The milk-drink specialist: separate hot and cold milk carafes, cold brew coffee and an app, for homes that drink lattes far more than espresso.
Updated
- One-touch (automatic) Milk system
- 1.8 L Water tank
- 38.5 cm Height
- 2 years Warranty
Pros
- LatteCrema Hot and LatteCrema Cool carafes make hot or cold milk foam
- Cold Extraction makes cold brew coffee on demand
- App connection, four user profiles and a 3.5 in touchscreen
- 1.8 litre water tank and 300 g bean hopper
- Brewing unit comes out for rinsing under the tap
Cons
- Premium-priced; the Rivelia covers hot milk drinks for less
- 45 cm deep, so it needs a deep worktop
- The cold carafe keeps only a day in the fridge before a full clean
- Some owners report lukewarm milk drinks and an app that won't connect
- Best for
- Latte, flat white and iced coffee drinkers who want hot and cold milk drinks at a touch and like setting drinks up in an app.
- Not for
- Espresso purists, or anyone short of worktop depth or budget.
Our verdict
The Eletta Explore is the machine for households that live on milk drinks, hot or iced. It comes with two carafes: LatteCrema Hot for cappuccino and latte, and LatteCrema Cool, which froths cold milk for iced drinks. Add cold brew and De’Longhi counts more than 50 hot, cold and cold brew drinks between the touchscreen and the app, with user profiles so each person keeps their own settings. Day to day it works like De’Longhi’s other machines: the brewing unit comes out for a rinse, and the machine tells you when to descale for your water hardness.
The catches are cost and size. It is a deep machine, and it costs well above the Rivelia, which makes the same hot milk drinks. Buy the Explore if iced and cold brew drinks matter to you; if you only drink hot milk coffees, the Rivelia is the better spend.
Cleaning and running costs
The manual is strict about milk. Run the carafe’s Clean function after each milk drink; the Hot carafe can then go in the fridge for up to two days and the Cool carafe for one day before a full clean, and a carafe left out of the fridge for more than 30 minutes should be taken apart and washed. MultiClean (DLSC550) is De’Longhi’s cleaner for the milk circuit and carafes. When the machine asks, rinse the brewing unit under running water without detergent, never in the dishwasher; the whole job takes about ten minutes. The DLSC002 water filter lasts about two months, or three weeks if the machine stands idle. Descaling takes about 30 minutes with a 100 ml dose of De’Longhi descaler (DLSC500) and a litre of water, so have a container of at least two litres ready.
Owner reports
Among the owner reviews we read on De’Longhi’s UK site, the profiles, the touchscreen and easy cleaning drew the most praise. Two complaints came up several times: drinks, especially milky ones, that come out only just warm, and an app that some owners could not get to connect. A couple said the rinses at switch-on and switch-off and the modest tank mean a lot of refilling, and one owner’s machine went in for repair twice before it was two years old. These are individual reports, not a failure rate.
Who should look elsewhere
If hot milk drinks are all you need, the De’Longhi Rivelia makes them in a smaller body and adds a second bean hopper. For a bigger tank and two drinks at once, look at the Siemens EQ.700. Compare it with every bean-to-cup machine we track, or see how it ranks in our pick of the best bean-to-cup coffee machines.
De’Longhi Eletta Explore ECAM450.86.T specs
- One-touch (automatic) Milk system
- 1.8 L Water tank
- 38.5 cm Height
- 2 years Warranty
Milk
| Milk system | One-touch (automatic) |
|---|
Size
| Water tank | 1.8 L |
|---|---|
| Bean hopper | 300 g |
| Height | 38.5 cm |
| Width | 26 cm |
| Depth | 45 cm |
| Weight | not listed |
Cleaning
| Removable brew unit | Yes |
|---|---|
| Takes a water filter | Yes |
Ownership
| Warranty | 2 years |
|---|
Coffee
| Grind settings | not listed |
|---|---|
| Pump pressure | 19 bar |
Features
| App control | Yes |
|---|---|
| Power | 1,450 W |
Manufacturer figures, checked 2 Nov 2026. — means not listed.
Where to buy the De’Longhi Eletta Explore ECAM450.86.T
- Hughes£930Go to Hughes (opens in a new tab)
- John Lewis£999Go to John Lewis (opens in a new tab)
Prices and stock change; the retailer’s page is always the final word.
De'Longhi Eletta Explore questions
How long can I keep the Eletta Explore milk carafe in the fridge?
Up to two days for the LatteCrema Hot carafe and one day for LatteCrema Cool, according to De’Longhi’s manual, as long as you run the carafe’s Clean function after each milk drink. After that, take the carafe apart and clean it fully. If a carafe has been out of the fridge for more than 30 minutes, clean every part before using it again.
Can the De'Longhi Eletta Explore make cold brew and iced lattes?
Yes. De’Longhi counts more than 50 hot, cold and cold brew drinks between the machine and its app. The LatteCrema Cool carafe in the box froths cold milk for iced milk drinks, and the LatteCrema Hot carafe handles cappuccino and latte, so you don’t need to buy an upgrade set as you would for the Rivelia.
How do I clean the brewing unit on a De'Longhi Eletta Explore?
Take it out when the machine asks and rinse it under running water, without detergent. De’Longhi’s manual puts the whole job at about ten minutes. Soak any stubborn dirt for five minutes, and never put the brewing unit in the dishwasher. The machine prompts you when the clean is due, so there is no fixed interval to remember.
How long does descaling take on an Eletta Explore?
About 30 minutes. When the machine asks, pour a 100 ml dose of De’Longhi descaler into the tank to level A, add a litre of water to level B, and put a container of at least two litres under the spouts. Set your water hardness with the strip in the welcome pack so the prompt comes at the right interval, and use only De’Longhi descaler: the manual warns that faults from other descalers may not be covered by the guarantee.
Which water filter fits the Eletta Explore?
De’Longhi’s DLSC002 water filter, softener and purifier, which De’Longhi sells for all its automatic coffee makers. The manual says it lasts about two months in normal use, or three weeks at most if the machine stands idle with the filter fitted. Take it out of the tank before you descale, as De’Longhi advises for its machines.