Philips 4300 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine - LatteGo Milk Frother, 8 Coffee Varieties, Intuitive Touch Display, Black, (EP4347/94)
Condition: Used - Very Good
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Availability:
14 left in stock
Arrives
Saturday, Oct 10
Style: 4300 Series
Features
- With Philips 4300 Series easily make up to 8 black and milk-based aromatic coffee varieties with the touch of a button! Enjoy the delicious taste and aroma of coffee from fresh beans at the perfect temperature
- LatteGo Milk System: Top your coffee off with a silky-smooth layer of milk froth
- Intuitive Touch Display: Select the perfect coffee for your mood with just one touch
- My Coffee Choice Menu: Adjust the strength and quantity of your beverage and choose from three different settings to suit your preferences. The Aroma Extract system intelligently strikes the optimum balance between brewing temperature and aroma extraction
- Powerful Filter and Easy Maintenance: Thanks to the AquaClean, enjoy clear and purified water - by changing the filter after being prompted by the machine, you will not need to descale your machine for up to 5000 cups
Description
Philips 4300 fully automatic espresso machine with LatteGo brings café-quality coffee to the home, offering up to 8 different coffee drinks with just the touch of a button via its new user interface. Managing the entire process from bean to brew seamlessly, the machine is designed with durable, ceramic grinders and features the easy-to-clean LatteGo milk frothing system and the Aroma Extract brewing system. Top your coffee off with a silky-smooth layer of milk froth. The LatteGo mixes milk and air at high speed in the round frothing chamber, then adds a splash-free, creamy layer of milk froth to your cup at just the right temperature. Our 2 part milk system has no tubes or hidden parts and can be cleaned in as little as 15 seconds under the tap or in the dishwasher. The TFT display with icons will make the preparation of aromatic coffee from freshly ground beans extremely easy and intuitive. Enjoy coffee you love the same way every time with two user profiles that store your customized recipes. With an extra guest profile, your visitors can savor a coffee exactly the way they like, without changing yours. 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. Our durable ceramic grinders can be adjusted in 12 steps, so you can turn your beans into anything from ultra-fine powder to coarse grindings. Our grinders are 100% pure ceramic: extremely hard and precise, so you can enjoy fresh aromatic coffee, for at least 20.000 cups. Our patented innovation, AquaClean water filter, ensures you make the most out of your fully automatic coffee machine. By changing the filter at machine request, you will not need to descale your machine for up to 5000 cups, while enjoying clear and purified water.
Brand: Philips
Capacity: 3.8 pounds
Color: Black
Product Dimensions: 9.6"D x 11.42"W x 14.6"H
Special Feature: Programmable
Other Special Features of the Product: Programmable
Coffee Maker Type: Espresso Machine
Specific Uses For Product: Espresso
Recommended Uses For Product: Making various coffee drinks
Operation Mode: Fully Automatic
Voltage: 220 volts
Human Interface Input: Touchscreen
Coffee Input Type: whole_beans
Filter Type: Reusable
Capacity: 3.8 pounds
Item Dimensions D x W x H: 9.6"D x 11.42"W x 14.6"H
Item Weight: 18.2 pounds
Number of Items: 1
Unit Count: 1 Count
Material: Ceramic
Brand Name: Philips
Included Components: Phlips 4300 Fully Automatic Espresso Machine with LatteGo, measuring scoop, water hardness test strip, AquaClean filter
Model Name: EP4347/94
Model Number: EP4347/94
Manufacturer: Philips Kitchen Appliances
UPC: 075020095169
Item Type Name: Espresso Machine
Part Number: EP4347/94
Color: Black
Style: 4300 Series
Frequently asked questions
The Philips 4300 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine is equipped with several key features. It hosts an intuitive touch display for ease of use, and it comes with a LatteGo Milk Frother for creamy milk froth. It offers you the ability to select from 8 different coffee varieties, allowing you to customize your beverage to your taste preferences. Additionally, the espresso machine is made in a sleek black design.
The LatteGo Milk Frother on the Philips 4300 Espresso Machine lets you create a silky smooth milk froth that’s perfect for lattes, cappuccinos, and other coffee specialties. It mixes milk and air at high speed in the round frothing chamber, and then adds the froth to your coffee at just the right temperature.
The Philips 4300 Series Espresso Machine offers eight coffee varieties to cater to a broad range of coffee preferences. These include Espresso, Coffee, Americano, Ristretto, Cappuccino, Latte Macchiato, Café Au Lait and Milk froth. This helps ensure a high level of satisfaction among different types of coffee enthusiasts.
The touch display of the Philips 4300 Espresso Machine is highly intuitive and user-friendly. It allows you to customize your coffee exactly the way you like it. You can easily adjust the strength, temperature, and amount of coffee, as well as the amount of frothed milk.
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This is our summary and key points to consider based on customer reviews.
The reviews overwhelmingly favor the 4300 Series Latte Maker for its versatility and efficiency, with users touting its ability to replace several other coffee-making machines. It is praised for being easy to use, clean and maintain, while the quality of its coffee is said to rival that of any coffee shop. However, a common complaint is centered around the milk froth feature, which only makes a 12 oz latte via a single operation and only produces fluffy, frothy foam rather than a silky smooth microfoam.
Pros
- 👍 Easy to use and maintain, even for beginners
- ☕ Creates barista-quality coffee
- 🏠 Can replace several existing coffee machines, saving counter space
- 💦 Features several cleaning settings and is easy to clean
- 💵 Offers a cost-saving alternative to buying lattes from coffee shops
Cons
- 🔉 The machine can be a bit noisy when in operation
- 💧 The milk froth feature only provides fluffy, frothy foam instead of smooth microfoam
- 🥛 The milk frother can only make a 12 oz latte at a time and sometimes leaves a small amount of milk at the bottom of the carafe
- ⚙️ Adjusting the grind setting can be a bit cumbersome
Should I Buy It?
Definitely yes, especially if you're a fan of high-quality lattes and are keen to make them at home. Despite the minor cons, the 4300 Series Latte Maker brings remarkable value for its cost, both in terms of the quality of the coffee it generates and the convenience it offers. This machine is an investment that is sure to bring joy to any coffee lover's daily routine.
Style: 4300 Series
6 Month Edit: Still going strong! I love this thing. I can't remember the last time I bought a latte from a store (except maybe during travel). It's definitely going to pay for itself in the next couple months. This thing sparks so much joy in my life! My only small complaint is that the milk froth option only goes up to making a 12 oz latte. The carafe holds enough to make a 16 oz, but you have to run 2 separate milk froths to get there. It's a very small thing but for the future it would be nice. Also for some reason it doesn't "remember" that I usually do 2 espresso shots, so I have to select that each time. Basically my biggest complaints are software complaints ha. The machine itself works so well. It is easy to clean, easy to maintain, and our water is fairly hard but I haven't had to change the water filter yet even though I use it everyday. Still great! I'll try to update at a year 😊 Original Review: I have spent actual years of my life trying to find the cheapest way to make espresso lattes at home. I started simple with an aeropress, a moka pot, upgraded to a cheap espresso maker, bought a grinder, etc, etc. And yet I still found myself buying coffee at coffee shops. I personally didn't have the patience to find the exact right grind and the exact right tamp to get a store quality espresso. I finally caved and bought this 4300 series latte maker. This thing is going to save me so much money over the next year. I've only had it about a week but I've already used it every day and it's perfect. It's SO easy to use. Set up is a breeze. It basically works right out of the box. It comes with a water filter which was nice. Once you get the beans in there, it takes 2-5 shots to "load" the mechanisms and actually put out a shot of espresso and not just water. I did need to adjust the grind to a finer grind (setting 3) to get a good crema. If you adjust it after beans are in, make sure you do it WHILE the grinder is working (you'll have to brew a shot to do this) and be ready to work quickly. I guess if you do it while it's off and there are beans in there you can damage the grinder. I would make sure to read the instructions all the way through, and get familiar with the machine. Once you do, the whole process is a breeze. Once you have your settings dialed in, making a latte is as easy as put a cup underneath, press a button, and go. It takes approximately 1-2 min for a latte. It grinds beans fresh for every shot. If you set everything to the largest settings, you get about a 12 oz latte. Cleaning and maintinence is super easy. The machine steps you through most of it. It tells you the steps to take to install the water filter, tells you when to empty the waste grounds contatiner, gives you multiple cleaning settings. I rinse out the lattego container twice and it takes less than a minute. I feel like this machine is so well thought out and it feels pretty well put together. Overall I have very little to complain about. Once I dialed in my settings, I found the coffee I get out is as yummy as any latte from a coffee shop. My biggest complaints are: - You only get about a 12 oz coffee automatically, if you want a 16 oz or 20 oz, you'll have to do multiple milk froths and espresso runs - The machine is rather loud. It's not a deal breaker for me by any means, but in the morning it can be a little jarring and it always spooks our cats. - Adjusting the grind setting is a bit of a hastle. You have to do it while the machine is running and while it does that , the grind setter wants to move in the opposite direction of which direction you're trying to go so you have to have a pretty decent grip on it. Luckily you should only really have to do this once. - The latteGo carafe leaves about a cm of milk on the bottom even if you've put the right amount in. If you dump and clean it out every time, you'd end up wasting a decent amount of milk. -I've heard people have a hard time using the pre-ground coffee slot and I haven't tried it. But it does get pretty steamy each time it runs which I imagine would make it rather hard to clean. Some tips and tricks I've learned since using this machine: - This thing likes to rinse itself out a lot. (Which is good) but it's a little more hastle to clean out the water catcher on the bottom. I just keep an old coffee cup nearby and let it rinse into that and dump it out every time. It's a lot less cumbersome to clean out. - If you have leftover milk in the latteGo, I do 2-3 automatic rinses to get milk out of the milk tube and then put the whole container in the fridge for the next day. It cleans out the frothing mechanism enough that milk doesn't go bad in there and you don't have to waste the little bit of milk in there. - A lot of regular espresso beans might be too oily for super-automatic espresso machines. Apparently that oil will eventually gunk up the grinder, so it's recommended to buy medium roast beans. You can google some beans that are safe for the machine and find the best ones for you. I like the lavazza brand. - If you're like me and enjoy a flavored latte, invest in some syrups with the pumps. It really really completes the whole "barista at home" thing I was going for. Even better if you can get a tiered holder for all of them! - If you want to be a little extra, get yourself some disposable coffee cups with lids. They're definitely worse for the environment but if you're drinking everyday it can get a little cumbersome making sure you always have a clean travel cup. Or just invest in a bunch of dishwasher safe travel cups! This thing is pricey for sure. But I've definitely spent a long time and a lot of money before this to try to replicate what it can do and it is so worth just spending the money on it. It sparks a little bit of joy for me every time I use it and gives me the quality coffee I want everytime. It is easy to use and maintain. It also makes making multiple lattes a breeze if you are a multi-cup household. As long as it doesn't die within a year- it'll be so so worth it!
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Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2022 by Consuelo Wells
Style: 4300 Series
Had the PHILIPS 4300 LatteGo for a little over week now. First impression: I love this thing! I have coffee every day. Usually an Americano or Latte. In addition to the coffee beans in the hopper, I also love the flexibility of the ground coffee bypass chute. I keep some decaf beans on hand and grind as needed and just scoop it in and brew a drink when wanted. I did a ton of research and almost bought another brand a few times while trying to decide. Ultimately, this PHILIPS machine had the right features for me. And cleaning it is pretty simple (very important for daily use). It's certainly an investment, but I drink coffee every day and my wife and I love being able to easily add frothed milk to chai or hot chocolate as well. Initial Set-up: It was a breeze. You're prompted through each step on the screen. You do a water hardness test with a paper strip held under your faucet a few seconds and then set that based on the result. You install the water filter. The machine calibrates and rinses itself out. Brew some initially weak espresso (yeah, I know - just dump it). That's about it. Oh, on recommendation I also bumped the temperature up to high. How's the coffee and features? While you do have the pre-programmed buttons for all the usual drinks from Coffee and Espresso to Lattes and Cappuccinos (and they all work great), you really could dial in your preferences and make almost any style espresso drink and even do the shots and froth separately - so keep that in mind if you're real particular. I was warned (and please keep in mind) that the system calibrates and starts to make better coffee over time. For me, it's been over a week and leaving the grind setting at the factory default (as recommended at first), I'm just now starting to get the espresso pucks instead of a more watery coffee ground consistency in the grounds container. So, I believe patience is key here - leave the grind setting alone for a bit (I know, I know). Maybe stick to the milk-based drinks that can be more forgiving until things start balancing out. I can honestly say things have improved quickly and a regular espresso shot is pretty good now. I stuck with Lavazza Super Crema Espresso Whole Bean Coffee - since it's widely recommended for superautomatic espresso machines (no dark roast, oily beans whatsoever - unless you want to make the machine an expensive paper weight). I'll venture out and try other brands and types of coffee soon, but just went with what I knew would work OK to get started. Maintenance and cleaning: Daily: Empty drip tray of water as needed (a red indicator button will pop up when it's time to empty). I recommend keeping a cup under the spout between use to catch any water flushed during rinse cycles. The machine flushes itself once when turned on and when turned off. There's also a rinse cycle you manually run after making a milk-based drink to clear the LatteGo container (you just push a button and it does the work). You'll also be prompted to empty the coffee grounds container as that fills up - maybe every few days depending on use. Oh, and obviously wash the LatteGo container after use or refrigerate with remaining milk (I love that this milk system has no tubes to clean). Weekly: Take the brew group out and rinse well under warm water to clear any coffee grounds, then let air dry completely (no soap, no towels - there's water proof grease on parts that needs to stay on and fibers can be left behind). Wipe the inside compartment with a damp cloth. The PHILIPS website and YouTube videos are your friend for understanding the cleaning process - just search on the model number. Also read the short manual - understand the machine and taking care of it is pretty darn easy. Semi-Monthly: The machine will tell you when it's time to descale every few months - which is really just running a solution through the unit. Occasionally you'll also put some food grade lubricant on the moving parts of the brew group. Also the water filter will need periodic replacing to keep the water tasting good and the system running smooth - again, the machine will let you know when it's time. Overall, I'm super-happy with this machine. Having lot's of fun and love the flexibility in the drinks it makes. It'll pay for itself very quickly with no over-priced coffee shop trips. So far so good. Cheers!
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Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2024 by Keith
Style: 4300 Series
This is a one-week in review. Bottom Line Up Front. This is a great machine and probably one of my best buys over the last few years. However, some caveats need to be kept in mind. First the Pros + Easy to Use: it is a fill-it-up and push-the-button after you get past the break-in. + Easy to Clean, especially the milk system and anything the coffee touches + Filters keep the water system clean Things to keep in mind + The first few cups should just be tossed. When you get the machine, I recommend setting it to a larger-than-normal grind setting and running about ten double-shot expresso. Once this is done, it is very consistent + Unless you are motivated, get the milk frothing system; it saves time and will make life easier. If you skip this, you will spend your coffee time frothing milk. + There is more than normal coffee maker maintenance: This is true for all similar machines. If you have the frother, you need to clean it after every use because it touches milk. When buying any similar machines, learn how to maintain them before purchasing. + Nonfat and nut/soy-based milk will not froth because of physics. Whole milk works the best, but 2% will froth too. + These machines use a lot of water, so the drip tray needs frequent emptying, also watch the water level. Cons, + This system makes only small cups, if you are used to Starbucks sizes, you may have to push the same button a few times. My morning coffee is usually two lattes and an Expresso shot in the same cup. + Much of the instructions (empty grounds try, fill water, etc.) are done by counter and timer; therefore are unreliable. I have gotten a few messages about emptying the grounds just after emptying the container. Same with the water level so keep a close eye on both. + The Grinder, You get a better and stronger coffee with a larger ground size. Logically this should be the opposite. This is probably because the smaller grounds take longer to grind, so less gets into the system before starting the brew because of the timing of the grinder. If you want a fine grind, add it to the grind hopper manually. These cons are probably there for every super-automatic machine, so none should knock this one out of consideration—just things to keep in mind when looking. I do like the machine. Once you get past a break-in period, it is very consistent. My choice was because there were no tubes in the milk system, and I could understand the maintenance of the machine. This was a major point for me as the milk system must be cleaned daily, and the brew group needs regular cleaning to make fresh-tasting coffee. One improvement should be additional sensors, Weight of grounds, water level, used ground container, etc., but this would push the machine's price beyond its current price point.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2023 by P D
Style: 4300 Series
Update: 8/5/2022 Still loving this machine, it's working great. We have already made over 2000 cups of coffee based on the 'statistics' (Although usually we do like a double cap, double coffee in our BIG mugs at a time x6-8x a day: so far from hard to do) I haven't had any actual issues with this machine. I even contacted tech support on FB without issues for replacement parts incase they are ever needed. They have been very helpful. For those who are struggling with it, make sure you adjust your grind setting without doing that for whatever reason they have it set to barely grind anything. Also if it's running slow(descale/clean), weak(grind setting change by the nob in the top where you pour the beans there's TWO settings for you to adjust), or inconsistent(descale/clean). Especially if you're not using the Phillips filters that you can put in the tank. I have VERY hard water, so I double filter. I next to never take from the tap. I have even used Zero Water filters to prefilter the machine. **But making a note to change both the display settings, and the grind settings (through the bean grinder/top nob) should be enough to fix ALL the complaints on this machine. I think many people have overlooked. ** Ordered on March 10, 2022 Okay since I bought this, this household has probably made over 1000 cups of coffee; yes big coffee drinkers here. We use about 5lb bag of coffee a month on average, other ways we always wound up throwing out coffee from thinks like a percolator that got cold. We are huge fans of this, and yes.. The price is insane.. but I will tell you its worth it. If you drink coffee like you breathe oxygen. Having something like this will reduce waste of beans, all while providing you a hot fresh beverage every time. I tell everyone this machine is like a keirug on crack(meaning it makes coffee 1000000000x better). I will admit given the price tag and my 'income' status, I was nervious, scared, unsure if I would like it, if it would be worth it. Out of ALL the money i ever spent on random crap that I regret, this is NOT one of them. I tell my fams - if I die bury me with the damn machine; I love it that much <3. Yes, the coffee does not get overly hot(no spit take heats/ or burnt tongues). But I understand the science behind it, adding cold liquids, using a colder cup, air exposure etc. That is probably the main downfall for having a machine that does it all, (Other machines with the spray nozzle for frothing milk actually HEAT the cup your using not just the liquid. This machine does not do that with the latte go system). But at the same time this remains a 'go' style coffee maker. Because you literally can make a cup of coffee and enjoy it in that moment(good 5-10 minutes with a lot of cold creamer; 20-30minutes with (room tempature) coconut creamer); then rush out the door to w/e. (Which is a big thing since my partner wakes up and doesn't have time to have a huge pot brewing and waiting for it to cool to a drinkable tempature) So yeah, I give it 5*. Its perfect for a busy day, all while making delicious affordable coffee. (I stopped going to starbucks years ago to save and get one of these babies.) Its worth it! Oh and iced coffeee with this is divine; Espresso - flavors - milk - ice (that order)
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Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2022 by Mercy
Style: 4300 Series
I bought this because it supposedly did the same thing as the one in my home builders office. Every time me and my wife went to my home builders office for picking out things and options for our custom house they would offer us coffee. Me and my wife always thought they had like a coffee shop in the back. One day I asked how you guys make this amazing coffee, well they took us in the back and showed us it was this coffee machine which I didn’t know about at the time but they told me it was a jura as well as the label on the machine. Well me and my wife love coffee so we decided we wanted something like that so we figured we get one too. That was until we found out how expensive the jura was. I did some research and found out. It was basically a all in one coffee machine and I came across this Phillips that had great reviews and supposedly did the same thing and a lot cheaper. Long story short, we went through 4 pounds of coffee beans trying to get the Philips to taste anything close to the Jura, and eventually gave up, me, and my wife conclusion was, it’s basically just a expensive Keurig. Honestly, the Keurig coffee, taste better, and the espresso on the Phillips taste like crap. So we decided to just get a jura like our home builder. In all honesty there is a night and day difference between the Phillips and jura. The Phillips is a $900 Keurig while the jura is actually a espresso all in one machine that tastes like coffee shop coffee. Lesson learned as usual you get what you pay for. Ps the jura has already paid for itself because no more Starbuck trips, also my home builders jura has been working non stop 30 plus coffees a business day they told me for 5+ years.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2023 by Preetk4
Style: 4300 Series
The Philips 4300 Espresso Machine consistently delivers a good to excellent cup of coffee (or espresso, cappuccino, Americano…) and is reliable. I’ve used my machine daily for six months before writing this review. I wanted to have a very clear idea of its operation and reliability before I wrote anything. Here are the key things to know: Expect to spend at least a couple of weeks playing around with the numerous settings before you get the coffee precisely to your liking. There are number of different things you can adjust using the front panel. Plus the grinder itself can be adjusted; I’ve currently got mine set at nearly the finest grind. I haven’t quantified it, but I believe the Philips uses quite a bit more beans to make a given amount of coffee than other methods. I certainly know I’m refilling it with beams frequently. Of course, this might just be because I’m drinking more coffee due to the extreme convenience (one button operation) of the system. The machine also uses other consumables at a fairly rapid clip – namely the AquaClean filter and descaling tables. Normally, I would write all these off as a scam, designed primarily to contribute to Philips’ bottom line. But the first time I used a coffee oil remover tablet it had an immediate positive impact on the taste of my coffee. And, the machine will nag you endlessly if you don’t change the AquaClean filter, so I think there’s no escaping that. I clean my machine out quite thoroughly once a week, and lube it. This takes about 20 minutes. I think it’s worth the trouble. Within a short time after purchasing it, I noticed that the two o-rings on the boiler nozzle had already deteriorated. Others reported having the same problem. I tried to contact Philips to have these replaced, assumedly under warranty. I got absolutely nowhere with that; and I would say that might be a real weakness in purchasing from Philips. Their service appears to be nonexistent. However, the one thing I did extract from Philips’ pathetic excuse for a service infrastructure is an “exploded view” drawing of the entire machine which lists the part number for quite literally every single part in the system. This allowed me to track down replacement parts from a third party which set me back all of a couple dollars. I haven’t had the same problem since I replaced those original o-rings. And, now, I’m thinking that I created this problem with over-aggressive cleaning; namely I was cleaning off the lubricant from these o-rings, which possibly then caused them to rapidly wear out (because this nozzle pushes into a receptacle every time you turn the machine on, so there is frequent motion and wear on them). When I first started using the machine, I would frequently get the “Empty grounds container” message, even though I had already emptied the container. I thought I might have a faulty sensor, but eventually, I stumbled on to the reason for this in the manual. The machine only knows that you’ve emptied this container if you remove it while the machine is switched on, and you let at least five seconds elapse before you place it back. If you empty the container with the machine off, or do it too quickly, it doesn’t know you’ve done it and won’t reset. The water reservoir really isn’t large enough. I’m filling it back up all the time. You get used to it. The beam hopper isn’t really big enough either. You’ll find yourself replenishing that quite frequently. And, the seal on the lid for the bean hopper rapidly becomes loose after use. You might worry that your beans will get stale because of this; but if you drink anywhere near as much coffee as my wife and I do, I can tell you they won’t be in there long enough for that. The system is quite noisy when grinding. Live with it. It lasts all of about 30 seconds. I also don’t believe the Philips 4300 is entirely consistent. Either in the quality/taste of the coffee it produces, or even the volume. But, there can be variations in your beans, and maybe your water. So, it’s hard to pin this stuff down. But, bottom line, I always get a good cup of coffee, and frequently a great one. Sometimes it seems like my first sip of a cup, which is full of crema, can be a bit bitter, but then the rest of the cup is fine. Obviously, the Philips 4300 Espresso Machine is expensive (and I was lucky enough to purchase it when the price briefly dipped to $900). Maybe there’s a payback on it your alternative is Starbucks, or buying prepared coffee anywhere else. But, I’m sure it’s substantially more expensive to use than most other home brew methods, like a French press. But, the convenience factor is very high, and it’s wonderful to be able to wake up, stagger downstairs into my kitchen, press a couple buttons and be served a very good cup of coffee before I’m even entirely conscious. I have no hesitation about recommending the system, and I imagine it’s a relatively good value compared to its competitors.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2022 by David Kuntz
Style: 4300 Series
So, to start we are coming from another super automated - Miele 6120 - which don't get me wrong we loved, made excellent coffee. Paid $2,600 for it. We had that machine for about 5 years and was about 2 years before we started having some minor issues with it. The grinder would often get packed with grounds, not work, waste coffee and would have to do our best to get some apparatus up there to clean it out, then our milk frother would have issues and not always pull the milk. We'd have to hold the container at an angle to get it to work at all. Both of these stopped working all together around 1.5 years ago and we have been limping along since just using the bypass port to put caffeinated ground coffee in to make shots, and also had a regular coffee pot on the counter to make decaf. We do a combo to cut down on caffeine. Been avoiding the issue of a new machine due to the high cost, but finally wanted a good cup of coffee again so started looking and found this machine. I watched and read a lot of reviews before deciding to buy a machine. We bought our Miele from a local coffee machine store because we wanted to try them out, test coffee in person, etc. that was our first super automated machine so was important to do an in person visit. Now that we have a general idea of what to expect I felt better about buying online. AND that same local store, Seattle Coffee Gear, did a review of their top 3 super automated machines recently and this was #2! So that was enough for me to trust it based on that alone. (#1 was the Jura10 which is like $4,000-no thanks, #3 was the 3200 Phillips so they rate these machines highly - they had a bonus option of the Saeco Xelsis which is an upper end Phillips model for $2,000 didn't see enough difference to spend $1,000 more than the 4300) This machine was $1,700 less than the Miele and really does just about everything it did for much less. biggest comparisons: 1. You can't do a one touch double drink if its milk based on the 4300. The Miele would allow you to do two milk drinks with a button touch. Not a huge deal but something different. You can do one touch double "coffee only" drinks on the 4300, so espresso shots, coffee or americano. Would be great if they added the option to do a double on milk based drinks., like cappuccino or Cafe au Lait. 2. I love the milk container and frothing on the 4300. No tubes to deal with, super easy to just pop on and off and makes great hot milk and nice thick foam. Easy to take apart and clean too. Miele had a tube you had to insert into a wand and container that was a separate piece. The tube would do a cleaning cycle but was always a little grossed out that you couldn't get in there and clean it...things tend to grow in warm wet situations. This one has a much more simple design that's easy to use and clean. 3. Love the front loading water tank and fact you can filter the water directly from the tank. The Miele had a side loading water tank so always had to pull the machine out from under the cabinet to remove and replace. I would say size of the tank, with the filter, is maybe a little less volume but most of these have about the same size tank on them, makes both of our morning coffees just fine without refilling. Our Miele didn't have a filter so would have to descale often. This claims with the filter you can make 5,000 shots before descaling is needed so that's a bonus - and filtered water always makes coffee taste better so think this is pretty cool feature. 4. I love having a more user friendly screen and button process with the 4300. I know Miele's thing is not to worry so much about the technology interface and more on the quality of the machine/coffee. Which don't get me wrong that machine, when new, made an amazing espresso shot, which is ultimately why we chose it over a machine that had better screen and easy programming. Miele takes some knowledge to use, not as user friendly. But very happy with the screen, preprogrammed drink options and ease of use on the 4300. I know a guest could basically walk up to this machine with minimal help and make whatever they want. On the Miele we would just do it as it was too hard to explain the process. 5. 4300 doesn't alert you when the drip tray is full, you have to watch the manual red float to pop up. Miele would prompt you to empty the drip tray and waste container. Again, not a huge deal. It doesn't seem to waste as much water into the drip tray as the Miele so seems we need to empty that less anyway. 6. The Miele was a substantial machine, heavy weight, metal parts, felt well made-and is. The 4300 is lighter and pretty much all of it is made of plastic. Which is fine, it still looks really nice but can certainly feel the difference in materials. That said the 4300 seems to work great, so as long as it lasts and makes good coffee I could care less. Its also not as deep as our Miele so fits really nice tucked back under the cabinets. I really prefer the overall look of the 4300 its a very nice looking machine in our kitchen. Miele is pretty plain, not a lot of bells and whistles as far as the look goes. After doing research on the 4300 made me realize that a big downside to Miele machine is the lack of instruction you get. I think our machine would have lasted a lot longer had we known a few things, big one being to use beans made for a super automated machine - aka non oily! I always thought oily beans were the best, signifying freshness, but that's not the case. In these types of machines you want a dry bean so the oils don't gum up in the grinder-I am sure now that's why we had so many problems with our grinder over time. Also learned in my recent research that Arabica beans tend to be more oily so having a Robusta bean(or combo) is better for the machine as they are less oily and also less bitter. Robusta bean makes a smooth yummy crema shot. I started buying Lavazza beans for this machine, which are said to be made for a super automated machine, and they are yummy! Miele instruction manual is very simple and vague. We literally had to call them to try and learn how to operate the machine as the buttons and touch screen aren't exactly easy and user friendly(and even they couldn't help us!) - once you get the hang of it was fine, but zero instructions on profiles, saving drinks, etc. The 4300 has tons of online videos to show you how to use it. there are a lot of moving parts in these machines so if I could say anything - LEARN all the best practices to protect your investment, clean it, maintain it and use the correct products in it. We hope to get many years of use out of this machine and learning from some mistakes with the Miele we hope to not repeat with this one. Many reviews and videos stated you need to run many shots through this machine for it to acclimate to a proper tasting shot. Seemed a tad odd but I took that advice. I did adjust the grinder right off the bat vs waiting as Phillips instructed, found quite a few people that did this to avoid weaker coffee with a larger grind and having to reacclimate all over again. My grinder is set to 3. I spent $7 on some coffee beans from the grocery store to essentially waste in the machine to run multiple shots through it. I got some from the self dispensing things so I could see that they were dry. This allowed me to run probably 40+ shots through it first night we got it. I have read it takes 150, but doing that the first night allowed our morning coffee the next day to taste great. I have read complaints about it making weak coffee, but you have to follow the recommendations. Again, I would immediately adjust grinder down to between 2-4 (only move one spot at a time when its running, don't adjust grinder when its stopped can damage it)(didn't know this on our Miele as they never told us that) why wait to acclimate to the factory grinder setting then have to do it again 150 shots later, just do that to start so you get a smaller grind more appropriate for an espresso shot. And I highly recommend buying a bag of DRY beans to just pull shots to waste as soon as you get it. I could definitely tell from shot #1 to shot #40 that the color, thickness and crema all got better. So be patient and do this to help your first actual drinking cup of coffee turn out good. You can't plug it in run a weak coffee and then blame the machine, do what is recommended.(and then leave a bad review because you didn't follow the process) I am sure as we continue to use this that the shots will get better and better. We have had it a few days now and can tell its acclimating and getting better. Wasting a pound+ of beans is worth it. I now have our good Lavazza beans in it and the coffee is delicious! This machine makes a great coffee! Only cons so far...it has given prompts to fill water when its still full, or almost full - so we pull out push back in and its fine. Also same thing for emptying the grounds container. Has prompted me to empty with 2 pucks in it. Again, I pull out the tray and push back and continue on. Minor annoyance and its only happened a couple times, not like every use. Other than that I give this machine 5 stars, it makes great coffee! It's not loud (despite many saying it is) yes its louder than running coffee pot, but you are talking about a machine that is grinding beans, making milk froth, lots moving parts inside, etc...its going to make noise, but quieter than the Miele. The display is great, profile settings are super easy to navigate. 8 preset coffee drinks to choose from which is more than enough to cover what we need and you of course can do milk and shots separate if you want to make something not pre programmed. Love the milk container, makes great thick foam, love how easy it is to attach and fill and clean. So far, absolutely love it, very happy with our purchase and that it was only $900 compared to $2,600 for basically same features was a huge win! I did buy a separate grinder, sitting to the right of the machine in the photo to have fresh ground Lavazza decaf to use in the bypass port. Again we do a combo of regular coffee and decaf so this is a perfect set up to have everything we need. Maybe next super automated we will get one that has more than one bean hopper so regular and decaf all in the one machine...but this current set up works perfect. Anyway, for the price point and what you get compared to machine we paid 2x more for, I highly recommend the 4300. Works great, looks great and lots of nice features at a reasonable price point for a super automated machine. If anything changes I will update my review, but for now not missing the Miele and loving this new machine!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2024 by Designer77
Style: 4300 Series
I am not a coffee snob and have always been a pretty simple coffee drinker - either making drip coffee at home in a Mr Coffee pot with milk or creamer (never cared for Keurig coffee pods at all), or the buying the occasional latte or cappuccino. I researched for a long time between some of the different machines and their trim levels, but ultimately decided to take the plunge and purchase a Philips 4300 as a nice Christmas gift for my boyfriend and I since we work from home and I had several Amazon gift cards. This is honestly a pretty simple machine to use and maintain, and you will easily become accustomed to it well within the first week of having it. Definitely watch some YouTube videos to help clear up any confusion, but basically when you first get the machine: - Do not use oily beans (that usually means dark roast) or flavored beans. I got a bag of medium roast Lavazza from World Market and it’s been great. Check the Seattle Coffee Company website for recommendations on approved “super auto” beans - Follow the recommended cleaning schedule in the documentation that comes with the machine. If you’re spending this much money on something, you definitely want to properly take care of it. You will need to buy the brew group cleaning tablets separately (about $8 and should last about a year for one pack). YouTube videos also help with any cleaning questions. Part of this cleaning schedule also means using the quick rinse setting anytime you make a drink with the LatteGo attachment to rinse out the tube (super easy and takes less than 30 seconds) - Expect to brew ~5-6 pulls of espresso and dump them before your coffee starts to taste okay and your grounds start to properly solidify - Make sure to register your product with Philips. Just follow the directions on the paper that comes with your purchase. Again, if you’re spending this much money, take the 5 minutes to register your product just in case. It comes with a 2 year warranty. And really that’s about it. We have a little dedicated cup that’s used for catching all of the water during the different rinsing cycles, so maybe keep one close because it’ll be used a lot. The machine is a little loud, but it’s really not bad and brews pretty quickly. It also does go through water pretty quickly, but also not a big deal. For me personally the toughest part was figuring out how strong to set my preference on the brew strength for my drinks, and figuring out what ounce liquid vs foam settings to use for each drink. I do wish there was an option to make a double latte or double cafe au lait for when I want to make a travel size mug to go, but it’s easy enough to make one serving then pour it into a travel mug and repeat with a second serving. For coffee, this double serving feature already exists and is pretty nice. The lines on the LatteGo attachment that tell you what amount of milk to use are difficult to see, and you will probably end up pouring extra milk back into its original container the first couple of times, but eventually you’ll figure out exactly how much you need for your drinks. Overall we are so happy with the purchase (it’s a luxury good we would usually never spend on)! It’s definitely made our work from home environment a little cozier and fancier :)
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Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2022 by Amazon Customer