Back in April, De’Longhi launched a new smart bean-to-cup espresso machine that can learn your drink preferences throughout the day: the De’Longhi Primadonna Aromatic . I’ve been using it for about a week now, and it basically feels like a super-attentive barista who remembers your order every day and whips it up with a smile – and who happens to live in your kitchen.
At first glance, the Primadonna Aromatic looks very similar to the excellent De’Longhi Eletta Explore. The most obvious difference is the extra-large touchscreen, which lets you flick through a vast menu of hot and cold drinks and provides super-simple instructions to help you set up your new machine and make your first espresso.
In fact, the screen is so crisp and clear that De’Longhi has been able to replace the usual dry step-by-step lessons with a slick little video that demonstrates how easy it is to select and make your chosen drink. And that’s just the start…
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User profiles are a central part of the experience, not just an add-on, and the machine will address you by name throughout (Image credit: Future)
The whole package is very beginner-friendly, and doesn’t assume any prior knowledge of coffee-making terminology. Things as simple as referring to the hopper as a ‘bean container’ are a thoughtful touch, and the tone of the interface is refreshingly conversational.
For example, rather than just displaying the word ‘heating’ when switched on (or rumbling away without telling you what’s happening at all), the Primadonna Aromatic cheerily tells you “I’ll use some hot water to heat everything up” (it communicates via on-screen text; sadly one of the few things this machine can’t do is talk). Instead of telling you to attach the milk container before making a cappuccino, it asks you nicely.
De’Longhi’s handy Bean Adapt system, which adjusts brew settings to suit your chosen beans, is present and accessible with a quick button tap, but using it is entirely optional, and the machine doesn’t risk overwhelming new users by introducing it first thing. If you just want to get on with making an espresso as quickly as possible, just flick through the menu, choose a drink, and away you go.
Morning! The usual?
This virtual barista even knows your name. Most of the best bean-to-cup coffee machines let you make user profiles, and store favorites for each person in your household, but it’s usually a rather impersonal process, and is sometimes buried in a list of menus.
Not so with the Primadonna Aromatic. During setup the machine will ask how many people will be using it, then create profiles for each one automatically. You can pick an avatar for each one and enter a name, but there’s nothing more complicated than that.
What’s particularly nice is that the profile information you enter isn’t just used to differentiate between user profiles. The machine will also refer to you by name. There’s something nice about turning on the Primadonna Aromatic to see a friendly ‘Hello Cat’ in the morning. The only thing it won’t do is write it on your cup.
Even before I delved into De’Longhi’s Bean Adapt settings, the Primadonna Aromatic produced nicely balanced, well-extracted espresso (Image credit: Future)
I’ve yet to test all of the machine’s settings (the menu has over 30 hot and cold options) but my first impressions of the coffee are very positive too. Even without delving into the Bean Adapt settings, the default brewing options produced a well-balanced espresso that poured in around 35 seconds (ideal for a double shot).
I’ve been impressed by both the hot and cold foamed milk, too. There are two carafes (understandable since cold foam doesn’t use steam), which you can keep in the fridge until you need them. Each one has three texture settings, and the machine will tell you which to select when you pick a drink from the menu.
The Primadonna Aromatic can foam hot and cold milk, with three different textures for each (Image credit: Future)
The thick foam setting creates froth ideal for a cappuccino or cortado, while the middle option makes a creamier texture for lattes and macchiatos (my personal favorite).
You can use any type of milk for hot drinks, but De’Longhi recommends that you only use skimmed dairy or plant milk for cold foam. I’ve made several iced drinks using oat milk, and the results have been excellent; the froth is creamy and sits nicely on top of the drink without dissolving.
The only drawback I can see so far is the price. At £1,549.99 (about $2,000 / AU$3,200) this is pricier than most of the machines in our roundup of the best coffee makers, but so far it’s working hard to justify the expense.
I’ll continue to test the Primadonna Aromatic for a few more weeks, and I’ll bring you a full review very soon.
