De'Longhi Eletta Explore Cold Brew Coffee Machine

Pros

• Extensive recipe catalogue (hot, cold, milky).
• Cold brew in just 4 min.
• Intuitive and comprehensive interface.
• Quality build.
• Quiet.
• Two milk jugs and an ice cube tray.
• Automatic grind adjustment.

Cons

• Bulky design.
• Fully plastic exterior.

The Delonghi Eletta Explore certainly lives up to its name. This bean-to-cup coffee machine offers utmost versatility with both hot and cold coffee recipes, and notably, a swift cold brew extraction. With the Eletta Explore, you can enjoy a Cold Brew in a mere 4 minutesn

Overview

The Delonghi Eletta Explore stands out in Delonghi's range of bean-to-cup machines. This highly versatile coffee machine aims to cater both to lovers of plain hot coffee and those who favour milky recipes, be they hot or cold. Of the 40 recipes featured in the Eletta Explore, its cold brew extraction – commonly known as "Cold Brew" – truly stands out. Packed with features, the Eletta Explore comes with two milk jugs (for both hot and cold frothy milk) and an ice tray for iced coffees. Prices start at £949 and rise to £1099 for the Titanium version.

Ease of Use

Though larger than the Magnifica Start, and more compact than the PrimaDoa Soul, the Eletta Explore is still a sizable machine requiring ample countertop space.Though its design gives the impression of being metallic, it's predominantly made of trust-inspiring plastic that leaves a good first impression. In terms of aesthetics, its traditional design should suit most kitchens.The Eletta showcases a 3.5-inch touchscreen and a touch-control panel offering around forty recipes. There are 14 cold drink recipes and 19 for hot drinks. Additional drinks designed for on-the-go consumption are also available under the "To go" tab.The highlight recipe of this Eletta Explore is its Cold Brew. Typically taking 18 to 20 hours of drip infusion, Delonghi has managed to craft a perfect Cold Brew in just 4 minutes. It achieves this by applying a low pressure (4 bars) to speed up the process without compromising the brew.The user interface is impressively ergonomic, making it straightforward to browse the extensive recipe catalogue. Everything is either clearly illustrated or labelled, ensuring ease of use.Customisation is at the heart of the Eletta Explore, allowing users to set the temperature of cold drinks (Ice or Extra Ice) and adjust the aroma intensity and water quantity for hot drinks.To craft these beverages, Delonghi includes two jugs, one each for hot and cold drinks. Both can be adjusted to control the froth density, regardless of whether one uses dairy or plant-based milk. Delonghi also provides a system to rinse with cold water between hot and cold preparations.Users can save their settings under individual profiles (up to 4 users), a feature previously unavailable in Eletta Cappuccino and Perfecta Deluxe.As is standard for Delonghi, the water tank is located on the right, easily accessible, and has a capacity of 1.8 litres. The bean hopper, located on top, can hold 300g of coffee. Inside, there's an adjustable grind setting, but the standout feature of this Eletta Explore is the Bean Adapt function, which automates all machine settings based on the specific beans used.To use this barista assistant, the machine needs coecting to home Wi-Fi and set up via the Coffee Link app. Based on user inputs about the coffee type and roast level, the Eletta Explore auto-adjusts the grind size, aroma intensity, extraction temperature, and water quantity to ensure an optimal brew.There's also a compartment for pre-ground coffee, which occasional decaf drinkers might appreciate.

Maintenance

All Delonghi machines follow a similar cleaning protocol. The nozzles self-clean at startup and shutdown, which is always appreciated, while the jugs' nozzles pre-rinse after use.The built-in screen also makes maintenance easier, notifying users of necessary tasks like refilling the water or coffee beans, or emptying the drip tray or used coffee grounds.As usual, the drip tray and used grounds bin are located beneath the cup rest. The extraction chamber, crucial for brewing, is accessed in the standard way: remove the water tank, open the hatch, then remove the chamber using the red buttons. It's advised to clean this unit weekly to prevent mould.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNrCaAKMFwE&t=5s

Further Notes

Speed: From a cold start, it takes 36 seconds to heat up and rinse. An espresso then takes 57 seconds, totalling 1 min 33 seconds for the first morning coffee. Subsequent brews are faster, with the next one ready in 40 seconds.While not the quickest Delonghi in our comparison, it's decently swift.Power Consumptio: In standby, the Eletta Explore uses 2W. Making 3 espressos and 3 long coffees consumes 0.106 kWh, including the initial machine heating and nozzle cleaning. This translates to roughly £0.23/month, quite reasonable.The machine has adjustable auto-off settings of 15 min, 30 min, 1 hour, or 3 hours.Noise: Remarkably quiet, this machine reaches 37 dB(A) during extraction and 58 dB(A) during grinding – making it suitable even for open-plan kitchens.

Conclusion

With its extensive coffee recipes, both black and milky, various temperature settings, milk jugs, and the Bean Adapt feature, the Eletta Explore earns many brownie points. Its versatility ensures it caters to a wide audience, meeting all demands with precision. Without a doubt, this model will be a crownd-pleaser.