I upgraded from pods to the De’Longhi Rivelia bean-to-cup machine – here’s my verdict after 10 months

For years, we used compostable pods from Grind and felt pretty good about it – they were convenient, ethical, and the coffee wasn’t bad. But after visiting friends and family who brewed with fresh beans, I couldn’t ignore the difference in taste. It was simply better – richer, fresher, more complex. That’s what pushed me to upgrade to a bean-to-cup machine.

I chose the De’Longhi Rivelia EXAM440.55.B, which promised café-style coffee at home without needing to master latte art or spend hours cleaning it. After ten months of daily use, I’ve got a solid sense of what it does well, and where there’s room for improvement.

Setup is quick and straightforward

Despite its long spec list, the Rivelia is surprisingly easy to get going. Insert the supplied water filter, fill the tank, assemble the frother and follow the clear, step-by-step instructions on the touchscreen. You don’t need to consult the manual unless you really want to.

The coffee is excellent – especially once you get your setup right

We mostly drink flat whites and Americanos, and once we’d adjusted the strength and volume settings, it started delivering consistently good results. You can go further and experiment with different beans, grind sizes and roast levels – the flavour differences are noticeable and quite interesting – but it also works perfectly well if you just find something you like and stick with it.

It suits people who want good coffee with minimal effort

One of the main reasons we chose this model was to avoid faffing around. The profile feature lets each person save their favourite drink settings, and you can tweak strength and quantity on the fly. Once it’s set up, making a coffee really is just a press of a button. It’s ideal for people who care about the taste of their coffee but don’t want to spend time fine-tuning it every morning.

The milk frother is much better than expected

Our old pod machine had a basic milk heater. This one properly textures the milk, pulling it from the carafe and foaming it to your preference – from lightly creamy to full froth. It’s hot, consistent and surprisingly close to what you’d get from a high street coffee chain.

Maintenance is manageable and well-signposted

I usually rinse the milk carafe and spout every day or so – it only takes a minute, and you can run it through the dishwasher too. The carafe stores easily in the fridge between uses. The machine prompts you when it needs a descale or water filter change, and walks you through the process on screen. On average, I descale once a month and we probably make four to six drinks a day.

A few minor drawbacks

The bin that collects spent coffee grounds can get a bit claggy and needs wiping down now and then. That’s about it. No real annoyances – although you do find yourself getting used to good coffee, and everything else starts to taste a bit flat by comparison.

Final thoughts – worth the investment?

Yes, I think so. At just over £600 it’s a big purchase, but compared to other machines with similar features, it’s competitively priced. It’s been reliable, produces genuinely good coffee, and fits neatly into our daily routine.

Also, think of it this way – we now make a fresh flat white for my wife’s commute every morning, and I’ve worked out that easily saves us £3 a day. That’s around £500 a year, so on that basis, it’s well on its way to washing its face.

You can buy the De’Longhi Rivelia EXAM440.55.B now from Amazon for £644.99, down from an RRP of £749.99 – a 14% saving: Buy now on Amazon