Nine Bar Basics product guide
De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo EC9250M with Cold Brew
Hands-on espresso with a built-in grinder, manual milk and a cold brew option
The Arte Evo EC9250M grinds into the portafilter, then you tamp with the dosing guide, brew with three temperature choices and steam milk by hand. A Cold Brew setting brews without pressure. Expect to dial in grind and dose, and note that grind-setting counts, weight and dimensions differ between De'Longhi's page and the listing.
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Published specifications
- Model EC9250M, stainless steel
- Built-in grinder plus separate dose dial
- Espresso, Americano, Cold Brew, Hot Water dial
- 3 infusion temperatures, 92-96 °C
- 120 V, 1600 W; 15 A socket required
- Maker: 15 bar pump, 56.13 oz tank
Fit and limits
Strengths
- Grinder, dosing guide and tamper let you control the whole shot
- Cold Brew setting alongside espresso and Americano
- Two-year warranty plus one year with registration, per maker and listing
Caveats
- Grind and dose need dialling in; milk is steamed by hand
- Grind setting count, weight and size differ between sources
- Needs a 15-amp earthed socket and EcoDecalk-only descaling
What the Arte Evo listing sells
This stainless steel listing is model EC9250M, the La Specialista Arte Evo with cold brew. De'Longhi's US product and support pages use the same number, and the instruction book linked from the support page is titled EC9250 with a 120-volt, 60-hertz, 1,600-watt rating. It is a semi-automatic machine: it grinds into the portafilter, but you tamp, lock in, brew and steam milk yourself.
The front dial offers Espresso, Americano and Cold Brew, plus Hot Water and a descaling position. The manual's accessory list includes a portafilter, a dosing and tamping guide, one-cup and two-cup filters, a tamper, a milk pitcher, a hardness test paper and a steam wand cleaning needle, with the cleaning brush and tamping mat marked 'certain models only'.
Two dials: grind size and ground coffee quantity
Grind size is set with a selector on the machine; the ground coffee quantity is a separate dial on the control panel. The manual says to start the quantity dial from the minimum and turn it until the tamped coffee reaches a mark inside the filter, which it calls the perfect dose. It notes the dial numbers are not grams, ounces, grind settings or grinding time.
The extraction guide says to go one grind step finer if coffee flows fast and pale, and one step coarser if it drips or barely flows, checking the dose each time. As the burrs wear, the manual says you will turn the quantity dial higher; between 30 and 40 you switch to an extra grinding range in the settings, and later contact a service centre for new burrs.
Cold brew and temperature settings
Cold Brew uses cold or room-temperature water with a longer infusion instead of heat. The manual asks for a trial delivery first, then brewing over two or three ice cubes. It notes that cold extraction is pressureless, so the pressure gauge does not move, and that the tank should be emptied and rinsed if its water is a day or two old.
For hot drinks there are three infusion temperatures between 92 and 96 degrees Celsius (197.6 to 204.8 Fahrenheit), which the manual matches to dark, medium-dark and light-medium roasts. It explains this is the thermoblock water temperature, not the temperature in the cup. Settings also include a pre-infusion pause of none, one or two seconds and auto-off after 9 minutes, 1.5 hours or 3 hours.
Steaming milk and cleaning the wand
Milk is textured with a manual steam wand and the supplied pitcher. The manual says milk volume grows two to three times, names whole cow's milk at about 5 degrees Celsius, and says the machine works with cow's milk and plant-based drinks but not raw milk. Press the steam button again and wait for steam to stop before removing the pitcher.
After each use, wipe the wand, release steam for a few seconds, and use the cleaning needle on its holes. On first setup the manual has you purge the steam circuit three or four times, and it says the first four or five coffees may not give satisfactory results while you set the dose.
Space, power and water
The manual asks for at least 3 cm (1.18 inches) at the sides and back and 15 cm (5.90 inches) above, away from taps and sinks and out of rooms that can freeze. It calls for an earthed socket rated at least 15 amps, and says to use only fresh drinking water, not sparkling or distilled water. Change tank water at least every three days and clean the tank every 30 days.
Descaling uses De'Longhi EcoDecalk only, according to the manual, which warns that unsuitable descalers may cause defects not covered by the warranty. The cycle takes about 20 minutes with a 2 litre container and a rinse that cannot be stopped; follow the manual for amounts. Run a rinse cycle if the machine has been idle for more than a week.
Figures that disagree
De'Longhi's own product page says 8 grind settings in its introduction and 15 grind settings in its feature list; the listing says 15. The maker lists 25.8 pounds and 14.4 by 11.2 by 15.9 inches, while the listing gives 21.5 pounds and 14.37 inches deep, 11.22 wide and 15.87 high. The maker's cup height line reads '4.45' under a millimetres label.
The listing counts four presets including hot water; the maker describes three pre-set drinks plus a hot water function, and the manual's function dial also carries a descaling position. Both give 1,600 watts, a 15 bar pump and a tank of about 56 ounces. De'Longhi's page states a two-year warranty plus one more year with product registration, matching the listing's warranty field.
Check the current listing
Confirm the model, included parts and availability before ordering.
Primary sources
- De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo EC9250M US product page
- De'Longhi EC9250M support page with instructions for use
Primary sources checked .
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