GrinderBaratza
Baratza
Encore ESP
Best for a first espresso grinder under $500You want something forgiving to learn on.
Stepped$180–$230
Espresso machineDe'Longhi
De'LonghiEspresso machine
De'Longhi Stilosa
The cheapest machine on Preinfuse, and included deliberately: it marks the floor of the category so you can see what the next few hundred dollars actually buy.
Best forFinding out whether espresso is for you
Not ideal forAnyone who already knows they are serious
$85–$120
reference range · reviewed Aug 2026 · not a live price
- Heating system
- Thermoblock
- Grinder included
- No
- Steam wand
- Assisted (Panarello-style)
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Compared from manufacturer specifications and technical documentation · independent, no paid placement · how we work
In short
The De'Longhi Stilosa is a semi-automatic with thermoblock heating and a 51mm portafilter, typically $85–$120. It does not include a grinder, so budget for one alongside it. It suits finding out whether espresso is for you and very tight budgets. It is the wrong choice for anyone who already knows they are serious and latte art.
How it fits
Preinfuse ratings, not measurements. Each one is produced by published rules from the specifications below — open any row to see which facts moved it.
What it does well
- Costs less than most grinders we list, which makes it a genuine way to find out whether you enjoy making espresso.
- Small, light and simple — nothing to learn beyond the basics.
- Pressurised baskets produce drinkable coffee from pre-ground supermarket beans.
Where it gives ground
- Pressurised baskets only, so a better grinder cannot improve it much.
- Assisted frothing wand makes foam rather than the microfoam latte art needs.
- No pre-infusion, no PID, no pressure gauge — nothing to adjust and little to read.
- 51mm portafilter with a very limited accessory market.
Buy it for
- Finding out whether espresso is for you
- Very tight budgets
- Occasional use
Look elsewhere if
- Anyone who already knows they are serious
- Latte art
- Building a setup you will keep
- Pairing with a good grinder
Decided?
This machine needs a grinder. The pairings below are the ones that suit it, or the setup builder will split a budget across both.
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Living with it
Fill the tank, put ground coffee in the pressurised basket, lock in and pull. Froth milk with the assisted wand.
Where people go next: Breville Bambino, Gaggia Classic Pro E24.
Before you buy
If you can stretch to a Bambino plus even a modest grinder, the gap in what ends up in the cup is larger than the gap in price.
Treat this as a trial rather than a foundation. There is no upgrade path from here that does not involve replacing the machine.
Specifications
Every value carries a source marker. Values marked as Preinfuse derivations are our normalisation, not the manufacturer's wording.
Identity1
- Machine type
- Semi-automatic
Sets how much of the shot you control. Semi-automatic machines ask you to grind, dose and time; super-automatics do all of it behind a button. Neither is better in the abstract — they suit different mornings.
Classified from the manual brew and steam controls De'Longhi documents.
Heating & temperature3
- Heating system
- Thermoblock
- Brew and steam at once
- No
- PID temperature control
- No
The single biggest structural difference between espresso machines. Thermoblock and thermocoil designs heat water on demand, so they are ready in seconds but cannot brew and steam at once. A heat exchanger or dual boiler can do both simultaneously, at the cost of a long warm-up and a higher price.
De'Longhi documents Thermoblock heating across the Stilosa and Dedica entry range.
Decides whether you wait between pulling a shot and texturing milk. It matters most if you make several milk drinks back to back, and barely at all if you drink straight espresso.
A single thermoblock serves both circuits.
A PID holds brew water within a narrow band instead of letting a thermostat swing around a target. It makes shots repeatable day to day; it does not by itself make coffee taste better.
Not documented by De'Longhi for this model.
Brewing3
- Portafilter diameter
- 51 mm
- Baskets supplied
- Pressurised only
- Pre-infusion
- None
58mm is the commercial standard, so baskets, tampers and distribution tools are easy to find and often better made. 54mm and 51mm work perfectly well but the accessory market is smaller. It changes what you can buy later far more than it changes what is in the cup.
51mm on De'Longhi's entry range; the portafilter is not shared with 54mm or 58mm machines.
Pressurised baskets fake crema and forgive a bad grind, which is why they ship with beginner machines. Non-pressurised baskets reward a good grinder and are what you graduate to. A machine supplying both lets you start easy and progress without buying parts.
De'Longhi supplies pressurised baskets with the Stilosa.
Wetting the coffee gently before full pressure helps the puck settle so water does not carve a channel through it. Most machines that offer it do so automatically and briefly; programmable pre-infusion is a control-lover's feature.
Not documented by De'Longhi for this model.
Milk & steam2
- Steam wand
- Assisted (Panarello-style)
- Steam source
- Shared with brew circuit
An assisted wand froths milk reliably but produces bubbles rather than the dense microfoam latte art needs. A manual wand can make genuinely good milk but has a learning curve. An automatic wand hits a set temperature and texture without you standing over it.
Assisted frothing wand, as documented across De'Longhi's entry range.
A dedicated steam boiler gives dry, powerful steam and no waiting. A shared circuit has to switch modes, which is why single-boiler machines make you pause between shot and milk.
Steam is produced by the same thermoblock used for brewing.
Grinding1
- Grinder included
- No
An integrated grinder saves counter space and a separate purchase, and gets a beginner running immediately. The trade-off is that you cannot upgrade the grinder without replacing the machine, and integrated burrs are usually a step below a good standalone grinder at the same total spend.
No grinder is supplied.
Practicalities4
- Depth
- 13.5"
- Height
- 11.22"
- Weight
- 8.61 lb
Counter depth. The number that most often catches people out, because standard cabinets leave limited clearance.
Overall height. Check it against wall cabinets, and remember the water tank often has to come out from the top.
Heavier machines are generally more thermally stable and stay put when you lock in a portafilter, but they are not moving off the counter.
Grinders that suit this machine
Chosen because the grind resolution matches what this machine can show in the cup, and the pair fits a sensible budget split.
Compared with the obvious alternatives
Why this, not the Dedica DeLuxe?
The Dedica DeLuxe is ahead on room to improve. If that is what matters to you, it is the better buy. The Dedica DeLuxe costs more, at $200–$280.
Sources
Every specification above carries the document it came from. Checked 2026-08-30. If something here is wrong, tell us and we will fix it.
Sources and specifications (2)
- Stilosa EC260.BK — product page
Relied on for: Dimensions and product weight
- Preinfuse normalisation method
Relied on for: Classification of machine and grinder architecture into one shared vocabulary, and unit conversions, derived from the manufacturer documentation cited elsewhere on the same product.