Verdict
With its professional feel and satiny looking at , Philips Barista Brew Espresso Machine might look frighten off but it ’s imposingly easy to apply . More significantly , it comes complete with believably all the kit you ’ll ever need for brewing and keep it neat . Like other espresso machine , take coffee is still a messy intimacy , but if you have the time and inclination to become au fait with it , your payoff is café - style drinkable without stepping out the door .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
While Philips knows a affair or two about coffee machine – it owns Saeco , which has been making automatic espresso machines since the 1980s – the Barista Brew is the first time it ’s made an espresso political machine under its own brand .
There ’s much that ’s interesting about the debut : in increase to a calibrated tamper , steam wand , and 15 grind setting design to make accomplish unadulterated espresso extraction easy , Philips is volunteer ‘ barista training ’ with every Barista Brew to aid you get the most from the machine .
Design and Features
Manual espresso political machine can be frighten away , so it ’s no surprisal that the Barista Brew includes some mechanisation to make express shooter a legato process .
This bug out with bray the coffee : the 250 g noggin container on top swivels to select the swot from 1 - 15 , while you may opt for either enough coffee for one or two shots automatically , with a dial to increase or bring down this amount .
There ’s also the option for manual grinding by adjure the portafilter into the bracket . A pulverisation ring helps to keep the ground from flying everywhere : it ’s not perfect but it boil down how much ends up on the worktop .
There ’s a ‘ calibrated ’ tamper for tamping down the dry land . This is sprung and slightly prominent than the portafilter top , so you do n’t pack the grounds too tightly for piddle to fall through .
Once ready to go , the Barista Brew has just three buttons to choose from : single or forked espresso and Americano – the latter of which shell out live piss directly after an espresso shot , imply longer black burnt umber drinkers do n’t need to tote up the extra step .
The volume of water can be set to deal more , or there ’s a steam verge at the side for additional hot water . This also steam Milk River using an included metal jugful , and is controlled by a disjoined dial . Most of the political machine require to be cleaned regularly or after every use , with only the drip tray dishwashing machine - compatible . There are two brush for cleaning deep down thoroughly and a pin for filter basket clogs .
Performance
While some coffee machines arrive with little guidance , there ’s a stride - by - step guide to using the Barista Brew that ’ll make get to know it a lot well-to-do .
For example , there are diagrams to assist you identify when espresso has been under- or over - extracted and how to break up the issue . A QR code takes you to a landing page to file the machine , giving you access to the training with barista Heidi Philip - Smith , who shares tips on making espresso and Milk River frothing .
The simple machine is relatively straightforward to use : grinding come about on the left wing , moving right to brew espresso , before finish with froth milk using the steam wand at the right side . Its button are in a similar logical order , and positioned over the function they control , which is a small item , but one which make using it less prone to mistake . The background are n’t get though : coffee volume and temperature can both be conform .
I started by experiment with the dissimilar grinds . It recommends the fine 1 - 4 configurations for espresso shots , and 5 - 10 for Americanos . I chose 1 for my first espresso shot with a dual - wall filter for optimal pressure . Even with the powder mob in place , I found that there were still grounds disperse over the worktop .
However , tamping the coffee into a puck was simple , as was twisting the portafilter into the machine as there ’s steering for how to do so on the brewing head . I used a two-fold jibe filter , and the comparable brew button , so placed two espresso cupful below .
There ’s a tie-up provided to boost them nearer to the spout to bear on the crema and reduce splashes , however , it ’s quite narrow . I regain balancing my duncical - rim cups well on it a challenge .
The espresso it bring forth was unadulterated : a thick velvety crema , evenly shell out with a fat flavour and distinct nutty notes with a obtrusive fragrance .
Once waste , there was a distinct anchor ring of crema left around the border of cup .
I varied this with a single espresso using the same bean but with a coarser grind of 4 .
This bring out more of the fruitiness of the coffee and the look was n’t quite as rich as the finest swot . The shot also was n’t nearly as sweet , and the crema was slightly thinner .
Next , I made an Americano using mill size 10 and the dedicated button . The main issue I had here was positioning the cup correctly so that both coffee spouts and the blistering pee spout were immediately above the cupful . The maximum cup height is 9.5 cm , which meant that a few of my taller visage would n’t squeeze below .
I also plant it tricky to remember which filter basket was which , especially first matter in the morning . While they ’re all different shapes , it would be handy if each one was pronounce .
The resulting drink had a discernible crema but this was n’t as smooth as the solo espresso shot once the raging water supply had been dispensed . Instead , the Earth’s surface of the drink was quite foamy . This created a drink that was less sweet than the shots but still keep on a more or less sweet aftertaste .
I also made cappuccino using an espresso shot followed by spicy foamed milk made using the steam wand . The instructions commend 100ml of milk for a coffee cappuccino or 150ml for a latte but there are no mark for these measure on the Milk River jugful , which would have been useful .
I constitute the telephone dial at the side for controlling the steam baton quite difficult to use without turning the machine to sit at an angle .
There are two mise en scene marked on the dial – one for red-hot water , one for steam – but the icons are small and difficult to make out at a glance . A release on the front would be more user - well-disposed . Once I had finished spume the milk , it was well-off to accidentally turn the telephone dial back too far and produce blistering water instead .
The Milk River was hot and frothy but I found it tricky to produce smooth velvety foam , and felt this was something that might call for recitation .
One facet I liked about the Barista Brew was that it stayed on for 30 minutes before buy the farm into sleep manner . While this is n’t particularly eco - friendly , when you ’re fix to grips with it or experiment with flavor and grinds , it helps if it ’s not turning itself off . It ’s also a summation for warm up cups on the top of the simple machine while you dally with dissimilar circumstance .
There ’s more clean to be done than for a pod automobile or bean - to - cup . For illustration , after each brew , you ’ll need to wash the portafilter and basket , run piddle through the brewing head and steam through the wand if you ’ve been foam milk . The grinder and coffee outlet ask a clean every two weeks .
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Should you buy it?
you may make smooth , rich espresso or Americanos at menage .
It ’s unlikely that you ’ll enjoy the extra endeavour of grinding , tamping and cleaning up .
Final Thoughts
Occasional coffee drinker need not hurry to the shops for the Barista Brew . It ’s more hands - on than your median bean plant - to - cup , and it ’s best to devote time to its many features . However , its charm lies in being postulate with the brewing cognitive operation : from grind to extraction , you may know the ritual of coffee , and the versatility of castrate options , without worrying about make a sour or bitter dead reckoning . decent master , you’re able to create multiple drinks with unlike flavor using the same beans , and enjoy espresso that any self - respecting barista would be proud of . It is pricey though : peculiarly when you could pick up a bean - to cup , such asBeko ’s CafeExpertofor less , or a canonic espresso machine , such asDualit ’s Espress - Auto , for around £ 200 . For other manual machines , check out the guidebook to thebest coffee machines .
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How we test
We test every coffee berry machine we look back exhaustively over an extended period of time . We expend industry - stock tests to compare features properly . We ’ll always tell you what we find . We never , ever , accept money to review a intersection .
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FAQs
It will work with both coffee beans and ground coffee bean .
Yes , either impudently ground by the machine or pre - ground .
Test Data
Full Specs
