De'Longhi Rivelia: two bean hoppers, a touchscreen, the limits

Two hoppers, one at a time

The Rivelia’s defining feature is the Bean Switch System: two bean hoppers of 250 g each come in the box, and you swap them on the machine. Only one is in use at a time, so this is not a dual-hopper machine that blends or picks beans per drink. De’Longhi adds a Grind and Empty function that runs the grinder dry before a change, so the next cup is not made with the last few beans of the previous coffee.

If you keep one coffee for milk drinks and another for espresso, or a decaf for the evening, that saves you emptying a hopper by hand. If you only ever buy one kind of bean, you are paying for a feature you will not use: a Magnifica Evo Next has the same carafe system in a lower bracket.

De’Longhi publishes 13 grind settings, which none of the Magnifica models do. Steps are not the same size from one brand to the next, so treat the figure as a sign of finer adjustment within the Rivelia, not as a ranking against Philips’s 12 or JURA’s 7. Our grind size guide explains how to work through the range.

Water, grounds and the daily round

The trade-off is capacity. The tank holds 1.4 l, against 1.8 l on the Magnifica models and 1.9 l on the Evo Next. For a household of four drinking two cups each, expect to refill it every day, and more often if long coffees are the norm. The grounds container is rated for 10 servings, where the Dinamica, the Evo Next and the Eletta Explore are rated for 14: a busy morning may well end with emptying it.

• De'Longhi Rivelia LatteCrema, Onyx Black EXAM440.55.B1.4 l
• De'Longhi Magnifica Evo Next ECAM 312.80.TB1.9 l
• De'Longhi Eletta Explore, Titanium ECAM450.86.T EX:41.8 l
• De'Longhi Dinamica ECAM 350.35.W1.8 l

The body is 25 cm wide, 43 cm deep and 39 cm high according to the manual: three centimetres taller than the Magnifica Evo and Evo Next, so check the space under your wall cupboards, with room to lift a hopper off. Cups up to 14 cm fit under the spout. The manual gives 9.7 kg.

Touchscreen, profiles and drinks

The Rivelia has a genuine colour touchscreen, which De’Longhi describes as full-touch with animations. That sets it apart from the icon panel of the Magnifica Evo and the button-and-display layout of the Evo Next. It stores 4 user profiles and offers 3 coffee temperature settings.

De’Longhi counts 16 drinks but does not publish the list behind the number. The product data mentions coffee recipes, milk recipes, hot water and a few cold coffee drinks, and the product page presents an optional LatteCrema Cool upgrade kit for cold milk drinks. As with any brand’s tally, compare it with other machines only loosely.

There is no app: De’Longhi’s data for this model lists none.

Milk and cleaning

Milk comes from the LatteCrema Hot carafe, which froths and pours on its own. The manual lists the dismantled carafe and the drip tray grille among the parts that may go in the dishwasher; the brew group, which is removable, must be rinsed by hand with no detergent. Our cleaning guide sets out what a milk carafe asks of you, and the descaling guide covers the routine common to bean-to-cup machines.

Which Rivelia is which in the UK

Model code	Colour	Milk system	Covered here
EXAM440.55.B	Onyx Black	LatteCrema Hot carafe	Yes (our data)
EXAM440.55.BG	Sand Beige	LatteCrema Hot carafe	Same data on De’Longhi’s page
EXAM440.55.G	Pebble Grey	LatteCrema Hot carafe	Same data on De’Longhi’s page
EXAM440.55.W	Arctic White	LatteCrema Hot carafe	Same data on De’Longhi’s page
EXAM440.35.B	Black	Cappuccino System	No: different milk system

The Rivelia Start is a separate model and is not covered either. Check the code on the listing before you buy.

What De’Longhi’s documents leave open

• Dimensions and weight: the product pages give a slightly different footprint and a weight about three kilos above the manual’s. We follow the manual, as for every De’Longhi in our database.

• Carafe capacity: the figure on the product page carries an inconsistent unit; the manual gives none.

• Burr type: not published.

• Noise: no decibel figure. It is part of our planned measurements.

• Warranty: De’Longhi’s UK product page states 2 years, with the detail left to the paperwork in the box.

Against its neighbours

• The Magnifica Evo Next has the same carafe, a larger tank and three profiles, in the upper mid-range bracket, but a single hopper and no published grind settings.
• The Eletta Explore, also premium, adds a cold-milk carafe, cold brew and an app, with a larger tank and hopper.
• Brand and category views: our De’Longhi comparison, the bean-to-cup comparison and machines with a milk system.

The cost per cup calculator spreads the purchase over the cups you will make, and the machine finder checks whether a second hopper actually fits your habits.