De’Longhi PrimaDonna Elite Review

Fully-automatic, Bluetooth app, plus hot chocolate and iced coffee settings

Useful information about this advanced De’Longhi bean-to-cup machine

This is one of the smartest and most versatile bean-to-cup coffee machines on the market. With so many different settings and unique features, you can make practically any drink you desire.

Contents

• Overview of the De’Longhi Prima Donna
• Pros and cons
• Prima Donna listed machine functions
• Budgeting for a bean-to-cup machine
• What have we learnt?

Overview of the Prima Donna

The De’Longhi PrimaDonna coffee machine caters to everyone’s taste preferences, from a long black americano, to an extra frothy hot chocolate, it is ideal for the whole family.

Plus, it is the first bean-to-cup coffee machine that can make iced drinks as well.

The PrimaDonna Elite is the first De’Longhi machine to have its very own app which enables users to essentially order the drinks from their phone – talk about living in the future!

Pros and cons of the Prima Donna

The PrimaDonna Elite has many advantages, if you are looking for a machine to do all of the hard work for you but still produce a great quality cup of joe, then you’ve landed on the right page.

However, as with every good thing in life, there are some (minor) disadvantages of the De’Longhi Prima Donna.

Lucky for you we have listed the top pros and cons of this machine below:

Click here for the PrimaDonna Elite

Breakdown of the Prima Donna Elite and its functions

This elite machine has great barista technology and specialised features that work seamlessly to produce high-quality coffee. Despite the sassy name and high-tech appeal, it is simple to use and ultimately makes your life easier.

From latte macchiato to flat white, you can achieve all of your coffee shop favourites from the touch of a button.

Here is a breakdown of what the De’Longhi Prima Donna is capable of:

A.      Coloured touch screen menu, which allows you to select your desired drink and make any necessary alterations to suit your taste. Unlike older models that incorporate lots of buttons and dials, the touch screen gives this machine a more advanced appeal. It looks much more sophisticated on your kitchen countertop.

B.      Milk frothing adjustment dial, which is used for automatically creating texture and adding frothy milk to desired drinks. The dial allows users to select the required milk setting based on their drink choice – there are three to choose from.

It also comes with a cleaning function which can be carried out after each use to keep the milk spout clean and hygienic.

C.      The detachable milk container can easily be removed and stored in the fridge when not in use.

D.     Integrated coffee bean storage and grinder sits at the back of the machine. This machine is compatible with fresh coffee beans but there is also a section to add pre-ground coffee if necessary. Just in front of the bean hopper is a heated panel for warming up mugs.

E.      This is the coffee dispensing nozzle where freshly ground coffee is extracted to create rich, golden espressos – it can be adjusted to suit different cup sizes.

F.       There is a 2-litre water tank stored at the side of the machine. It can be easily removed and filled up with fresh water as needed.

G.     The drip tray is used to catch any spillages made when the machine is in use. It can also be removed for easy cleaning.

Budgeting for a premium bean-to-cup machine

When deciding on your bean-to-cup machine budget, it is important to consider a few factors:

1. How long do you expect your machine to last?

While price won’t determine how long your machine will last, it might be worth investing in the durability of a machine, such as one that is made from stainless steel (like De’Longhi’s PrimaDonna Elite) rather than plastic or other less durable materials.

2. What type of drinks do you require from your coffee maker?

If you want more variety over your drink options, and you want the machine to be automatic, then you may have to budget for a machine that has the correct functions to make all of your favourite drinks.

Manual machines give you more freedom to make whatever coffee you want, although you will need the skills to master that!

3. How fast and easy do you want the machine to work?

In some cases, more expensive bean-to-cup coffee machines have more advanced technology that aid their functioning.

For example, machines that don’t have a sufficient internal operating system may overheat quicker and you might have to give the machine a break between making drinks – this is more common on manual machines with an external steam wand.

However, many premium machines (including the PrimaDonna Elite) use a dual boiler system which essentially uses two boilers. One for brewing coffee and another for steaming the milk. This regulates the temperature and allows the machine to operate smoothly.

This premium De’Longhi bean-to-cup machine is available on the market for around £1,700. See current price here.