De’Longhi Lattissima Pro review

We weren’t particularly impressed with the De’Longhi Latissima+ when we reviewed it. Although it looked good on paper, it failed to deliver the goods when it came to the quality of coffee produced. With that experience fresh in our minds, we weren’t expecting much from the De’Longhi Latissima Pro when it arrived, but how wrong we were.

Put simply, the Latissima Pro is the best countertop Nespresso machine we’ve tested, and by some margin. In essence, that’s all you need to know, but for the sake of completeness, we’ll expand a little further.

De’Longhi Latissima Pro looks

No matter how stylish your kitchen might be, the Latissima Pro will fit right in. The main body is finished in brushed aluminium, while key aspects, such as the drip tray filter and fold down espresso cup stand, are constructed from solid, chromed metal. The Latissima Pro looks and feels like a high-quality appliance, so even before you fire it up you can see where your money has gone.

The aesthetic appeal extends to the control panel, too. There’s a touch-sensitive button for pretty much everything, and there’s even an LCD screen that makes setup and operation an absolute breeze.

The Latissima Pro has a dedicated button for pretty much every drink you can think of from a straight espresso, through lungos and cappuccinos, to lattes and macchiatos – if you’re looking for a simple and effective way to make any type of coffee, this machine has you well covered.

Even the milk container looks beautifully integrated, rather than an afterthought, as is so often the case with countertop machines. And the design’s clever too, with a sliding door on the right of the chassis hiding a very useful hot water spout.

De’Longhi Latissima Pro size

The Latissimo Pro is a large machine, measuring 274 x 194 x 332mm (HxWxD). In fact, it’s far larger than any other Nespresso countertop machine we’ve seen. But that physical size brings some clear advantages. The capacious water tank holds 1.3L, which means you won’t need to fill it up as often as you would with other machines. Likewise, the milk container can hold 500ml.

Then there’s the sheer solid feel to the Latissima Pro, whether you’re raising the capsule lever, plugging in the milk container or removing the used capsule receptacle, the machine itself never shifts on the counter.

De’Longhi Latissima Pro coffee

You might think that capsule coffee will taste the same regardless of the machine it’s dropped into, but you’d be very wrong. The same flavour Nespresso capsule will taste very different depending on the temperature of the water, the flow rate and pressure. In fact the Latissima+ that we reviewed recently proved that point by producing quite poorly resolved results, no matter what flavour capsule we used.

The Latissima Pro, however, produces some finest Nespresso coffee we’ve tasted. In fact, it’s not a million miles away from the quality produced by our Miele built-in Nespresso machine, which is horrendously expensive by comparison.

Flip down the cup stand and hit the espresso button and you’ll be supplied a smooth, rich and flavoursome shot of brown goodness. The temperature of 66C is just about perfect, and consistent, no matter how many cups you’re making.

If you can resist drinking that espresso straight away, you can appreciate the golden brown crema that crowns it. The colour and texture is ideal, and could be used as an object lesson for other machines.

That same smooth, perfectly formed taste is carried over to shorter and longer drinks too – a 25ml ristretto goes down beautifully in a single mouthful, while a 110ml lungo will keep sippers happy until the very last drop.

De’Longhi Latissima Pro milk

If you like a cappuccino or latte in the morning, you’ll love the Latissima Pro. Never have we seen a better milk system on a countertop coffee machine. The dial on the top of the milk jug adjusts the level of froth produced, allowing you to tailor your drink to your exact preference.

Once you’ve set your perfect amount of froth, you can just press the right button – cappuccino, latte or macchiato – and the Latissimo Pro will deliver a perfectly measured drink.

Of course you can do everything manually yourself by dispensing your shot (or shots) of coffee first and then hitting the milk button to add as much milk as you require. Whichever way you do it, though, you can be sure that the resulting drink will taste great.

Once you’ve made a milk-based drink, the Latissima Pro will automatically run a cleaning cycle on the milk system, to ensure that it doesn’t get blocked with dried milk over time. Oh, and the machine even reminds you to put the milk back in the fridge – De’Longhi really has thought of everything!

De’Longhi Latissima Pro tea

Even those pesky tea drinkers will find something to love about the Latissima Pro, thanks to the aforementioned hot water spot hiding in that secret compartment.

Simply remove the milk container and plug the hot water spout into the vacated socket, and the Latissima Pro will deliver steaming hot water, allowing you to make a plethora of drinks other than coffee. The spout even extends telescopically, to reduce the chance of hot water splashing out of the cup.

De’Longhi Latissima Pro conclusion

At £429 the Latissima Pro is pretty expensive for a countertop Nespresso machine, but it really is worth every penny. The coffee it produces is simply delicious, the build quality is rock solid and the sheer flexibility is unprecedented.

If your heart is set on a Nespresso-based coffee machine and you can afford the asking price, the Latissima Pro should be top of your list.