Paul
Reviewed in Canada on January 26, 2025
It has now been I think two years since I initially purchased this thing.Pros-Good coffee and very consistent with flavour-Options are solid-Doesn't produce waste that is not compostable-Quick and convenient-Seems pretty sturdy as far as build quality is concerned-Has lasted two years and still holds up wellCons-limited by the size of coffee travel mug-small water tank can last me maybe two or three days-has leaked on occasion but I can't figure out if i didn't put the tank into full register or if it was internal.
David Becker
Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2024
My wife and I bought this machine about 2 years ago, and it has held up nicely over time. It’s proven to be a simple, reliable alternative to going out to buy coffees and lattes from coffee shops, which is perfect since we work from home pretty much all the time. We’ve got 3 adults in our house and on average drink 5-6 total cups per day, and we so far haven’t run into any major problems.One issue I had at first was that the coffee wasn’t as strong as I was used to (I tend to like it pretty strong), but it’s still good coffee. You can make drinks stronger by adjusting how fine the grounds are with a little knob in the bean compartment at top, but I didn’t start messing with this until very recently. You can only adjust in small increments while the grinder is active to avoid damaging it.This machine is good for guests who want to make and customize their own individual drinks, though there is a small learning curve for first-time users. Once they know how to use it, they often comment how cool it is, and some have said they’d like to get one too (if it weren’t so expensive).Maintenance is fairly simple: You have to change the water filter every few months, rinse the easily removable “brew group” every week or two, and apply grease to it every couple months. The only problem I had was reinstalling the brew group for the first time (there’s a little yellow switch on the side that needs to be in the right position). There was also one time we didn’t change the water filter while the replacement light was flashing (it gave us plenty of notice; we just procrastinated too much), so we had to buy a special descaling fluid to clean it out before we could use it again.Yes, the machine can get loud, but I haven’t met a coffee grinder or latte maker that was quiet. This machine’s noise level seems pretty standard to me.There are a few little tricks to using and maintaining the machine so that you can get the most out of it, but so do most machines like this. Overall, I’d say it’s very easy to use and makes good drinks. The price is a bit high, and you also have to consider the added costs of buying whole-bean coffee and replacement water filters. But convenience like this often comes at a price, right? I would say it was worth it for us.
B**** M*****
Reviewed in Canada on December 16, 2024
I was tired of the cost and waste of Nespresso pods and I almost never used my drip coffee maker anymore. Caught this unit on sale and after reading mostly favorable reviews, took the plunge. This is now the only coffee machine in the house.It definitely works best with an Italian roast (lighter roast, less oily). Starbucks beans might be too greasy for this. We either buy Italian brand name or local roastery beans. Love the built in water filter - no need to use distilled or filtered water. Maintenance is fairly easy every week or two and it's great at letting you know the bin is full or the water tray needs emptying.The only, very minor, negatives we've found is having to wait 30-60 seconds once it is powered on to run through its maintenance cycle (I'm impatient for my coffee in the morning) and sometimes the water level sensor is a bit finicky. Neither issue is a big deal.The overall build quality seems quite good and I feel like we'll see many years of use out of this machine.
S. Robinson
Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2024
I purchased this machine in May, 2022, and thought I'd wait on submitting a review until there had been time enough to see whether it would make a reasonable return on investment. I'm pleased to share the fact that, for me, this was a great buy. My assessment is based upon the fact that 1) the machine has lasted 18 months and is still going strong; 2) it's paid for itself several times over based upon the coffee consumption habits in my household; and 3) it makes a very good mocha or latte style coffee, easily as good or better than Starbucks, as far as I and my wife are concerned.More specifically, in terms of cost/benefit, I'll share that in our household, we drink about three 16 oz mocha or latte style coffees per day, on average (excessive, I know). The cost of buying this much coffee at Starbucks or the local coffee stand would be approximately $25/day, including tip. The machine cost about $699 at time of purchase, and we've run, by this measure, about $13,500 worth of coffee through the thing. Sounds crazy, but $25 x 550 days does in fact equal a ridiculous amount of money spent on coffee.Plus, I think the frothing apparatus is ingenious: two pieces of plastic pressed together, which work quite well, certainly as well as a conventional wand frothing tool. Prior to buying the Phillips machine, we owned a Breville Oracle Touch Espresso Machine. The Breville is a large unit, fully automated, with all the bells and whistles. It costs about $3,000. We loved it for the two and a half years that it worked. Then it started leaking and we learned an important lesson about Breville products: you can't get parts to fix Breville products locally. When I contacted Breville about the issue, I was told that I could pay them $500 and ship the machine back to them for repair (on my dime). They'd repair it, return it to me and provide a six month warranty. Yeah, I got a laugh out of warranty – real vote of confidence in their work. In any event, I decided to try the Phillips as a low-cost option and have really been pleased. Definitely an interesting compare and contrast with the Breville unit (which I do not recommend).The Phillips machine does have a few quirks, and there are a couple of changes to the unit I'd love to see. For example, the water supply is limited and therefore requires frequent refills. Similarly, the drip tray is fairly small and fills up pretty quickly. Also, the machine occasionally displays a warning that the drip tray needs dumping when, in fact, it does not. In these instances, I pull the tray out and wait for the warning to switch to the 'no tray alert' warning and then reinsert the tray. This said, the Phillips unit is easy to clean and maintain, and it's relatively small and light.All in all, I highly recommend this product.
A Guy in Ontario
Reviewed in Canada on July 15, 2023
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S. E
Reviewed in Canada on October 16, 2022
We purchased this in August 2020. We were so pleased for the first six months. Then the problems started. We have performed all procedures for maintenance and cleaning, used brand name products as per the specifications. It is October 2022 and we have had the machine replaced twice with brand new (Both came with brand new milk as complete in box with all new components), have also purchased 4 additional replacement milk containers ($100+ each) and do not have a properly working machine. The milk frother is plastic so when creating steam to froth the milk the plastic cracks and the steam escapes out the front of the machine instead of being utilized to make a proper drink. Now it doesn’t tamp properly and leaks somewhere inside leaving a mess on the counter. At the price paid, it should be at least decent and last longer than this!! We have four, one a day, coffee drinkers in our home. Four cups a day (Not even everyday) is not a lot. I will switch to another brand. I will not touch anything from Phillips, Saeco, nor Gaggia (More recently acquired by Phillips and has gone through some design/material changes) machines. When I spoke to the last representative I was informed that 2-3 years is the expected life span. I did not even get one full year out of one machine. Friends of ours have other brands and have had no problems ranging from 5-15 years. Disappointing, extremely expensive, unacceptable, and just plain sad.
Eric 88
Reviewed in Canada on August 21, 2021
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