Delonghi Rivelia

We've raved about Sage coffee machines on several occasions in the past, and we still do. The all-important tactile act of pressing the ground beans into the plunger and initiating the brewing process yourself is a joy that never ends, even after hundreds of cups.

But the fact is, not every household has the time or inclination to mark every single cup of coffee brewed with so much work, no matter how satisfying that work may be. And if you're looking for something a little more automated, but without compromising on quality, versatility or design, it's hard to imagine a better coffee machine than the Delonghi Rivelia.

We received the green version for testing, and although it lacks the brushed aluminium finish of the Sage, it has character and everything clicks and turns with ease and grace. It's an elegant machine, no doubt about it, and the slightly slimmer profile means it takes up far less space than the average coffee machine, thank you very much.

The small display on the top is trustworthy and relatively responsive too. You get the option to create individual user profiles, and each of these can design the carousel of available coffee types, as well as giving them names and other distinctive features. Overall, Delonghi has the user experience down to a tee here, and everything from the bean hopper attachment (you get two to hot-swap between) to just scrolling through to find the cup you're looking for is smooth and elegant.

It's both extremely compact and everything it needs is clicked on. The latter may sound silly, but when you're used to Sage and the sea of accessories that have to live in little baskets for storage, there's something refreshing about using a coffee machine that has everything it needs attached, clicked on, ready to use. We're also talking about the detachable 200 millilitre milk container, which you can easily click off and store in the fridge when not in use. Making a cappuccino is as simple as taking it out of the fridge and snapping it to the front - job done. No, the froth isn't quite as significant as if you steamed it yourself, but it's damn close.

As mentioned, you can hotswap between the two bean containers that can hold 250 grams worth. The idea is that you might have two different kinds of your favourite beans and it's as easy as switching on and off. It's a pretty nice addition and it's hard to complain about extra customisation options. Either way, there are two key technologies that make sure you get the best out of your beans; Bead Adapt and LatteCrema. It's basically just gauges and sensors that determine how to extract the most flavour from your chosen bean and how the machine can work most effectively with your chosen milk. It's a simple concept, but the idea is to optimise that particular coffee with the components you've put together.

Cleaning is also relatively simple. Yes, you still have to measure the hardness of your water with a little annoying pH strip, you have to change the lime filter every now and then, and you also get a descaling solution to prevent the build-up of limescale, and yes occasionally it runs hot water into the drip tray. It's all a bit annoying, it is, but I have a feeling that these annoyances are necessary right now given the way these kinds of coffee machines are designed. One day we'll find a way to build a coffee machine that needs virtually no maintenance and, all things considered, we're already pretty close.

The price is high, you can get a Rivelia for around £750, but having said that, you can't get a Sage Barista Touch for that money, and it's arguably the closest competitor here. It's quite a saving, and for many, the result will be both more automated and just as sharp. Because the coffee tastes good, that's the most important thing, and it really does. It takes 30 seconds to heat up, 35 seconds to brew, and it tastes good. This is where it all gets a bit anecdotal, because I'm not an expert in that sense, I just drink a lot of coffee and care a lot about the beans I buy, but I really enjoyed the results I got from Rivelia.

Whether it's the perfect coffee machine for you is hard to say. There are certainly cheaper alternatives that sacrifice surrounding features and design but retain the sharp core for a smaller price, but the Rivelia is pretty amazing and I've enjoyed every day with it.