I love Sage coffee machines, but this Italian alternative is an unsung hero for small kitchens
Beautiful and full of beans, De'Longhi is my new favourite coffee machine
The perfect petite solution for anyone who wants a good cup of coffee in the comfort of their own home. It's slim, stylish, and smart with a great menu of hot and cold coffees.
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Beautiful colour options
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Slim, svelte design that looks smart on the counter
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Makes coffee that even Italians would approve of
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Two bean hoppers for switching between beans
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No cold milk function
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Not as customisable as some super-automatics
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As a former barista and self-confessed coffee snob, I've had plenty of coffee machines on my counter. And, whilst Sage has traditionally dominated the market, I think I've found the model that's knocked it off the top spot for me.
De'Longhi and Sage are famous for making some of the best coffee machines on the market. They are big, beautiful, and technical, but also - dare I say - a bit too much for the average home. And certainly too much for my compact kitchen.
So, when De'Longhi announced the launch of a slimmer version of the much admired De'Longhi Rivelia, the Rivelia Start, I couldn't wait to get testing. And I think I've finally found my perfect coffee machine.
De'Longhi Rivelia Start Coffee Machine review
- RRP: £599.99
- Dimensions: H38.5 × W24.5 × D43 cm
- Power: 1450 watts
- Colour options: jade green, umber brown, sand beige, onyx black, and artic white
- Menu: 10 hot and cold options including cold brew
- Pump pressure: 15 bars
- Bean hopper capacity: 2 x 250g hoppers
- Water tank capacity: 1.4L
- Warranty: 2 years
Who would the De'Longhi Rivelia Start Coffee Machine suit?
- Small kitchens with tall coffee orders: De'Longhi has designed this sleek machine to sit happily on slim counters or be hidden easily away (not that you would want to!)
- Coffee lovers who mix up flavours and orders: if you swap between regular and decaf or rotate between roasts depending on the day, this machine has two carafes to make switching beans easy
- Anyone who wants variety without the fuss: from milky drinks to black coffees and cold brew, the menu is all there at the touch of a button, so everyone at home gets the drink they want
What is the De'Longhi Rivelia Start Coffee Machine like to use?
De'Longhi gives the all-Italian coffee experience. They've been making machines since 1902 and their designs only get better with age. This Rivelia Start is a slimmer sibling to one of my favourite coffee machines of all time, the Rivelia,
The slimmer footprint, tonal colours, and versatile menu on the Rivelia Start takes you from lattes and macchiato at the touch of a button. It's easy to style on the counter and even more straightforward to use. You can see each coffee option clearly labelled, with strength options as well as a hot and cold option, which changes the way your coffee brews to make sure it doesn't taste too acidic if you want your coffee over ice.
Compared to other De'Longhi machines, which we will talk about later, this is a pared-back menu. Usually, you get lots of fancy, custom features that follow your coffee preferences with the time of day, but I actually think this is perfect. You have enough to delight the average (even slightly snobby) coffee drinker, but not so much that a beginner would be overwhelmed.
Does the De'Longhi Rivelia Start Coffee Machine make good coffee?
To check that the De'Longhi Rivelia Start still delivers on flavours, I made my way through all the usual tests. The espresso is a wonderful taste for flavour extraction, temperature, and pressure. Punchy shots leave nothing for a machine to hide behind. The De'Longhi didn't need any smoke or mirrors though, it brewed delicious espressos, consistently. A hazelnut crema on top reassured me that this has been well extracted, whilst the temperature was drinkable from the get-go.
Americanos, or black coffees, are a great way to test out the water temperature. The machine needs to avoid scalding the coffee, but also can't cool it too quickly. Again, I had a consistently smooth drink brewed by the De'Longhi. It has the barista's approval.
Then, onto milky drinks, such as flat whites, lattes, macchiatos, and more. This required the milk attachment, which also fits neatly into the fridge door. It worked perfectly with dairy and non-dairy drinks alike, serving up silky foam that was easy to adjust. It's worth noting that whilst the De'Longhi Rivelia Start offers cold coffee drinks, it doesn't make cold foam, so you'd need to add ice to try to cool it down if that's what you want.
Which moves me on to our talk of cold coffees. I made coffee over ice as well as cold brew, my favourite kind of coffee. Both were smooth, well-balanced drinks and, unlike traditional cold brews, this one was brewed in under two minutes (rather than 18 hours), which is a real treat for fans of the smoother, sweeter drink.
Similar machines to the De'Longhi Rivelia Start Coffee Machine
I love the De'Longhi Rivelia Start, but if you want to take a look at two alternatives, these are my favourite models:
Sage's Bambino is the slim alternative to the De'Longhi. It's more hands-on and doesn't have the iced coffee functions, but comes with the Sage technology that their more expensive machines boast.
This is the larger sibling to the Rivelia Start and it's still my favourite bean-to-cup machine. Available in the same colours, with more iced options and better customisability, it's a great upgrade.
Read more in my full De'Longhi Rivelia Coffee Machine review.
Should you buy the De'Longhi Rivelia Start Coffee Machine?
If you're looking for a slim, stylish coffee machine that covers your favourite hot and cold brews, look no further. This has the edge with two bean hoppers that let you play with the kinds of beans you want to put in whilst still keeping the menu simple and hands-free. It's the first machine I've wanted to keep on my counter in a long time.
How we test coffee machines
At woman&home we have a series of standardised tests that we put all of our coffee machines through. We like to replicate your real-life experience, picking up on neat details as well as little niggles so that you can work out whether this is the perfect match, or whether you'd get better value somewhere else. If you want to find out more about the process, you can visit our dedicated page for how we test coffee machines.
