What is the De'Longhi Rivelia?
The bean-to-cup that answers the decaf problem with a second hopper.
De'Longhi publishes a 13-setting burr grinder fed by two removable bean hoppers of 250 grams each, a 19 bar pump, a 1.4 litre tank, the LatteCrema Hot milk system with automatic cleaning, four user profiles, a 3.5 inch colour touch display with step-by-step guidance and a maximum cup height of 5.46 inches. It measures 17 by 9.75 by 14.75 inches, weighs 21.39 lb and draws 1450 watts. It costs $1,299.95 on delonghi.com.
It comes in Arctic White, Onyx Black, Pebble Grey and Sand Beige, plus an online exclusive Jade Green.
Two hoppers, and the problem they solve
Every other bean-to-cup machine holds one coffee at a time.
A bean-to-cup machine grinds from a hopper, and on almost every machine there is one. If one person in the house drinks decaf, or wants a lighter coffee for an americano and a darker one for milk drinks, the choice is to use the pre-ground chute a spoonful at a time or to empty the hopper and refill it. Neither is what anyone buys a one-touch machine for.
The Rivelia's hoppers lift off. Two come in the box, so one can hold regular and one decaf, and changing coffee means swapping the hopper rather than emptying it. De'Longhi also says it takes pre-ground coffee, so a third option is always there. Our guide to coffee beans for bean-to-cup machines explains which beans suit a machine like this.
Milk: hot built in, cold as an extra
LatteCrema Hot in the box, LatteCrema Cool as an accessory.
The milk system is De'Longhi's LatteCrema Hot, a carafe that froths milk automatically and cleans itself after use. It is the same family as the system on the Dinamica LatteCrema, and it makes cappuccinos, lattes and flat whites at one touch.
Cold foam is not built in. De'Longhi sells a LatteCrema Cool accessory separately, which it says adds six cold recipes. If iced drinks with cold foam are what you want most, the Eletta Explore has both systems built in, at $1,999.95. Our page on bean-to-cup milk systems compares carafe designs.
How many recipes, and why the number varies
18+ on the product page, up to 16 on the Rivelia landing page.
De'Longhi's own site gives two numbers. The product page says 18+ preset recipes; the Rivelia landing page says up to 16 customizable drinks. We print both. What is clear from both is the kind of drinks: espresso, coffee, cappuccino, latte, flat white, cortado and iced coffee among them, with four user profiles to save each person's version.
19 bar, and what it does not mean
A pump rating, not a brewing pressure.
De'Longhi publishes 19 bar for the pump. Espresso is extracted at about nine bar, and a 15 or 19 bar rating describes the pump's maximum rather than the pressure at the coffee. It is not a reason to choose this machine over one rated at 15.
Size and placement
Narrow, tall enough for a latte glass, and under 10 kg.
At 9.75 inches wide the Rivelia is slim for a bean-to-cup machine, and at 21.39 lb it is light enough to move when you clean behind it. The maximum cup height is 5.46 inches, the same as the Magnifica Evo, which takes most latte glasses but not the tallest travel mugs; the Eletta Explore clears 6.24 inches. The tank lifts out at 1.4 litres, so a household making several milk drinks a day will refill it more often than on the larger De'Longhis.
Rivelia vs the Dinamica LatteCrema
$1,299.95 against $1,399.95.
The Dinamica LatteCrema is listed on this site at $1,399.95 with one hopper, a 13-setting grinder, the LatteCrema milk system and a 1.1 litre tank. De'Longhi names seven of its 18 recipes.
The Rivelia costs less and adds a second hopper, a larger 1.4 litre tank, four user profiles and a colour touch display. Unless the Dinamica is heavily discounted, the Rivelia is the better De'Longhi at this price.
Rivelia vs the Magnifica Evo
$400 more for two hoppers, profiles and a better screen.
The Magnifica Evo is $899.95 with the same 13 grind settings, the same 5.46 inch cup height, a 250 gram hopper, a larger 1.8 litre tank and seven one-touch drinks. It is the simpler machine and the cheaper way into De'Longhi's LatteCrema milk.
The extra $400 buys the second hopper, four profiles, the touch display and a longer drink list. For a single drinker with one coffee, the Evo is plenty. For a household with a decaf drinker, the Rivelia earns the difference.
Rivelia vs the Philips 5500
Two hoppers against twenty named drinks.
The Philips Series 5500 LatteGo names twenty drinks including six iced, uses a two-part milk system with no tubes, and has four profiles plus a guest. Philips publishes no price; retailers range widely around the Rivelia's.
The Philips has the simpler milk system to clean and more drinks. The Rivelia has the second hopper. Choose on which of those your household would use every day.
Is the De'Longhi Rivelia worth it?
Worth it for a household that drinks two different coffees.
At $1,299.95 the Rivelia is priced below the Dinamica, and it adds the one feature no other bean-to-cup machine on this site offers. If anyone in your house drinks decaf, that second hopper is worth more than any recipe count.
Check two things before buying. The warranty is two years, with a third only if you register the machine, which the product page banner does not mention. And if cold foam is the point, budget for the LatteCrema Cool accessory or look at the Eletta Explore.
Who should buy it (and who should not)
Buy it if
- Someone in the house drinks decaf, or you like two different coffees.
- You want one-touch hot milk drinks with a self-cleaning carafe.
- Several people will use it and want their own saved drinks.
Skip it if
- You drink one coffee; the Magnifica Evo does the same for $400 less.
- Cold foam matters most; the Eletta Explore has it built in.
- You want the largest tank; the Evo holds 1.8 litres to the Rivelia's 1.4.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the De'Longhi Rivelia have two bean hoppers?
Yes. Two removable hoppers of 250 grams each come with it, so you can swap between coffees.
Can the Rivelia make cold foam?
Only with the LatteCrema Cool accessory, which De'Longhi sells separately and says adds six cold recipes.
How many drinks does the Rivelia make?
De'Longhi says 18+ on the product page and up to 16 on its Rivelia landing page.
Can you use pre-ground coffee in the Rivelia?
Yes. De'Longhi says it takes whole beans or pre-ground coffee.
What warranty does the Rivelia have?
Two years, plus a third if you register the machine, which De'Longhi advertises as an industry leading three year warranty.
