The removable 2.6 quart / 2.5 liter water tank sits at the rear of the machine, although there’s no water filter for those who live in areas where the water comprises high levels of dissolved calcium and magnesium. The integrated bean grind, which can hold 0.55lb / 250g, sits on the top of the machine to the left. As we’ve mentioned already, it offers eight grind levels that can be adjusted using the slider below the bean hopper. Twin spouts enable the EC9155MB to pour two evenly sized drinks at once, and we found that two coffee cups comfortably fit side-by-side on the drip tray. However, we did find there was some slight splashing when the coffee was being poured. There’s an additional support that can be used to raise smaller cups closer to the spout too - although this will only fit one cup at a time.

Also included is a dosing and tamping guide to reduce the amount of ground coffee spilled when filling the basket in the portafilter. There’s also a tamping stand that holds the portafilter level and a metal tamp to compact and level the coffee grounds before brewing begins. The De’Longhi La Specialista Arte EC9155MB produces espresso using 15-bar pressure and comes with both a single and a double espresso basket for the portafilter. The baskets are 51mm in size, which is slightly smaller than the standard 58mm size. However, the single basket can still hold 12g of coffee, and the double basket accepts up to 20g, which is enough to make espresso to the accepted industry ratios of coffee to water. As already mentioned, the EC9155MB is the most compact espresso machine in De’Longhi’s La Specialista range. It measures 14.37 x 15.87 x 11.22 inches / 28.5 x 36.5x 39.9cm. However, at 21.5lb / 10kg, it's pretty hefty so it’ll be a struggle if you plan to lift it out of a cupboard onto your countertop regularly. Our decibel meter registered 54dB while the La Specialista Arte EC9155MB was pouring an espresso, making it one of the quietest espresso machines we’ve tested, with the noise level equivalent to that of the gentle hum of a refrigerator.