After many years of using a Philips fully automatic coffee machine, it was time for a new one. After that, I briefly had a piston coffee machine, but found it (much) too complicated for daily use. Then I found this one, and after a cashback promotion, I was able to buy it at a very competitive price.
The machine is very versatile and offers approximately 16 coffee specialties. The differences between the specialties are sometimes small, but there is a clear distinction between each variety, and you can taste it. For example, there are four different black coffees alone (regular coffee, espresso lungo, lungo, and Americano), each brewed slightly differently. The taste and amount of each coffee variety can be adjusted to your preference and easily saved to your profile. You can also dispense hot water by connecting the water tap pin instead of the milk system. Changing it is easy, and the pin can be conveniently stored at the top of the machine.
The machine also offers a standard option for cold coffees without milk (not tried yet). If you also want to make cold coffees with milk, you can purchase a special milk jug, which will add various cold coffees with milk specialties to the menu. This accessory is quite expensive, but it's nice that it's available for enthusiasts.
The coffee tastes excellent by default, and you have many customization options (something many automatic machines unfortunately lack). You can manually adjust the grind size, as well as the strength and amount of coffee via the menu. There's a system called Bean Adapt that, after grinding one espresso, provides tips on the best setting for that type of bean. It's unclear exactly what it bases this on, but I generally find the advice good regarding settings, especially the grind size. Unfortunately, this setting can only be used with regular espresso; for other milk specialties, you have to adjust the strength yourself.
The milk system with the milk jug is very practical for daily use. You can put the whole thing in the refrigerator, so your milk will last 2-3 days without needing to be cleaned. After each use, a small amount of water is automatically rinsed through the milk system, keeping it sufficiently clean. After a few days, your machine will prompt you to thoroughly clean the milk jug, though you can also largely clean it in the dishwasher. The milk froth is of excellent quality, and you can also adjust the froth intensity using the dial on top (from warm, unfrothed milk to very creamy froth). The display shows the best setting depending on the drink you're making.
The LCD screen on top is simple and intuitive to use. Maintenance and cleaning instructions are also clear.
The machine comes with two bean hoppers. Changing them is easy, but you do waste a lot of coffee during the process. This is because the old coffee has to be ground first, and then you actually have to brew at least one more coffee to adjust the beans and grind size to the correct setting for the new beans. Honestly, I can't think of many situations where this switching is useful; it's only worthwhile if you want to make decaf for the whole group after a dinner party.
All in all, very happy with the versatility of this machine, and the pleasure of being able to choose from so many coffee varieties with many setting options!
