I tested the luxurious De’Longhi Rivelia coffee machine and now I make coffee like a trained barista – The Luxe review

De’Longhi Rivelia challenges everything you thought you knew about coffee machines. This modern, high-quality bean-to-cup coffee machine introduces advanced functionality that makes it easier than ever to discover the world of fresh coffee.

De’Longhi’s first automatic bean-to-cup machine, the Rivelia, combines intelligent usability with some chilly modern features, like the pioneering Bean Switch system. The Rivelia comes with two 250-gram bean containers, so you can easily switch between different types of beans (think Arabica and Robusta, or more esoteric varieties).

I’ve been living with the machine for a while now and I think the swish is transformative. It encourages you to explore a wider range of coffee flavors, and it also satisfies those different tastes.

You can swap opulent, tough blends for a milder roast or switch to decaf for your evening cup – and who doesn’t love the sound of freshly ground beans in the morning?

Thanks to De’Longhi Rivelia, you will become a coffee lover in the blink of an eye.

This coffee machine is a life-changer – with De’Longhi Rivelia you’ll become a coffee lover in the blink of an eye.

One of the concerns buyers have about investing in a high-end espresso machine is complexity. After all, it’s a barista’s job to tell a caffelatte from an espresso or cappuccino, right?

Well, Rivelia tries to keep things uncomplicated with a glowing, colorful touchscreen. It offers 16 one-touch drink options, presented in a conversational style.

Setup is straightforward with a step-by-step tutorial. The graphics and instructions make it a snap to have your coffee ready. When you’re done, it even sensibly asks you to put the milk jug back in the fridge.

When it comes to design, Rivelia wins hands down. It may have a gigantic footprint, but it’s beautifully finished, with state-of-the-art, supple angles and a premium matte finish.

You can choose from four color versions: Gray, White, Black AND Beige. They all look stunning.

And if you like your coffee with milk, you’ll also appreciate De’Longhi’s LatteCrema heated coffee technology. This plug-in jug not only provides optimal milk froth, but also has one-touch automatic cleaning.

Our verdict? The De’Longhi Rivelia will have you making coffee like a pro in no time. This humble coffee machine just got a whole lot smarter.

De’Longhi Rivelia production

“People are investing in their coffee experience much, much more,” says Paolo Negri, De’Longhi’s product marketing director. “The bean-to-cup category is growing rapidly as people appreciate the importance of freshness in their beans.”

To learn more about the world of De’Longhi and coffee, The Luxe Review traveled to the brand’s headquarters in Italy, an elegant campus dedicated to coffee-making technology and the home comforts that go with it.

I walk past the product design department, where coffee-fueled visionaries are working on the next generation of machines that will likely appear in two years, and Internet of Things specialists are busy with interfaces and digital connectivity.

The De’Longhi brand has more to offer than meets the eye. “We started in 1974 with radiators and oil heaters,” my guide says. “In 1986, we launched air conditioning products.”

De’Longhi didn’t begin its coffee journey until the early 2000s. “We didn’t know how gigantic it (the Nespresso partnership) would be, how fundamental it would be for the company…”

“We want to be the authority on coffee!” I was told.

The company also aspires to dominate your breakfast table with its designer kettles and toasters. In 2012, Delonghi acquired a perpetual license for the Braun brand in the kitchen. Then in 2020, it acquired Capital Brands, known worldwide for the Nutribullet, giving it a foothold in the blender industry.

We design with love, says Dario Grasselli, De’Longhi’s design director. “That’s how we approached Rivieli.” It’s not just a coffee machine, it’s an emotional promise, he says.

As it turns out, it’s also a powerful piece of engineering mastery. I’m shown around the De’Longhi factory, where all that design love finds form and function. The Rivelia may look chilly and sophisticated on the outside, but inside it’s a remarkable symphony of mechanical engineering.

Introducing coffee cocktails

For me, my time at De’Longhi was not only an opportunity to look behind the scenes of a giant in the coffee machine market, but also an exploration of the coffee beans themselves.

To show just how versatile coffee can be, I travelled to a coffee roastery in Treviso to find out what role coffee can play in mixology.

Of course, frigid brew coffee, which is straightforward to make in De’Longhi’s Eletta Explore and La Specialista Maestro machines, opens up a whole world of possibilities for making coffee cocktails. But you don’t need a frigid brew coffee machine to create a coffee base for cocktails.

It turns out that making your own carbonated coffee is child’s play. Soaking tonic water with coffee beans. Letting them mix for a few days produces a coffee-flavored drink.

The highlight of my coffee cocktail masterclass was the Breakfast Manhattan, made with house sparkling coffee, filter coffee, milk, whiskey and vanilla liqueur. It is absolutely divine.

Enter “perfect” Brad Pitt

In 2021, with modern brand ambassador Brad Pitt on board, De’Longhi’s “Perfecto” slogan was born. In January 2022, De’Longhi took over the lion’s share of the global coffee machine market.

De’Longhi recently released its second ad featuring Pitt, with production quality that rivals that of a Hollywood film.

The film is directed by Bennett Miller, whose credits include: Money ball, Fox catcher AND Capoteand filmed by cinematographer Greig Fraser, known for his work on Batman, Dune AND Zero Gloomy ThirtyThe music for this compact film was composed by Justin Hurwitz, an Oscar-winning film composer. La La Land. Then there is no room for compromise here.

Style and design have also become key calling cards. Machines such as the Eletta Explore, Magnifica Evo and La Specialista have won Reddot and iF design awards.

The company says our relationship with coffee is evolving rapidly. Joe is no longer just a morning drink that wakes you up. Fueled by the coffee shop boom, enthusiasts are now eager to explore aromas and flavor profiles, roasting and brewing techniques.

By introducing the Rivelia model, De’Longhi has opened the doors wider to the fascinating world of coffee.

De’Longhi Rivelia sells for £749 and available here.