Eletta Explore is the first De’Longhi platform that treats cold drinks like a first-class citizen. You get LatteCrema Hot for classic cappuccino and flat white, LatteCrema Cool for chilled milk foam that actually holds in iced drinks, and De’Longhi’s Cold Extraction Technology for cold brew in a few minutes rather than overnight. A 3.5-inch color touch display, Coffee Link app control, a genuine To-Go mode sized for travel mugs, and guided maintenance make it easy for a household to live on this machine.

Some trims add Wi-Fi and Bean Adapt Technology that tunes recipes to your beans. If your kitchen makes as many iced lattes as hot ones, the Eletta Explore earns the counter space. 

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At a glance

• Formats and variants. ECAM450.xx family with multiple trims. Common models include ECAM450.55, 450.65, 452.67, and 450.86. Feature sets vary slightly by SKU and region.
  
• Headline features. Hot and cold milk via LatteCrema Hot and LatteCrema Cool; Cold Extraction Technology for fast cold-brew style drinks; To-Go function sized for travel mugs.
  
• Screen and controls. 3.5-inch color TFT with soft-touch icons; clear tile-based UI.
  
• App and connectivity. Coffee Link app for recipes, personalizations, and profiles; Wi-Fi is present on higher trims and called out in regional listings.
  
• Drinks. 40+ to 50+ one-touch recipes depending on variant, including iced and Cold Brew programs.
  
• Bean Adapt Technology. Available on Eletta Explore with Wi-Fi; adjusts brewing parameters for the beans you select. Saved profiles through the app.
  
• Capacities and size. 1.8 L water tank; ~300 g hopper; grounds drawer ~14 pucks; body around 260 × 450 × 385 mm.
  
• Pump and power. 19-bar labeled pump; about 1450 W.
  
• Profiles. Up to 4 user profiles on documented trims, surfaced on-panel and in-app.
  
• To-Go. Three sizes up to 16 oz with an adjustable tray; some packages include a travel mug.
  

Glanceable specs

• Dimensions: ~260 W × 450 D × 385 H mm
  
• Water tank: 1.8 L
  
• Beans: up to 300 g
  
• Dregs bin: about 14 pucks
  
• Display: 3.5-inch TFT color touch
  
• Grinder: conical burr, up to 13 steps documented across manuals and retailer sheets
  
• Pump: up to 19 bar (label rating)
  
• Power: ~1450 W
  
• Connectivity: Coffee Link app; Wi-Fi on higher trims with Bean Adapt
  
• Milk systems: LatteCrema Hot and LatteCrema Cool carafes; dishwasher-safe parts and quick auto clean
  
• Cold drinks: Cold Extraction Technology for cold brew in under 3–5 minutes depending on region and model copy
  

Figures consolidated from De’Longhi product pages and manuals for the ECAM450 family. 

Build and design

The Explore chassis is De’Longhi’s modern mid-size: roughly 26 cm wide, 45 cm deep, and under 39 cm tall, so it plays well with standard wall cabinets. The tank slides out cleanly, the drip tray is broad and stable, and the adjustable spouts clear tall glasses for iced drinks. Fit and finish are clean for the class. Controls live on a bright 3.5-inch color panel with large tiles and soft-touch icons, which beats older button grids when you’re scrolling a long drink list. 

De’Longhi ships two dedicated milk carafes on the hot-and-cold trims: LatteCrema Hot and LatteCrema Cool. The hardware is practical. Both carafes disassemble easily, the self-clean purge is quick, and De’Longhi documents that parts are dishwasher-safe. That combination is why the milk system still performs in month nine. You can park either carafe in the fridge between uses. 

The front-facing To-Go bay is not a gimmick. The tray drops to fit a travel mug and the software exposes three size presets up to 16 oz. Ice recipes ask you to fill the glass with cubes before brewing; De’Longhi even leans into this on the marketing pages and bundles a mug in some regions. 

Under the hood you get the usual De’Longhi geometry: conical burr grinder with a manual collar adjustment, removable brew unit behind a service door, and a thermoblock heater that manages back-to-back drinks without drama. The brew unit pops out for a sink rinse—there is no sealed-group mystery here. 

Workflow

The morning cadence

Power up triggers a short rinse through the spouts. Pick a drink tile, adjust strength and size, and either brew or save the changes to a profile. If two people drink different things, the 4-profile logic keeps recipes from getting overwritten. The Coffee Link app mirrors control, adds extra learning content, and makes it easy to build favorites from the couch. 

Hot and cold, no menu spelunking

The screen splits choices clearly: hot classics, iced spins, and Cold Brew programs. On the cold side, two technologies matter. LatteCrema Cool makes stable cold foam that doesn’t collapse on ice. Cold Extraction runs room-temperature water at low pressure through a specific pattern to produce cold brew in minutes. De’Longhi publishes the details and quotes under-3 to under-5-minute results depending on market copy. The point is speed with a flavor that leans smooth rather than sharp. 

To-Go

Select To-Go, pick one of the preset sizes up to 16 oz, lower the tray, and brew into your travel cup. The machine sequences coffee and milk smartly for tall beverages. For iced To-Go, it prompts for proper ice fill so dilution lands where it should. 

App rhythm and Bean Adapt

Coffee Link covers recipes, profiles, and maintenance prompts. On trims with Wi-Fi, Bean Adapt appears in the app. You log a bean, the app guides you to the right intensity and temperature, and recommends a grind range you set on the collar. Those settings are then saved to an “Espresso Soul” anchor and used as a baseline for related drinks. It is sensible guard-rails, not magic. 

Espresso performance

The baseline shot

This is still a super-automatic with a compact brew chamber. Think sweet, tidy shots on medium roasts rather than dense ristretto syrup. Out of the box the grind band is wide enough for a good 1:1.5 to 1:2 volume in the factory time window. Manuals and retailer sheets list up to 13 steps for the collar, which gives you real steering without inviting obsession. Start mid-fine, strength at 3 of 5, temperature middle, and aim for ~30–40 g out. 

Strength without bitterness

For long milk drinks, rely on the machine’s higher-dose programs rather than stretching a single extraction to oblivion. De’Longhi’s logic is tuned to keep flow sane and avoid the woody notes that come from over-long shots. If you own a hotter roast, drop brew temp one notch to keep sweetness. If you step into lighter blends, bump intensity first, then move one click finer on the collar.

Bean Adapt in practice

With Wi-Fi trims you can store bean profiles in the app and let Bean Adapt lock in intensity and temperature for that coffee while recommending grind tweaks you apply manually. It focuses on espresso and “Espresso Soul,” which then cascades flavor to the rest of the menu. Treat this as a repeatability tool across bags rather than a replacement for tasting. De’Longhi’s own explainer makes that scope clear. 

Cold extraction expectations

Cold Extraction is not immersion cold brew. It uses low pressure and room-temperature water to deliver a smooth, chillable base for iced drinks in minutes. The cups land clean, low-bitterness, and designed for ice. If you want the syrupy, tea-like body of a 16-hour immersion brew, that remains a different beverage. For daily iced lattes, this feels purpose-built. De’Longhi positions it exactly that way in multiple regions. 

Milk steaming and texture

LatteCrema Hot

The hot carafe consistently produces fine foam for cappuccino and a tighter texture for flat white presets. Dairy and barista-formulated plant milks both work. De’Longhi’s LatteCrema pages emphasize foam stability to the last sip; in practice, mouthfeel holds up well through a long drink, which is where many super-autos fall apart. Parts are quick to purge and dishwasher-safe. 

LatteCrema Cool

Cold foam is the reason many people buy Explore. The Cool carafe whips at low temperature to a fluffy, stable texture that sits on ice without vanishing. For iced cappuccino and iced flat white, this matters more than any app flourish. De’Longhi’s own magazine piece explains how the Cool carafe targets temperature and bubble size to keep foam from collapsing when syrups and ice join the party. 

Sequencing and heat reality

Super-automatics run conservative milk temperatures to protect sweetness and the small circulations inside the carafe lid. If you prefer a hotter finish, pre-warm cups on the deck and start with cold milk for better foam. The machine’s presets do a good job of stacking milk and coffee in tall drinks so flavor doesn’t wash out.

Maintenance and reliability

Daily

Empty the tray and dregs bin when prompted, top the tank, and run the milk carafe’s quick self-clean purge. Both carafes disassemble in seconds and every part can go on the top rack. The app and panel prompt for rinses at start and shutdown. These prompts keep taste consistent because they are short enough that people actually do them. 

Weekly

Remove the brew unit, soak or rinse in warm water, air-dry, and reinstall. De’Longhi’s FAQ explains this clearly and avoids detergents that can swell seals. Wipe the interior cavity and check the connector O-rings on the milk port. 

Periodic

Fit the water filter if your hardness demands it, run the guided descale cycle on schedule, and keep a small stash of De’Longhi detergent tablets and Eco MultiClean on hand for deeper milk-part soaks if performance drops. The Coffee Link app mirrors counters and reminders. 

Common owner errors and fixes

• Oily beans that shine like lacquer will choke the feed. Switch to a medium roast and brush the chute.
  
• “Fill water tank” with a full reservoir often means the float is stuck; free it and reseat.
  
• “Insert infuser” after cleaning usually means the unit was turned off with the back switch rather than through the panel; cycle power correctly and reseat. De’Longhi’s service notes flag the shut-down sequence as required to remove and reinsert the infuser.
  

Competitive comparisons

Jura E8

Jura E8 is the mainstream rival for hot drinks. Jura’s milk foam is excellent and the UI is clean. Jura uses a sealed brew unit with detergent cycles instead of a removable group. If you want to physically rinse your group and you care about iced drinks with real cold foam and Cold Brew programs, Eletta Explore has the edge. If you want a more pared-back hot-only menu and Jura’s polished ecosystem, E8 still runs strong.

Siemens EQ.700 Integral

Siemens EQ.700 counters with an integrated milk container, a larger 5-inch touch panel, Home Connect features like coffeePlaylist, and a similar “two at once” rhythm for milk drinks. Siemens does not offer De’Longhi’s Cold Extraction. If you live on hot milk drinks and want an all-in-one milk container that auto-purges after every milk pour, Siemens is compelling. If your household drinks iced lattes three seasons a year and wants true cold foam, De’Longhi’s Explore owns that niche.

Philips 5400 LatteGo

Nothing rinses faster than Philips 5400 LatteGo’s two-piece carafe. It is brilliant for friction-free cleanup. Philips lacks the dual hot-and-cold milk hardware and Cold Extraction. Espresso depth is similar. If you prioritize the fastest possible milk rinse and price, Philips is a strong pick. If you value cold foam quality and the breadth of cold recipes, Explore is smarter.

De’Longhi Dinamica Plus

De’Longhi’s own lower-priced favorite has a friendly touch UI and consistent LatteCrema Hot, but it does not bring LatteCrema Cool or Cold Extraction to the table. If you are strictly a hot-drink household, the Dinamica Plus saves money. If cold foam and rapid cold brew are in your daily routine, buy Explore.

De’Longhi PrimaDonna Soul

PrimaDonna Soul ups the screen size and material feel, and it leans harder on Bean Adapt. It remains a hot-drink platform. Explore is the De’Longhi that goes all-in on cold alongside hot. If you want Bean Adapt and premium fit with a hot-first menu, Soul is your path. If you want a split identity with iced drinks treated as equal citizens, Explore is the better call.

Pricing, trims, and regional notes

United States. The ECAM450.86S SKU with Cold Brew, Hot and Cool carafes, and Wi-Fi commonly lists around $1,999.95 and often promotes lower. Retailers like Best Buy and ABT carry it with regular sales. De’Longhi’s own store frequently shows the current price and the lowest price in the last 30 days. 

United Kingdom. ECAM450.86.T with Cold Extraction and both carafes lists near £999.99 and often sells around £849–£900 on promo at De’Longhi and Currys. UK pages call out over-50 recipes, Bean Adapt, and dishwasher-safe carafes. 

EU. ECAM450.55 and 450.65 variations are common around €650–€900 depending on finish and bundle. Some 65/86 trims list Bean Adapt and Wi-Fi; 55 trims focus on the core hot-and-cold drink set without those extras. Always verify whether Cold Extraction, Wi-Fi, and Bean Adapt are present on the exact code you buy. 

Variant cheat sheet

• ECAM450.55. Core hot and iced recipes, LatteCrema Hot and often LatteCrema Cool. App pairing for control and extras. Feature set can be lighter; check for Wi-Fi and Cold Extraction on the exact listing.
  
• ECAM450.65. Frequently adds Cold Extraction and sometimes Bean Adapt depending on region.
  
• ECAM452.67. Market-specific trim with the full cold feature set; De’Longhi UK positions it with 50+ recipes and Bean Adapt.
  
• ECAM450.86. Top Explore trim in many markets. Bean Adapt, Wi-Fi, both carafes, Cold Extraction, 50+ recipes, To-Go, and a bundled travel mug in some regions.
  

Real numbers you can trust

• Tank 1.8 L. Beans 300 g. Dregs ~14 pucks. Label pressure 19 bar. Power ~1450 W. Body 260 × 450 × 385 mm.
  
• Screen 3.5 inches. Recipes 40+ to 50+, hot and cold. Profiles 4. To-Go up to 16 oz, tray adjusts.
  
• Cold Extraction under ~3–5 minutes depending on page and market copy.
  
• Dishwasher-safe parts carafes and drip tray listed as dishwasher safe.
  
• Grinder conical burr with 13 steps documented across manuals and retailer specs.
  

Scores

• Build quality: 8.4/10
  
• Grinder quality: 8.0/10
  
• Espresso quality: 8.1/10
  
• Long coffee quality: 8.3/10
  
• Milk system performance (Hot): 8.7/10
  
• Milk system performance (Cold): 9.2/10
  
• Workflow and ergonomics: 9.0/10
  
• Cleaning and maintenance: 9.1/10
  
• App and connectivity: 8.6/10
  
• Value at street pricing: 8.6/10
  

Overall: 8.6/10

Why these numbers: it is one of the very few super-automatics that nails both hot and cold milk drinks and gives you legit fast cold brew. Espresso is very good for a super-auto; the grinder is competent; the workflow is strong because cleanup is realistic.

Who it is for

• Homes that drink iced lattes and cold brew most of the year
  
• Families who want profiles, a travel-mug mode, and guided cleaning
  
• Users who value a removable brew group and dishwasher-safe milk hardware
  
• People who want app guidance and Bean Adapt without moving to a more expensive flagship trim
  

Trade-offs to expect

1. Macro grind steps. Up to 13 clicks are enough for sensible steering, not for chasing ultra-light Scandinavian roasts.
   
2. Conservative milk heat. Protects sweetness and the carafe internals, but traditionalists who love very hot cappuccino should pre-warm cups.
   
3. Feature drift by SKU. Cold Extraction, Wi-Fi, and Bean Adapt are not universal. Confirm on the exact code.
   
4. Noise is present but brief. Ceramic conical burrs are not silent; the upside is short grind cycles.
   
5. Tall-drink reality. Follow the To-Go prompts and ice guidance; freestyling huge milk volumes can thin flavor.
   

Final verdict

Eletta Explore is the rare super-automatic that treats hot and cold equally well. It makes cappuccinos and flat whites with foam that holds up, pours a cold foam that sits beautifully on ice, and produces a cold-brew-style base in minutes that plays well with syrups and milk. The 3.5-inch interface is fast, the app is sensible, the brew group is user-serviceable, and the carafes really are dishwasher-safe. You can set up four household profiles, build favorites, and brew straight into a travel mug without hacks.

If you drink only straight espresso and want bar-style control, a manual grinder and a prosumer machine out-pull any super-automatic. If your household lives on milk drinks and iced recipes, and you want the simplest path to repeatable results, Eletta Explore is the strongest all-rounder in De’Longhi’s current lineup at its price. Pick a trim with Bean Adapt and Wi-Fi if you want the extra guidance; pick the core 450.55 if you want the hot-and-cold fundamentals at a lower price. Either way you get the thing that matters: a machine that makes year-round café drinks without turning your kitchen into a cleaning project. 

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TL;DR

A compact, app-savvy super-automatic that finally takes iced coffee seriously. Hot foam, cold foam, and rapid cold brew are all one-touch. The removable brew unit and dishwasher-safe carafes keep maintenance boring and fast. To-Go mode is travel-mug ready. Get a Wi-Fi/Bean Adapt trim if you want the machine to help you dial new beans. 

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Pros

• LatteCrema Hot and Cool produce consistent foam for hot and iced drinks
  
• Real Cold Extraction programs for cold brew in minutes
  
• To-Go presets up to 16 oz with an adjustable tray
  
• 3.5-inch color UI plus Coffee Link app and 4 user profiles
  
• Removable brew unit and dishwasher-safe carafes and tray
  
• Bean Adapt on higher trims guides intensity, temperature, and grind recommendations
  

Cons

• Grinder is macro-stepped; not ideal for very light roasts
  
• Milk temperature is conservative by design
  
• Feature set varies by ECAM450 code; confirm Cold Extraction, Wi-Fi, and Bean Adapt before buying
  
• Louder than a manual setup during short grind bursts
  

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Quick buying notes by market

• US. ECAM450.86S is the common full-feature SKU; regular promos drop it well under list.
  
• UK. ECAM450.86.T and ECAM452.67.G show up often with over-50 recipes, Bean Adapt, and travel-mug support near £900 on sale.
  
• EU. ECAM450.55/65 variants range roughly €650–€900 depending on region and bundle. Check spec rows for Wi-Fi and Cold Extraction.
  

De’Longhi Eletta Explore – frequently asked questions

Answers to common questions about how Eletta Explore behaves in real kitchens.

Is De’Longhi Eletta Explore better for hot drinks, cold drinks, or both? ▶

It is designed as a mixed hot and cold platform. LatteCrema Hot covers cappuccinos, flat whites, and other classic hot milk drinks. LatteCrema Cool adds real cold foam that holds on ice. Cold Extraction gives you a cold brew style base in a few minutes. Hot espresso and Americanos are good for a super automatic, yet the big win is that you can move from hot cappuccino to iced latte to cold brew without swapping machines.

What is the difference between Cold Extraction and brewing espresso over ice? ▶

Cold Extraction uses room temperature water, low pressure, and a specific flow profile to create a smooth cold brew style concentrate in roughly 3 to 5 minutes. Brewing espresso over ice uses hot water and regular pressure, then relies on ice for cooling and dilution. Hot over ice tastes brighter and sometimes sharper. Cold Extraction is softer, lower in perceived bitterness, and behaves more like classic cold brew when you add milk and syrups.

Does Eletta Explore come with both LatteCrema Hot and LatteCrema Cool carafes? ▶

Full feature Eletta Explore trims are sold with two separate carafes, one for LatteCrema Hot and one for LatteCrema Cool. Lower trims in the ECAM450 family can omit the Cool carafe or Cold Extraction. Always check the exact ECAM450 code on the retailer page and confirm that both carafes and Cold Extraction are listed in the spec if those features matter to you.

How hot is the milk and can I make my drinks hotter? ▶

Eletta Explore targets conservative milk temperatures to protect sweetness and avoid scalding inside the carafe lid. Many people find the result hot enough, yet not scorching. If you want a hotter drink you can:

• Raise brew temperature one step in the menu or app for your profile.
• Pre warm cups on the top deck or rinse them with hot water.
• Start with milk straight from the fridge so the machine can follow its temperature curve properly.

For very hot café style steaming you still need a manual steam wand machine.

How does Bean Adapt work on Eletta Explore and do I need it? ▶

Bean Adapt is available on Wi Fi enabled trims. In the Coffee Link app you select a bean, answer a few questions about roast level, and let the system suggest intensity and temperature settings while giving you a grind range you dial on the collar. The machine saves those values to an espresso baseline that related drinks reuse. You still taste and adjust, yet it gives new owners a faster path to a balanced house shot. If you are comfortable dialing by taste you can live without it. If you want guard rails across different bags, Bean Adapt helps.

How easy is it to clean the milk system and brew group on Eletta Explore? ▶

Daily, you run the carafe’s quick self clean purge, which pushes hot water and steam through the lid channels at one touch. Both LatteCrema carafes disassemble in seconds and their parts are listed as dishwasher safe on the top rack. The brew group sits behind a side door and is owner removable. Pull it out once a week, rinse under warm water without detergent, let it air dry, and reinsert. Guided descale and cleaning programs run from the menu and are mirrored in the Coffee Link app so you do not have to remember the schedule.

Which beans work best in De’Longhi Eletta Explore for hot and cold drinks? ▶

Medium and medium dark blends roasted for super automatic machines are the safest choice. Oily dark beans can clog the chute and grinder, and ultra light roasts can run up against the limits of the macro stepped grinder. A simple way to think about it:

• Medium roast for iced lattes, cold brew style drinks, and long coffees.
• Slightly darker blend for cappuccinos and flat whites where you want more punch.
• Avoid very shiny beans and store coffee in small batches rather than topping the hopper to the brim.

Will Eletta Explore fit a travel mug and how does To Go mode work? ▶

Yes. The To Go bay is built for travel mugs. You drop the tray, slide in your mug, and choose one of the preset To Go sizes up to around 16 oz. The machine sequences coffee and milk for tall drinks so flavor does not wash out, and on iced To Go recipes it prompts you to fill the mug with ice first. That makes it far easier to leave the house with a consistent drink instead of guessing ratios manually.