Philips - Phlips 1200 Fully Automatic Espresso Machine with Milk Frother - Black

Nothing like a fresh ground and brewed coffee in your own house to your own liking. From grind density, aroma and water amount, you can fine tune the fresh ground coffee to find your perfect cup. Or, if you don’t have any whole beans, you can throw a scoop already ground in there instead. It is recommended to brew at least 5 cups on initial setup, but it may take you a couple more tries to get it where you are looking. However, every single cup in the process has been amazing as nothing beats the aroma from fresh ground and brewed coffee. It does take a little bit for the machine to get to the point of brewing and don’t leave your cup on the tray during the process unless you want the little spurt of water it uses to clean the path. But, once it is good to go, just make your selection and hit play. If you select x2 cups, it literally brews two cups, grinding and all. Not like some machines that just push more water through the same set of beans. Every cup comes out with a little froth look to it. But, with some milk in a different cup, you can use the steam to make your own fresh layer of creamy froth. The one thing that I wish could be adjusted is where you get hot water from. As it is, the hot water comes out from the froth line and keeps running till you stop it. If there was an option to make it in the normal cup position it would be even better. Speaking of the coffee spout, it is adjustable, but does not give a whole lot of space if you are trying to fill a tall travel cup. Overall, this has made coffee even more enjoyable. It does require a little more maintenance than your average coffee pot, but worth it to have that fresh cup in a few button touches. Once you have the settings where you prefer them you have a perfect cup in a couple minutes.

As an avid coffee drinker, it’s harder to get a good cup of coffee than one might think. Whether you go for the gentle smooth, almost silky cup of joe from Dunkin Donuts, or the specialty blends of the flavorful roasts of a Starbucks brand, it’s important to start ones morning off with a cup that motivates you to check the emails you left unread from the day before. So, when I was notified that the "Philips 1200 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine with Milk Frother" was on its way, I ran out and stocked up on a new supply of flavored creamers, milk, and grounded coffee, as I was preparing to sample everything this machine could do to make a holistic thorough review. First, I’ll start with the pros. It’s a seamless addition to the stainless steel and black kitchen supplies I already own. It fits right into a nice snug space on my countertop. There is still room between the top of the machine and under the cabinets that allows me to insert the coffee beans and ground coffee as desired. I actually have kitchen appliances now that do not fit under that space, so this is a win in my book. The clean flat icons that light up when in operation makes the machine also easy to read, and less overwhelming to operate, similar to some new appliances when taking them straight out of the box. However, I was pleasantly surprised that after a quick flip through the instruction manual, and a 60 second YouTube video to ensure I was using the frother correctly, I was good to go and had my first espresso in hand. Now, the actual result of the quality of my brew has been different depending on the drink I am making. When brewing coffee, I made a few cups with whole coffee beans and then a few cups with ground coffee. The ground coffee actually gave me a bolder taste. This was surprising, as I assumed the beans would be stronger. However, the espressos tasted like that of my local coffee shop. I feel the milk frother makes all the difference. It's a great step up from the my Keurig, and was pretty consistent with every cup I made. Also, looking at the market price for this machine compared to others on the market, it's actually rather affordable for its features. I have friends with espresso machines who have expressed spending more money for theirs, and the Philips 1200-Series working just as well or superior in some areas. Regarding the cons, I’ll say that the machine is very loud. I didn’t expect that when operating the frother. I literally would have to either shout over the machine to my family in the living room, or just repeat myself once it was finished frothing. In the mornings, I tend to close the bedroom door before brewing a cup to not wake my Wife, or just wait until the afternoon to avoid making so much noise early in the morning. Personally, it’s not a deal breaker but definitely caught me off guard when first operating the machine. I am also not used to a machine requiring so much maintenance. The instructions spoke about cleaning the machine weekly and cleaning the steam wand after every use. I usually get a cup of coffee on the go, so adding some time for maintenance within my regimen will take some getting used to. Another area I was a little confused by was that it did not come with a cup for the frother. I used a cup from another machine I own, which actually comes with a cup. It actually makes me wonder if this was just a miss during fulfillment, but I don’t see a cup in advertisements, or images, so I am assuming this machine does not come with a cup. Not a huge strike against the machine, but a bit of an inconvenience. Overall, I think it’s all worth it. It will be a great addition to your at-home coffee corner with some noted adjustments. You'll need to play with the grinding settings to ensure your cups of coffee or espresso are resulting in a robust flavorful brew. You may also need to invest in a few espresso cups and a cup for milk frothing. With this Philips 1200 Series espresso machine, you can save some money on your daily coffee run and give the Baristas a break. Since I now have my own machine, I’m very intrigued to see what other coffee based drinks I can stir up in my very own kitchen. For the convenience (and for my wallet), I can say my Mondays just got better! 3.5/5

The Philips 1200 Automatic Expresso Machine is a worthwhile addition to even the most sophisticated kitchens. It is a very attractive unit, elegantly styled in glossy black and matte black elements. The unit takes coffee beans and grinds them, then brews traditional coffee or classic espresso and, using the milk frother, can create cappuccino and lattes, all in three strengths and three sizes. Philips Automatic Espresso machines are manufactured by Philips Saeco which is a unit of Koninklijke Philips N.V. , a $20 billion Dutch electronics, lighting and medical products company founded in 1891. Among its best-known consumer products are Norelco grooming devices, Sonicare oral health products, Magnavox & Philips audio and video products, Philips kitchen appliances and personal healthcare. Saeco, based in Bologna, Italy developed the first completely automatic espresso machines in 1985 and became a unit of Philips in 2009. Here is a summary of the key features of this superb device: •

This machine is exactly what we were looking for. I wanted it for the hot water for my tea assortment and my husband loves his daily cup of coffee or expresso shot when he needs a pick me up. It's easy to use and to clean. We highly recommend it.

First and foremost, watch the videos, it'll make things a lot easier! It took me some time to figure out that the filter wasn't included in the box AND is required to operate the coffee maker. The manual didn't really make this obvious for me, at least not from what I can tell, so I took to the internet. Turns out other buyers discovered this as well. I was a little disappointed by this, and I don't want to sound pejorative, but this was kind of a bad choice in my opinion. Even a half or quarter capacity filter would have been a better choice. I went ahead and purchased a filter, and my initial annoyance immediately went away. This thing is AWESOME! More on that later! The manual is kind of basic, but adequate. When you're first doing everything, it can feel kind of overwhelming and seems like the manual isn't providing enough detail, especially if you're detail oriented like myself. But if you pay attention, the manual does try and get you to go online and watch the videos which is what I did, and it changed the entire experience from feeling anxious to really simplifying the entire process. SERIOUSLY watch the videos, it's way simpler than the manual makes it seem. After setting up everything I made a cappuccino, and it was epic! It basically changed how I make coffee. It's so dang good! Little bit of syrup, frothy milk, and (hand kissing emoji) poifect! It's easy to use, easy to clean, and easy to overdo it on the coffee intake. Bought some premium coffee beans to taste the difference and it's so much smoother than my other coffee machine! I really like the fact you can change your default settings, really personalizing the experience. Turns out I like my coffee a little stronger than the default setting and it was easy to do! I also really appreciate the "aroma" seal thing it has going for the beans. It's been a few days now and the beans seems as oily fresh as it did when I opened the bag, in fact the beans that were left in the bag seem less fresh oddly enough. All in all, this thing is great, it's changed my morning coffee ritual to a much more convenient one AND taste great. Simply wake up, press coffee or expresso and away we go! Highly recommended

I really like it I had one prior to this and my main complaint with the old one was how often you had to run the water to clean it and that was manual. This one does it automatically every time it turns on. Yes it makes it take longer in the morning, but for longevity purposes it makes it very nice. I only gave it 4 stars instead of 5 only because I haven’t had it for more than a couple of months.

I bought this unit for my wife as a Christmas gift and the day after we try to set it up and get to a point in the instructions to set up the aquaclean filter. No where in the manual does it say that it needs to be purchased separately, on the box ect. Furthermore it shows the component in the manual (manual is extremely confusing) like it comes with the unit but we didn’t see it anywhere. The first instruction shows you what to do first before you ever run the unit and the instructions didn’t match the function of the machine. Then the aquaclean button starts flashing. The next step is to set up the aquaclean filter and again this is no where to be found. I then call Philips support and they tell me it does not come with the unit and has to be purchased separately or the unit will not function. I told them that no where does it say that or was it mentioned by the Best Buy rep when purchased. Philips support tech says “it says it on the Philips website”. I told her that I didn’t purchase it online but in a Best Buy store. She then apologized about the inconvenience. They offered to send me a courtesy filter for free however very very frustrating! So, this review is a non operational review but more-so a buyer beware review for awareness going into your purchase.

The Philips 1200 Series Espresso Machine is a great entry level coffee machine for individuals interested in something other than single serve coffee makers. The machine setup is pretty much plug and brew with only a small amount of setup required. The instructions provided are very through and I would suggest reading completely prior to use. The manufacture website referenced in the manual is also a great resource for the product as it contains videos on using as well as maintenance. One thing to advise is the 1200 series does not come pre-packaged with a AquaClean filter cartridge, so that may be something you would like to purchase with the machine. Once setup the machine will cycle up and you are ready to brew your first cup of espresso. You will need to brew 5-10 cups of espresso to season the machine upon initial setup. Brewing espresso and coffee is as simple as the touch of a button. You can select from a single cup of espresso, or coffee or you can brew two espressos at a time or two coffees at a time (you have to swap in a different cup in between). Once you have selected you beverage to brew you can adjust the strength and cup size, which is remembered for future brews. The machine will grind the beans and brew your chosen beverage type in only a few minutes. For those who like a latte the attached milk frother is easy to use and simple to clean. The entire machine is actually easy to clan the drip tray and grounds bin are dishwasher safe and nicely designed for ease of use. The internals are also easy to access and disassemble quickly for easy clean up. The one thing that I would have preferred would have been a more sturdy material used for the water reservoir as it is a little too flexible when transporting from the machine to the sink and back. Overall this is a great entry level espresso machine.

Thursday, April 6, 2023 Philips Model number EP1220/04 Fully automatic coffee/espresso machine, w/ milk frothing nozzle From grinding your whole beans from the stored hopper on top, and using a water reservoir of filtered water stored on the right side, to disposing of the spent grounds, and serving up you freshly brewed coffee or espresso: this is an all purpose machine that handles it all. And grinding the beans is optional; you can use ground coffee if you wanted to brew a solitary cup of decaf and had a bag of ground decaf for just these occasions; that is easily accomplished. Personally, I seldom add milk to my coffee drinks, so the lack of an insulated milk storage reservoir is not missed. Philips does make upgraded machines with an insulated “LatteGo”, at a higher price point. For me if I wished a latte I can froth the milk in a separate small pitcher using the built in steam nozzle. The initial set-up from unboxing to first cup took a bit of time, perhaps 45 minutes. I went slowly, reviewing the enclosed instructions, watching on-line videos of steps that were not overly clear, preparing the water filtering module, loading in some whole beans, and figuring out the function of the multiple selection buttons. The Philips water filters, that sit in the bottom of the water tank reservoir are NOT included in the purchase, but I had ordered a 2-pack in advance. I think it will be a very worthwhile accessory for both flavor enhancement and removing minerals from the tap water to lessen the need for periodic descaling, which happens to all electric coffee makers. It only took about 5 minutes to add the filter in the water reservoir to the setup, and it will need replacement infrequently, perhaps every 6 months. ?? There is a signal on the control panel when descaling is called for, and a periodicity of the filter changes will vary with your water hardness. They even include a packaged “test strip” to assess your water hardness, but having municipal water supply at our house, I looked up our water hardness in the city water report, available online. Your town, if you get city water, not from a personal well, will likely have this for review on line. My first cup of coffee made with the Philips EP 1224 was decidedly weak and flavorless; light tan water. This was profoundly disappointing, and I turned to the “troubleshooting” area of the owner’s manual, which addressed this. It suggested that the Philips needs to self adjust the grind process for the first few cups (3-5 cups brewed) to reach full robustness. The strength of the brew is adjustable on the control panel as well, but they suggested to first let the machine do its own calibration. And indeed, they were right! Cup #3 was drinkable, cup #5 was very tasty, and cup #7 (brewed as an espresso, using LaVazza Italian espresso roast beans) was an eye-opener. The espresso beans and the water filter inserts (2 pack) were both ordered from Amazon, but Philips has an on-line accessory order section as well. They did include in the box an advertising flyer for a separate coffee bean delivery service, with a free bag offer as your first order. I will definitely give them a try; free coffee! is this a great country, or what? Registration of your purchase was very easy as well, using photoregister.com service: taking a snap of the enclosed card that came in the bundle, and sending it via text from your smartphone. Once I accomplished that, I was given a free extension of my warranty from Philips, again no charge. The product arrived extremely well packaged with careful packing, using completely recyclable materials; no styrofoam at all. Cardboard accordion fold for shock absorption and LDPE recyclable plastic for product dust protection. This is in distinct contrast to the Breville counter top oven I recently purchased which had massive blocks of un-recycleable #6 polystyrene. However, I researched the City of Concord (NH) general services site, and it seems that in my town, they now take all plastics, coded #1 - #7. So styrofoam must have moved into the able to be recycled category recently. The spent coffee grounds are discarded into an easily accessible container for periodic emptying. No paper filters to deal with, and no significant sediment or grounds make it into the brewed coffee or espresso. As the grounds accumulate, there is some liquid that separates out, and is easily poured down the kitchen drain. And then the separated grounds easily tap out of the container into the countertop compost bin for restoring the waste into garden soil. At the start up of the machine prior to brewing, the lights cycle through the different touch selections, while it is warming up. At the end of this cycle, which takes under a minute, the dispensing spouts get a brief flush with 2 tablespoons (I measured it) of hot water, to clean the passageway. I placed my coffee mug under the spouts to catch that first bit, and discard it, but there is a tray (which is integral with the spent grounds receptacle mentioned above) that will easily accommodate this small bit of water. Similarly, after the you have finished your coffee making and the machine sits for a while, perhaps 10 minutes, it goes through an automatic shut-down cycle, making a bit of noise, and again flushing out the dispensing nozzles with a small amount of warm water, to clear the nozzles of any coffee residue that would gum up if left present for hours between uses of the coffee maker. Again, this is captured and stored in the easily serviced drip tray, until you need to empty the grounds and discard water accumulated. The built in water reservoir is easy to remove and refill at the sink. I use a Britta filter pitcher sitting on the kitchen counter to pre-filter the water, which is easy to incorporate into the process. This is in addition to the in-tank water filter that you can buy from Philips or Amazon. That double filtering might be overkill, but delaying the chore of descaling is probably worth the effort. The Philips water tank holds 1.8 liters, so needs to be re-filled periodically, which an indicator light on the console will inform you of, depending on how many coffee drinkers you share your machine with. In summary, I think this is a consolidation of my former ritual of morning coffee creation. I would weigh out the beans, get a filter, grind the beans (using a Fellow Ode coffee mill), empty into the drip cone of my Mokamaster brewer. I would then fill the reservoir with appropriate amount of water for the weight of beans ground, and flip the switch on the machine. In about 5-7 minutes, I would have a day’s supply of coffee, brewed into a thermal carafe, which would stay warm and drinkable for hours. At most, hours later, a quick merry-go-round in the microwave for 45 seconds would return it to piping hot. How is the Philips better? Rather than a complex morning ritual, the process is simple and takes just a few touches of the buttons on the control panel. It measures and grinds the appropriate quantity of coffee, and the exact volume of right temperature water. A single touch to awaken the machine: push a button, wait about a minute, then decide: coffee or espresso? One serving or two? How strong a brew? How hot a finished brew do you want?? Each choice is entered with a quick touch of the appropriate button. Then hit the brew button, and your drink is ready in a few seconds. The Philips clean up occurs after about 5 to 7 servings have brewed: empty the wet spent grounds, and refill the water reservoir. Unlike making a big carafe all at once, I don’t have a thermal container with the day’s supply, but also I only have the amount I wanted. Usually after a mug or two, I would have about half of the amount brewed that AM as "leftovers", that I pour into a mason jar to save for iced coffee later in the day, or save it up for microwaving the next morning. The left over from the day prior actually is not bad, in that it has been in a closed jar, airtight lid, and under refrigeration. The Philips machine is not tiny, but total counter space is probably less than my coffee mill, automatic drip brewer, canister of beans, half full carafe, etc. The Philips brewer weighs around 7.5 kg (16 lbs) empty of water. It will hold 9.7 oz of beans in the storage hopper. This storage hopper is actually sealed off from the atmosphere, with a silicone gasket around the rim of the cover. This lessens continuous oxygen exposure, which is the enemy of roasted coffee beans. And with the Philips, rather than only coffee, I now have the options of an espresso or espresso based beverage (latte, macchiato, cappuccino, Americano, etc.). Much easier and in the long run cheaper than the $5/cup excursion to Starbucks, or buying a dedicated Nespresso machine (which also brings their capsules into the equation and expense). Even high quality coffee beans are much cheaper than Nespresso capsules or Keurig pods. To their credit, Nespresso and associates have a re-cycleable container that stays out of the waste stream and the grounds are composted. Keurig should take note! What remains for me to explore is the world of espresso drinks. I know my wife, who does not drink coffee ever, would partake in a cappuccino on occasion. And to offer to dinner guests the option of an after dinner warm beverage would be bordering on elegant. I think the Philips series of machines offer exactly the blend of diversity in choice, ease of preparation, and the ability to delay the clean up until the next day if desired. Even at the low end of their selection of espresso machines, the EP 1224 is a fully automatic and capable machine. Upgrades include a few more option buttons (nothing critical). and the LatteGo thermal milk holder to store milk for a series of frothed beverages.