De’Longhi Rivelia Review: One Minute Review
Those who are looking for one of best coffee machines they will probably decide to buy a fairly solid device that will dominate the kitchen counter – or a much simpler drip or capsule coffee maker.
In this sense, De’Longhi’s Rivelia is a much-needed breath of fresh air, flavoured with coffee, that could provide a up-to-date generation of coffee lovers with the ultimate morning coffee experience in a coffee machine.
Overall, it’s an exceptionally compact coffee maker, not to mention a bean-to-cup model. The machine comes with a removable 0.74 gallon/200 ml milk jug, a 1.4 l water tank and two 250 g bean jugs, allowing for uncomplicated exchange of different coffee beans.
Simply apply the TFT screen and touch controls to navigate through the menu of 11 coffee options, as well as heated water and heated milk, make adjustments to the coffee strength and foam type, then let the machine’s bright Bean Adapt and LatteCrema Sizzling technology do the rest. Plus, you can save your coffee preferences for up to four profiles, making it a great choice for a family or teenage professionals sharing a home.
Maintenance is also quite uncomplicated with uncomplicated cleaning, rinsing and descaling programs. Overall, De’Longhi Rivela is uncomplicated to maintain best coffee bean machine That I have ever tested.
De’Longhi Rivelia Review: Price and Availability
- Price: £749
- Availability: UK only, but will likely be available in US/AU soon
The De’Longhi Rivelia espresso machine is available for £749 from retailers such as Amazonas well as with De’Longhi’s website and regional retailers such as John Lewis in the UK. At the time of writing, it’s not available in the US or Australia, but most De’Longhi products arrive overseas a little later and I’d be very surprised if Rivelia wasn’t released globally.
Even though it is quite costly, considering what it offers – excellent, consistent results, a compact and productive design, and a range of features and clever technologies – it is a class above many of its competitors.
However, it’s worth considering the ongoing costs of the machine. Depending on the hardness of the water in your area, the filter will need to be replaced every 2-3 months (£15.99), and the machine will need descaling once a month (EcoDecalk Descaler, £11.99 for a 500ml bottle), which could cost up to £76 a year.
De’Longhi Rivelia Review: Design
- Slim and compact
- Two coffee bean containers included
- The removable 0.74 gallon/200 ml milk jug is well designed but challenging to pristine
Despite its slim design, the De’Longhi Rivelia comfortably houses everything you need for your everyday coffee making. Measuring just 15.1 x 9.6 x 16.9 inches / 38.5 x 24.5 x 43 cm / (H x W x D) – gaining a few inches in width thanks to the 1.4L water tank – it’s actually quite compact for a coffee bean machine of this quality. My review unit is the understated black option, but it’s also available in grey, white and beige, for those looking for a machine that stands out a little more. It should be noted that each colour option comes with matching bean container lids, which is a nice touch.
At the top of the machine is a slot for one of the two included 250g bean containers, the metal ring of which rotates to select the grind size. You’ll also find a TFT screen and touch controls here.
The cup tray and spout accommodate cups up to 5.3in/13.5cm towering and 3.3in/8.4cm deep. I have a few fairly immense cups in my kitchen, so I would have liked a slightly deeper tray to make my daily coffee brewing less of a balancing act, but it wasn’t a major issue.
Design: 5/5
De’Longhi Rivelia Review: Performance
- Fantastic results
- Four user profiles with many personalization options
- Bean Adapt and LatteCrema Sizzling technology makes brewing coffee a breeze
You can set up to four user profiles on your Rivelia, each of whom can personalize their drink to their own preferences by choosing from five coffee strength settings.
It takes just 30 seconds to heat up and then 35 seconds to brew a single espresso—from bean to cup on standard settings, that’s just over a minute. It also offers the option of using coffee grounds.
You can also apply De’Longhi’s Bean Adapt technology by tapping the beans on the display and entering the information about your chosen coffee beans. The Rivelia will then brew the espresso and recommend the best grind and temperature settings, allowing you to name and save the profile for future apply – very useful if you like to try different beans and want to apply the two pods that come with the Rivelia.
In addition to the easy-to-use menu, the TFT screen also provides tips on brewing and milk, as well as warnings about required maintenance – which I really appreciate.
So, what about the results? Well, Rivelia makes great espresso, that’s for sure. There’s a vigorous, opulent, brown crema on every shot, the milk is almost perfectly frothed with excellent microfoam, and each drink comes out at a near-perfect drinking temperature, warmer than chilly.
As a regular iced latte drinker, I also tried making chilly drinks in the Rivelia – I have pretty high standards when it comes to this, mind you. I selected the ‘extra chilly’ option when the machine prompted me to (made using ten ice cubes) and was very impressed with how well the machine managed to make the drink the right strength and flavour for the amount of ice.
Should I buy it?
Buy if…
Don’t buy if…
How I tested
- I have tried most of the drinks available on the menu
- I set up the Bean Adapt function and tested the LatteCrema Sizzling technology
- I’ve adjusted my drink preferences
To test the De’Longhi Rivelia coffee machine, I used my usual coffee beans (stunning Monsoon Malabar from Whittards in the UK) and tried making a few heated drinks from the machine’s menu.
I adjusted my preferences for these drinks and also tried the default settings, measuring both the temperature and quality of the finished drinks.
