Coffee Lounge

“The Arte is the perfect starter machine for anyone keen to get into barista coffee-making at home. It’s light, it’s small, and it makes great coffee.” Craig Simon, owner of Criteria Coffee, is referring to our recently launched La Specialista Arte, a manual machine designed to provide an authentic barista experience for the home user. 

Australia’s coffee scene is special, and that’s largely because it’s driven and epitomised by its specialty bean scene – a confluence of coffee professionalism and café culture – that is recognised globally for its high standards and quality.

But let’s back up a moment. What exactly is ‘specialty’ coffee?

Coffee is available in a variety of different forms to suit different coffee machines and coffee making preferences. It all starts with the coffee bean. Much like wine, the region where a bean grows impacts flavour and the amount of water, sunshine, fertile soil and the time from picking to roasting can all impact the final taste.

We’re spoilt for choice today – and no more so than when it comes to coffee. With a dizzying array of coffee styles already on offer, we now have a multitude of alternatives to cow’s milk to choose from. But do non-dairy alternatives make a perfectly rich, satisfying coffee? How can you make sure that your non-dairy coffee is as delicious as the dairy milk variety?

The ancient practice of alchemy was a blend of the beginnings of philosophy, magic and chemistry. Alchemists searched for a mysterious substance called the Philosopher’s Stone, that would transform base metals into gold. They also believed in the elixir of life – a magical potion that would bring health, wealth and immortality. At De’Longhi, there’s a magical potion we’re obsessed with. It’s called coffee, and there’s certainly an art and a science to making it well.