Philips Barista Brew Semi Automatic Espresso Machine with Milk Frother - Stainless Steel

Excellent coffee machine. I didn’t have any issues with making americano and love it.

I can state with confidence that the Philips Barista Brew Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine is a fantastic choice for both novice and seasoned home baristas who wish to create espresso beverages of café quality at home after using it for a while. The Barista Brew has a brushed stainless steel finish that is both elegant and resistant to fingerprints, keeping it looking polished and clean. It feels strong and long-lasting, suggesting that it is well-made. A standout feature is the large 2.3-liter (77.8 oz) water tank, allowing multiple drinks before needing a refill. The tank is easy to remove with a convenient handle, though putting it back when full can be a bit tricky I don’t remove the tank as I have good amount of space between kitchen cabinets and this machine I directly pour water from a bottle. Despite its many features, the Barista Brew is easy to use. The control panel has clearly labeled buttons for power, grind settings, and drink options (single shot, double shot, and Americano). It also offers hidden programming options, like adjustable brew temperature and shot volume, accessed through a specific button sequence all are explained in detail within the included user guide. You can fine-tune the grind size with the 15 changeable settings on the built-in conical burr grinder. Choose the finer option to obtain a beautiful shot of espresso, even though some people think the adjustments could be more exact. It's still a handy function that removes the need for a separate grinder. The Barista Brew excels at espresso extraction. Its 15-bar pump and 58mm stainless steel portafilter consistently produce rich, crema-topped shots, rivaling those from cafes. The machine also has automatic pre-infusion and adjustable brew temperature for optimal flavor extraction. I appreciate its ability to deliver high quality espresso with consistent temperature stability and rich crema. It comes with both pressurized and non-pressurized filter baskets, providing flexibility for anyone at different skill levels. The machine includes a steam wand for milk frothing, which may take beginners some practice to perfect. However, with patience, you can create silky, well textured foam for lattes and cappuccinos. It also comes with a temperature sensitive milk jug, which helps ensure the perfect milk temperature. Cleaning the Barista Brew is relatively easy. It includes accessories like cleaning brushes and a pin for maintenance, it’s very simple to keep in good condition for a very long time with very little effort. In terms of both features and performance, the Philips Barista Brew is an excellent value. Compared to competitors that retail for more, it is more reasonably priced and has comparable features. To update your home coffee setup, the Philips Barista Brew Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine is a great option. Both novices and experts may use it because of its intuitive UI, adaptable settings, and superb espresso quality. The machine has several shortcomings, but they pale in comparison to its total advantages. The steam wand requires practice, and the grinder might not be enough for the pickiest coffee lovers. The Philips Barista Brew is a good option if you're searching for a dependable, feature-rich semi-automatic espresso maker that produces results comparable to those of a café.

This is the first time I’ve owned a barista-quality espresso machine, and it has been a great learning experience. It was easy to assemble and use. I appreciated the videos available via the box flap QR code. A friend of mine grows coffee beans in Costa Rica, and this machine did a fantastic job of grinding the beans to an excellent espresso quality. The ability to select single or double-shot grinding makes it easy to get the right amount of coffee. The measurement dial can be used to adjust the amount. Individual buttons for single, double, and americano make it easy to get the right amount of brewed coffee. The frother produces nice foam, and the temperature indicator on the frothing cup is a nice touch. I also appreciate that the components are dishwasher-safe. My only minor complaint is that the Grind Amount knob is hard to see where the indicator is. I recommend a tiny dab of white paint on the indicator knob. I am happy with the Philips Barista Brew Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine. I highly recommend it for anyone wanting to improve their barista skills or brew their own espresso-quality coffee at home. Features

The Philips Barista Brew Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine is an excellent choice for both beginners and experienced coffee enthusiasts. I have given up on some espresso machines before solely due to the fact that I felt I needed to be a professional barista in order to use. This machine is semi-automatic, it’s designed to be user-friendly, making it accessible to those who may not have prior experience with espresso machines. With an intuitive interface and clear instructions in the manual, I was quickly up and running brewing the perfect shot of espresso. The included accessories, from the excellent tamper to the milk jug, provide everything you need right out of the box, making the setup and use process seamless. When it comes to performance, this machine truly shines. The Philips Barista Brew pulls a fantastic shot of espresso with rich flavor and crema, making it comparable to what you’d get at a coffee shop. One of the most impressive, but simple, features is its heat-sensing milk jug, which takes the guesswork out of steaming milk to the perfect temperature for lattes and cappuccinos. In addition to its functionality, the machine boasts a sleek design that looks great on any countertop, and its relatively compact size makes it suitable for most kitchens without taking up too much space. The only drawback is a slight learning curve, especially for those new to espresso machines. However, thanks to the well-written and thorough instruction manual, this hurdle is easily overcome with a bit of practice. The manual walked me through what I was doing wrong and I got the hang of it fast! Overall, the Philips Barista Brew Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine is a fantastic investment for anyone looking to elevate their at-home coffee experience. Like I said in the beginning, I’ve gotten rid of espresso machines before. This one I am for sure keeping. Pros: Easy to use Pulls a fantastic shot of espresso Heat-sensing milk jug! Looks great on a counter Relatively compact All the accessories you need An instructions manual that actually explained how to use the machine properly! Cons: Little bit of a learning curve but not bad due to the excellent manual

As a member of the Best Buy Tech Insider Network, I had the privilege of ordering the Philips Barista Brew Semi Automatic Espresso Machine with Milk Frother for my wife, and it’s been an impressive addition to our kitchen. We’ve reviewed another Philips cappuccino machine in the past, but this one is in a league of its own. The stainless steel finish adds a sleek, modern touch that complements our kitchen setup beautifully.The real highlight is how it's transformed my wife’s coffee experience. She’s a bit of a coffee enthusiast and has been thoroughly impressed with the quality of each brew—whether it’s a rich espresso or a frothy cappuccino, the results are consistently café-quality. The milk frother has become a favorite feature for her, making her Monday morning cappuccinos something to look forward to, without a trip to Starbucks.What also stands out is how user-friendly the machine is, even with its various components. The instructions are detailed, so once we got familiar with everything, it became a seamless part of our daily routine. Transitioning from a Keurig to this espresso machine has opened up more opportunities for creativity and customization in our coffee, and we haven’t looked back since.In short, the Philips Barista Brew is not just a coffee machine; it’s a significant upgrade for anyone who appreciates a quality brew at home. Whether you’re an avid coffee lover or looking to surprise someone who is, I highly recommend it. 5/5

My wife is a big coffee drinker and was very excited when I ordered the Philips Espresso Machine. The machine itself works great, but the instructions to put everything together and how to use the machine are severely lacking in details. On the positive side, the machine looks impressive and could be a mini-version of what you see in coffee shops. The parts seem to be high quality metal and plastic that I'm not worried will break or deform. The grinder works great once you figure out how to use it. The milk foamer also does the job...once you figure out how to use it. In general, everything works great...once you go through the trial and error of how to use it since the instructions are lacking. I'm not a coffee aficionado so I never tried to use an espresso machine before. The paper instructions were totally useless, but they do have a QR code to get to some videos. Great! This should be easy to follow a video, right? Well, I guess it did help to show the basic steps to get started and we did brew our first cup. The problem was that it didn't show you what all the pieces are for or when to use filter A vs filter B. Even some of the parts I had to figure out where it went by watching the videos over and over to see if I can find the piece on the machine. If you are a coffee expert or have had another espresso machine in the past, this may not be a problem for you. However, if you are new to this, definitely plan for some trial and error on which filters to use when, how to use the milk foamer, and even finding out where all the the parts go. Overall, once you get past the learning curve, this seems to be a high quality machine. I would recommend this to anyone that loves coffee and wants an at home espresso machine.

Philips Barista Brew Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine I own/have owned three other espresso machines prior to the Philips Barista Brew Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine. Every one of them has been automatic or semi-automatic machines. Because of their ease of use, it made my foray into the world of espresso making quite easy. And so it was that I felt I would be more than prepared and qualified to simply unpack and begin using the Philips machine. It wasn’t anywhere close to as simple as that. But more about that as I get into this review. Because I have a tendency to form a first impression of a product based on its packaging, I was eager to see what lay ahead for me as I began to unpack the shipping box. Based on the extraordinary care Philips took in the packing and shipping of the Barista Brew, I felt as though I was in for a very good experience. The espresso machine arrived in pristine and undamaged condition. The first thing to greet my eyes after unpacking was a briefcase-like box containing all of the accessories needed for brewing and cleaning the Barista. As I looked at each part, I was unbelievably impressed with the quality of each component. The box contains two single wall filters and two double wall filters, one for single brew and the other for double brew. The box also contains a cleaning brush, a grinder cleaning brush, a powder ring, an espresso stand (for smaller expresso cups), a temperature-indicating milk jug, an amazingly designed calibrated tamper, and a 58mm portafilter. Below this box was the espresso machine itself, all the accompanying literature, the bean hopper, water tank, etc. Each component is very well constructed of top-tier materials. The User Manual is quite straightforward and informational. Before getting into the actual brewing, there is a detailed diagram outlining all the parts of the machine and the function of each button. I would highly recommend going over this before starting a brew for the first time. The diagram is then followed by the assembly instructions, and then the actual brewing instructions. The control panel of the Philips Barista appears deceptively “barren.” However barren it appears, there is a ton of information/buttons you need to become aware of. Across the front there is the Power button, the Grind button with the option of selecting single or double grind, a Grind amount knob, the Pressure Gauge, a Single Espresso button, a Double Espresso button, and an Americano brew button. There is also a Descale light and a Hot Water/Steam light. After covering the parts of the machine and the control panel functions, the manual goes into brewing for the first time. Now this is where the rubber meets the road. Although it is possible to simply grind, tamp and brew, it is likely the results would be quite marginal. In other words, it takes a bit of “tuning” before you can actually brew a decent espresso. I will give Philips their props in this regard. They concisely explain what the brew should smell, taste and look like, and offers solutions to remedy inferior brewing. I had quite a bit of issues with getting the grind amount just right, and also the grinder settings. My first several espressos were wholly unfit for human consumption. But after playing with the settings, I finally brewed an espresso that was almost perfect. There is nothing like the aroma of an espresso done just right! But like I said earlier, because I have three other espresso machines under my belt, I was sure the Philips was going to be Plug-n-Play simple. But I am really quite glad that there is a learning curve with the Philips Barista. You have a LOT of control over the outcome of the brew, whereas in other machines you are, for the most part, at the mercy of the machine. With the Barista you control the grind amount, the grind fineness, and even the temperature of the brew. You can see there is a lot of room for experimentation. The Barista of course comes with a frothing wand. Because I was so used to the wand of my other machines, I had a bit of a time trying to get my feel with the Philips Barista. But by the third attempt I was frothing like a pro. In fact, I found I quite enjoyed the “attitude” of the Philips. The pressure is smooth as silk, and the milk froths so effortlessly. And what I really REALLY like is the temperature indicator on the front of the frothing jug. Before I have always relied on touch to judge the froth, but with the temperature indicator, all the guess work is eliminated. My Takeaway The Philips Barista Brew Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine has proven, in a very short time, to be my new go-to espresso maker. It allows for a ton of adjustments which further allows for tight control over the brew output. I cannot say enough about the calibrated tamper! Its in a class all its own. Everything is super high quality in design, materials and construction. The machine itself is elegant and extremely pleasing to the sight. Its just one of those rare pieces of equipment that seems to come along once in a blue moon. I am super grateful to have the Philips Barista Brew Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine sitting on my kitchen counter, and I am looking forward to seeing the envy on the faces of my friends and family when they see it. Once they do see it, and taste its brew, I won’t need to recommend it at all…they will already be convinced to make this part of their kitchen as well.

In the turf of semi-automatic espresso machines, Breville Barista Express has been the long-time king of the hill for casual to coffee enthusiasts for under $1k price tier. Philips isn’t new to the espresso game but comes fully swinging with their first semi-automatic espresso machine with the Breville in their crosshairs. Both Philips Barista Brew and Breville Barista Express look very similar but some pros and cons between each model that I will highlight below. Grinder Both units have grinders that stores your beans above and grinds on demand. For those looking for the full semi-automatic experience, hitting one or two will give you a good start to the proper dose. I like to control the dose so I weigh my beans first and grind the measured beans right into my portafilter. Winner goes to the Breville as I feel like the Breville has better and finer grinding control. I’m already on the finest setting with the Philips for my desired extraction times. The Philips also has crazy amount of static when compared to the Breville. This can be mitigated with a water mister on your beans before grinding but static makes your counter messy with grinds. Tamper While both units comes with a tamper, the Philips comes with a heavy duty spring loaded tamper. While the Philips tamper is 100x better than Breville, I still prefer a proper calibrated tamper with a tactile click to when you actually apply the proper tamping pressure needed. If this sounds foreign to you, the included tamper does more than you will need until you become an espresso nerd. Portafilter The Breville’s downfall is using a 54mm portafilter. The Philips appeases the espresso nerds by going with the larger 58mm portafilter. One major reason I was drawn to the Philips was the 58mm size. For those wondering, the Philips uses a 58mm 3 ear portafilter. Easily upgrade your espresso game later with a 58mm 3 ear bottomless portafilter. Why 58mm over the 54mm? Many would argue better espresso extraction = Better flavor! Frothing Both Breville and Philips comes with a milk frother. The milk frother on both units also dispenses hot water for Americanos or teas. What’s unique with the Philips is that you can get hot water via two different spouts. The Philips comes with an Americano button that automatically dispenses hot water right into your cup after espresso extraction from the portafilter. The Breville does not have this feature and you will only get an Americano via their frothing nozzle. An Americano is simply hot water added to your espresso shot. While it’s convenient on the Philips if you drink a lot of Americanos, I find that feature gimmicky. Winner for the frothing narrowly goes to the Breville. I feel the Breville produces more steam that adds the microbubbles to the milk for a thicker froth. Pressure Both units have a good pressure gauge that tells you if you’re under or over extracting. If you’re under the desired pressure, your shots can be sour and thin. Can be fixed by grinding smaller, increase dosing or better tamping. If you’re over the desired pressure, then its the exact opposite of under extracting. Make the grind larger and decreasing the amount of grinds will help. Tie between both machines for pressure. Both machines do pre-infusion and but can’t adjust the bars of pressure during extraction. In Summary Winner of the sub $1k semi-automatic is the new Philips Barista Brew! It’s super easy to use for first time espresso making and their videos found online is very helpful in getting you started on pulling the perfect espresso shot. But it’s also great for espresso enthusiasts looking for an all-in-one semi-auto espresso machine with built in grinder. I can grind my pre-weighed out beans with nearly zero grind retention and get the industry standard 58mm portafilter. I’m super happy with the Philips because of the 58mm portafilter size vs Breville’s 54mm and you will too.

My family has been using a $50 retail store special espresso machine to get our coffee fix. Our next purchase after research was a good standalone burr grinder. This cheap machine had a milk frother but it frequently got gummed up and wasn’t producing foam like we wanted for lattes and cappuccinos. That machine suited us for only a short time. As we sunk deeper into the pits of the home espresso youtube rabbit hole of videos, and realizing we still weren’t getting our favorite café quality shots, we yearned for something better. This Philips semi-automatic espresso machine was our first experience with a real espresso machine. Plus it comes with it’s own grinder attached, and a steam wand to froth the milk. It was easy for us to take the plunge. We love our espresso and take our coffee very seriously, time for us to put up or shut up. This unit has a design that was very well thought out, and the accessories that come with it are outstanding (with the exception of one major defect/see below &pics). I’ll list the accessories out with my thoughts. The 58MM portafilter is sturdy with a nice weight to it. It sports a rubber pad on the bottom to protect it when tamping the grounds into the filter. It also lays flat when you stand it on the counter, well done Philips. With the portafilter and in conjunction with the grinder it has a black powder ring which fits onto the top of the portfilter to load it into the ground receiving bracket. There are 4 portafilter baskets that come with the set. One single walled single shot basket, and one single walled double shot basket. One dual wall single shot, and one dual wall double shot basket. I’m still learning the art of espresso (I don’t think you ever stop learning), but it’s my understanding the dual wall takes some of the guesswork out of dialing in the machine to your liking so we’ve been using those. There are 2 cleaning brushes for the grinder and let me tell you, you’re going to need them if you plan on using the grinder that’s installed on this machine. Word of advice, if you’re going to buy this machine, and have a stand-alone grinder, do not get rid of it because this thing is trash, absolutely frustrating beyond belief. I’ll get into that below. The manual states there is supposed to be a cleaning pin, but there wasn’t one in our box. No idea what that’s for, there must be different models that get that so it’s in the same manual?? The calibrated tamper is a HUGE plus, with a great weight to it, and very well designed, again well done Philips. There’s also a spot for the tamper on top of the machine for easy storage. I saved the best component for last IMO, which is a simple un-neccesary addition, but Philips knocked it out of the park with this little helper, and I absolutely wouldn’t want to be without it now. I’m talking about the milk jug with temperature gauge. As you use the steam wand to work it’s magic in the jug, you watch as the temperature gauge changes colors to green. It’s never failed me yet. I’ve had this machine for a week now, and we’ve dialed it in to our liking. I suggest weighing your grounds, and figuring out which weight and ground size works best for you. There’s a pressure gauge that will help you in your journey if you’re new to pulling espresso shots. It will show you if you’re in the optimum pressure range during the brewing. Can’t stress enough either to read the manual more than once as they give you great information in there. Philips made it very easy for a novice to pick up the art of espresso shots. My main piece of advice, don’t give up, it takes time to get things just right. Ugh I’ve been avoiding it, but I’m going to talk about the grinder. (PTGD, post-traumatic-grinder-disorder) Like I mentioned above it’s been about a week now, and I kid you not I’ve had to dismantle the grinder about 8 times now to unstick it. And it’s not my first rodeo with grinders. Absolutely do not use water on any of the grinder components, that’s a big no-no. Also, use fresh beans, not some old dry hard beans you’ve had in your cabinet for a year. Number one, old beans make bad tasting espresso, and number 2 this grinder doesn’t need any help seizing up, it does just fine on it’s own. I even tried numerous coffee bean brands to see if that made a difference…nope. While dialing in the grind consistency, and using the grinder, it seized up by around the 4th shot I pulled. (see pics) To operate the grinder you press the grind 1x or 2x button, or push the portafilter with powder ring into the receiver to operate it. It just sits and whines and nothing comes out. I cleaned it out which involves removing the hopper, and the top grinder piece from the machine. Talk about messy and annoying. After cleaning it you might get 2 good grinds, or you might get 8, who knows. I had to keep a dust-buster next to the machine just to clean up after myself and get little bits out of the top of the grinder. The brushes it comes with are woefully inadequate for the job. We did find that putting it back together after cleaning, and running the grinder, you could lightly tap the side of the machine to get it to intermittently start grinding again. Is this 1985 again? I’m not eager to relive my childhood days of banging the TV to get the reception to work. After the 8th time of cleaning it or so, I gave up. The hopper now sits empty and I’m wondering why I just didn’t get an espresso machine without a grinder attached. Every time I look at it empty it just irks me. I’ve accepted that either I got a lemon, or it’s poor design. Luckily, I have my trusty grinder that’s not once failed me, not once in years. This one can’t even make it a week. I really wanted to absolutely love this machine and for the most part I did, with this one big exception. If you don’t have a grinder and were excited about this machine having one, sorry for the bad news. I hope you fair better than we did. It pulls great shots and the steam wand works great. Just very disappointed with the grinder, why bother making a really nice espresso machine with a grinder like that. It’s like buying a car with a car stereo that works when it wants.