Lavazza Deséa Coffee Machine Review
The Lavazza Deséa Coffee Machine fuses together ideas from past Lavazza A Modo Mio releases to fabricate a one-touch automation that combines espresso and milk frothing into one glass mug. But does it get everything right at £199?
Design
As an appliance designed to live on a worktop, it’s conscious of the space which it consumes. Strikingly thin at 14cm and, as it doesn’t require a top mounting milk frother, it’s a modest 28cm in height. What’s more, the Lavazza Deséa strikingly oozes curvaceous Italian elegance into your kitchen and is available in cream, black or copper brown. A Modo Mio pods familiarly load under the top mounted chrome lever and the previously used pod drops into the basket in the machine when you insert another. A rounded water container is easily accessed on the back; although this doesn’t feature a handle or a grip, which if included would make it easier to dismount and refill.
One of the stark differences the Lavazza Deséa highlights over past A Modo Mio coffee machine designs is in how the experience is now fully automated. Our previous favourite, the AEG Favola Cappuccino machine required milk to be separately frothed and poured into the espresso, but the Deséa is an even purer simplicity. Pop a coffee pod in, fill the glass mug with milk to the marked level for the desired drink and press a button - done (notably quiet in operation at a mere 43dB). It equals the convenience of the Tassimo system and yet offers the ability to use any milk of your choice.
Forget the plethora of mugs you already have residing around your kitchen and get to know the new and pleasurable to sip from, Lavazza glass mug. Just one of these rather large mugs is included with the machine, so you may want to purchase additional mugs for a household as it’s a priority fixture for milk based creations due to the frother design; whereas espresso, Americano, etc., production can be undertaken in your mug of choosing, with the cup tray offering two levels of adjustment.
Controls
Not one physical button is to be found on the Lavazza Deséa. Instead the company favours an easy to use touch based and clearly illustrated control panel. The left illuminates when the milk frother attachment isn’t inserted, for beverages that only require water for the extraction: Espresso, Long Espresso, Long Coffee (similar in size to a Lungo) and Free Dose - the easiest option to facilitate an Americano sized beverage. The right side panel offers one-touch milk based creations, helpfully illustrated to mirror the milk level graphics on the glass mug: Cappuccino, cappuccino large, macchiato and a function for exclusive milk frothing (works well with powdered hot chocolates).
The default extraction temperature is perfect and instantly drinkable. However, if you do have an asbestos mouth, feel free to tap the temperature increase button for a piping hot cup of 'joe', and if the desire for further customisability takes, you can increase the frothiness too. Furthermore, the machine will highlight when the water tank is empty (but oddly not when near empty) and when cleaning is required.
Taste Test
Much of the core drink making functionality relies upon the espresso quality with milk based drinks. We haven’t yet tried all the 18 varieties of pods offered on the Lavazza website, but with half the selection greeting our taste buds, quality exceeds that of previous A Modo Mio machine models we’ve reviewed. Take for example our favourite Divino and Passionale pod blends: an aromatic and beautifully layered espresso body hits the glass, remaining in a prolonged fusion highlighting the successful extraction of oils. Topped off with a rich 1cm crema, this all equates to a phenomenal and gorgeously flavoursome espresso. The nicely balanced (and widely available in supermarkets) Lavazza Dolce Lungo is also a popular variety if a larger serving of coffee is desired; and by adding additional water this makes a pleasant Americano sized drink too.
The headline feature one-touch milk drinks are faultless and position the Lavazza Deséa as superior to the Tassimo and most milk based Nespresso systems. It takes around two minutes from pressing the button to your drink being delivered, and it is an absolute pleasure in every sense. The standard cappuccino is pleasingly silkier and less foamy compared to the AEG Favola Cappuccino Coffee Machine. Interestingly, non-dairy milks like Alpro Oat Barista, cashew, almond, soya and the traditional whole milks all work well with this milk frother design; even comparing well with the £600 Sage Barista Express. Trickier creations like latte macchiato’s are difficult to get right, because manual milk texturing requires focus with correct timing to achieve the layering, but regardless of which milk is used the Deséa frother manages to build up enough body density to support the espresso so that the layering effect is proudly distinctive and full of flavour.
Verdict
Put simply, the Lavazza Deséa is the finest A Modo Mio coffee machine yet. The simplicity of an all-in-one coffee & milk operation is a time saving joy first thing in the morning and the quality is outstanding - plus here’s a frother design that loves non-dairy milks too. Not to neglect to mention the slimline design which will neatly fit upon just about any worktop.
