Shot Quality
Like every bean-to-cup machine, the Rivelia grinds a little coarser than a portafilter machine and doses by strength level rather than by weight, so it makes a smooth, forgiving shot rather than an intense one. WIRED described the result as a smooth cup with some of the edges shaved off, and judged it as good as any bean-to-cup machine it had tried. CoffeeBlog's Coffee Kev rated the espresso among the best he has had from a home bean-to-cup machine, and Coffeeness found coffee and espresso lively, sweet and full-bodied, including decaf. Home Coffee Expert got its best shots on the second-finest grind, maximum strength and a 30 g output, after three or four coffees of adjustment. CoffeeBlog measured the dose at about 5 g on strength 1 rising to about 10 g on strength 5, and found the double espresso grinds and brews twice for a true double. The dissenting result comes from Tom's Guide, whose default espresso ran 42 g in 21 seconds and looked watery, and which rated the drinks merely fine. Espresso reaches the cup at about 78 to 82°C in CoffeeBlog's measurements.
Bean Switch and Bean Adapt
Turning the hopper to unlock puts the machine into switch mode, which asks whether to brew one last drink from the beans already in the grinder or to grind and discard them. Testers measured that remainder differently: about 5 g for WIRED, 6 g for Coffeeness, roughly 9 g for CoffeeBlog and 9 to 10 g for Home Coffee Expert. CoffeeBlog notes that a little ground coffee can stay in the chute, so for anyone who must avoid caffeine it describes purging once before brewing the decaf. Coffeeness called it a clever answer to the bean-change problem but still inferior to a machine with two grinders, and Home Coffee Expert found the hoppers are not airtight, so they do not double as bean storage. Bean Adapt asks whether your beans are arabica or robusta and how dark the roast is, then suggests a grind setting after a test shot; WIRED found it moves one step at a time and stores settings for up to six beans. Coffeeness points out that it applies to straight espresso only. De'Longhi lists 13 grind settings, while Tom's Guide and Expert Reviews each counted seven numbered positions on the dial.
Steam & Milk
Milk comes from the LatteCrema Hot carafe, which clips onto the front, draws milk up a tube and froths it inside the spout, so only the milk you use is heated. A dial on the lid sets the foam from plain hot milk to dense. Most testers were impressed: CoffeeBlog called it the best milk texture it had used on a one-touch machine and poured latte art from it, WIRED found it surprisingly good at silky microfoam, and TechRadar praised near-perfectly foamed milk. Tom's Guide was the exception, finding quite large bubbles in a flat white made with Oatly Barista and a watery latte on the light setting. Temperature is the main caveat. CoffeeBlog measured its milk drinks at about 61 to 62°C, TechRadar 60°C and Expert Reviews around 60°C, which Expert Reviews found cooler than it likes; Coffeeness measured about 70°C on its unit. Cleaning is the other cost: the machine prompts a rinse after use, WIRED called a full weekly strip-down a bit of a bear, and Home Coffee Expert hand-washes the carafe at least weekly. We rate plant milk three of five: De'Longhi says the carafe froths plant milks, but few testers reported on them, and Tom's Guide's oat-milk result was only decent.
Iced Drinks, Hot Water and Daily Use
The US menu lists cold espresso, cold coffee and cold Americano, but testers found these are hot coffee brewed onto ice. The screen tells you how many cubes to add; CoffeeBlog measured the coffee still just under 80°C as it reached the cup, and Tom's Guide's iced Americano came out as a hot Americano. TechRadar was happier with the result on its extra-cold setting, and Home Coffee Expert found it works if the cubes are the right size. Cold milk foam needs the LatteCrema Cool upgrade set, which Home Coffee Expert and CoffeeBlog both liked. A hot water spout swaps in for the carafe, though TechRadar measured the water at 80°C, short of what most black tea needs. The 1.4 L tank is the daily irritation: Tom's Guide emptied it after about five drinks, Top Ten Reviews refilled it once or twice a day, and Expert Reviews found that warm-up and rinse cycles add to the water used. Home Coffee Expert found the pre-ground coffee chute jammed the machine or made undrinkable coffee. Grinding is moderately loud, measured at 66 dB by Coffeeness and 64 dBA by Homes & Gardens.
Who It's For, Build & Value
The Rivelia suits a household that drinks milk drinks, wants different coffee for different people or times of day, and would rather tap a screen than learn to dial in a grinder. Four user profiles save each person's drinks, and the machine learns which drink you usually make at which time. It is less suited to anyone who wants very hot milk, iced coffee made cold, or espresso with the intensity of a portafilter machine. At 9.75 inches wide it fits narrow spaces, but it is 17 inches deep, which several testers noted. The body is mostly plastic, and Coffeeness found the carafe flimsy. On value, Tom's Guide judged the US version overpriced next to the cheaper Magnifica Evo; most other testers did not raise value as a problem. Durability evidence is limited but positive: Expert Reviews had used its machine for over a year with consistent results. De'Longhi's US warranty is two years of parts and labor, extended by a year when you register the machine.
What This Review Is Based On
This review is a synthesis of published evidence, not a test of our own unit. Specifications come from De'Longhi's US product pages for the EXAM44055B and EXAM44055W, its US warranty terms for fully automatic machines, and the Amazon listing. Hands-on evidence comes from WIRED, Tom's Guide, CoffeeBlog, Coffeeness, Home Coffee Expert, TechRadar, Expert Reviews, Homes & Gardens and Top Ten Reviews; CoffeeBlog, TechRadar and Expert Reviews tested the UK version, which shares the US model's hoppers, grinder and LatteCrema Hot carafe. Coffeeness says it buys the products it tests. TechRadar's unit was a review sample, and Tom's Guide's wording indicates it was sent its machine; the others do not say who supplied theirs. Where testers disagree, on the number of grind positions, the grams left in the grinder and milk temperature, we report each figure rather than choose one. De'Longhi does not name the heater type, so we do not describe it beyond a single heater. We found no safety recall for the De'Longhi Rivelia, or any De'Longhi coffee machine, in the US Consumer Product Safety Commission recall database, checked in October 2026.
As an Amazon Associate, CoffeeLabAdvisor earns from qualifying purchases. Prices are live from Amazon and may change. Product details are drawn from the manufacturer and specialist review consensus at review time; always confirm specifications before purchase.
