u/Feluriannnn

Hi everyone,
I’m currently trying to decide between the De’Longhi Eletta Explore and the Philips 8000 Café Aromis, and I’d really appreciate some opinions from people who have actually used either machine.
My biggest priority is milk drinks.

I previously owned a Philips 5000 Series for about three years, but I was never happy with the milk drinks. The milk foam was very airy, bubbly and artificial to me, with too much foam and not enough of that smooth, creamy texture I expect from a good latte or cappuccino. The milk also often felt too cool.
Because of that experience, I was initially interested in the new Philips 8000 Café Aromis with LatteGo Pro, thinking the new system might be a significant improvement. I’ve watched quite a few YouTube reviews, but honestly, the milk foam still looks quite similar to what I remember from my old Philips. Maybe I’m wrong, which is why I’m asking here.

On the other hand, the De’Longhi Eletta Explore with LatteCrema Hot & Cool seems to produce exactly the kind of milk texture I prefer — smoother, creamier and more integrated with the coffee. The ability to adjust the milk foam also seems like a big advantage.
There is also a significant price difference where I live:
Philips 8000 Café Aromis: around €740
De’Longhi Eletta Explore: around €1,000
So the De’Longhi costs roughly €260 more.
At the moment I’m leaning towards the De’Longhi because of the milk system, but I’m wondering whether I’m overestimating the difference between LatteGo Pro and LatteCrema.

For anyone who has used both:
How noticeable is the difference in milk texture and overall quality?
Is the Eletta Explore genuinely worth paying around €250–€300 more for, especially if milk drinks are my main priority?
I’d also be interested in hearing about:
Latte/cappuccino texture
Milk temperature
Foam size/quality
Espresso quality
Long-term reliability
And if you had to choose between these two today, which one would you buy and why?
Thanks!

Hi everyone,
I’ve been using a Philips 5000 Series for about three years, but my machine broke down last week (the motherboard burned out), so I started looking for a new one. I was never really happy with the milk performance of the 5000 Series. It would froth the milk way too much, in a very artificial way, almost like making lots of tiny bubbles, and the milk would also be quite cold.

At first, I looked at the 8000 Series, but based on the videos I’ve seen online, there doesn’t seem to be much of a difference in terms of milk frothing. It still seems to produce that same bubbly, overly foamed texture. So I started looking at De’Longhi, and from the videos I’ve watched, the Rivelia seems to produce much more natural-looking, creamy foam, much closer to the kind of milk texture you get at coffee shops.

Because of that, the Rivelia has started to make more sense to me. I know the 8000 Series is much more feature rich and is even positioned as a competitor to the Eletta Explore, but if its milk performance is still basically the same as the 5000 Series, then it doesn’t really offer much value for me personally.
What’s even more interesting is that, in my country, the 8000 Series and the Rivelia currently cost about the same (around $800), while the Eletta Explore is selling for around $1,150. At that price difference, the Philips actually seems like the more logical choice, but the milk performance is still making me hesitate.
I’d really appreciate your advice.