Expert’s Rating
Pros
- Colour touchscreen controls
- Integral milk frother
- Personalised settings
- Swappable bean hopper
Cons
- Pricey
- Touchscreen is on top
- Water filter will need replacing
Our Verdict
Bean-to-cup machines are already capable but not always intuitive. With the Rivelia, De’Longhi has gone a step beyond: it’s a machine that will remind you to clean it, offer different drinks for the time of day or point out where tools are located. While that comes at a price, if you appreciate that level of tech, it could well be worth it. For others, it may feel like too much screen interaction.
For those who prefer a hands-off approach to coffee making, a bean-to-cup machine is a must, but can still be baffling to those unfamiliar with its controls. De’Longhi’s Rivelia is decidedly different: it’s a coffee machine that likes to chat.
Equipped with a touchscreen so you can personalise drinks, save favourite settings under different profiles and be taken through maintenance step-by-step, one of its most appealing features is the removable bean hopper and a spare. This allows you to swap coffee beans when you fancy a change, without having to empty the whole machine.
Design & Build
- 1.4 litre water tank
- Swappable 250g bean hopper
- Height adjustable coffee spouts
From a design point of view, the Rivelia resembles a typical bean-to-cup. There’s a generous 1.4-litre water tank on one side (though if you add the water filter, you’ll lose some of that volume), and a fairly boxy shape softened by curved corners.
A few interesting features set it apart though: the 250g bean hopper on top, which twists off to be replaced by another, adjustable coffee spouts that can be raised to accommodate cups up to 14cm tall, and a flap on the front that can either connect a removable milk carafe or a hot water spout. One more plus is that it’s available in four finishes: all neutrals, but it’s refreshing to have a choice.
Its large touchscreen is in colour, but positioned on the top of the machine rather than the front. While this will suffice for most, if you’re of short stature, it could be difficult to see when positioned on an average height worktop (around 91cm) as the Rivelia is 38.5cm tall.
De’Longhi has been making coffee machines for decades, so it’s no surprise that the Rivelia makes an excellent cup
The touchscreen is where everything happens: here you can choose from 16 different drinks, personalise how much coffee and milk you prefer, save those settings, set up 1-4 profiles for different users, watch animations of processes as it brews, and run through all the different maintenance. Set up a profile and the Rivelia will learn your coffee routine, offering you different drinks in the afternoon, for example, than it would in the morning.
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
Performance & Features
- Ground coffee chute
- Bean Adapt function for different varieties
- Guided processes
De’Longhi has been making coffee machines for decades, so it’s no surprise that the Rivelia, like its other machines, makes an excellent cup. The choices on its menu cater equally well to black and milky coffee drinkers – you can filter out either, thanks to buttons on either side of the touchscreen panel – and there are cold coffee drinks on offer, including espresso and Americano. They’re all flawlessly delivered, and the height-adjustable spouts means you can squeeze some reusable cups below.
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
We were puzzled however, that there was no full instruction manual included with our sample, only a quick start guide (a full manual can be downloaded). This is a shame because it’s easy to miss some of the features.
For example, for those who like to drink decaf – for which there’s a much better choice of ground than beans – it’s not obvious that the Rivelia can brew using ground coffee. The chute for it is hidden underneath the lid, where the combined brush and scoop and the detachable water spout are stored.
You’ll also have to go into the settings for a drink to select ground instead of beans, rather than being able to hit a single button. When doing so, the touchscreen can be too responsive: a few times we hit the brew button for ground and it registered twice, starting then cancelling our coffee before it had begun.
The descaling guide is possibly one of the most useful parts of the Rivelia’s control panel – keeping the machine in tip-top condition
Less obvious features, such as the ability to add more coffee to your cup once dispensing has finished, are also easily missed. The only indication for this is a small plus symbol and the word ‘extra’. You’ll have to be quick deciding as it disappears fast once brewing has stopped.
One feature that is more noticeable is the Bean Adapt: this allows you to set the variety of bean you’re using and its roast so the machine can tailor the brewing to get the best from it.
While this is probably only useful if you use the same variety of beans often – although you can save six bean profiles – it’s a thoughtful touch that takes the bean-to-cup experience beyond selecting a grinder setting and hoping for a good result. However, when you swap bean hoppers, it doesn’t ask you if you want to set or choose another bean profile.
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
What we especially liked was the guided processes, such as draining, cleaning and rinsing the machine after a period of non-use. So often, even the simple act of descaling a bean-to-cup involves a complicated sequence of pressing buttons in the right order, meaning that putting it off is easier than making time for it, and what suffers is the coffee.
It may sound unexciting, but the descaling guide is possibly one of the most useful parts of the Rivelia’s control panel – keeping the machine in tip-top condition. A final plus for maintenance is that the drip tray and milk carafe parts can go in the dishwasher.
Price & Availability
The De’Longhi Rivelia is not yet available in the US, but if you’re in the UK, there are plenty of buying options. It costs £749.99, which is by no means cheap but high quality bean-to-cup machines are expensive and this still remains a well-priced option. For its feature set and functionality, it’s good value.
It’s available from John Lewis, Argos, Amazon and Currys, but at the time of writing, the best option is to buy direct from De’Longhi or from AO.com, where it’s £10 cheaper. You may have to shop around for the colour option you want.
Should you buy the De’Longhi Rivelia?
In bolting on a layer of tech, the Rivelia seeks to appeal to those who may have considered a bean-to-cup but written it off as being too complicated to use or maintain. And it succeeds – the colourful touchscreen makes processes easy while animations show you what’s happening.
However, sometimes its chatty nature can feel too much – do you need to be reminded to put milk back in the fridge or have a machine that learns your habits so you’re offered the same thing? When you can buy a basic bean-to-cup for half the price, whether the Rivelia is the bean-to-cup you’ve been waiting for will come down to how much value you place on a great coffee that comes with a conversation.
For more coffee machine buying options, have a look at our round-up of the best coffee machines we’ve tested and for convenient coffee making, check out our most recommended best pod coffee makers.