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As a self-confessed coffee lover whose day doesn't truly kick off without a cup of the stuff, I've spent the last few years trialling various home coffee machines in pursuit of one that brews drinks on par with the £4-plus cups I willingly shell out for at my local café. In my younger days, I even worked as a barista at Starbucks, so I reckon I know a thing or two about good coffee. I've given almost every type of machine a whirl, from pod to semi-automatic ones , and while each has its own strengths, I believe I've just stumbled upon one that strikes the ideal balance between delivering top-notch tasting coffees and being user-friendly: the De'Longhi Rivelia Bean to Cup Coffee Machine – which currently has a £100 discount off its usual price. READ MORE: This pregnancy pillow relieves hip pain and discomfort – here’s how to get £50 off READ MORE: ‘I found a way to get £105 of luxury skincare for £9 – including Eve Lom and Nip+Fab’ This clever home coffee machine grinds beans and froths milk at the push of a button and has hundreds of five-star reviews. One thrilled customer even says that it brews "coffee at home to the standard you get in Costa or Starbucks". Typically priced at £749.99, it's now reduced to £649.99 on the De'Longhi website as well as third-party sellers like Lakeland and Amazon . It also comes in a variety of colours, ensuring there's something to complement every kitchen, reports the Mirror . Firstly, despite its high-tech features and functions, it's surprisingly compact ; extending 'outwards' rather than width-ways, it takes up remarkably little room on the kitchen counter – perfect if, like me, you're short on space. However, this is reflected in the size of the water tank; it's smaller than some others, although I did manage to make five drinks from one full tank. Setting it up is also incredibly straightforward. Once plugged in, its smart digital display guides you through every step of the quick set-up process in a very friendly tone of voice. It's a stark contrast from the last coffee machine I tested, the Philips Barista Brew Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine , which did require a bit of study and trial and error before getting going. With this De'Longhi machine, you're up and running in minutes . It can whip up a wide range of coffee-based drinks, from lattes and cappuccinos to espressos and cortados – and even iced drinks – simply by selecting the right button. This then freshly grinds the correct amount of coffee and adds the right texture of hot frothed milk to create your perfect drink. Conveniently, each drink also comes with a guide to its size and its intensity – although you can manually alter either of these parameters. Other impressive features include a self-cleaning function of the milk spout after every use, the ability to test your water hardness and set your machine to adapt accordingly, and user profiles , so if more than one person in the household is using the machine you can quickly access your chosen coffee preferences. It also learns what type of coffee you like at what time of day, speeding things up even further. The grinding and frothing is also a lot quieter than some machines I've tried. As for how the coffee tastes? I'd give the drinks a solid 9/10 . They don't taste exactly like my go-to Gail's flat white, but they're a pretty near match, and very tasty (and, of course, could save you money on drinks out in the long run). If you're a real coffee snob, and enjoy the 'art' involved in brewing a great coffee, I'd still recommend the Philips Barista Semi-Automatic , and pod machines like the Nespresso Vertuo will always have a place in my heart for quick drinks or if kitchen space is an issue, but for making a really wide range of professional-quality drinks with minimal effort, I've been super-impressed by the De'Longhi Rivelia .
