Czechs have fallen in love with this smart coffee machine! Now it's on an interesting discount and can prepare Cold Brew

I found an interesting discount on one of the best-selling automatic coffee machines in the Czech Republic. Alza is selling the De’Longhi Eletta Explore ECAM 450.86.T for 21,890 CZK with the code ALZADNY10. The regular price is around 24,000, so a saving of 2,400 CZK is not bad. According to Heureka, this model is the 9th best-selling automatic coffee machine in the Czech Republic and immediately stands out with its ability to prepare iced coffee drinks, including Cold Brew.

Cold Brew in 5 minutes? How does it work?

The main draw of this coffee machine is the “Cold Extraction” technology. While traditional Cold Brew coffee is prepared by steeping for up to 24 hours, De’Longhi reportedly manages it in just 5 minutes. It uses a special low-pressure extraction at room temperature. User reviews indicate that the taste is indeed similar to classic Cold Brew – meaning smoother and less acidic than iced coffee prepared by other methods.

Praktické je, že v balení najdete dvě karafy – jednu na teplou a druhou na studenou mléčnou pěnu. Podle recenzí funguje pěnění dobře i s rostlinnými mléky, což je plus pro vegany nebo lidi s laktózovou intolerancí. Osobně by mě zajímalo, jestli se mezi karafami musí neustále přepínat, nebo jestli to kávovar zvládne automaticky podle zvoleného nápoje, z recenzí jsem to nebyl schopen vyčíst.

What do users say?

I went through reviews on Heureka and a few other comparison sites. The De’Longhi Eletta Explore has a rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars from 255 users, which is a really decent score. Martin from Popůvky writes: “The selling point is the Cold Brew technology, where the ‘cold brew’ really tastes like it steeped overnight. Just be aware, not all Eletta Explore variants can do it – this .86 has it, lower ones don’t.”

Pavla from Prague, on the other hand, praises it: “Excellently dense milk foam and rich creamy coffee. Every prepared drink tastes great, like from a professional barista.” Among the negative comments, the most frequent mentions are about a smaller water tank that needs to be refilled more often, and issues with the app.

Tomáš from Prague has an interesting remark: “The power button doesn’t work on the first press – this really annoys me. Apparently, all coffee machines from the Eletta Explore series work this way.” He says holding the button for 1-2 seconds helps.

Smart features worth mentioning

Kromě přípravy Cold Brew nabízí kávovar pár zajímavých technických vychytávek. Třeba funkci “S sebou”, kdy si kávu připravíte rovnou do cestovního hrnku (výška až 16 cm). Termohrnek o objemu 473 ml je dokonce součástí balení. Příjemné je i to, že si můžete nastavit až 4 uživatelské profily s vlastními preferencemi, takže každý člen domácnosti může mít svůj oblíbený nápoj na jedno kliknutí.

What personally caught my attention is the Bean Adapt technology. It supposedly automatically adjusts the grinder settings, dosing, and temperature according to the type of coffee beans you are currently using. You just need to enter the coffee type and roast level in the app. Whether it truly works is a question – some reviews praise it, others mention it’s more of a marketing gimmick. In any case, the grinder has 13 grind settings, which is above average in this price category.

Coffee Link App: How does it actually work?

De’Longhi supplies the Coffee Link mobile app with the coffee machine, which theoretically should expand control options. Emphasis on the word “theoretically” – reviews indicate that users have the most problems with the app.

Hlavní výhodou aplikace by měla být možnost připravit si kávu na dálku. Máte-li ráno na spěch, můžete kávovar zapnout cestou z koupelny a když dorazíte do kuchyně, káva už čeká. Aplikace také poskytuje detailnější nastavení nápojů, než nabízí samotný displej kávovaru. Zatímco na kávovaru nastavujete velikost jako S, M nebo L, v aplikaci vidíte přesné množství v mililitrech.

An interesting feature is the ability to create your own recipes. You can define your perfect drink – from the amount of coffee to the milk ratio and the order in which individual ingredients are poured into the cup. The app then saves these recipes to the coffee machine. Reportedly, up to 13 custom recipes can be created, which could be great for experimenters.

Technologie Bean Adapt, kterou jsem zmiňoval dříve, funguje právě přes aplikaci. Zadáte druh kávových zrn a stupeň pražení, aplikace tyto údaje pošle do kávovaru a ten by měl automaticky upravit nastavení mlýnku, dávkování a teplotu. Petr z Blovic k tomu v recenzi píše: “Kávovar funguje báječně. Trochu komplikovanější je nastavení velikosti šálků v kombinaci s aplikací, která občas stávkuje. Jinak ale mohu doporučit přidání vlastních nápojů v aplikaci, je to paráda.”

Unfortunately, as I mentioned, in practice, it’s not so rosy. Several users report issues with pairing the coffee machine with their phone, especially with Czech localization. Martin from Nová Ves writes: “The app keeps acting up (if you activate the product in the Czech Republic, the installation doesn’t complete).” And another user adds: “Pairing with the app only worked on the second day.”

For me, a good buy if you drink various types of coffee

To sum it up, for less than 22,000, you get a coffee machine that can do almost everything – from classic espresso to cappuccino, to iced drinks and Cold Brew.

If you only drink plain espresso, it’s an unnecessary luxury. But if you like to experiment with different types of coffee and appreciate the option to make a refreshing iced drink in the summer months, this discount on the De’Longhi Eletta Explore is an interesting opportunity. Competing models with similar features often cost over 25,000.

⏰ Offer ends: While stocks last!

What coffee drinks do you most often prepare at home?