I tested De'Longhi's most expensive superautomatic espresso machine —and it's even got an app

Tom's Guide Verdict The De’Longhi PrimaDonna Aromatic is the most expensive De’Longhi superautomatic coffee machine as of writing. For the $2,500 asking price, you’d expect perfection — and it gets about 70% of the way there. The milk functionality is great; you can make cold foam in seconds. Likewise, the espresso is consistent and easy. But you can get similar functionality for much less, so I’m still a touch confused. Pros +Makes hot and cold drinks in seconds +Super easy to use +Narrow and deep +Bean Adapt technology for perfect grind +Bright LCD screen Cons -Need to empty the grounds drawer every few drinks -Espresso lacks body -Incredibly expensive Why you can trust Tom's Guide Our writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what's best for you. Find out more about how we test, analyze, and rate. The De’Longhi PrimaDonna Aromatic is an ambitious superautomatic coffee machine. It can make 38 drinks and is even app-compatible, so you can control it from your phone (in theory). Is this enough to make it one of the best espresso machines?Yes and no. The PrimaDonna Aromatic is extremely pricey, at a whopping $2,500, and I’m… not really sure why. You can get 80% of the same performance with the $1,500 De’Longhi Rivelia and — checks notes — 99.9% of the same performance with the $2,000 De’Longhi Eletta Explore. I’m not saying don’t get the PrimaDonna Aromatic — I’m saying you might be able to save your money without sacrificing quality here.But, I digress. The PrimaDonna Aromatic is a fun, consistent, and functional coffee machine. Want to find out more? Keep reading this De’Longhi PrimaDonna Aromatic review.Latest Videos FromTom's GuideDe'Longhi PrimaDonna Aromatic review: Specs Swipe to scroll horizontally Price $2,499 / £1,549 Weight 27.7 pounds Dimensions 18.2 x 10.3 x 16 inches Grinder Yes Heating system Not known Pressure 19 bar Water tank capacity 60.9 ounces Accessories Hot & cold milk frother, cleaning accessories, descaler, ice cube tray De'Longhi PrimaDonna Aromatic review: Price & availability (Image credit: Tom's Guide)The De’Longhi PrimaDonna Aromatic is objectively expensive. You’ll find it for $2,499 from De’Longhi U.S. and £1,549 from Currys in the U.K.If you’re wincing, you’re not alone. $2,499 makes the PrimaDonna Aromatic the most expensive fully automatic coffee machine made by De’Longhi. Yes, the most expensive. As you might already be able to guess, this is markedly more expensive than the De’Longhi Rivelia ($1,499/£749), De’Longhi Magnifica Duo ($999).However, it’s only (only, she types, while wincing) $499 more expensive than the KitchenAid KF8, which I reviewed a couple of years ago and loved.If you’re familiar with the world of superautomatic coffee machines, you might’ve come across Jura — its fully automatic models can go up to $5,499. I’ve tested the $2,699 Jura E8, and let me tell you — the PrimaDonna Aromatic is much better.Tom's Guide: Direct to Your InboxGet instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.De'Longhi PrimaDonna Aromatic review: Design (Image credit: Tom's Guide)Like other automatic De’Longhi machines, the PrimaDonna Aromatic is a somewhat narrow but incredibly deep machine. It stretches a whopping 18 inches deep, so you’ll need to check your kitchen countertops can fit this behemoth before purchasing.Even so, the 10-inch width is pretty good, even with the water tank on the side. You shouldn’t need to clear too much space if your counters are deep already.And the PrimaDonna Aromatic also looks like other De’Longhi superautomatics. If I didn’t read the name, I could believe it was the Magnifica Duo or the Dinamica or the Eletta. All these machines are effectively big shiny squares. They’re not massively gorgeous, but they’re functional, unobtrusive, and get the job done. It obviously works, because De’Longhi machines are everywhere.There’s also a bright LCD screen on the machine. Here, you can select your desired beverage — 38 recipes, some of which I’d never heard of — and customize your intensity and volume. Two buttons on either side of the machine configure hot and cold, so you can view only cold or only hot drinks.App (Image credit: Tom's Guide)I like apps when they’re actually useful. I like the Fellow app. I like the Acaia Brewmaster app. I like the apps for all the earbuds I test. But I do not like the De’Longhi My Coffee Lounge app.I was prompted to complete a “coffee taste profile”, which told me I should get fruity coffee with notes of citrus, forest berry, and florals. I already knew this, though. It’s why I buy the same Ethiopian beans every time.I suppose this is helpful for complete newbies — but I wouldn’t recommend complete newbies spend $2,500 on a coffee machine.The app was also riddled with connectivity issues: There’s a Spotify-Wrapped-esque “Statistics” setting. This never loaded for me. You’re also supposed to be able to make your own recipes, but, again, these never loaded for me. The app just said “Couldn’t load any drink”. Hm, maybe because you won’t let me make any recipes? (Image credit: De'Longhi / Tom's Guide)I like two parts of the My Coffee Lounge app: One, the “Health status” setting. Here you can see how many uses you have until you need to descale, how empty your water tank is, and how full your grounds drawer is. I love this. This is great for newbies. And “experts”. Everyone, actually.And two: Suggested recipes. I got some super cool, super unique offerings here: Iced orange coffee, Iced raspberry tonic espresso, Iced espresso Mojito. Yes, please! I want more of this and fewer connectivity issues, thank you!De'Longhi PrimaDonna Aromatic review: Espresso (Image credit: Tom's Guide)The De’Longhi PrimaDonna Aromatic espresso tastes like an automatic coffee machine’s espresso. That’s neither a good nor a bad thing depending on your preference. If you know you dislike automatic coffee, this wouldn’t be for you. If you know you like it, then great!Here’s a photo of a shot of double espresso. (Image credit: Erin Bashford)As you can see, the coffee has a lovely bright caramelly color, and there’s a layer of fluffy crema. Did it taste like the most nuanced, complex, scintillating coffee in the world? No. It was a little weak, but it had enough of a coffee flavor to be devoured by straightforward coffee fans. I would not recommend this machine for coffee snobs or espresso lovers, but if you’re a general coffee drinker who prioritizes ease-of-use over messing around with doses and flow rates, this would get the job done. (Image credit: Erin Bashford)I also made a cold brew, which was, in all honesty, pretty nasty. I wouldn’t recommend this for cold brew aficionados. The coffee was actually hot as it extracted, which means it’s also not “cold brew”. It’s more like an iced Americano.De'Longhi PrimaDonna Aromatic review: Milk (Image credit: Tom's Guide)Milk performance is what (mostly) separates the PrimaDonna Aromatic from other De’Longhi models. The PrimaDonna Aromatic comes with both a hot and cold milk frother, so you can have hot microfoam or cold foam.The De’Longhi Eletta Explore ($1,999) also has this capability, so it might be worth checking out that model if you want to save some $$$. However, the Eletta Explore has a smaller water tank capacity. Again, not sure that’s worth an extra $500, but some food for thought.Here’s a photo of a drink. (Image credit: Erin Bashford)As you can see, the milk is smooth and evenly textured. Hot foam tends to deflate quite rapidly, so I’d recommend not leaving your cappuccinos around before drinking. Get ‘em while they’re hot!This milk texture is around the same quality as the De’Longhi Rivelia, but that model doesn’t come with cold and hot — you’d have to buy the cool version separately ($129).I really like the milk function on the PrimaDonna Aromatic. It has great texture, it’s easy to clean, and it comes with all the necessary accessories (unlike Jura).De'Longhi PrimaDonna Aromatic review: Storage & maintenance (Image credit: Tom's Guide)The PrimaDonna Aromatic is easy to clean. The app tells you exactly when to clean, and I would recommend cleaning out the drip tray every day at a minimum.My only major qualm is that you have to empty the grounds drawer more often than you think. I emptied it after around 3-4 drinks each time, and the drawer was full of ground beans each time. I don’t think this machine is particularly economical in terms of coffee and water usage, but that’s true of almost all automatic machines.In terms of longevity, you get a 2-year warranty as standard, which goes up to 3 years with registration. Comparatively, Breville offers a 2-year warranty, as does Ninja.De'Longhi PrimaDonna Aromatic review: Verdict (Image credit: Tom's Guide)The PrimaDonna Aromatic prioritizes simplicity and speed over coffee snobbery. It’s perfect for automatic machine users who want coffee and want it now. Would I buy it? Probably not. Would I recommend it for people who love Starbucks and Dunkin’ coffee and want to make drinks easily at home? 100%.However, I’m still not totally sure what separates it from De’Longhi’s $1,999 Eletta Explore — it has Bean Adapt, De’Longhi’s My Coffee Lounge app connectivity, and 50 recipes compared to the PrimaDonna Aromatic’s 38. I think I’d recommend saving your $500 and getting the Eletta Explore — or save $1,000 and get the De’Longhi Rivelia.But if you have $2,500 to spend, by all means, go for it. The PrimaDonna Aromatic is a great machine capable of making consistent espresso over and over. It’s just very expensive. Erin Bashford is a senior writer at Tom's Guide, focusing on reviews. She has a Masters in Broadcast and Digital Journalism from the University of East Anglia. As an ex-barista, she knows her way around a coffee machine, and as a music lover, she's constantly chipping away at her dream of having a multi-room home sound system. In her spare time you can find her reading, practising yoga, writing, or stressing over today’s NYT Games. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.