I tested the De’Longhi Rivelia luxury coffee machine and now I brew like a skilled barista

The De’Longhi Rivelia challenges everything you think you know about coffee machines. This new premium bean-to-cup coffee machine introduces advanced functionality, making it easier than ever to explore a world of fresh coffee.

De’Longhi’s first automatic bean-to-cup machine, the Rivelia, combines smart usability with some cool new features, like its innovative Bean Switch system. The Rivelia comes with two 250g bean hoppers, so you can easily swap from one type of bean to another (think Arabica and Robusta, or more esoteric varieties). 

I’ve been living with the machine for a while, and think this wheeze is transformational. It encourages you to explore a wider range of coffee flavours, as well as catering for those differing tastes. 

You can trade rich, robust blends for milder roasts, or move to decaf beans for your evening mug – and who doesn’t love the sound of beans being freshly ground first thing in the morning?

With the De’Longhi Rivelia you’ll become a coffeeholic in no time. 

This wheeze is transformational – with the De’Longhi Rivelia you’ll become a coffeeholic in no time. 

One concern buyers have about investing in a high-end coffee machine is complexity. After all, telling your caffelatte from your espresso or cappuccino is the job of a proper barista, right?

Well, the Rivelia goes out of its way to simplify things, courtesy of a bright colour touch screen. It offers 16 one-touch drink options, proffered in a conversational style.

Setting up is eased by a step-by-step tutorial. Graphics and instructions get you coffee ready in no time. It’ll even sensibly prompt you to pop the milk carafe back in the fridge when you’re done. 

One novel aspect of the machine that’s easy to appreciate are user profiles. Up to four can be created and named; the machine can then deduce the preferences of each user over time. The Rivelia learns your daily coffee routine and adapts depending on the time of day.  De’Longhi calls this smart learning ‘Bean Adapt technology’. 

Design wise, the Rivelia is a winner. It may have a sizeable footprint, but it’s beautifully finished, with contemporary soft angles and a premium matte finish. 

There’s a choice of four colourways: Grey, White, Black and Beige. They all look stunning.

And if you enjoy milky coffee you’ll also appreciate De’Longhi’s LatteCrema hot technology. Not only does this plug-in carafe deliver optimum milk foam, it has one-touch automatic cleaning. 

Our verdict? The De’Longhi Rivelia will have you making java like a pro, in no time at all. The humble coffee machine has just gotten a whole lot smarter.

Making the De’Longhi Rivelia

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

To learn more about the world of De’Longhi and coffee, The Luxe Review has travelled to the brand’s Italian HQ, a slick campus dedicated to the technology of coffee and related home comforts.

I’m ushered past the product design department, where coffee-fuelled visionaries are busy working on the next generation of machines, likely to appear in two years’ time, and IoT boffins, busy working on interfaces and digital connectivity.

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

De’Longhi didn’t actually start its coffee journey till the early 2000s. “We didn’t know how big it was going to be (partnering with Nespresso), how fundamental it would prove for the company…”

“We want to be the authority in coffee!” I’m told.

The company also aspires to dominate your breakfast table, with designer kettles and toasters. In 2012 Delonghi acquired the perpetual licence of the Braun brand in the kitchen. Then in 2020, it picked up Capital Brands, known globally for Nutribullet, which gave it a foothold in the blender business.

We design with love, says Dario Grasselli, De’Longhi’s Design Director, insists. “It’s how we approached the Riviela.” It’s not just a coffee machine, it’s an emotional promise, he says.

As it turns out, it’s also a powerful example of masterful engineering. I’m given a tour of the De’Longhi factory, where all this design love finds form and function. The Rivelia may look cool and sophisticated from the outside, but inside it’s an extraordinary symphony of mechanical engineering.

Introducing coffee cocktails

My time with De’Longhi wasn’t just a look behind the scenes of the coffee machine giant, but an exploration of the bean itself. 

To show just how versatile coffee can be, I’m taken to a coffee roastery in Treviso, to learn how coffee can play a role in mixology. 

Clearly cold brew coffee, made easy by De’Longhi’s Eletta Explore and La Specialista Maestro machines, opens up a world of coffee cocktail opportunities, but you don’t need a cold brew capable coffee maker to create a coffee base for your cocktails. 

Turns out it’s a doddle to create your own coffee soda. Infusing tonic water with coffee beans. Leaving them to mingle for a couple of days, results in coffee flavoured soda.   

The highlight of my coffee cocktail masterclass was a Breakfast Manhattan, created with homemade coffee soda, filter coffee, milk wash, whisky and vanilla liqueur. It’s absolutely divine.

Enter ‘Perfecto’ Brad Pitt

In 2021, with new brand ambassador Brad Pitt onboard, De’Longhi’s ‘Perfecto’ catch phrase was born. Come January 2022, De’Longhi commanded the lion’s share of the global espresso machine market.

De’Longhi recently dropped its second advert featuring Pitt, and it has the production values of a Hollywood movie. 

The film was directed by Bennett Miller, whose credits include Moneyball, Foxcatcher and Capote, and lensed by cinematographer Greig Fraser, known for his work on The Batman, Dune and Zero Dark Thirty. The short was scored by Justin Hurwitz, an Academy Award winning film composer for La La Land. No corners cut here then.

Style and design have also become key calling cards. Machines like the Eletta Explore, Magnifica Evo and La Specialista are Reddot and iF design Award winners.

The company says our relationship with coffee is evolving rapidly. Joe is no longer a simple morning drink to wake up to. Fuelled by the coffee shop boom, enthusiasts are now keen to explore aromas and flavour profiles, roasting techniques and brewing. 

With the introduction of the Rivelia, De’Longhi has opened the door to this fascinating world of coffee a little wider.  

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