based on your chosen drink, although the machine on the whole requires more manual input than the Evo Next.

I experimented a fair amount with grind settings and found that when I had it set to the finest setting of 1, the machine wasn’t able to pour coffee. Instead it displayed an error message and then dumped out the ground coffee into the internal waste container. Returning the dial to its default setting of 5 gave me much better results.

Coffee is poured from two nozzles that can be physically raised or lowered to accommodate a variety of cup or mug heights, and it can be used to pour two espresso shots at once. The drip tray that sits underneath your cup(s) slides out smoothly, and also pulls out the separate internal waste bin where used coffee pucks are collected.

The Magnifica Evo Next comes with a large 60.9 fl oz / 1.8L water tank on its right-hand side, and slides in and out of the front of the machine like a book from a bookcase. This makes refilling the tank incredibly easy when compared to models from other brands that put the tank on the rear of the machine.

However, I have also used manual coffee machines such as the Sage/Breville Oracle Jet which has an integrated water tank that you simply fill up using a jug of water via a hole in the top at the front, a method I ultimately prefer.

De’Longhi also supplies a water hardness testing strip so you can determine which water hardness setting to choose during the initial setup, as well as a water filter that screws into the bottom of the tank.

The Magnifica Evo Next comes with both a hot water spout and a 9.4 fl oz / 280ml milk carafe to froth milk using the company’s LatteCrema system. Both of these attach to a small connection slot on the front left of the machine, and you can only use one at a time. If you want to make a milk-based drink or a tea, for example, you’ll need to factor in time to swap the attachments around.

The milk carafe and its various parts are easy to remove and clean. They’re dishwasher safe, too, to make things even easier.

You control the machine via an array of soft-touch buttons along the top, each of which has a symbol for a specific drink. There are also a couple of arrows that are used to adjust the size and intensity of your drink and an OK button to confirm your selections.

If you want to customize a drink, your options are extensive. Not only can you set a preferred intensity, but you can override the standard volumes poured for each style and size of coffee, including milk. This feature is accessed by pressing the ‘my’ button on the touch panel, and allows for three user profiles per drink.

When creating a custom profile, the machine will begin and continue pouring coffee until you tell it to stop when it reaches the desired level. The same goes for milk. With your settings saved, the next time you come to make the same drink, you’ll see ‘my’ listed next to the size. Press OK and the Evo Next will pour to your exact specifications.

Your selections are displayed on a clear, central 2.4-inch TFT screen that provides a good range of information, including color images of what your coffee can expect to look like once it’s finished pouring. It also gives you remarkably polite written feedback, including telling you you’re becoming a pro after you’ve poured a large number of drinks.

As I’m based in Australia, I found some of the De'Longhi Magnifica Evo Next's drink names slightly unfamiliar, as they reflect the brand’s Italian heritage. For instance, my usual choice of a flat white isn't a standard Italian coffee and so isn’t an option. The closest alternative available is the Cappuccino Mix, which provides frothed milk, though it's less foamy than a traditional cappuccino.

• Design score: 4.5/5

De'Longhi Magnifica Evo Next review: Performance

• Extensive selection of customization options
• Delicious espresso with good crema
• Noisy in use

As I’ve already mentioned, the De’Longhi Magnifica Evo Next will consistently produce great-tasting coffee, but only after you’ve figured out which settings are best for you. I experimented a fair amount with grind and intensity settings – initially with poor, unusable results – but once I found the best settings for my taste, there was no stopping me from making excellent coffee after coffee.

I was happy with the thickness of the crema produced, and I think it will suit most coffee drinkers. If, however, you like a particularly thick crema on your espresso or coffee, then you may want to check out the KitchenAid KF6 instead.

The Magnifica Evo Next can make 11 different coffee-based drinks, each with its own options for customization, such as the strength, temperature and volume. The options offered are:

• Espresso
• Cappuccino/Cappucino+
• Coffee
• Long
• Americano
• Doppio/Doppio+
• Latte Macchiato
• Cappuccino Mix
• Espresso Macchiato

You can also dispense hot water and hot milk from the machine; however, unlike some other newer espresso machines we've tested, there’s no option for cold brewing.

During my testing, I found the default settings for my preferred cappuccino mix drink weren’t as strong as I would have liked – the intensity was set to 3, on a scale of 1 to 5. I had to increase it to the maximum 5 and this returned a much more flavorful brew.

The higher intensity setting refers to the fact that more beans are ground and packed into the internal puck, resulting in a stronger, more potent espresso.

There aren’t any settings to adjust the foam level or milk temperature, although the type of milk you use will dictate the level of foam returned. For example, I drink oat milk in my coffees and found that attempting to use standard (i.e. non-barista) oat milk produced disappointing results.

That’s not to say the results weren’t foamy – in fact I was impressed with what the Evo Next could muster – but it produced a thicker foam when I switched to a barista brand with higher fat content.

While I’m quite easygoing when it comes to milk, users who are particular will likely need to experiment with different milk types and brands yo achieve the desired results.

I was less enthused with the way the milk comes out the spout, though. It’s more a ‘spit out’ than a ‘flow out' – not something I’d expect from a more premium machine like this.

For time-conscious coffee drinkers, you’ll want to know that pouring an espresso at intensity level 5 – which grinds the largest amount of beans – took around 40 seconds. Larger drinks, such as my cappuccino mix, took longer at nearly 1 min 30 seconds, including dispensing milk. This time is on par with the Magnifica Evo automatic coffee machine, but there are faster machines that are cheaper, so it's a slight shame that De’Longhi hasn’t been able to speed up the brew time with this model. If you want your coffee fast, a Nespresso machine can cut those times down considerably – my Vertuo Pop, for example, takes around 30 seconds to pour a 150ml pod.

I also found the Magnifica Evo Next quite noisy in use. It bothered me so much that I took a reading with the Decibel X app on my phone and, when placed next to the machine, it reached 82dB when grinding beans (nearly 20dB louder than the Quiet Mark-certified KitchenAid KF6), 72dB when tamping and emptying the coffee puck, and 66dB when pouring a coffee.

Where the Magnifica Evo Next makes less of a fuss is maintenance. After each milk-based drink, the machine asks you to run a quick-rinse cycle, which uses water from the tank to flush any buildup from the carafe’s spout. You’ll also be notified on the display when it’s time to empty the drip tray and grounds container.

For more thorough cleaning, a dedicated Maintenance menu can be found in the settings, with options to run water through the machine to rinse it and run a descaling cycle (the machine will let you know if a descaling is necessary). You can also check the status of the water filter, run a more thorough cycle for the milk carafe when it’s connected, and drain any water from the system if you’re planning to transport it.

Finally, a panel on the right-hand side of the machine, accessible when you remove the water container, houses the brewing unit. This detaches easily with a pinch of the two red-colored clips and can be run under a tap to remove any buildup of coffee.

• Performance score: 4/5

Should you buy the De'Longhi Magnifica Evo Next

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

De'Longhi Magnifica Evo Next: Also consider

De'Longhi Magnifica Evo Next: How I tested

I used the De’Longhi Magnifica Evo Next at home with the same supermarket-brand coffee beans that we use in the TechRadar Australia office (in a Breville Oracle Jet), so I’m already familiar with the flavor. I followed the setup instructions by first testing the water hardness (hard) and configured the machine accordingly, which included needing to insert the supplied water filter.

I used the machine to pour a variety of the available drinks to assess the crema, flavor and time required. I also used the LatteCrema carafe to froth fridge-cold oat milk, of both the barista and non-barista varieties.

First reviewed May 2025

De'Longhi Linea Classic Espresso Machine: two-minute review

The De'Longhi Linea Classic Espresso Machine might be one of the best espresso machines for new and experienced baristas alike. The reasonable price tag, simplicity of use, and relatively compact size make it an appealing choice for just about anyone.

While it's not completely automated like a capsule system or a high-end machine that includes a coffee bean grinder and touch screen, it's simple enough to use and takes some of the guesswork out of brewing espresso. A totally manual espresso machine requires you to measure and heat your water to just the right temperature and decide the right amount of pressure to use for your brew. The De'Longhi Linea Classic Espresso Machine eliminates the need for any of that; just fill the water tank with cold water; the water quantity, temperature, and pressure is decided for you. Just load up the portafilter with enough finely ground coffee for one or two shots of espresso, insert the portafilter, and press a button for either a single or double shot. Within seconds, you have a beautiful espresso (or two.)

It's all pretty straightforward, though it's important to tamp your coffee grounds just right. Tamping too firmly causes the water to brew through too slowly, and the espresso will be too intense and bitter. Tamping too loosely lets the water through too fast, and your brew will be too light and sour. If you don't like the automatic setting for water quantity, you can can change the factory setting to allow more or less water to be used.

The frothing wand froths or steams your milk of choice. A setting on the wand lets you choose between frothing and steaming milk. You can also dispense hot water though the wand, which is perfect for making an Americano (espresso with added hot water.) After using the frothing wand, the machine will be too hot to brew espresso; you'll need to run a cooling cycle or give it time to cool down.

De'Longhi Linea Classic Espresso Machine: price and availability

• Available at many online and brick-and-mortar retailers
• Retails for $199.95 (£154 / AU$313)
• Discounted on Amazon

De'Longhi Linea Classic Espresso Machine is available directly from De'Longhi as well as most big box retailers both online and in brick-and-mortar stores. The retail price is $199.95 (about £154 / AU$313) but you can find a slight discount on Amazon. At the time of writing it's only available to buy in the US.

De'Longhi Linea Classic Espresso Machine: specs

De'Longhi Linea Classic Espresso Machine: design

• Small footprint and lightweight design
• Everything you need except coffee and cups included
• Fairly straightforward to use but not foolproof

The De'Longhi Linea Classic Espresso Machine is an attractive blend of shiny chrome and plastic. All of the pieces are just heavy enough feel like high quality. It looks nice in my kitchen and would likely look good with just about any decor.

On the front of the machine, you see a pressure gauge and four buttons. On the right side are your power button and frothing wand selection button. On the left are the single espresso and double espresso buttons. The frothing wand control dial is on the right side of the machine and the water tank is at the back.

At just 8.89 x 11.14 x 12 inches (22.6 x 28.3 x 31 cm), the De'Longhi Linea Classic Espresso Machine doesn't take up a ton of space in your kitchen. It's lightweight, too, at just nine pounds (4.1 kg), which is handy if you need to store it away and take it out every time you use it. The water tank has a pretty decent capacity, 57.48 fluid ounces (1.7 liters). I was able to brew a lot of espresso before I needed to refill the tank.

The portafilter and two filters (single and double espresso-sized) are included in the box. The portafilter is the device with the handle that holds the filters. The scoop that comes in the box is perfectly-sized for a single espresso brew, just use two scoops to make a double. The other end of the scoop is your tamper, which you will use to press the grounds firmly but gently, forming a puck of coffee in the filter. If you tamp too hard or not hard enough, the espresso won't taste very good.

None of the parts of the De'Longhi Linea Classic Espresso Machine are dishwasher-safe, so you'll need to wash all of these by hand after each brew.

If you want to get fancy, you can buy endless accessories, such as a coffee bean grinder, food scale to weigh your coffee, frothing mug, and of course fancy cups and spoons. None of that is included, nor are they necessary to get you started.

On the back of the machine is the water tank, which can easily removed, refilled, and replaced as needed. The wand can be adjusted to dispense hot water, heat your milk, or heat and froth your milk at the same time. It pulls apart for cleaning, which you'll need to do every time you use it.

The drip tray prevents a mess on your counter. It's easy to remove and clean, which you'll only need to do once in a while. Like all of the other parts, it's hand-wash only.

• Design score: 4.5/5

De'Longhi Linea Classic Espresso Machine: performance

• Produces beautiful espresso drinks with ease
• Frother is effective
• Getting brew just right takes trial and error

The De'Longhi Linea Classic Espresso Machine performs perfectly in the sense that you load up your coffee in the portafilter, press a button, and beautiful espresso brews every time. However, espresso is a little bit more complicated than that. Taste is highly subjective, but some of my brews were definitely better than others. Getting it just right isn't easy.

If you're not a fan of the factory settings, you can change them to brew your espressos with more or less water than standard. I stuck with the factory settings for my testing.

I'm not a trained barista myself, my usual daily espresso comes from my favorite Nespresso machine. So I called upon my middle child, who has taken a class in brewing espresso. He has a fully manual espresso machine at home, so he was excited to try the much easier-to-use De'Longhi Linea Classic Espresso Machine. He gave me some tips for brewing better-tasting espresso, such as loosening up the grounds after scooping but before tamping. He was thrilled with the results.

We did a blind taste test with him, my oldest daughter, my husband, and I, comparing espresso from the Linea Classic to a Nespresso capsule. The results were split down the middle. Everyone's tastes are so different, it's hard to say definitively what is a good espresso and what isn't.

There are definitely some quirks with the milk frother. It is quite effective in both steaming and frothing milk, both dairy and non-dairy. It also dispenses hot water, which is handy for making Americano-style (diluted) espresso. However, it doesn't click into place, nor does it click when switching from "hot milk" to "cappuccino" mode. I like to have that confirmation click on devices like this, but you get used to it.

Press the steam button to go into frothing wand mode, and then turn the dial on the side to operate the wand. The biggest quirk about this frothing wand is that once you use it, you can't brew espresso again immediately.

Once you've frothed or steamed some milk, the machine will likely be too hot to brew espresso again right away. Before you can brew again, you'll need to run a cooling cycle by opening the steam dial to dispense steam and hot water until the heating element has cooled. Alternatively, you can wait for the heating element to cool down on its own.

Cleanup is pretty easy. After brewing, you'll need to dump out the used coffee puck, I used a plastic utensil to scrape out most of it and a paper towel to wipe out the rest before washing. You'll want to be careful not to let grounds go down your sink drain, even if you have a disposal. Coffee will clog your pipes like cement, so compost or throw away the used coffee grounds. Then just hand wash all of the parts you used. You'll also need to descale the machine periodically, as per the manufacturer's instructions.

• Performance score: 4/5

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De'Longhi Linea Classic Espresso Machine: also consider

How I tested the De'Longhi Linea Classic Espresso Machine

I brewed a bunch of espressos and made a few cappuccinos with the De'Longhi Linea Classic Espresso Machine over the course of several weeks. I carefully cleaned the machine before use and between each use. The coffee I brewed was De'Longhi's own espresso blend. I used filtered water from my refrigerator's water dispenser, refilling the water tank as needed. For the cappuccinos, I tried both low-calorie almond milk and whole dairy milk, cold from the refrigerator.

First reviewed April 2025