De'Longhi La Specialista Arte (EC9155M) vs Lelit Anna
A thermoblock against a single boiler — two philosophies of the same morning.
About CA$243 apart — the split below is what the gap buys.
De'Longhi
US$699 · CA$565–855
The La Specialista Arte packages grinder, guided tamping, and a capable manual wand into the smallest footprint in the Specialista line, which makes it a reasonable first machine for anyone…
Full record & live prices →
Lelit
Strong consensusUS$599–699 · CA$830–1,075
The Anna PL41TEM puts real espresso infrastructure — brass boiler, PID, manometer, 3-way solenoid — into one of the narrowest footprints in the segment, hand-assembled in the same Italian fa…
Full record & live prices →The split
Where they actually differ
On 6 of 11 measures these two tie. The 5 rows below are the entire argument.
La Specialista Arte (EC9155M)
Anna
Ready when you are
La Specialista Arte (EC9155M) leads, decisively
40 sec· ~10 min
Push-button convenience
La Specialista Arte (EC9155M) leads, decisively
Built to last
Anna leads, clearly
Quiet operation
Anna leads, clearly
The price
La Specialista Arte (EC9155M) costs less, clearly
CA$565–855· CA$830–1,075
Forgiving to learn on
La Specialista Arte (EC9155M) leads, clearly
weakerstronger
The counter’s vote
Looks barely figure in either machine’s record — the counter can sit this one out.
La Specialista Arte (EC9155M): Sleek, modern countertop profile cited in TechRadar and TechGearLab reviews; not a design-driver purchase (no award citations, no "kitchen approval" threads), but neutral-to-positive in the…
Anna: Polished steel exterior with metal switches and manometer cited repeatedly as "premium for the price" and kitchen-approval talk; design is functional elegance, not polarizing.
Only the Anna: PID temperature control.
Where they tie: milk & steam · shot ceiling · back-to-back drinks · reliability record · parts & repair — don’t let a spec sheet invent a difference.
On the counter
The size difference, to scale
So — which one?
Take the La Specialista Arte (EC9155M) if —
- Patience is not your virtue at 6 a.m.
- You want a button, not a ritual
- The difference stays in your pocket — or goes into beans
- You want the more forgiving of the two
Take the Anna if —
- You are buying once
- There are sleepers to protect
- You want the temperature argument settled
Both columns reading true? Take the La Specialista Arte (EC9155M) and put the difference into fresh, roast-dated beans — they move the cup more than this choice will.
Known weak points
La Specialista Arte (EC9155M)
No documented widespread failures on file; owner reports are anecdotal and positive.
Anna
Steaming capacity becomes bottleneck under repeated heavy use; no widespread electronic failure patterns documented, though single-boiler temperature swing management requires ritual attention.
For the row-by-row readers
The whole sheet, side by side
Matching rows fade back — the ink is where they differ.
La Specialista Arte (EC9155M)
Anna
Type
Thermoblock / thermojet
Single boiler
Heat-up time
40 seconds
~10 min
Steam power
3/5
2.5/5
Brew + steam at once
No
No
Guest recovery
2/5
2/5
Shot quality ceiling
3/5
3.5/5
PID temperature control
No
Yes
Milk system
Manual steam wand
Manual steam wand
One-touch drinks
3
—
Removable brew group
No
No
Hot-water tap
Yes
Yes
Cup clearance
10 cm
9 cm
Workflow demand
3/5
3/5
Maintenance
3/5
2.5/5
Noise
4/5
2.5/5
Build longevity
2/5
3.5/5
Dimensions
28.5 × 39.9 × 36.5 cm
23 × 38 × 34 cm
One owner each
“The Anna's level of finish is also surprising for a machine this price—the polished steel exterior with premium metal switches and a manometer that displays brew pressure in real time make this machine stand out.”
Wrong match-up? Change one side → — any two on file compare.
Still torn?
This page weighs them against each other. The finder weighs them against your mornings.
Two minutes of questions — milk, noise, budget, space — scored across everything on file. It’s honest when the answer is neither of these.
Take the two-minute finder →