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Philips Barista Brew: two-minute evaluate
The Philips Barista Brew is an espresso machine that may both hand-hold you thru brewing espresso by automating a part of the method, or depart you to do all the things manually when you’ve constructed up your confidence. It’s a pleasant thought that ought to assist clean out the everyday studying curve.
The machine heats shortly, and has a helpful stress gauge on the entrance that allows you to see whether or not you’ve achieved the optimum stress whereas pulling a shot of espresso. The controls are easy to grasp and use, and though the Barista Brew takes longer to grasp than another machines I’ve examined just lately (such because the De’Longhi La Specialista Contact), as soon as accustomed to its idiosyncrasies, you’ll have the ability to create constantly good espresso with minimal fuss (and solely a scattering of grounds in your kitchen worktop).
For me, the Philips Barista Brew had two important drawbacks: the automated dosing and the tamper. Each points are solvable, although; however they do imply that this can be a good espresso machine reasonably than an important one.
On its default settings, the Barista Brew floor far an excessive amount of espresso for a double shot of espresso, and I wanted to scale back the grind time by half to get an applicable dose. Altering settings isn’t too tough utilizing the instruction booklet, however I can’t assist however really feel that the presets needs to be higher configured, since making massive modifications to the usual settings could also be outdoors the consolation zone of individuals new to coffee-making.
My different situation was the tamper, which is spring-loaded and limits the quantity of stress you’ll be able to placed on the espresso puck. Regardless of the espresso being finely floor, my photographs usually poured too quick, and the stress gauge on the entrance of the machine confirmed that it was failing to achieve the optimum 9 bars.
I discovered a number of options. Grinding the espresso extra coarsely means it takes up extra space (think about the distinction between a bucket filled with sand and one filled with rocks), with it often leading to a quicker pour as a result of water will discover its means via the grounds extra shortly. However right here, when you dial the grinder excellent, you could possibly tamp exhausting sufficient to cancel out that impact.
An alternative choice is to easily grind extra espresso, so there’s extra for the tamp to compress; however this looks like a waste of beans. As with every espresso machine, add an excessive amount of to your basket and it’ll make contact with the brew head whenever you insert the deal with, which can cease the water passing via correctly.
Lastly, you’ll be able to stick along with your most popular grind measurement and dose, and use a easy third-party tamper to compress the puck reasonably than Philips’ spring-loaded unit. Whereas this one feels good within the hand, I can’t assist however really feel it’s over-engineered.
However, it’s vital to remember the worth of the Barista Brew whenever you’re evaluating it to others in the identical class. Though I discovered the De’Longhi La Specialista Contact simpler to grasp, the Barista Brew is less expensive at its presently lowered worth whenever you purchase direct from Philips. Should you don’t get together with the “calibrated” tamper, you should purchase a good-quality unit individually and nonetheless pay lots much less.
It’ is not good, however the Philips Barista Brew is excellent for the worth, and is certainly one to think about when you’re in search of a compact, all-in-one espresso machine that received’t break the financial institution.
Philips Barista Brew: worth and availability
- Checklist worth $649.99 / £580.99 (about AU$1,000)
- On the market in US and Europe
- Twin-hopper model additionally accessible
The Philips Barista Brew launched in January 2024, with a listing worth of $649.99 / £580.99 (about AU$1,000). Nevertheless, it could actually usually be discovered at a reduction when you store round – for instance, on the time of writing, it’s accessible direct from Philips for £449.99. You’ll discover all immediately’s finest costs under.
That’s about common for a semi-automatic espresso machine of this kind, and is nearly precisely the identical worth because the equally specced De’Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo. If you need a machine that may maintain your hand with options similar to automated milk texturizing or a shade touchscreen (just like the De’Longhi La Specialista Touch), for instance, you must count on to pay a bit extra.
This model of the Philips Barista Brew comes with a single bean hopper, however there’s additionally a mannequin with a twin hopper that may maintain two completely different beans directly and change between them on-the-fly. That mannequin is barely costlier at $699.99 / £624.99 (about AU$1,100) earlier than reductions.
Philips Barista Brew: specs
|
Kind |
Semi-automatic bean-to-cup espresso machine |
|
Drink choices |
3 (single and double espresso, americano) |
|
Pump stress (max) |
15 bar |
|
Grind settings |
15 |
|
Bean hopper capability |
8.8oz / 250g |
|
Water tank capability |
2.4 quarts / 2.3 liters |
|
Steam wand |
Handbook |
|
Dimension (H x W x D) |
16.1 x 12.6 x 13.1 inches / 410 x 320 x 334 mm |
|
Weight |
7.9lbs / 8.6kg |
Philips Barista Brew: design
- Fashionable-looking and compact
- Straightforward-to-use controls for espresso and milk
- Grinder is messy to make use of
The Philips Barista Brew is kind of compact in comparison with a lot of the finest bean-to-cup espresso machines, and surprisingly mild, too. That is largely right down to its chassis, which is made largely from black plastic, with brushed stainless-steel solely on the entrance. It’s a classy equipment, and can look fairly at dwelling in a contemporary kitchen.
The machine is operated utilizing a sequence of buttons discovered alongside the entrance, with a dial on the facet for allotting sizzling water and steam. There are three drink choices (single espresso, double espresso, and americano), and you may regulate the brew time and low dosage manually by following the clear steering within the instruction booklet.
The model of the Philips Barista Brew I examined comes with a single bean hopper, however there’s additionally a model with a two-part hopper that means that you can change between completely different beans on-the-fly – a welcome characteristic for these of us preferring decaf within the afternoon. The twin-hopper model is barely a bit costlier, and is properly price contemplating.
The hopper sits on prime of a ceramic burr grinder that gives 15 grind settings, that are adjusted by rotating the hopper. The burrs transfer easily, and dismantling the grinder for cleansing proved simple. The machine comes with a small cleansing equipment that features a brush for this function.
The grinder might be set to dispense a timed dose of espresso, or operated manually by pushing the portafilter deal with towards the again of the machine (tilting it barely upwards to hit a change).
The water tank sits on the again of the Philips Barista Brew, and is simple to elevate off utilizing its sturdy deal with. Another reviewers have known as it slender and tough to scrub, nevertheless it’s truly wider than these of many different espresso machines I’ve examined this 12 months, and it was completely attainable to get my hand inside with a material and towel. The one draw back is that it is not provided with a water filter.
The steam wand has a great vary of movement, and might be adjusted utilizing a cool-touch silicone deal with. Ought to it grow to be clogged, you’ll discover a double-ended pin software for clearing any blockages tucked away behind the drip tray, the place it’s unlikely to be discovered by youngsters, or grow to be misplaced. The sharper finish of the pin even has a security cap to guard your fingers.
The Barista Brew comes with a 48mm portafilter and 4 filter baskets – single and double-walled, for single and double photographs. The double-walled (pressurized) baskets are extra forgiving if you have not fairly nailed your coffee-making method simply but, and make it simpler to make a constantly well-extracted shot.
The portafilter deal with has a rubberized space on the entrance of the basket, which makes it simple so that you can stabilize it on the sting of your kitchen counter whereas tamping, with out the necessity for a separate mat. It additionally has a powder ring that twists onto the basket that’s meant to maintain issues tidy throughout grinding, though I discovered it did not stop grounds flying out.
You additionally get the standard stainless-steel milk pitcher, which is completely properly made, and a “calibrated” tamper that solely helps you to compress the bottom espresso a certain quantity. It is an fascinating thought, however in follow I struggled to get a correctly extracted espresso as a result of it wasn’t tamped down exhausting sufficient.
Lastly, the Barista Brew has a cup-warmer on prime – one thing I all the time recognize, however which is often lacking from espresso machines on this worth bracket.
Philips Barista Brew: efficiency
The Philips Barista Brew is basically an excellent espresso machine, and when you’re accustomed to its quirks you’ll have the ability to make constantly good espresso. Nevertheless, its guided brewing options aren’t fairly as simple as it’d first seem – and in some circumstances, it’s simpler to do issues your self.
The Barista Brew heats shortly, and its set of clearly labelled buttons are intuitive to make use of as soon as it’s as much as temperature. The standout design characteristic is the big central stress gauge, which helps you to see how properly your espresso is extracted earlier than you even style it. Some higher-end espresso makers I’ve examined will decide whether or not the stress was too excessive or too low and provide suggestions on a shade touchscreen, however the analog stress meter does the job simply as properly.
The machine’s pump is quiet in operation, too, averaging 60dB throughout use (about the identical as a dishwasher or regular dialog). Some espresso makers can attain as much as 70dB, so the Barista Brew undoubtedly sits in the direction of the extra snug finish of the size.
My important points with this machine contain grinding and tamping. The Philips Barista Brew affords a grind time setting to assist with dosing. Simply flip a dial on the entrance of the machine to determine how a lot espresso to dispense, maintain the grind button to toggle between single and double photographs, and faucet it once more to begin grinding. Sadly, even when turned right down to one of many lowest settings, the machine floor much more beans than I truly wanted – despite the fact that I used to be utilizing one of many best grind sizes. I needed to scoop out a great portion of grounds earlier than I might think about tamping them down.
It was a lot simpler to disregard the dosing button and do issues the old school means: use a digital scale to weigh the deal with, zero the size, push the deal with towards the again of the machine till the dosage appeared proper (about 18g for a double espresso), weigh it once more, and make any tweaks to attain the proper weight.
The grinder was additionally a bit messy. The Philips Barista Brew has a powder ring that twists onto the highest of the basket earlier than grinding, which ought to direct floor espresso inside. Nevertheless, in use I discovered that floor espresso nonetheless had a bent to shoot out onto my work floor and the remainder of the machine. Espresso grounds had been significantly vulnerable to accumulating on the funnel instantly under the grinder, which wanted wiping after each use. It appears this situation is probably going attributable to static electrical energy.
In response to Philips, the spring-loaded tamper is calibrated that can assist you create an ideal puck; however throughout my exams, I discovered it didn’t apply as a lot stress as I might like. Consequently, water ran via the grounds too shortly, and the machine failed to achieve the optimum 9 bars of stress, even with very finely floor espresso (as proven on the stress gauge).
Subsequently, the ensuing drinks had been usually under-extracted and a bit sour-tasting –one thing verified by my colleague Peter Berenski, the resident coffee-buff at TechRadar’s sister web site, Tom’s Information. The video under exhibits a typical under-extracted double espresso pouring in simply 15 seconds reasonably than the best 28 seconds.
You may get round this situation by utilizing a third-party 58mm tamper; the “calibrated” unit provided with the machine looks like an answer looking for an issue. The machine could be higher with one thing easy. You can even strive grinding your espresso extra coarsely, in order that the identical weight of grounds take up extra space, or just use extra beans – however this looks like a waste.
On a happier be aware, the machine’s steam wand is superb. You don’t have exact management over the stress (the dial on the facet of the machine merely helps you to select between steam and water), however as soon as it’s as much as temperature, it maintains good stress for the size of time it takes you to texturize your milk.
Automated milk methods is usually a good contact for brand new customers, however a guide wand delivers extra flexibility, letting you regulate your method for dairy or non-dairy milks.
Do you have to purchase the Philips Barista Brew?
|
Attribute |
Notes |
Rating |
|---|---|---|
|
Worth |
Very fairly priced in comparison with rival machines, significantly when you benefit from the common reductions. |
4.5/5 |
|
Design |
Compact and handsome, though the grinder tends to spray espresso round. |
3.5/5 |
|
Efficiency |
A very good machine basically, however the grinder presets aren’t good for brand new customers, and the calibrated tamper could be higher changed with a traditional one. |
3.5/5 |
Purchase it if
Do not buy it if
Philips Barista Brew: additionally think about
How I examined the Philips Barista Brew
I put the Philips Barista Brew via its paces for per week, utilizing each the pressurized and single-wall baskets to match the outcomes. I dialled within the grinder to attain good extraction, and used each the automated dosing system and guide grinding choices. I used recent arabica beans from an area espresso roaster, and chilled complete milk purchased instantly earlier than testing.
I in contrast espresso made utilizing the Philips Barista Brew to espresso made with my very own Gaggia Classic guide espresso maker and Dualit ceramic burr grinder.
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First reviewed Might 2025