Philips Barista Brew Espresso Machine Review

Introduction

While Philips knows a thing or two about coffee machines – 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 machine under its own brand.

There’s much that’s interesting about the debut: in addition to a calibrated tamper, steam wand, and 15 grind settings designed to make achieving perfect espresso extraction easier, Philips is offering ‘barista training’ with every Barista Brew to help you get the most from the machine. 

Design and Features

• Adjustable amount of grounds
• 2.3-litre water tank
• Removable bean container

Manual espresso machines can be daunting, so it’s no surprise that the Barista Brew includes some automation to make extracting shots a smoother process.

This starts with grinding the coffee: the 250g bean container on top swivels to select the grind from 1-15, while you can opt for either enough coffee for one or two shots automatically, with a dial to increase or reduce this amount.

There’s also the option for manual grinding by pressing the portafilter into the bracket. A powder ring helps to keep the grounds from flying everywhere: it’s not perfect but it reduces how much ends up on the worktop.

There’s a ‘calibrated’ tamper for tamping down the grounds. This is sprung and slightly larger than the portafilter top, so you don’t pack the grounds too tightly for water to flow through.

Once ready to go, the Barista Brew has just three buttons to choose from: single or double espresso and Americano – the latter of which dispenses hot water directly after an espresso shot, meaning longer black coffee drinkers don’t need to add the extra step.

The volume of water can be set to dispense more, or there’s a steam wand at the side for extra hot water. This also steams milk using an included metal jug, and is controlled by a separate dial. Most of the machine needs to be cleaned regularly or after every use, with only the drip tray dishwasher-compatible. There are two brushes for cleaning inside thoroughly and a pin for filter basket clogs.

Performance

• Brews faultless espresso
• Different flavours from same beans
• Milk frothing can be hit or miss

While some coffee machines arrive with little guidance, there’s a step-by-step guide to using the Barista Brew that’ll make getting to know it a lot easier.

For example, there are diagrams to help you identify when espresso has been under- or over-extracted and how to resolve the issue. A QR code takes you to a landing page to register the machine, giving you access to the training with barista Heidi Philip-Smith, who shares tips on making espresso and milk frothing.

The machine is relatively straightforward to use: grinding happens on the left, moving right to brew espresso, before finishing with frothing milk using the steam wand at the right side. Its buttons are in a similar logical order, and positioned over the function they control, which is a small detail, but one which makes using it less prone to mistakes. The settings aren’t fixed though: coffee volume and temperature can both be adjusted.

I started by experimenting with the different grinds. It recommends the finer 1-4 settings 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 ring in place, I found that there were still grounds scattered over the worktop.

However, tamping the coffee into a puck was simple, as was twisting the portafilter into the machine as there’s guidance for how to do so on the brewing head. I used a double shot filter, and the corresponding brew button, so placed two espresso cups below.

There’s a stand provided to boost them closer to the spouts to preserve the crema and reduce splashes, however, it’s quite narrow. I found balancing my thick-rimmed cups comfortably on it a challenge.

The espresso it produced was perfect: a thick velvety crema, evenly distributed with a rich flavour and distinct nutty notes with a noticeable sweetness.

Once consumed, there was a distinct ring of crema left around the edge of cup.

I varied this with a single espresso using the same beans but with a coarser grind of 4.

This brought out more of the fruitiness of the coffee and the flavour wasn’t quite as rich as the finest grind. The shot also wasn’t nearly as sweet, and the crema was slightly thinner.

Next, I made an Americano using grind size 10 and the dedicated button. The main issue I had here was positioning the cup correctly so that both coffee spouts and the hot water spout were directly above the cup. The maximum cup height is 9.5cm, which meant that a few of my taller mugs wouldn’t squeeze below.

I also found it tricky to remember which filter basket was which, especially first thing in the morning. While they’re all different shapes, it would be handy if each one was labelled.

The resulting drink had a discernible crema but this wasn’t as smooth as the solo espresso shots once the hot water had been dispensed. Instead, the surface of the drink was quite foamy. This created a drink that was less sweet than the shots but still retained a slightly sweet aftertaste.

I also made cappuccino using an espresso shot followed by hot foamed milk made using the steam wand. The instructions recommended 100ml of milk for a cappuccino or 150ml for a latte but there are no markers for these amounts on the milk jug, which would have been useful.

I found the dial at the side for controlling the steam wand quite difficult to use without turning the machine to sit at an angle.

There are two settings marked on the dial – one for hot water, one for steam – but the icons are small and difficult to make out at a glance. A button on the front would be more user-friendly. Once I had finished frothing the milk, it was easy to accidentally turn the dial back too far and produce hot water instead.

The milk was hot and frothy but I found it tricky to produce smooth velvety foam, and felt this was something that might need practice.

One aspect I liked about the Barista Brew was that it stayed on for 30 minutes before going into sleep mode. While this isn’t especially eco-friendly, when you’re getting to grips with it or experimenting with flavours and grinds, it helps if it’s not turning itself off. It’s also a plus for warming up cups on the top of the machine while you play with different settings.  

There’s more cleaning to be done than for a pod machine or bean-to-cup. For example, after each brew, you’ll need to rinse the portafilter and basket, run water through the brewing head and steam through the wand if you’ve been frothing milk. The grinder and coffee outlet need a clean every fortnight.

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