The Eletta Explore suits anyone who drinks iced coffee for half the year: it makes cold brew in a few minutes and froths cold milk, which nothing else at the price does. The Rivelia suits a multi-person household that switches beans and wants each person's drinks a tap away, for around $350 less.
Both are 19-bar De'Longhi automatics with a 3.5-inch touchscreen, LatteCrema milk and Bean Adapt. They split on hot-and-cold versus profiles-and-beans.
De'Longhi Rivelia
Four user profiles, 16 recipes, a lift-off 250g Bean Switch hopper, five aroma levels, three temperatures, a 500ml LatteCrema Hot carafe. 24.5cm wide, 12.7kg. Owners rate it 4.9 from more than 60 reviews at The Good Guys.
Hot drinks only. No cold brew, no cold foam, no app.
What We Like:
- Four profiles
- Swappable hoppers
- Highest owner score in the range
What We Don't Like:
- No cold drinks
De'Longhi Eletta Explore
LatteCrema Hot and Cool carafes, so it makes hot microfoam and cold foam. Cold Extraction Technology brews a real cold brew in under five minutes rather than steeping overnight. Wi-Fi and the Coffee Link app for recipes and remote start. 3.5-inch touchscreen, Bean Adapt, 19-bar pump. 26cm wide, 15.3kg. Owners rate it 4.7 from nearly 120 reviews at The Good Guys.
It is the bulkiest machine in this part of the range, and there is no Bean Switch hopper; changing beans means emptying it.
What We Like:
- Cold brew in minutes
- Cold milk foam
- App control
What We Don't Like:
- 26cm wide, 15kg
Side by side
| Rivelia | Eletta Explore | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1,000–1,100 | $1,400–1,500 |
| Pump | 19 bar | 19 bar |
| Bean hopper | 250g, swappable | Fixed |
| Bean Adapt | Yes | Yes |
| Milk | LatteCrema Hot, 500ml | LatteCrema Hot and Cool |
| Cold brew | No | Yes, cold extraction |
| Profiles | 4 | Yes |
| Interface | 3.5" touchscreen | 3.5" touchscreen |
| App | No | Wi-Fi, Coffee Link |
| Size (W×D×H) | 24.5 × 43 × 38.5cm | 26 × 45 × 38.5cm |
| Weight | 12.7kg | 15.3kg |
| Warranty | 2 years | 2 years |
| Owner rating | 4.9 (62) | 4.7 (119) |
Owner ratings are from The Good Guys.
What actually differs
Cold. Only the Eletta makes cold brew and cold foam. In an Australian summer that is a daily-use feature, and no cheaper automatic has it.
Beans. Only the Rivelia lets you swap hoppers. If decaf after dinner or a second bean on weekends is part of your routine, the Rivelia is the one built for it.
App. The Eletta can be started from the phone and takes recipes from De'Longhi's app. Owners use it less than they expected, but it is there.
Size. The Eletta is wider and nearly 3kg heavier. Check the cupboard clearance.
Above both sits the PrimaDonna Soul, which adds a 500g hopper and a bigger screen, and the Eletta Ultra, which adds quiet grinding and 50 recipes.
FAQs
Does the Rivelia make iced coffee at all?
It can pour a hot espresso over ice, which is how the "over ice" style works on most automatics. It has no cold extraction and can't froth cold milk.
How does cold extraction differ from cold brew?
Traditional cold brew steeps grounds for 12 hours or more. De'Longhi's cold extraction pushes cold water through the grounds slowly under pressure, finishing in a few minutes with a similar low-acid result.
Which is better for a single espresso drinker?
Neither is aimed at that person. Both are milk-and-menu machines; a black-coffee drinker gets the same espresso from a Magnifica for half the money.
