In one look
Expert rating
Benefits
- Color touchscreen controls
- Integrated milk frother
- Custom settings
- Replaceable grain hopper
The inconvenients
- Dear
- The touch screen is at the top
- The water filter will need to be replaced
Our Verdict
Cup bean machines are already efficient but not always intuitive. With the Rivelia, De’Longhi goes further: it’s a machine that will remind you to clean it, offer you different drinks depending on the time of day or tell you where the tools are. Although it comes at a price, if you value this level of technology it might be worth it. For others, it may look like too much on-screen interaction.
For those who prefer a hands-on approach to brewing coffee, a bean-to-cup coffee machine is essential, but can still be confusing for 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 personalize your drinks, save your favorite settings under different profiles and follow step-by-step maintenance, one of its most attractive features is the removable bean hopper and a spare part. This allows you to swap out coffee beans when you feel like changing, without having to empty the entire machine.
Design and build
- 1.4 liter water tank
- 250 g exchangeable grain hopper
- Height-adjustable coffee spouts
Design-wise, the Rivelia looks like a typical bean-to-cup. There’s a generous 1.4 liter water tank on one side (but if you add the water filter you’ll lose some of that volume), and a fairly square shape softened by curved corners.
A few nice features set it apart though: the 250g bean reservoir on top, which deforms to be replaced by another adjustable coffee spout that can be raised to accommodate cups up to 14cm high, and a Front flap that can either connect a removable milk carafe or a hot water spout. Another plus is that it comes in four finishes: all neutral, but it’s refreshing to have a choice.
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
Its large touch screen is in color, but positioned on the top of the machine rather than on the front. While this is enough for most, if you are short it may be difficult to see it when placed on a medium height countertop (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 is a great cup
The touchscreen is where it all happens: here you can choose from 16 different drinks, customize the amount of coffee and milk you prefer, save these settings, configure 1 to 4 profiles for different users, watch videos animations of processes during preparation and execution. all the different interviews. Create a profile and the Rivelia will learn your coffee routine, for example offering you different drinks in the afternoon and in the morning.
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
Performance and 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 a great cup. The choices offered on its menu are aimed at both black coffee and latte drinkers – you can filter one or the other using the buttons on either side of the touch screen – and drinks based on Cold coffee are offered, including espresso and Americano. They all come perfectly delivered and the height-adjustable pour spouts allow you to squeeze reusable cups underneath.
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
We were perplexed, however, that there was no full instruction manual included with our sample, only a quick start guide (a full manual can be downloaded). It’s a shame because it’s easy to miss certain features.
For example, for those who like to drink decaf – for which there is a much better choice of ground coffee than beans – it is not obvious that the Rivelia can brew ground coffee. The chute is hidden under the lid, where the combined brush and dustpan as well as the removable water spout are stored.
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
You’ll also need to go into a drink’s settings to select ground instead of beans, rather than being able to press a single button. In doing so, the touchscreen can be too responsive: We pressed the brew button for ground coffee several times and it registered twice, starting and then canceling our coffee before it had started.
The descaling guide is probably one of the most useful parts of the Rivelia control panel: it keeps the machine in perfect condition.
Less obvious features, such as the ability to add more coffee to your cup after dispensing, are also easily missed. The only indication is a small plus symbol and the word “extra”. You’ll have to decide quickly because it disappears quickly once brewing stops.
A more visible feature is Bean Adapt: it allows you to set the variety of beans you use and its roast so that the machine can adapt the brew to get the most out of 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 selection of an adjustment of the mill and the hope of a good result. However, when you swap bean hoppers, it does not ask you if you want to set or choose another bean profile.
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
What we particularly liked were the guided processes, such as emptying, cleaning and rinsing the machine after a period of non-use. Very often, even the simple act of descaling a grain in a cup involves a complicated sequence of pressing buttons in the correct order, which means it is easier to delay it than to take the time to do it, and what suffers is the coffee.
It may seem unimportant, but the descaling guide is probably one of the most useful parts of the Rivelia control panel: it helps keep the machine in tip-top condition. A final advantage for maintenance, the collection tray and the parts of the milk carafe can be put in the dishwasher.
Pricing and availability
The De’Longhi Rivelia isn’t yet available in the US, but if you’re in the UK there are plenty of purchase options. It costs £749.99, which is by no means cheap, but high quality bean machines are expensive and this is still a cheap option. For its feature set and functionality, it’s good value for money.
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 to find the color option you want.
Should you buy the De’Longhi Rivelia?
By adding a layer of technology, the Rivelia seeks to appeal to those who might have considered a bean to cup, but considered it too complicated to use or maintain. And it’s successful: the colorful touchscreen facilitates processes while animations show you what’s happening.
However, its chatty nature can sometimes come across as too much: do you need to remember to put the milk back in the fridge or have a machine learn 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 depend on how much you value good coffee that goes with a conversation. .
For more coffee machine buying options, take a look at our roundup of the best coffee machines we’ve tested and for convenient coffee brewing, check out our most recommended best pod coffee makers.
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