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Quick answer: These two espresso machines split cleanly by personality. The Breville Barista Express ($699.95 at the time of this update) is the hands-on tinkerer’s machine — 16 grind settings and full manual control over grind, dose, tamp, and shot timing, so you can chase the perfect espresso. The De’Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo ($699.95 at the time of this update) is the brew-control machine — it adds three infusion temperature profiles with Active Temperature Control and a cold brew program De’Longhi says finishes in under five minutes. Both machines are tamped by hand: the Arte Evo ships with a dosing and tamping guide, a presser and a pressing mat, not an automatic tamper. Buy the Breville if you want more grind steps and a dose-trimming tool; buy the La Specialista if brew temperature and cold brew matter more to you.
The Core Difference: Tinker vs. Consistency
Both are all-in-one espresso machines with a built-in grinder, a 15-bar pump, and a steam wand — the hardware to pull cafe-style shots at home. The difference is philosophy. The Breville Barista Express hands you every variable and asks you to dial it in. The De’Longhi Arte Evo asks exactly the same of you at the grinder and the tamper, and puts its extra control on the brew side instead: you choose the infusion temperature, and it carries preset recipes including cold brew. One is a grind-side machine; the other is a brew-side machine.
Grinder and Dosing
The Breville offers 16 grind settings and grinds straight into the portafilter, but you control the dose and then tamp by hand. The La Specialista Arte Evo uses a shorter scale: De’Longhi’s specification lists 8 grind settings, and the EC9255 manual sets the default at 5, recommending levels 3 to 6 for most coffees. You set the dose and tamp it yourself on both machines. If you like chasing flavor by grind size, the Breville’s 16 steps give you more to work with; the Arte Evo’s shorter scale gives you fewer places to get lost.
Tamping: Both Are Manual
Neither machine tamps for you. De’Longhi’s own manual for the EC9255 lists a dosing and tamping guide, a presser and a pressing mat among the accessories, and its tamping step reads “Press the coffee using the presser.” The Smart Tamping Station that does apply the pressure for you belongs to other machines in the La Specialista line — the Prestigio, Touch, Maestro and Opera — not the Arte Evo compared here. If you have read otherwise elsewhere, that is the confusion to clear up before you buy. The Breville also ships with an integrated tamper, and adds a Razor dose-trimming tool that levels the puck to a set depth. Expect to learn tamping on either machine.
Daily Use and Learning Curve
Using the Barista Express is a deliberate, multi-step ritual: choose grind size and amount, tamp with the right pressure, lock in the portafilter, and start and stop the shot yourself. That control is the appeal for people who want to tinker. The Arte Evo runs the same manual ritual — grind, dose, tamp, lock in, pull — and puts its automation elsewhere: preset recipes for espresso, long black, cold brew and hot water, and a brew temperature you choose rather than accept.
Price and Value
The two land in the same place. At the time of this update the Breville Barista Express (BES870XL) is $699.95 and the De’Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo is $699.95 — identical to the cent. Watch which De’Longhi you are looking at, though: the La Specialista line runs from the Arte Evo up through the Touch and the far pricier Maestro, and those are not the machine compared here. Because pricing shifts often, check the current price on both before deciding. The value question is less about dollars and more about which workflow you’ll actually enjoy using every morning.
Head-to-Head Spec Comparison
| Feature | Breville Barista Express | De’Longhi La Specialista |
|---|---|---|
| Price (Aug 25, 2026) | $699.95 | $699.95 |
| Grind settings | 16 | 8 (manual default 5) |
| Dosing | Manual (Razor dose-trimming tool included) | Manual (dosing and tamping guide) |
| Tamping | Manual (integrated tamper) | Manual (presser supplied) |
| Pump pressure | 15 bar | 15 bar |
| Portafilter | 54 mm | Not published |
| Water tank | Not published | 1.7 L |
| Brew temperature profiles | Not published | 3 (Active Temperature Control) |
| Best for | Grind steps, dose trimming | Brew temperature, cold brew |
Which Should You Buy?
Buy the Breville Barista Express if you want to learn espresso, enjoy adjusting grind and tamp to chase the perfect shot, and value 16 grind settings of control. It rewards patience and curiosity.
Check Breville Barista Express Price on Amazon →
Buy the De’Longhi La Specialista if you want to choose your brew temperature and want a built-in cold brew program, and you are content to tamp by hand. Those are the things the Breville does not offer.
Check De’Longhi La Specialista Price on Amazon →
☕ New to espresso and not sure which kind of machine to get? Start with our guide to semi-automatic vs super-automatic vs manual espresso machines.
Sources
Every specification on this page comes from the manufacturers’ own materials, checked on September 14, 2026: the Breville Barista Express (BES870) product page, the De’Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo (EC9255.M) product page, and De’Longhi’s official EC9255 instruction manual. Where a manufacturer does not publish a figure, this page says “not published” rather than estimating it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better for a beginner?
Neither machine tamps for you, so the tamping learning curve is the same on both. The Breville’s Razor dose-trimming tool makes a repeatable dose easier to hit; the Arte Evo’s shorter grind scale (8 steps, default 5) gives a beginner fewer settings to get lost in.
Which makes better espresso?
Once dialed in, both pull shots from a 15-bar pump and a built-in burr grinder. The Breville gives you more grind steps to fine-tune; the Arte Evo lets you pick the brew temperature from three profiles.
Do they both grind beans?
Yes, both have integrated burr grinders. The Breville has 16 grind settings; De’Longhi lists 8 for the Arte Evo, with the manual’s default at 5. You set the dose yourself on both.
If you are new to espresso: see our beginner espresso machine guide.