- Coffee from fresh beans
Easily make delicious coffee drinks from fresh beans, exactly the way you like it, with the touch of a button - Easy-to-clean milk frother
The Classic Milk Frother dispenses steam, allowing you to prepare silky smooth milk froth for your cappuccino or latte macchiato. With only two parts, it is extremely easy to clean. - Intuitive touch display
Easily select your favorite coffee. The irresistible taste and aroma of coffee from fresh beans is just one touch away. - Customizable beverage strength and quantity
Adjust the aroma strength and quantity of your beverage with the My Coffee Choice menu. Easily choose from three different settings to suit your preferences. - Perfect brewing temperature
The Aroma Extract system intelligently strikes the optimum balance between brewing temperature and aroma extraction by keeping the water temperature between 90 and 98°C, while regulating the water flow rate, so you can enjoy delicious coffees.
-49%
Philips – 1200 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine with Milk Frother – Black
$192.00 Save:$182.00(49%)
Available in stock
Description
Additional information
| Weight | 17.13 lbs |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 19.3 × 11.4 × 18.9 in |
| Manufacturer's Warranty - Parts | 2 years |
| Integrated Grinder | Yes |
| Product Weight | 17.13 pounds |
| Decalcification Indicator | Yes |
| Steam Nozzle | Yes |
| Product Depth | 19.3 inches |
| Water Reservoir Capacity | 60.9 ounces |
| Removable Drip Tray | Yes |
| Product Width | 11.4 inches |
| Voltage | 120 volts |
| Manufacturer's Warranty - Labor | 2 years |
| Body Material | Plastic |
| Warming Plate | No |
| Color | Black |
| Removable Water Reservoir | Yes |
| Color Category | Black |
| Wattage | 1500 watts |
| BPA-Free | Yes |
| Auto Shut-Off | Yes |
| Care And Cleaning Instructions | Dishwasher-safe parts |
| Automation Level | Super automatic |
| Product Safety Certifications and Standards | UL Listed |
| Product Name | 1200 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine with Milk Frother |
| Brand | Philips |
| Double Cup | Yes |
| Model Number | EP1220/04 |
| Product Height | 18.9 inches |
| UPC | 075020086174 |
Reviews (50)
Customer Reviews (50)
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dlowen –
Going to a coffee stand every day to buy coffee or expresso can become an expensive habit. With this expresso machine you can be your own barista. Whether you want to make coffee or expresso this machine can do it all. The machine has so many different options that you can make your drink the specific way you like it.
Overall, it is a large machine but if you have both a coffee maker and expresso maker you can reduce space by just having this. One thing that I like is that it is easy to clean. There is a compartment that you can remove to dump coffee grounds and the water tank is also removable for easy cleaning.
There are so many features this machine has that the more you use it the more advanced drinks you will be able to make. The instructions are decent and it is fairly easy to learn and operate. I would highly recommend this to anyone who is looking to up their at home coffee/expresso game. Or simply anyone who is looking to save a little money and not have to visit the coffee stand every morning.
Lisakay011 –
I received the Philips 1200 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine with Milk Frother in Black, the black case makes it look rather sleek and modern, with the hi-tec buttons on the front panel.
It has a 60 cup brewing capacity, touchscreen control panel, sturdy heavy duty plastic construction,
Ceramic grinding with up to 12 settings, flexible brewing capabilities ( ground and beans)
Frothing capabilities.
It easily makes delicious coffee drinks from fresh beans, exactly the way you like it with a touch of a button.
The Classic Milk Frother dispenses steam, allowing you to prepare silky smooth milk froth for your cappuccino or latte macchiato – with only two parts, it is also easy to clean.
The taste and aroma of coffee from fresh beans is just one touch away, the intuitive touch display allows you to easily select your favorite coffee.
The Aroma Extract system intelligently strikes the optimum balance between brewing temperature and aroma extraction by keeping the water temperature between 194 and 208°F, while regulating the water flow rate, so you can enjoy delicious coffees.
The brew group is the heart of every fully automatic coffee machine, and should be cleaned regularly – the removable brew group allows you to clean it thoroughly just by rinsing it under the tap.
Overall, whether you like to drink espresso, macchiato, or just plain old coffee, this coffee maker will brew them all to perfection. The taste and aroma are consistently excellent, no matter the chosen drink.
Benb –
It’s not the fastest espresso maker but it can make a good latte.
One thing that bothered me immediately is that it doesn’t come with the filter that it says to use, I just didn’t install one and its worked good so far, but it didn’t say it was optional so I feel like the instructions should say it is optional or the filter should be included in the box.
The bean grind has a setting 1-12 and it says you should use it for a few months before adjusting it as they believe it is set to the bet setting, so I trusted them and when I set the ‘bean strength’ to 3 lights and the water level to one light the strength comes out just perfect.
I prefer americanos so I tried the coffee button with three lights on the bean setting and three lights on the water setting; I have a 6oz coffee cup that fits this just right, otherwise I need a larger coffee mug and run it twice. This makes a nice strong cup of coffee that I find quite tasty. There is also a pre ground spot that you can put one scoop in for a cup of coffee, serving decaf makes the most sense for this. It likes to have the beans and water tray emptied when you first turn it on and wont run until you do. The water reservoir lasts for a bit but will stop right in the middle of making your shot or espresso if it needs more versus know if it can finish the shot before. So I’ve gotten into the habit of checking the water before I start anything.
The frothier is nice, if slow. I really like ability to steam the milk, I wish when you clicked the steam it would prepare it and then when you hit the play button it would start the steam but instead you hit play and it takes 10 seconds to start steaming and so you kind of just have to hold the milk there waiting for it to start.
Overall, this makes a great latte, americano, coffee, or whatever other drink you want, it is a little slow but it gets the job done and at home isn’t necessarily where I need speed.
MrBill250 –
To make coffee, heat water and pass it through a filter with some ground coffee beans. Sounds simple, but there are many nuances involved to get great coffee. Once you get them done, inconsistencies in the machine like I found seem to make it frustratingly impossible until things adjust and work themselves out.
First, good hot clean water is essential. The water reservoir holds a Phillips ‘AquaClean’ water filter to help supply clean filtered water. Unfortunately, this filter that the directions recommend installing does not come with the machine. Seriously, not even a small sample filter. Fortunately, it will work without the filter, but you will see a red LED warning light next to the touchpad alerting you to install a filter until you do. If you have good clean filtered water at your sink or fridge available, then you can probably ignore it and skip the costly filters. A bit of electrical tape over the filter LED will hide the warning and everyone’s questions If you are unsure if you need a filter, buy a filter and try it out to see if you notice a difference or not. Take it in and out a few times to see.
Second, good coffee. There are 12 bean grind settings available to choose from to fine tune the taste. The coffee bean hopper holds a bit more than a half-pound of coffee beans, which is convenient without leaving too many beans in the open to go stale. The coffee bean grinder is a bit loud, but most are. Fresh ground beans are worth several seconds of noise. Unless it wakes a sleeping baby. Nothing is worth that. Fortunately, you can also use pre-ground coffee. Also useful if someone likes different coffee, or decaf.
There is a milk frothing nozzle for steaming milk if you want to try your hand at a latte. Either in a new cup/small pitcher, or in your coffee cup before brewing coffee into it. Use a large cup and pay attention to the quantity of milk and coffee. The frother works really well.
Assembly is not bad once you are familiar with the parts. Allow yourself 15-40 minutes for unboxing, rinsing, and setup. The documentation is minimal and small, leaving you wanting more. Phillips has some good videos on the web site and YouTube showing how to assemble, use and maintain the machine. It’s worth looking at these before you buy it, or at least before you unbox it to get familiar with it. Setup will go much faster and surer.
The first few cups were all over the place and I was concerned. I researched it and there is an adjustment period until the grinder self-adjusts. After several cups, the coffee was drinkable. After a dozen cups, the coffee is now good and remains consistent. You may want to avoid using the expensive beans during this initial break-in as some may go down the drain.
The machine seems slow to use. It sounds very busy. When you power it on, the machine comes, heats water and flushes the system/pipes with fresh water into the drain pan to ensure all is cleaned out. The control panel lights up and you are ready to brew, choose your coffee, strength and size, then go. The coffee beans grind and the actual brewing begins. When done, the coffee ground ejects into a container behind the front cover that comes out with the drain pan. You can brew several cups before it fills up.
Subsequent cups skip the initial flush unless you leave it for 15 minutes or so at which point it does a last flush of water to clean the system and powers down to save energy.
It is great for 1-2 people to get a cup of coffee in the morning or evening. It is also nice for something special, like expresso and lattes. It’s not so great with a several people over for desert and coffee. It’s just too slow to brew several cups for a group. So, you’ll want to keep the drip pot on hand if you entertain groups much. While the coffee taste is good I believe my GE Café drip coffee machine makes a better tasting cup of coffee. I do grind my beans in a separate coffee grinder with it. Maybe it will continue to improve as time rolls on.
For use by a single person or a couple looking for a sporadic cup of fresh coffee, or even just to have the ability of different coffee drinks, it’s well worth it. Much better than the Pod Coffee makers. If you brew for more people than this on a regular basis, be prepared to devote some counter space to this as it’s not easy to put away in a cabinet.
Nerdninja –
My obsession with coffee has grown over the past few years, fueled by working from home at strange hours during the lockdown. I’ve been in the market for a while for a good starter espresso machine and am really happy with this one.
Fist off, it’s an attractive machine. It takes up little counter space and fits nicely under a cabinet with plenty of room to open the bean hopper on top. There’s also a small, non-heated pad on which to store a couple cups or a frothing pitcher. The sizable water tank is on the right side but pulls out straight from the front. This is great because you can set this near another appliance and don’t need to move it to refill the water. Since espresso is usually small in portion size the water tank lasts a long time between refills. It should be noted there is no included water filter. Since coffee in general is affected by water quality I use filtered water from my fridge and would recommend doing so.
This is also the first time I’ve used whole beans to make coffee and it couldn’t be simpler. Just fill the top with your espresso of choice and the machine does the rest. The lid on the hopper has a nice rubber gasket to keep the beans fresh and dry, too! I noticed it even shakes the beans gently to make sure they flow into the grinder smoothly. In the front of the hopper is an opening in which you can put a scoop of ground coffee if you want to switch to something else or just make a cup of coffee rather than espresso. I tend to drink iced coffee, so I haven’t tried that yet.
On the front is a series of buttons, each with 1-3 small lights. Pressing the espresso button, for instance, selects between a single or double shot. The size button toggles between three different levels. The LEDs are a little small and kind of cheap looking for such a nice machine.
One neat feature is that the drink dispenser slides up and down to accommodate different size cups. I much prefer this over what most machines do where you have to flip down a platform for smaller cups or pull out part of the platform for larger cups. There are dual nozzles so you can make a single or dual cups in one shot.
To make espresso just put the cup under the dispenser, press the espresso button and hit the start button. The machine does the rest, grinding the beans, tamping down the espresso internally and brewing.
The resulting drink is outstanding. I’ve never been a fan of expresso from the pod type machines because it just tastes like burned coffee to me. This, on the other hand, has a rich flavor that I really enjoy. The machine produces an attractive looking espresso with that nice light brown top layer and looks like something you would get from a coffee bar. My wife, who is not a coffee drinker, has been requesting lattes from me, so that should say something!
This is my first foray into steaming milk and while it takes some practice I’m starting to get better at it, It should be noted that there is no included frothing pitcher, which you will need. I got an inexpensive stainless steel one and it works well. The first few tries my milk came out foamy, but I’m starting to the get hand of angling the pitcher just right to create some rotation and get that nice, creamy micro-bubble texture. Watch a few online videos and you’ll get the hang of it in no time. There are other machines that use a container of milk to automatically froth, but I actually prefer to do it this way since it gives me more control over the finished product. It’s simple enough to just pour a little milk into a pitcher.
The milk wand pops on and off easily for quick cleaning. I give it a good rinse in the sink immediately after using it and pop it right back on, easy peasy. That’s pretty much all the maintenance needed, other than dumping out the drip tray and internal bin where the machine drops the used espresso. There’s a way to get into the internal brew system for further cleaning by taking out the tank and opening the side, but I don’t force doing that much.
I couldn’t be happier with this as a first espresso maker and its dead-simple operation. I look forward to getting better at my barista abilities and trying out all kinds of new espresso drinks!
BernardSC –
If you don’t want to read the rest then I’ll tell you right here…Yes it’s a great machine, it’s a great first time automatic machine and I would 1000% recommend it. So it’s a “YES, go and buy one” from me if you are looking into buying an automatic machine and this is your price range.
It’s a decent size machine but there’s still enough room in front of it, on the countertop to work. Meaning you have enough space to handle everything you need to do to make your coffee & you don’t need to work off to the side. Width is less than a 4 slice toaster, which is phenomenal for an automatic in my opinion. Ergonomically this makes sense that you want to be in front of the machine with cups and so forth…not off to the side or on another countertop entirely. So the size is great for what this machine is capable of. The dispenser slides up and down to accommodate different sized cups…I personally, found this to be amazing and REALLY useful! It feels solid and not even close to like it going to break.
The machine allows you to access 3 different fluid volumes for each of its functions. i.e. short shot .5 oz, reg shot, 1oz, long shot 2oz. It does the same for coffee brewing allowing you to pick how much water goes through your grinds kind of like the way a “kcup” machine lets you choose your “cup size” but it feels more “refined.” There’s also a way to program your MAX level drink so you can run the machine with the programming steps and get the exact water volume you want for the function you are programming. I have had no need to program this function as the presets work for what I need and probably most users needs to be honest. You can also pick your water temp by programming. So for people who like really hot coffee, this machine should be able to keep up with you. You can also pick the brew strength for each…so if you like weak espresso but dont want 2 ozs then you can pull a weak .5 oz shot…not sure why you’d do that, but you can, same for coffee. Also, the machine comes with a water hardness test strip and you can set the machine to your water hardness. That’s a really nice feature addition to the unit. This machine relies on whole beans being FRESHLY GROUND and IMMEDIATELY brewed but…if you have ground coffee, you can override the grinder and use your pre ground coffee, 1 tbsp and 1 drink selection at a time. I did this for a few days until I had time to stop by and pick up some whole bean and it worked surprisingly well and was easy to access through the machine controls. The machine also “allows” you to buy a water filter to use in the water bin if you’re into that sort of thing. It doesn’t come with one…which at this price, I feel it should, but I’ve been running it without the filter and I’ve been perfectly happy so far. Speaking of that…the machine is “smart” and it tells you when your filter needs to be replaced and when you need to descale…it also tells you when you are out of water and when your grind bin and water tray need to be emptied. The great thing is, if you run out of water halfway through a brew….when you put more water in and slide it back it…IT FINISHES THE BREW THAT IT WAS DOING and doesn’t just quit or force you to make a new one. That is awesome! The water bin has made me press on it a few times here and there…with the machine telling me it was out of water or thinking the reservoir was removed when it was in actuality full and inserted. No big deal, I just pressed on the front of the bin to “seat” it and the machine comes back to life. This may be annoying for some but its such a little tiny annoyance that at this price point I’m willing to deal with it.
It’s actually a LOT more quiet than I thought it would be and the grinder works great. I’ve seen reviews of people having problems with coffee temp and grinder adjustments and I feel those negatives written are mainly user error and improper user expectations being placed on the unit. This is not a $3000+++ machine and shouldn’t be treated like one or compared to one. READ the Manual and you should be fine. Speaking of the manual, I wish they listed the water output for each drink for each level. I had to stand there with a measuring cup and pull one of every option drink selection and drink level option to figure out what the water volume was going to be for each setting. It should be written down and given to the customer somewhere because I shouldn’t have had to literally stand there for over an hour and run the machine 3x through every drink selection to figure out what volume was being delivered with my selection and then either memorize it or write it down myself. That is something the manufacturer SHOULD’VE SUPPLIED to me! That is a huge miss to have not provided that information in the manual or even a sticker on the unit behind the water reservoir or something. Only way I was able to reference ounces when I was speaking on the machine earlier in the review…was because I stood there, made my selection, picked “one dot” ran it, measured and then did the same for “2 dots” and “3 dots” for every drink/Hot Water selection. Especially annoying!!!
Two more quirks. First, there is a sticker on the top of the machine when you unbox it, letting you know that they “do their best” to clean the machine but it was tested with real coffee in the factory and that if you find dirt/coffee in your NEW MACHINE to REST ASSURED your unit IS NEW and it’s only there because of the testing. I’m unsure how I feel about this. I’m not a fan of having some random coffee run through a machine costing hundreds of dollars to the person buying it. Although I do appreciate that the unit was verified as working and “properly adjusted” before leaving the factory. Also…because of this…how would you know if you did get an actual USED UNIT? Like I said…in one way I hate this practice and sticker and in another I appreciate it so I can’t give a firm stance one way or the other but be aware that running the unit with “actual coffee” is part of the manufacturing, testing and set up procedures in the factory. NOTE: My machine was CLEAN and I did not find any evidence of coffee inside…but I did find fingerprints of grease spooged on it in 2 spots where grease doesn’t belong and that needed to be wiped up quickly. No big deal.
Second quirk is the machine does this automatic rinse thing when it shuts down, thereby expelling water into the drip tray…this tends to both use the water in the reservoir faster and fill the tray pretty quick when you turn the machine on and off, even only twice a day. I find myself constantly emptying this tray and its tedious. It also does a quick spurt upon startup, to prime itself so make sure your cup isn’t under the spout until the machine startup process is complete…unless you want that spurt of rinse water in your drink, then by all means, go for it. This procedure also uses water and fills the tray. I have found the tray get full pretty quickly, even only power cycling the machine 2 times a day.
Now…the grinder is relatively quiet, I was surprised actually and expected to hear a cement truck on my countertop and it’s nothing like that at all. It’s consistent with filling to proper amounts from brew to brew and to be honest is SO NICE to have access to if you appreciate fresh coffee. It 1000% taste different than my exact same beans being ground ahead of time and run through my manual machine. It taste so much better being fresh! Per the manual “the grinder does not need adjustment until you brew xxxxx cups of coffee” and per me “IT DOES NOT NEED ADJUSTMENT UNTIL YOU NEED TO ADJUST IT.” Mine works perfectly out of the box for espresso and drip and I don’t know why people are buying this and reviewing and complaining it’s hard to adjust or its not adjusted properly. Just stop it already…that machine is ran at the factory with real coffee and calibrated to work out of the box!!! That was the case for me and my machine. If you grind it too fine, some machines won’t even have to strength to pump it past those fine grinds…so all you’re doing is prematurely wearing out your machine. If you want to make espresso with basically powdered coffee then you shouldn’t be shopping for a machine anywhere close to this price level! And this machine shouldn’t be compared to a commercial machine you use at work either. This is an entry level, HOME USE, fully automatic at a specific price point and it does a WONDERFULLY BEAUTIFUL JOB if your not the type of person that buys a Honda and expects the performance of a Ferrari out of it.
Been using it for going on a few weeks now, minimum twice a day and I am over the moon about having it. You can choose a standby time in 15 minute intervals up to an hour, so you can walk out the door and forget to turn it off and it will rinse itself and turn off so it’s not on all day for nothing. Or if you know you’re going to be back for another one in a half hour, and that is your routine then you don’t have to start the machine up from cold and wait for it…it’s just ready to go for your refill by setting the stand by time for longer. This machine and it’s features are very moldable to its user. It’s VERY user friendly and all the intimidation I had about getting into an automatic is null and void. It is very easy to use and clean…and refill…and rinse off. I would buy one of these in a heartbeat, knowing what I know now. I really love it and I really love not having to stand there and manually go through all the steps to get my morning fix anymore. It LOOKS GREAT in the kitchen….fancy-ish. I have gotten a few comments from people thinking I spent a small fortune on a fancy machine so it has good “presence.” I do not get the amount of crema that I normally get out of my manual machine, and this might be why people are trying to adjust the grinder but in spite of getting less crema, I get fresher tasting espresso so its a trade off I am more than willing to make.
SergioCc –
Perfect gift for a coffee enthusiast, you have good price. Nice options and the best, you got very nice cup of coffee with ease. There is a downside that the use of grounded coffee option not always work and you can do very light coffee with that.
It is an awesome option that you can do two cups at the same time !
I love it and for me my everyday coffee is a must and with this machine I got what I need, I do not need the fancy 18 varieties or coffee presentation. Just expresso and Americano is more than enough. One thing you need to keep in mind that you will be cleaning that tray quite often and pouring water to the tank with almost the same frequency.
MacUser –
I’m not a habitual coffee drinker. I wouldn’t know a good cup from a great cup. It’s all pretty much the same to me, but I do like flavored lattes and such from places like Starbucks but that’s an expensive habit. I decided to look into making my own drinks at home and started exploring the world of espresso machines. My first instinct was to buy a beginner level manual machine. After a deep dive into couple machines, it was apparent to me that there was no way this was going to work for me. Everything I read said you needed to grind your own beans if you wanted to make a good espresso. The cheap machines did not come with a built in grinder and the grinders actually cost more than the cheap machines. Machines with a grinder still came with the burden of learning how to tamp the espresso and using the milk frother. I really didn’t want to go through the ordeal of learning all this on a trial and error basis. An automatic machine was where I needed to focus my attention.
When I saw this Philips espresso maker, I knew I had to have it because I wanted to save money by brewing my own at home & I was itching to learn something new. Set-up was easy and after doing the initial pump-priming, I was ready for my first espresso. After the recommended 1st couple of runs I was ready for my first espresso to drink.
It took a few tries to get the balance of grind level/coffee strength to where I wanted it (which was expected) but the pulls are pretty consistently where I want them now. My moment of fear was when I chocked it by making the grinds too fine while I had the strength up to max. I calmed down and figured this out after I looked at the troubleshooting to find what the angry little lights meant and dialed back the grind settings and all was fine. Lesson learned: Don’t turn the grind setting knob too much at a time. Baby steps. My expectation is that if I change the type of beans I’m using I’ll probably have to tweak it, but again that’s expected.
Those few times when I want a latte or cappuccino the Latte Crema system is a nice alternative to the more time consuming manual process. I got that option mostly for my wife so she could easily make her own cappuccinos and that alone was worth the price of the option. Fat free milk seems to work best for a thicker foam. Higher fat seems to = bigger bubbles.
The water container is big but could have been larger. The rinsing cycles will help you go through a lot of water but I appreciate the rinsing to keep all the pipes clean. The LatteCrema system also does its own rinse cycle which will contribute to the water usage as well. But overall a very small issue and it’s easy enough to refill it. Might be nice if they did an ‘extended’ tank that extends out from the side, but I doubt that we’ll see that.
Time will tell on durability. I’m sure taking care of the machine correctly will be a factor in that. As in any automatic device, they’re more complicated with many moving parts. Your typical coffee machine has a lot less break points and moving parts than an automated one. As a result it will be important to follow the maintenance directions to keep it running and in tip-top shape.
I’m very happy with the machine. I’ve been cleaning it regularly and it’s pretty easy. Personally, I’ve found I like the medium espresso roasts with an Arabica/Robusta blend. So far we’ve been using Lavazza beans exclusively because the quality/freshness has been good as has the price point. The PHILIPS 1200-Series is the PERFECT espresso machine for a beginner like me. It is fully automatic, easy to use and the results are picturesque. I joke about how I’m now a barista. Highly recommend.
AcurNet –
The Philips – 1200 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine with frothing capability is an excellent appliance to have in your kitchen. It is easy to setup out of the box. Comes with everything you need to use the espresso machine to generate some of the most amazing hot flavored drinks I’ve tasted. I particularly love to use the froth feature to make hot chocolate. This espresso machine has some really nice features, such as pre-designated functions to make espresso & coffee in single or dual quantities.
This espresso machine is of premium quality with an impressive design that compliments a variety of kitchen designs and colors choices. This appliance is easy to maintain, easy to clean and to operate. The coffee grinder does a great job of preparing the beans for brewing. The coffee and espresso always come out at the perfect temperature for drinking. As someone that usually gets coffee from a coffee shop, I have now become a person that loves a good home brew thanks to this Philips – 1200 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine. It really is that good.
I highly recommend this Espresso Machine! It will help brighten your morning, or be there for that mid-day pick-me-up when you need it.
JerryZ –
My morning routine centers around three(3) cups of coffee. I can’t leave the house without them. I normally use ground coffee for the convenience, but admit I love a fresh brew from whole beans. The Phillips 1200 gives me the choice of either. A fairly large top hopper accepts my choice of whole beans. The grind selector in the hopper (left side) lets me choose the perfect size grind. The settings goes from 1 to 12, fine to coarse. My other option os for pre ground. There is a seperate small lid located on the top front center of the lid to add a scoop of ground coffee. Pressing the aroma (strength ) button for 3 seconds activates the pre ground coffee function, deactivating foir this cup, the whole bean grinding function. It really works great.
So where does the spent grounds go? They are nicely and neatly dropped into the built in cup which is part of the “spill tray”. I found the dispenser can be slid up or down so splashing is eliminated while dispensing the brewed coffee. With these choices of whole bean or ground, I have the ability to make any coffee flavor I want, even decaf. The milk frother works well with the steam function. I made fresh tea with the frother set to hot water. The perfect temperature for coffee or tea.
The water reservoir hold enough for 12 cups. Removable for washing or filling, sliding neatly on the right side of the unit. I think it looks sharp on my counter. No need for the POD machine, so the 1200’s size is of less concern when fighting for counter space.
Loving my caffeine fix morning or one at night. Here is where I love not needing to brew a large pot that sits and gets wasted. And no exorbitant coffee shop prices.
MrsDodge222 –
Overall as a coffee machine this one is decent. There are several features that make it very appealing but when you take it out of the box and actually put it to use there are things left to be desired as well.
Right out of the box the setup frustrated me. The manual is pointless, a bunch of pictures that should guide you but don’t really help at all. There was no clear indication that the water filter was NOT included in the box but there are instructions for how to put it in, so I wasted time searching through everything trying to find the filter. I finally get it set up, complete the water test, set the water hardness and make a drink – not even a little bit tasty! To be expected, there is a warning to brew a few before actually making one to drink. I had some cheap coffee in the pantry so I used that up to make a few cups then I switched to some wonderful beans that my son had roasted. I absolutely love the ability to make the drink straight from the beans instead of having to use grounds and I’d highly recommend using this option – I tried grounds a couple times and ended up with a mess inside the machine and grounds all in my cup.
I can’t seem to get the steam wand to make any froth, all I ever get is just hot oat milk. I’m not a big fan of the foam anyway, and my coffeehouse orders always ask to leave it out but I decided to give it a couple tries and have never been able to make it happen. I do like the way the milk steams though, I get the perfect temp every time. I think my teenage son has used this more than I have because it makes hot water so fast, he’s been making hot cocoa for himself every morning.
I am by no means a coffee connoisseur so this machine does the job. I’ve been able to make my own drinks each morning and skip the trips to the coffeehouse, but I don’t feel that what I’m making at home is the same quality as what I get from there. However, I do like saving the money so that’s plus. I wish the water tank was bigger so we didn’t have to refill it as often and I wish it had come with the water filter. If you’re looking for a fancy espresso machine this is definitely not the one for you, but if you are a regular joe like me just wanting to save on the trips to the coffeehouse this will get the job done. The customizable features are really convenient and much appreciated.
nd5419 –
AVOID AVOID AVOID.
On INITIAL set up this machine catastrophically failed. The water reservoir completely emptied on the bottom side of the machine. The water then flowed on the counter top to our dishwasher causing error codes galore due to moisture issues. If you want a headache and to involve your home insurance…buy this product!
ShawnInKB –
Installation was easy. Literally just remove some tape and then walk through the initial start up process. I found their 7 min video online on how to install and use super helpful in walking you through it. There are a lot of options, but their overview is well thought out including the water hardness testing and initial setup.
In a nutshell it brews (great) espresso, coffee, and cappuccino as well as hot water – but let’s face it we’re here for the coffee! The auto grind works well and auto dispenses into the hopper, it is a little loud, but not too bad. You can set your strength and size (3 levels of each) and also set your heat preference as a setup option. Both the coffee and espresso taste excellent and having “coffee house coffee” at home is great!
I like the option to add pre-ground coffee if you want something one off different like a milder or flavored blend / decaf etc. The frother steam arm is very easy to remove and clean.
They also have an option to add an “aqua clean filter” that you install into the water chamber that supposedly lets you brew like 5000 cups without descaling – it is sold separately, but I’m definitely going to add that to keep maintenance down.
It tells you if it’s out of water, need to empty the grinds, etc. The brew unit is behind a door behind the water chamber, but it is easy to pull out and pretty easy to clean.
Overall the unit is compact for all that it does and it fits well on our counter and looks great as an appliance. It’s not inexpensive, but I’m happy to move away from a pod machine (felt wasteful) and should also save money in the long run not buying pods and less trips to the coffee house!
TVGuy –
Took a day or so to get used to it. Making great lattes is easy and fast, and we’re having some fun with this machine. Normal coffee is more like an Americano style (espresso with hot water), but we prefer it that way. We love how the beans are freshly ground on the spot – it makes for a fresh/quality cup.
There are a couple downsides. The water reservoir is small and needs to be filled often. The waste portion fills up quickly (grind waste and water waste), so we empty it as often as we’re needing to fill the reservoir. The value is very good here for the excellent quality of coffee – so we don’t mind the minor inconveniences.
One last thing – our machine did not come with the water filters – I’m not sure if that was unique to ours, but it made me a slightly angry to have to go online to search and buy them. Would have been 5 starts if not for this.
SamanthaS –
So far so good! Only been a couple months but so far we absolutely love it. I don’t see why people buy expensive Juras etc
This works so awesome!
BeatriceV –
Very frustrating purchase. After 3 days I had to return it. First, after reading the instructions, I realized that the function Aquaclean is available only if you purchase a filter. Nowhere it says that the filter is NOT included. Then, I wasn’t able to make 1 single good expresso after spending 3 days trying, reading, adjusting settings, changing the ground… The coffee is very watering and no crema. I was expecting an easier process to make good coffee. After spending $500 I would expect to make a decent expresso but this is not the case.
ChadA –
Makes a great espresso and coffee, the frother/steamer is awesome and easy to clean, and the grounds dispenser is simple to pullout and dump in the garbage. The only issues we have is that it does NOT come with the Philips AquaClean filter inspite of it being listed as a necessary component. I knew about this from other reviews, so I pre-ordered it separately. I feel that it should come with one and have a link to order more in the future. The second issue is the manual does a poor job of explaining initial setup and the youtube video we found wasn’t exceptional either, but we did get it working and are more than happy with the end result.
Caroline –
Being a barista for 2 years, I wanted an espresso machine that fit my refined taste in coffee. This espresso machine has been AMAZING. I absolutely LOVE the taste, efficiency, and design that this machine provides! If you’re on the fence, I’d absolutely recommend biting the bullet and buying it! I haven’t been to a coffee shop to buy coffee since I’ve gotten it. Also, it makes plain black coffee too, so if I feel more in a “black coffee” mood, I have that option too! GET. THIS. MACHINE.
toeknee316 –
Nothing special about this unit. It takes up alot of space on the counter top if you aren’t planning to use this everyday.
AlbaM –
I’m very happy. this is a great machine!!!!!!!!!!
JHJH –
This is awesome…exactly what my wife was looking for!
AttieD –
I love this espresso maker and have not purchased a Starbucks latte since it came in! It’s easy to get setup. I would have given 5 stars, but you have to purchase the water filter separately, and the milk frother pitcher, which delayed my ability to use the machine on day 1.
Aside from that, it’s easy to operate, easy to clean, and I’m very glad that I purchased it.
Rick –
I’ve never owned an espresso machine or an automatic one at that. I love that we don’t have to make drip coffee, it saves us time and also saves us coffee beans as it only grinds what we need. Every cup is fresh and this machine works flawlessly every item. All we need to do is dump the used beans every couple of days and we are set. I should have bought this a long time ago.
MarekR –
Good equipment, good price, easy to use. It was a good decision.
PedalSquares –
Makes very good coffee however, constant issues with the water tank that I’ve been unable to resolve despite online assistance. Unfortunately these began just beyond the 14 day Best Buy return window so now I’m stuck with trying to call into Philips product support. The machine has a water light which indicates the water tank is empty. Whether I use the filter or not, the machine almost requires me to slam the water tank in just to have a chance to recognize it isn’t empty. Very disappointed after being highly satisfied the first 10 days of use. Seems perhaps the machine quality or the quality control may be poor.
JasonM –
This machine does what the other semiauto machines do at one of the best prices.
StephanieM –
Great purchase! Easy to use. So many options for a great cup of coffee
KostiantynZ –
very good coffee machine. I recommend. I drink coffee every day. makes excellent coffee.
Chrisinmb –
Great expresso maker but very confusing controls. It could have a larger Bean storage
CalebK –
We have had this coffee maker for about a month now. Works amazing. Would definitely recommend it.
Wanda –
Liked that we could store the beans in the unit and the side steamer function. However, it was SO SLOW to turn on. Every morning that bothered me a lot. For the price, I wanted to Love this espresso machine, but it just fell short from my expectations. Ended up returning it. If it had been less expensive, maybe we would have kept it.
WDN42 –
Amazing coffee machine! This thing takes a little time to set up but is super easy to use.
NarayanJ –
GREAT COMBINATION OF COFFEE MAKER YOU CAN MAKE ONE OR 10 CUP
TammyR –
Makes a very good latte, and just a plane good cup of coffee. It’s pretty easy to use and easy to clean.
RicoSuave –
I’ve had this bad boy for about 6 months. Love it. Great investment. Saved so much plus I know I’m getting fresh ground beans that I purchase. Double expresso is awesome. I gotta say even the coffee settting is decent.
AyoMatt –
It’s been 1 year since purchasing this product and the wife and I use it every single day. No problems, easy expresso, convienent especially during busy mornings. 5*****
Gaming –
Easy to use. So afr aftwr a minth we are very happy with this purchase!
EliasV –
Excellent Coffe machine Best Buy is the best place to go off you needed at your house
ChristopherS –
This a wonderful espresso and coffee maker! The espresso and coffee maker is able to press out the essence of the beans. This gives each cup a velvet richness that you don’t get with a drip coffee maker.
JoshuaD –
This machine is pricy but man let me tell you how great this is. You can make stronger espresso drinks then Starbucks well thsts amazing. If your a coffee person this is perfect for you
user638627 –
The coffee taste is good but needs lots of maintenance for cleaning. It’s good price too!!
LuisM –
Makes the best coffee and espresso. Easy to work only downside is the cleaning of the parts.
JOSKA –
Makes a weak expresso and the cake coming out is watery and soft.
DanielB –
This thing is terrible. Only brews like 2 oz’s when selecting coffee setting. Brews come out room temperature. You need an IT degree to work this thing. Espresso comes out super watered down. If you enjoy this machine, you must of never operated a good one before.
Tristan –
I also have a $900 De’Longhi machine and I find the Philips one to actually be better. No complaints so far; extremely satisfied with purchase. Super easy to clean steamer as well.
BrianaB –
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.
Dennis –
It makes marginal drinks and it constantly has a warning for the water container not fully seated.
Notley –
Awesome expresso/coffee maker. Could not be happier with the purchase.
Unknown –
Works great but could use a rework on the control panel, the only complaint is the grounds vs bean griding option it took a while before we figured out you have to hold down the selection button to get it to do just a scoop of pre-ground coffee
AbileneR –
Better investment ever! Really enjoyed. Great coffee very simple to use