Recipes for an iced coffee are a must in summer, but I also love this cold beverage any time of the year.

Having spent a lot of money on iced coffees in the past couple of months, I wanted to see if I could make this drink at home that would actually taste good.

To make the task easier, I used the De’Longhi Eletta Explore bean-to-cup coffee machine.

Coffee machines are an investment and a must for coffee lovers as they allow you to easily brew barista-style drinks from the comfort of your own kitchen - a tempting prospect in the age when the average latte costs £3.51 (up 28p from the previous year).

De’Longhi is one of the most familiar brands when it comes to coffee machines and the Eletta Explore is its latest bean-to-cup offering.

Upon unboxing the coffee machine, I found that the appliance comes with a stylish travel mug, a hot milk frothing attachment, a cool milk frothing attachment, an ice cube mould and a few extra goodies. 

One tiny criticism I had here is that there’s a lot to store - you’ll need a drawer to keep these added extras safely together.

The setup process couldn’t be easier though. Once I plugged the machine in, it took around 45 seconds to warm up before the screen instructed me to add the coffee beans and water reservoir before it rinsed itself and was ready to go.

Looking at the huge range of hot and cold drinks available to make on the soft touch display, I was very impressed.

Retailing currently for £889 down from £999.99, this coffee machine is quite the investment, but it is built to last and if you were to order a coffee every day, you would easily make your money back in less than a year. 

Keen to make all of the drinks the machine had to offer, I had to start with an iced coffee, otherwise known as a caffelatte on the machine.

What you’ll need for an iced caramel latte

Milk

Coffee beans

Caramel syrup 

Caramel drizzle (optional)

Ice

I started by adding caramel drizzle around the inside of the glass before adding one and a half teaspoons of caramel syrup.

I then attached the cold milk carafe, not the one for hot milk, before selecting the drink on the menu - it asks how cold/iced you’d like the drink, then depending on your answer, it instructs you to put a specific number of ice cubes into the glass.

What’s great about making iced coffees using this coffee machine, as opposed to others I’ve tried, is that the technology and brew process mean it’s not relying solely on the ice in your cup to chill the drink.

Depending on how frothy you would like your milk, there are three levels to choose from - I went for the third one (the very frothy option).

To get the best froth, a message on the display pops up recommending you use skimmed or plant-based milk, however, I used semi-skimmed and still got great results.

I loved how the caramel iced latte turned out and since making it I haven’t felt the need to order from Costa, Starbucks or Pret. 

So is this a coffee machine you should invest in? A lot of it will come down to budget and space. If you’ve got a small kitchen though, it’s worth measuring before buying this chunky machine.

In comparison to many automatic bean-to-cup machines that quite frankly can feel like a lot of hassle to set up and use, this one is effortless - and most importantly, it makes great drinks. 

It’s the ideal machine if you love cold coffee as much as hot coffee and will see you through summer as well as winter.

However, for those coffee lovers who are looking for something a little more budget-friendly, De’Longhi’s Magnifica Start automatic coffee machine which retails for £299 currently is a great option to go for.

Alternatively, for a cheaper price, you can pick up Breville’s VCF125 Mini Barista coffee machine that also comes with a milk frother for £169.99.