De'Longhi Eletta Explore Review

Buy the De’Longhi Eletta Explore if you drink iced lattes or cold foam drinks most weeks and want them from the same machine that makes your morning cappuccino. It lists at about $2,000 and usually sells for around $1,800 to $2,000. If every drink you make is hot, buy a Magnifica Evo and keep $900 to $1,400.

This review draws on manufacturer specifications, manuals and long-term owner reports, not on our own use.

Who the Eletta Explore is for

The Eletta Explore solves one problem: cold milk drinks at home without a separate frother. It ships with two carafes. LatteCrema Hot makes hot foam for cappuccinos and lattes. LatteCrema Cool froths cold milk for iced drinks and cold foam toppings.

It fits a household of two to four people with mixed tastes. One person wants a hot flat white, another wants an iced latte, and the menu holds both. You can save custom hot and cold recipes for the drinks you repeat.

Skip it in three cases. Hot-drink-only homes pay for a cold system they never use. Black-coffee drinkers get no better espresso than a Magnifica Evo makes for far less. Homes that use decaf every day fight the single hopper, the same problem every one-hopper machine has.

The two milk carafes

Each carafe clips to the front of the machine. You fill it with milk, choose a drink, and the machine draws the milk, froths it and pours it into the cup. You do not steam anything by hand.

Use the Cool carafe with milk straight from the fridge, because cold foam needs cold milk. The Hot carafe also works with plant milks, though foam quality varies by brand; barista-style oat and soy milks with added fat foam best.

The cost is cleaning. After each milk drink the machine prompts a short clean cycle that flushes the spout. You still take the carafe apart and wash it at least once a day, and twice if you used both. De’Longhi lists the removable parts as dishwasher safe. Our milk system care guide explains why a daily wash prevents the sour smell and weak foam owners most often report.

Cold Brew: what it is and what it is not

De’Longhi’s Cold Extraction Technology pushes room-temperature water through the coffee at low pressure. De’Longhi says the drink is ready in under 3 minutes.

Traditional cold brew steeps for 12 to 24 hours. A 3-minute extraction is a different process, so treat it as its own drink. Owners commonly describe it as smooth and less acidic than iced espresso, which is its main appeal. Pour it over ice, or add cold foam from the Cool carafe.

If you want true steeped cold brew, a jar and a filter make it for very little money. Buy the Eletta for the convenience of having it on demand, not to replace a steeped batch.

Hot drinks and grind settings

The Eletta uses De’Longhi’s conical burr grinder with 13 settings and a 19-bar pump. De’Longhi also promotes Bean Adapt, which it says tunes grind and brewing to the bean you use through its app. You can set everything by hand from the 3.5-inch touch display without the app.

Hot espresso is in line with other De’Longhi superautomatics. Owners report good crema and a consistent shot once the grind is set. Change the grind only while the grinder runs, one step at a time, and judge after two or three drinks. Very oily dark roasts can clog any superautomatic grinder, so pick medium roasts if you can.

The spout fits cups up to 6.24 in tall. A To-Go setting and an included travel mug cover the morning commute.

Size and kitchen fit

The machine measures 10.25 in wide, 15.13 in high and 17.5 in deep. The height clears most standard 18 in gaps under wall cabinets, but the bean hopper fills from the top. Leave a few inches of space, or plan to slide the machine forward to add beans.

The 1.8 L (61 oz) tank and 300 g (10.6 oz) hopper are large for this class. A two-person home refills water every day or two and beans about once a week.

Daily and weekly routine

• Every day: Empty the drip tray and grounds container. Wash the carafe you used. Refill fresh water.
• Every week: Slide out the brew unit, rinse it under warm water, let it air dry and put it back. Do not use soap on it.
• When prompted: Run the descale program. How often depends on your water; our descaling guide gives a schedule by hardness. A De’Longhi water filter extends the interval.

The removable brew unit is the main difference from Jura. You can see it, rinse it and replace it yourself. The tradeoff is a weekly task that a Jura E8 does with a tablet program instead.

Running costs

Plan for descaler, a water filter if you use one, and milk system cleaner. De’Longhi-brand descaler such as EcoDecalk is what the descale program expects. Many owners use generic cleaners and descalers, which keep yearly costs lower than on a Jura. There are no cleaning tablets for the brew unit, because you rinse it by hand.

Eletta Explore vs Jura E8

The Jura E8 is the machine most buyers compare at this budget. It usually costs about $2,500 to $2,800.

Pick the Eletta if cold drinks matter. Pick the E8 if you drink hot milk drinks only and want the least hands-on cleaning, or if Sweet Foam for flavored lattes appeals. Our Jura vs De’Longhi comparison covers ownership costs over several years.

Eletta Explore vs cheaper De’Longhi models

The Magnifica Evo uses the same style of grinder and removable brew unit for hot drinks, with fewer recipes and a simpler display. The Dinamica Plus sits between them with a touch screen and a hot LatteCrema carafe, but no cold foam. Our De’Longhi brand guide maps the whole range, and our best superautomatic machines page ranks it against Philips and Jura.

Buying advice

Check for model ECAM45086S and both carafes in the listing, because bundles differ in what is in the box. Buy from a seller that De’Longhi US authorizes, confirm the warranty term on the listing, and keep the receipt.