Lavazza deséa
Buy now £199, Lavazza.co.uk
- Weight: 4.5kg
- Water tank capacity: 1.1l
- Dimensions: W14.5cm x D38cm x H28cm
- Cable length: 80cm
- Colours: Black, white, brown
- Guarantee: Two years
The Lavazza deséa has a compact, streamlined design that will fit well on most worktops; its shape is narrow and slim, but it is surprisingly deep, with the water tank positioned at the back, so you’ll need to consider this when it comes to positioning in your kitchen. We liked the glossy off-white colour, which contrasts well with the matte black of the rest of the machine, though the black and brown colourways are also attractive.
The key selling point for us on the deséa is its milk-frothing function – not a feature that comes as standard on most capsule machines. It allows you to make a cappuccino, latte or macchiato, and hot or cold frothed milk to add to your coffee, using the milk of your choice, at just the touch of a button.
The a modo mio capsules are inserted into the top of the machine to make espresso, long espresso, long coffee or a “free dose”, all delivered at the perfect temperature – choose from a preset or select your own. Then, just adjust the cup rack to suit the size of your cup.
Lavazza is very proud of how quiet the deséa is, boasting that its “top class silent operation” is believed to be the most discreet in its category and will never exceed 43dB; ideal for shared households or busy workplaces.
Read more: 8 best espresso machines for barista quality coffee
The machine is also equipped with a range of alerts: it will tell you when the used capsule drawer needs to be emptied (it has a capacity of 10), and when the water tank is empty. The control panel is fairly self-explanatory, with different buttons for different-sized coffee and milky beverages, which are subtly backlit and beep when pressed.
Cleaning the machine is simple and convenient – and markedly easier and less fuss than any other milk-producing machine we’ve tried. Plus it really is quiet!
PerformanceTo set up, you’ll need to perform a quick and easy rinse cycle; the machine comes ready assembled and set up, so all you need to do is plug it in and fill the water tank.
Lavazza has a great selection of authentic-tasting coffee from around the world to choose from in its pod selection, each with tasting profiles, sourcing notes and strength indicators to help you decide your personal favourites. You won’t find the weird and wonderful flavoured creations that some pod machines are known for with Lavazza, but every coffee we tried from its selection tasted much higher-quality and more delicious than most capsules. We particularly liked the darkly fruity dolce lungo cap, which tastes fresh, sweet and strong, even in a large mug.
To make a milky drink, Lavazza provides a branded glass that you can fill to the indicated mark with your dairy or plant milk of choice before placing on the drip tray and making your selection. The deséa cleverly whisks, steams and stirs the milk to the appropriate recipe, giving you an expertly made cappuccino in under a minute.
Read more: 8 best milk frothers to make a proper coffee at home
This is actually really impressive; as mentioned, milk functionality isn’t commonplace with pod machines. You may see long-life milk capsules for some machines, or models that have an add-on milk tank that can steam milk, but these can be awkward, messy and a pain to clean, so this design is really brilliant. The cappuccino – or latte or macchiato – produced is first-rate, too: a proper barista-level coffee with velvety, tiny micro-bubbles. We’re impressed.
Though the machine is not difficult to use, we’d recommend having a good read through the manual first and keeping hold of it, as it can be hard to remember what the various flashings in the interface may mean – descaling needed, incorrectly positioned drawer or an error with the machine. The Lavazza deséa is fairly small, but the water tank easily holds enough to make four or five coffees a time – though this would be a problem if several people required a milky coffee…