The Philips 4400 is an automatic coffee machine with a demountable milk frother and one click setting for 12 different types of drinks including but not limited to espresso, cappuccino, Americano, and hot and iced coffees. Pros: Set up was easy, but the manual is very basic. The on-screen instructions are helpful but definitely gave me a pause here and there. Ceramic bean grinder is included, ensuring you have fresh ground coffee when you pull your shots of espresso and coffee. Overall, the coffee machine size is compact and material and build is solid, definitely a good addition to any countertop while still aesthetically pleasing. Cons: When making hot or iced coffee, the coffee comes out as thin and watery. Even with the setting on high for coffee grounds and ... MoreThe Philips 4400 is an automatic coffee machine with a demountable milk frother and one click setting for 12 different types of drinks including but not limited to espresso, cappuccino, Americano, and hot and iced coffees. Pros: Set up was easy, but the manual is very basic. The on-screen instructions are helpful but definitely gave me a pause here and there. Ceramic bean grinder is included, ensuring you have fresh ground coffee when you pull your shots of espresso and coffee. Overall, the coffee machine size is compact and material and build is solid, definitely a good addition to any countertop while still aesthetically pleasing. Cons: When making hot or iced coffee, the coffee comes out as thin and watery. Even with the setting on high for coffee grounds and light on the water, my Starbucks dark roast coffee came out flat and watery. While not a complete coffee snob, I do expect a thousand dollar machine to adjust better. Using pre-ground coffee is an option that this machine has, but I have yet to navigate and utilize that option successfully. Water will pour out and the machine will think that it's making coffee from the pre-grounds, but only water will come out and it is frustrating to say the least. The espresso quality of the machine is decent, being able to pull a double shot if necessary. The first two tries were errors, but finally got it to work on the third try. The shots pulled in about 25 seconds and you can see the crema on top with the body and heart separated as it should, however it is not as rich and aroma is lacking. Again, it's not bad, but it's only decent. The milk frother that it comes with can be dismounted for ease of storage, but the milk that it creates is not the same types of micro foam that you can get from a traditional milk frother…. it's much more of a big bubbles on top and heavy milk on the bottom. Iif you want to make latte or a cappuccino, you'd definitely need to stir it before drinking to get a more balanced product. This product includes one water filter to help with the longevity of the machine, but using filtered water should help with that as well. Can purchase more on the website, but not necessary in my opinion if using filtered water. Last part — which is the worst in my option — is the clean up. With a machine like this, you'd expect it to be painless, but the seals inside the machine should be much better for one at this price point. After making a couple cups of coffee, I removed the drain tray and found unused ground coffee stuck inside the machine and the brew chamber was also littered with grounds, which caused a major cleanup headache.

[Rewarded Review] Buon Caffe’

Highlights:Pros:One button convenienceEasy cleanupminimal/easy maintenance2 user profiles to save your preferencesCons:taste/presentation not quite the same as ‘hand made’Expensive (or not?)Stainless tray scratches easy with ceramic/porcelain cupsasty sticker on bean lidFull Review:I was never a coffee snob or connoisseur. Didn’t drink much coffee until about a year and a half ago when I got a Philips 1200 to replace the ‘pod’ machine I was using. The Philips 1200 turned me into a couple espressos a day person. The new Philips 4400 is a replacement for my 1200. I like milk based drinks on occasion but I wanted the convenience of not steaming the milk myself. The LatteGo seemed like a good option.So the Philips 4400 LatteGo showed up double boxed, ... MoreHighlights:Pros:One button convenienceEasy cleanupminimal/easy maintenance2 user profiles to save your preferencesCons:taste/presentation not quite the same as ‘hand made’Expensive (or not?)Stainless tray scratches easy with ceramic/porcelain cupsasty sticker on bean lidFull Review:I was never a coffee snob or connoisseur. Didn’t drink much coffee until about a year and a half ago when I got a Philips 1200 to replace the ‘pod’ machine I was using. The Philips 1200 turned me into a couple espressos a day person. The new Philips 4400 is a replacement for my 1200. I like milk based drinks on occasion but I wanted the convenience of not steaming the milk myself. The LatteGo seemed like a good option.So the Philips 4400 LatteGo showed up double boxed, with no damage. It was packed well, with foam wrap on anything that could get scratched. It was easy to unbox with a cardboard ‘sleeve’ with handles that wrapped around the whole machine and allowed me to lift it all out of the box easily. Make sure you check all areas of the packing materials and unpack all of the parts and pieces that are hidden amongst the cardboard. Setup was pretty basic and I didn’t really need any instructions since I already had the 1200. There is a quick setup sheet with pictures showing you how to do the setup and there are videos available on Philips website. When you get to the point of plugging in and turning on the machine, the display will step you through the rest of the instructions. There are a few ‘features/advertisement/instruction/information’ stickers stuck on the machine in various spots. All of them but one removed easily like a temporary sticker should. The sticker on the bean hopper cover.. OMG, come on Philips, did you use superglue? You can’t remove it nicely. It took me 15 minutes and goo-gone to get rid of it, and now I have a scuffed up lid.Buy yourself a cheap bag of beans, pull up a chair to your counter, and prepare to break-in/calibrate the machine and make your house smell wonderful. My wife came home from work, walked in the door and said “your new coffee machine must be here”. Philips warns you it may take some time for the machine to calibrate itself, just heed these instructions and let it do its thing. I don't recall my 1200 taking quite so many drinks to settle in, but the 4400 did take some time. The first drinks will be watery, don't even bother tasting them, just keep making double espresso shots and dumping them down the drain until they start looking normal. Pull the discarded puck bin and monitor what the pucks look like. They will be like soup at first but after around 40 pulls on my machine they started firming up making a good shot. It’s also recommended to not adjust the grinder at first either. When the machine is pulling good shots and the pucks firm up it’s time to get rid of the cheap beans, put in your favorite beans (just not oily beans) and enjoy a good espresso drink.A couple notes comparing the 1200 and 4400.The 4400 is advertised as having “Quick Start”. With both units OFF and sitting for a few hours ‘cold’, when turned on, it took both almost identical times to warm up, rinse and be ready to make a drink (about 1 minute). I did a single espresso shot on both, hit start at the same time and both finished about the same time (about 45 seconds later). I didn't see any improvement on startup time with the newer model.Philips claims 40% quieter with ‘Silent Brew Technology’. This was very easily noticeable the first shot I pulled, the bean grinding of the 4400 is way quieter than the 1200. The rest of the noises are about the same volume level (brew group movements, pumps, milk steaming etc). I have a couple photos attached. The first ‘bump’ in the graphs is the bean grinding process, you can see the 4400 is quieter by around 5dB. (only the lower graph is relevant, the upper numbers are the instant I took the screenshot). You can also see the brew group movements and other sounds are about the same in both machines.One thing I learned from the 1200, is to buy one of the absorbent rubber coffee mats and set the Philips machine on it. Without the matt the vibrations from the machine reverberated through my counters and made it louder. The matt will help quiet it down more yet.When I got my 1200, the AquaClean filter was not included, so I had to go out and purchase it separately. The 4400 has a filter included, thank you Philips.Now that my 4400 has started settling in with calibration, the drinks are tasty. I am loving the convenience of the LatteGo. It’s as simple as putting milk in the container and pressing the button for the drink you want. Cleanup is as easy as a quick rinse in the sink, or if I have milk left and plan on another drink in the near future, I put the LatteGo back into the fridge. No more wiping down the wand, trying to keep milk from burning/drying/stickin to it. Sometimes just to add a little flavor I’ll put a little torani syrup, or ghirardelli sauce in my cup before I start the brew. I know overall I’m sacrificing a little quality and presentation for the convenience of a bean to cup superautomatic, but I’ll take the convenience any day. Compared to the 1200, the Philips 4400 allows you to fine tune your drink to your taste with more aroma, water and milk levels. I’m still working on finding my sweetspots, but the good news is I just keep using the same profile and the machine will remember my settings.I should deduct a star for the stupid sticker on the bean lid, but overallI’m loving the Philips 4400 LatteGo, it’s used every single day, 5 stars from me.

[Rewarded Review] Compact, Flexible and Fun; Be Ready to Experiment

The promise of a fully-automatic barista living on your kitchen counter is a tempting one, and there’s no shortage of manufacturers promising exactly that. Termed “superautomatic” espresso machines, these systems will grind the beans, prepare the grounds, pull the shot and even steam the milk. That’s a lot for one machine to do — how does one of the latest offerings from Philips stack up?The Philips 4400 LatteGo Espresso Machine is a mid/high tier model from the respected home electronics brand, hailing from Europe and developed by a respected manufacturer Philips purchased a number of years ago. This model sits near the top of Philips’ current range of LatteGo machines, which utilize a unique milk-steaming attachment to simplify both production and cleaning. The ... MoreThe promise of a fully-automatic barista living on your kitchen counter is a tempting one, and there’s no shortage of manufacturers promising exactly that. Termed “superautomatic” espresso machines, these systems will grind the beans, prepare the grounds, pull the shot and even steam the milk. That’s a lot for one machine to do — how does one of the latest offerings from Philips stack up?The Philips 4400 LatteGo Espresso Machine is a mid/high tier model from the respected home electronics brand, hailing from Europe and developed by a respected manufacturer Philips purchased a number of years ago. This model sits near the top of Philips’ current range of LatteGo machines, which utilize a unique milk-steaming attachment to simplify both production and cleaning. The 4400 can make 12 different hot or iced drinks at the touch of a button or two, and promises to be quick, quiet and easy to clean.The Philips arrived well-packed and with no styrofoam. Philips tucked everything neatly into an origami of cardboard packaging, with only a few sheets of recyclable plastic foam protecting the machine’s finish. I was impressed with the effort put forth to package everything tightly and sustainably.The 4400 came ready with everything but water and beans and the included quick start guide had me up and running in no time. The machine is entirely self-contained, with a shallow bean hopper on top and a removable water reservoir to the side. The included LatteGo milk frothing unit simply snaps onto the front of the 4400. As someone with limited counter space I appreciate the very compact footprint, and I’m impressed Philips managed to fit this much into a machine not that much larger than a standard coffee maker.The removable reservoir holds plenty of water for a few days’ worth of drinks, and slides in and out easily for refilling. I appreciate Philips including their AquaClean filter in the box, which slots into the reservoir. Water quality is paramount for good coffee and espresso, and this filter has the added benefit of reducing scale build up and thus the frequency of the time-consuming descaling procedure.Arguably the most important ingredient for high-quality drinks are the coffee beans, which live in an airtight hopper on top of the machine. The 4400 is able to hold about 2/3 of a standard bag of coffee beans, and seals tightly to maintain freshness. Espresso “pucks” are small compared to the quantity of grounds needed for a regular coffee maker so I haven’t found myself refilling the hopper as frequently as I thought. I won’t go into detail about bean selection other than to say it’s worth trying many different options, especially if you’re coming from a traditional coffee maker, as the taste and liquid quantity of espresso drinks varies greatly. I recommend making a game of trying as many different types of beans, preferably from local roasters, as you can.Once you’ve added water and beans the final ingredient is milk, assuming you’re making a milk-based drink like a latte, macchiato or cappuccino. I think the LatteGo container is a brilliant alternative to other fully automatic machines that utilize internal or external milk reservoirs that feed into the machine itself. This requires more space and more cleaning — no one wants milk sitting inside the machine going stale. The LatteGo container keeps all the milk fully outside the 4400, snaps apart for easy rinsing and cleaning, and easily attaches/detaches so you can store unused milk in the container in the fridge between drinks. Nice!Making a drink is as simple as placing your mug under the spouts and making your selections on the 4400’s control panel/screen. While the machine makes “only” 12 drinks, each of those drinks can be customized for strength/aroma, liquid quantity and milk quantity (if applicable). These customizations are in addition to the machine’s overall water temperature and grind fineness settings which are set globally. Helpfully, the 4400 saves your customizations for each drink into one of two “profiles” automatically. While useful, just remember to switch profiles if there’s more than one person using the machine, or activate the “guest” profile for guests or for experimenting with settings. The machine includes default lines on each of the drink settings so you can tell at a glance what you’ve changed.You should be prepared to tinker with the machine’s numerous settings to dial-in your preferred drink. This is both the blessing and the curse of a superauto machine: it’s automatic, yes, but there are many settings for you to change in relation to each other, and it takes time (and lots of ingredients) to zero in on your preferences. Changing the beans or the grind size affects all drinks and might require you to tinker with drink settings all over again. Moreover, changes require 3+ brewing cycles to fully implement, so be prepared for multiple brews.This all means that taste and drink quality is subject to so many variables that it’s hard for me to say decisively the 4400 makes good or bad drinks; I have made some delicious creations and some pretty sorry ones as well. User inputs are important with superauto machines, and I can confidently say I am no expert — again, be prepared to test, test and test again until you’ve found your sweet spot.That said, the 4400 LatteGo is generally very easy to use, with clearly-marked buttons and a straightforward user interface. For me, I’ve found brewing a latte macchiato and adding a shot of espresso directly after produces consistently good results, as does doing the same with the cappuccino function. The main difference between drinks are water volume, milk volume and order of brewing (milk first or espresso first). As you spend time clicking through the drink options you’ll start to learn the basic ratios that each defaults to, and how changing those ratios has major impacts on the final product.The machine makes this all pretty easy, but where the user interface falls a bit flat for me is in organization. The 4400 makes 12 different drinks, yes, but only 6 of those are available on the front of the machine as permanent shortcut buttons. The rest live in the “more drinks” menu and require more than a few button presses to find, as the screen itself is not a touchscreen. At this price point I’d really like to see full touchscreen capabilities and/or customizable shortcut buttons on the front of the machine. My other chief complaint here is that Philips reserved the “extra shot” option for their top of the line LatteGo machine, meaning you’ll have to wait until your drink finishes brewing and initiate an extra shot manually by brewing a plain espresso shot. It’s not difficult, but it requires yet more button presses and cuts into the “fully automatic” selling point of the machine a bit. As someone who likes strong drinks it would be really nice to have the extra shot option available on all LatteGo machines.Regardless of the brand or features, superautomatic espresso machines require more maintenance than your average coffee maker, and if you’re new to this product category like I was you might be surprised how much the machine will ask you to do. In addition to startup and shutdown rinse cycles (thankfully automatic on the 4400), Philips indicates the entire brew group should be removed, rinsed and air-dried once a week, cleaned with a special coffee oil dissolving tablet once a month (purchased separately), and lubricated every 2 months with special (and thankfully included) lubricant. The coffee grounds container will fill up with used pucks and the machine will ask you to empty it periodically. Similarly, the drip tray will fill up with rinse water, requiring you to clean it out as well. Finally, depending on how often you use the machine and whether you keep up with filter replacements, you’ll need to put the 4400 through a 30-minute descaling procedure with, you guessed it, special descaling liquid.These procedures are spelled out in the manual, available on the Philips website, and the cleaning products and water filters are available for purchase online. One unfortunate note, as with most superautomatics: the grind mechanism is not user-serviceable, which makes cleaning more difficult than it should be. I recommend looking into superautomatic-specific grinder cleaning products and considering their use, as a clogged grinder would require you to send your machine to a qualified service technician for cleaning and/or repair.All told, I really like the Philips 4400 LatteGo. It’s stylish, compact, feels well-built and is very customizable. It makes most of the popular cafe-style espresso drinks you could want, and the user interface is generally straightforward and easy to understand. I particularly love the LatteGo attachment, as it’s so easy to use and clean. The machine requires far more testing and tinkering to dial in a good cup than your average coffee maker, but it will do all the brewing and steaming for you.That said, I wish Philips built more customization into their user interface, as manually tap-tap-tapping a button to scroll through a list of options on the small-ish front screen isn’t as quick and easy as it could be, and it’s a little frustrating that simple options like an extra shot are reserved for the very top of the LatteGo model range. Finally, while not a fault of this specific machine, the cleaning requirements of a superauto are pretty in-depth, and I find it frustrating that the grinder isn’t really cleanable by the user, and that special tablets and solutions are required for some of the cleaning process. You shouldn’t let this scare you away, but I recommend reading up on superauto machines and being prepared for a bit more involvement than you might expect — and the Philips 4400 LatteGo should definitely be on your list if you decide to dive into the superauto world!

[Rewarded Review] Convenient early morning coffee work horse

The Philips 4400 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine - LatteGo is convenient, space saving, and a time saver with minimal maintenance. Its sleek design fits under my upper cabinets in my kitchen. As for the beverage options, I have seen machines where you need to scroll through the options which is more time consuming and inconvenient when compared to the Philips 4400 touchcreen, which displays the coffee options with pictures.For initial set up it can take up to 20 brews to calibrate the espresso machine. For me, it took 8 brews until I got consistent results. One of the standout features is the LatteGo system, where you fill the provided cup/container with milk and the system froths the milk to create velvety lattes and cappuccinos. The two-part design of the ... MoreThe Philips 4400 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine - LatteGo is convenient, space saving, and a time saver with minimal maintenance. Its sleek design fits under my upper cabinets in my kitchen. As for the beverage options, I have seen machines where you need to scroll through the options which is more time consuming and inconvenient when compared to the Philips 4400 touchcreen, which displays the coffee options with pictures.For initial set up it can take up to 20 brews to calibrate the espresso machine. For me, it took 8 brews until I got consistent results. One of the standout features is the LatteGo system, where you fill the provided cup/container with milk and the system froths the milk to create velvety lattes and cappuccinos. The two-part design of the milk cup makes it easy to clean by rinsing it under water. If you like cappuccinos, or lattes, then you will love this machine since the froth that comes out is velvety. The drawback is general cumbersome cleanup, which is not the case with the Philips 4400. The milk cup/container is easy to clean and maintain.The Philips 4400 offers a variety of customizable coffee options, allowing you to adjust strength, temperature, and volume to suit your personal taste. The coffee doesn’t that comes out of the machine doesn’t have any off flavors which indicates the ceramic grinders, the water temperature, and the pressure are consistently good to produce a good espresso.The Philips 4400 is now my work horse in my household because I want and espresso, the wife wants a latte, and at times the guests want an espresso macchiato. While I don’t mind making a French press or a pour over, I cannot emphasize how easy it is to press a button do other things, and have a consistent espresso/coffee ready to go. Mornings are easier when various coffee options are at the touch of a button.

[Rewarded Review] Fantastic machine that's so simple to use and maintain

This coffee machine is seriously fantastic. I've always wanted a machine that was really simple to use without the faff of grinding beans or the expense of buying pods etc, plus no faff to clean it out all the time etc. Thank goodness Philips have done a great job with this machine and at such a reasonable price too. I worked out I’ll have saved the cost of the machine within a year from not having to buy coffee on the way to work a couple of times a week.So the machine itself looks very stylish with its chrome metal and big colour touch sensitive buttons that light up. Some of the silvery bits on the front are actually plastic but the drip tray cover is metal. So overall close-up it is a little plasticky but that’s not the end of the world and is ... MoreThis coffee machine is seriously fantastic. I've always wanted a machine that was really simple to use without the faff of grinding beans or the expense of buying pods etc, plus no faff to clean it out all the time etc. Thank goodness Philips have done a great job with this machine and at such a reasonable price too. I worked out I’ll have saved the cost of the machine within a year from not having to buy coffee on the way to work a couple of times a week.So the machine itself looks very stylish with its chrome metal and big colour touch sensitive buttons that light up. Some of the silvery bits on the front are actually plastic but the drip tray cover is metal. So overall close-up it is a little plasticky but that’s not the end of the world and is functional.Setup was great with this machine. I couldn't actually get the Philips app working initially (later seemed to fix itself) which is a shame as it directs you to do that for setup videos etc. So I just unpacked it all, put it together and then switched it on. Thankfully the screen talked me through the whole step-by-step. So easy to just follow what it told me on the screen and job done.Using the machine is really simple, just switch it on, select your drink and the machine does it all for you. Theres a few commonly used drinks on the main screen or you can go into "more drinks" for a further selection of hot and cold options. Its a bit of a shame you can't change the main drink options as I quite like cafe latte or cafe au lait but have to go into "other drinks" for those. No real hardship though.So the machine is really well made and planned out meaning you just tip the whole beans in the top, fill the water tank, add milk to the frother if required for the specific drink, and then that’s it. The machine grinds the beans, pours the coffee, steams the milk, empties the used beans and afterwards rinses itself out. There's no messiness and no manual involvement after starting it up. Just every now and then refill the water tank, empty the drip tray or the coffee ground bin when the machine tells you. Even the milk container can be lifted off and stored in the fridge if any leftover milk, and as for cleaning the milk container, it literally comes apart in seconds and you rinse it under the tap. Its a really clever design meaning no nooks and crannies for milk to hide in and go off.A little tip with the machine, I found the coffee wasn't quite hot enough coming out so in the settings menu you can change the temp (low, medium or high, default is medium). I changed it to high but also added the machine pre-heat option so now it comes out perfect for me.Overall this machine has been a real gamechanger for me. I drink way more coffee than I ever used to since it tastes so nice now and is so quick and easy to make. My old machine used ground beans meaning mess and faff buying them ground or grinding them myself, tamping them down, disposing of them afterwards, not to mention manually steaming the milk and having to wipe and wash nozzles afterwards etc. Compared to that, this machine has blown me away with its simplicity and how user focussed it has obviously been developed to be. I'd highly recommend this machine to anyone, you honestly won't be poor disappointed.

[Rewarded Review] Fast flavorful coffee drinks

Overall, the Phillips EP4447/90 (4400 series) Fully Automatic Espresso Machine with Milk Frother could easily be the only coffee machine you’d need for you, for your family and even for hosting a party/gathering. You could pair it with other regular coffee machine that have more capacity to serve on all occasions, but in terms of coffee flavor alone, this one outshines other similar devices, add to that the multiple drink options and the fully automatic process (except for the manual part of feeding the beans, cleaning, etc.), and you have a winning device.The Phillips 4400 series is easy to operate and to configure, thanks to the bright display and buttons on the front panel. You can adjust the settings for the different drinks and save them under different ... MoreOverall, the Phillips EP4447/90 (4400 series) Fully Automatic Espresso Machine with Milk Frother could easily be the only coffee machine you’d need for you, for your family and even for hosting a party/gathering. You could pair it with other regular coffee machine that have more capacity to serve on all occasions, but in terms of coffee flavor alone, this one outshines other similar devices, add to that the multiple drink options and the fully automatic process (except for the manual part of feeding the beans, cleaning, etc.), and you have a winning device.The Phillips 4400 series is easy to operate and to configure, thanks to the bright display and buttons on the front panel. You can adjust the settings for the different drinks and save them under different “profiles”. There are three profiles to use: guest, blue and yellow. Once you change a setting, it is automatically saved on the active profile, which comes in very handy when setting up the best combinations of coffee, water and milk/foam for your taste and needs. Two attributes to highlight are that the device is fast and silent enough to not bother you or others much. You can choose to brew one or two cups at a time, and even if choosing to brew just one cup, this machine is fast enough that you or your family or your guests don’t have to wait much to enjoy a great cup of their favorite coffee drink.For my personal preferences, I mostly brew regular coffee and espresso for my everyday needs, followed by cappuccino a few times a week. I have my personal profile set so that regular coffee comes in strong (not like americano, which usually has a watery taste), so I really love it. You can adjust the settings to make it lighter if needed, but the point I am trying to make is that it feels like I am having real coffee. When brewing espresso, this machine seems to extract, most, if not all, of the flavor from the coffee beans, just a great experience. The cappuccino has been the only drink I’ve brewed in which the milk Frother is used, and it’s been a delight. I might experience with other drinks in the coming weeks, but these three suit my needs perfectly. The versatility of this machine comes in handy when other family members and friends that come over get their preferred coffee drink as close as what they’d like to, the machine is easy to adjust. Even if some drink came too strong, it can still be fixed; for example, a cappuccino came too strong, you can fix that by adding a little more milk/foam at a press of few buttons. Also, if the taste is too weak then you can select an extra shot (choosing “More Drinks” option in the front panel.) for a more intense flavor. Note though, and it is also stated in the manual and online, it gets some time to perform the calibration for the best coffee flavor results, you just need a little patience.I would have given this machine a 5/5 but there are some little nuances that prevent it to have a perfect score, these are not cons per-se but they just get a little in the way of a whole experience; for example, when extracting the bottom tray you have to be careful not to spill any water, the water container doesn’t easily slide in as it brushes against the drip tray, the water filter once became detached when adding water, the cover of the bottom tray feels like it doesn’t fit perfectly, the floater on the drip tray had to be replaced as it originally came twisted (I contacted customer support and got a replacement for it.) These and a couple of other little things make it feel that some details were lost in the design and manufacture of this otherwise wonderful machine.- Pros: relatively silent, very fast, multiple drinks, settings can be saved, attached Frother, easy to operate/select drinks, overall versatile.- Cons: narrow water receptable, some parts feel a little flimsy.>> Assembly and cleaning before first useThis espresso machine is easy to assemble, with most parts fitting into place without needing to look at the user manual. However, follow the user manual that comes in the package for guidance on how to prepare the unit for first use, which includes to clean/rinse the coffee machine, soak and add the water filter to the tank, use the water hardness test strip to adjust the water hardness level. The manual is also very useful as it gives you instructions for proper cleaning and maintenance of the unit, as well as a general view on how to use the machine.Overall, the device feels sturdy and well made, but with some caveats. My unit came with a twisted (defective) bottom floater (the so-called drip tray full indicator) and it didn’t properly fit in the drip tray (bottom tray) preventing the drip tray cover to be closed correctly. So, I reached support, and I was glad and grateful that they were able to provide me with a replacement piece, which at last fitted perfectly. In addition to the faulty part, I feel that some of the components didn’t seem to fit or be adjusted perfectly. Here are some examples. The dip tray cover feels like it is misplaced when it is not, so I tend to double check each time I clean the dip tray that indeed its cover is in place. The water tank rubs against the bottom parts a little too much for my taste. At least once, the water filter came off when adding water (despite following very carefully the instructions on the manual on how to add the water filter) so now each time I refill the water tank, I automatically check if the water filter is in its place. The latter reminds me of one of the things I’d say is difficult which is placing the filter inside the water tank, good luck if you have big hands as the tank is very narrow. As I mentioned earlier, these are some of the little things that get in the way of this espresso machine reaching a perfect score.>> CalibrationAs noted in online references, there is the need to do a few (up to 20 it is stated) brews for the algorithm to calibrate the coffee brewing process. In my case, it did take less than 20 brews (or perhaps close to it) to start getting the right coffee. The first few brews were not good at all, in fact, besides the watery coffee drink, the coffee grounds were soaked in water and almost seemed like disintegrating, so I was not sure if I got a faulty machine. It was not until several tries that I started getting great espresso and regular coffee flavors, and at that point the coffee grounds seemed compact enough to give the impression that enough force/pressure was being applied. You can also adjust the grinder settings to get stronger coffee, but reading the manual, it is advised to do so after a hundred or so brews.I have mostly been using medium roasted beans and I assume the calibration went fine as the coffee comes out very tasty. I have also used dark roasted coffee beans, and I also feel that the results were great, especially for espresso. Like other similar espresso machines, it is not recommended to use caramelized or flavored coffee beans. Now, some say not use dark roasted oily beans on the espresso machines, but this machine handles those just fine.There is also the option to use already pre-ground coffee, let’s say if there is someone who’d want decaffeinated coffee or some other style to whatever is in the bean tray already.>> Espresso/ Regular CoffeeEspresso and regular coffee are my drinks of choice, and I like them strong, so, at its highest-level setting, this machine produces strong, rich and tasty coffee, and I’d say it extracts most of the flavor out of the coffee beans. The coffee comes out hot and foamy, I always like that extra layer of foam on top of the coffee cup.>> LatteGo / Milk SystemI love the LatteGo feature as you don’t need to be holding the milk container while the Frother does its job. Make sure when using the LatteGo system to check the cup position as milk could be poured outside the cup.I was surprised that the milk that comes out is very foamy, when I used other manual Frothers, I don’t usually get too much foam, well, the milk is hot, but not too much foam. In this case, this device does a much better work than others, it produces foamy milk froth almost immediately.One thing though, at least when brewing cappuccino, since the milk/foam goes in first and next the coffee (not the two at the same time), you’d still need to manually stir the end result a little to mix all properly. Nevertheless, the foam and resulting drink comes out very foamy and with great taste.>> Some other notes- The Frother and the milk container don’t “click” when assembled as the manual suggest, mine needs an extra push for one to “slide” into the other to be secured (no click).- A few times the “Add water” message appeared despite the fact that there was still enough water, pulling the water tank and placing it back would do the trick for the message to go. Note that until you get rid of the message, you cannot brew anything.- It comes with a water hardness test strip with 4 levels, which according to the Phillips website is not available anymore.- There is always some milk left in the milk container after using “all” of it. So, always be careful to clean it.- If not manually cleaned, the auto-clean function automatically kicks in before the machine is shut down, which is nice but also tells you that you need to regularly check the drip tray and clean it.

[Rewarded Review] Great product for coffee lovers

The Philips 4400 automatic expresso machine is my first foray into specialty coffee makers. I love coffee, but have always wanted to have options to do more than just make a standard cup of coffee. It just seemed to difficult to do all of that work by hand. That is where the Philips 4400 comes into play. with just the push of a button, you can have it make a variety of different coffee drinks. I think it advertises twelve different drinks and it has an other button that you can use to create your own. This machine comes with a built in milk frothier for cappuccino and latte type coffees and by adding your own ice, can make cold coffee drinks. The Philips 4400 has its own built in grinder so you can use your favorite coffee bean and it also has the ability to use ... MoreThe Philips 4400 automatic expresso machine is my first foray into specialty coffee makers. I love coffee, but have always wanted to have options to do more than just make a standard cup of coffee. It just seemed to difficult to do all of that work by hand. That is where the Philips 4400 comes into play. with just the push of a button, you can have it make a variety of different coffee drinks. I think it advertises twelve different drinks and it has an other button that you can use to create your own. This machine comes with a built in milk frothier for cappuccino and latte type coffees and by adding your own ice, can make cold coffee drinks. The Philips 4400 has its own built in grinder so you can use your favorite coffee bean and it also has the ability to use ground coffee. The choice is up to you. There is a knob to adjust how fine you want your bean ground, which, to coffee afficianatoes, changes the flavor of the coffee and multiple adjustments to change the strenght of the coffee that is produced. I have really enjoyed playing around with this machine to find the coffee drinks that are just right for me. When you open the box, the machine is pretty much assemblyed, just remember to open the door on the side and remove the tape holding the parts in place. Don't expect there to be well written set up insructions There isn't. You will find a fold out card with pictures of the parts and where they are supposed to go for the final assembly. Download the app using the QR code on the packet. The app has how to videos that talks you through the whole process and has some recipes for various types of coffee drinks that you might want to try. The first 4 or 5 cups that the machine make were really weak. That is normal. It takes a few cups for the machine to get its groove. After that, every cup I have made has been exactly what I have expected it to be. Very consistant. Buy the machine, buy your favorite coffee in bean or ground form and sit back and enjoy a great cup of Joe.

[Rewarded Review] Like having a personal barista in your kitchen!

I’ve been a K Cup user at home for many years and have always been happy with it. For higher-end coffee I would venture out to the local Starbucks or coffee house. That has all changed since receiving my Philips 4400 Fully Automatic Espresso Machine with LatteGo Milk Frother. Now I’m able to enjoy top-shelf espresso and coffee drinks at home…with a push of a button!Setup:When initially opening the box, my first impression was, “this could take a bit of work to figure out and set up!”. Although initially hesitant, it was quite simple to setup and use with just a little guidance from the included manual, online resources (HomeID app) and practice. In the box is the brewer unit, a hardness test strip, ground coffee spoon, a water filter and maintenance items. All ... MoreI’ve been a K Cup user at home for many years and have always been happy with it. For higher-end coffee I would venture out to the local Starbucks or coffee house. That has all changed since receiving my Philips 4400 Fully Automatic Espresso Machine with LatteGo Milk Frother. Now I’m able to enjoy top-shelf espresso and coffee drinks at home…with a push of a button!Setup:When initially opening the box, my first impression was, “this could take a bit of work to figure out and set up!”. Although initially hesitant, it was quite simple to setup and use with just a little guidance from the included manual, online resources (HomeID app) and practice. In the box is the brewer unit, a hardness test strip, ground coffee spoon, a water filter and maintenance items. All you need to be up and brewing are beans or ground coffee, milk and appropriate glasses!Once all parts are unboxed and the HomeID app has been downloaded, simply start the setup walkthrough on the app. to prepare the machine. There are videos and pictures to guide through the process. Essentially the steps are checking your water hardness with the included indicator strip, set the machine hardness, prime the included water filter and add it to the tank, fill the water tank, remove the cover on the bean tray, add beans, adjust the grind size (optional) and replace the cover and assemble the LatteGo milk frother…which snaps together in a second. Those are the major steps. The machine had a sticker on it indicating that beans had been run through as part of the QA process, but it also goes through a cleaning of the system on startup so there are no concerns about machine cleanliness. Now the fun begins!Usage:Unlike other coffee and espresso machines/presses, the Philips 4400 series automatically makes an array of cold and hot coffee drinks with the push of a button. There are seven preset drink selector buttons on the control panel, along with hot water, profiles, clean and settings. Once a drink option is selected, the display provides guidance as to what is needed for the blend and the strength and amount of coffee and milk are adjustable at this point. The dispenser height is adjustable depending on the style of drink selected and milk will froth automatically if part of the selected drink. It’s that simple!For the Profiles, there are two set up out of the box, Yellow and Blue, and additional profiles can be added. A cool feature is that any specialty drink that is selected will be automatically added to your profile for later use without having to create it again. I really enjoyed this feature as Café Latte, which is my favorite coffee drink, is not on the main page for preset drinks, but is added to my profile for easy access.This is an impressive machine that is built with quality and looks great at the same time. The color option I have is Black/Silver, so there is just enough stainless to tie into our other kitchen appliances. Also to note, although it’s a fully automated machine, it is also very customizable in terms of grind size, strength of drinks, setting up profiles, etc.The coffee output is in line with or even better than the specialty coffees I’ve been buying over the years. I’m a bit regretful that I hadn’t moved to a system like the Philips 4400 sooner. I’ve only tried two different beans so far but can say without a doubt the coffee drinks will rival any of the fancy coffee shops and in the long run will be much more cost effective as well.HomeID app:This is a great app, it’s a bit different than the standard app that typically controls the associated product. For this machine, the app is a guide for set up and usage and also has a number of articles about brewing coffee, selecting beans, grind size, etc. It’s been a wealth of information about coffee, assorted drink recipes and brewing as well as providing information about the machine itself.Clean Up & Maintenance:The system automatically cleans the grinds out after each use and also runs water through the system when powered down. The grinds and water are caught in the catch tray for easy clean up. There is a float in the water tray to indicate when it needs to be emptied. For the grinds, pull out the catch tray and remove the collection bin and clean out the grinds. There is also a clean function that can be run from main panel on the machine. For maintenance, the “brew group” needs to be cleaned weekly, deep cleaned monthly and lubricated every 2 months. All of these steps are outlined in the HomeID app.Pros:- Solid build of the machine and accessories – this system should last for many years to come.- Perfect for home or office use based on the solid build and ease of use.- Ability to set up and update different user profiles- So easy to use, just select a drink and hit the button!- Easy to Clean – removable spill tray and grind container are cleaned in minutes- No longer filling the landfill with K cup containers- Looks great with the black and silver colorway, matches existing appliances.Cons:- So far the only issue I’ve had is the factory sticker on the bean tray cover will not come off!Overall the Philips 4400 Fully Automatic Espresso Machine with LatteGo Milk Frother is an incredible machine for producing “fancy” coffee drinks or the perfect Cup of Joe. It’s overall ease of use, preset drinks and programmability make it a great choice for home use by coffee lovers or a small office environment that needs a coffee upgrade. The taste of fresh coffee drinks every morning is definitely worth the purchase!

[Rewarded Review] My new morning friend

Well done Philips, well done. I own a couple of other manual machines so I was really looking forward to having it all done for me for those early mornings..Not to overlook the packaging, there were handles to assist lifting the machine out of the box, I appreciate I didn't have to go into full wrecking crew mode to extract the machine. Everything you need is in the box and the setup is easy with the HomeID App.Don't be distraught with the lack of a paper owner's manual, download the HomeID App. I am somewhat experienced with making coffee, but the app is wealth of information about how to customize your machine to your liking. It may take a few dozen brew trials to get it perfect.The Philips 4400 is an easy-to-use machine, love the profile options so once I ... MoreWell done Philips, well done. I own a couple of other manual machines so I was really looking forward to having it all done for me for those early mornings..Not to overlook the packaging, there were handles to assist lifting the machine out of the box, I appreciate I didn't have to go into full wrecking crew mode to extract the machine. Everything you need is in the box and the setup is easy with the HomeID App.Don't be distraught with the lack of a paper owner's manual, download the HomeID App. I am somewhat experienced with making coffee, but the app is wealth of information about how to customize your machine to your liking. It may take a few dozen brew trials to get it perfect.The Philips 4400 is an easy-to-use machine, love the profile options so once I get it dialed in all I have to do is push a button for my cappuccino and boom, it is ready. You can customize the grind size, grind amount, milk amount and total output. I actually liked experimenting with what I thought was my perfect cup of coffee.You can make several different types of drinks; I especially like the hot water and milk option for hot cocoa seeing how fall is right around the corner.Quality of manufacture seems to be on par with what I expect from Philips products. They have made this unit easy to clean, maintain and use. However, I wish the water reservoir had a level window you could see from the front. My machine is placed in a corner so I can't see the water level until I need to add, no big deal though. This will also tell you when you need to empty the catch tray, by way of a red pop-up button and the grind chamber by way of the LED readout.One other CON, that I really thought was going to be nice is the LatteGo. It does take away the manual foaming of milk, but it isn't really convenient after the fact to store any leftover milk. It barely sites upright in the fridge and does not have the ability to self-seal when detached from the machine. Not a big deal so the tradeoff is not having to froth the milk manually, but the cleanup and storage is a little more. The LatteGo works perfectly though.I like that the dispenser head is adjustable so I can use a larger mug when I want to. It is kind of tight getting the mug aligned with the LatteGo so the milk goes into the cup and doesn't spill over the side, but that is a one-time only mistake. I still can't fit my favorite travel mug under it though...For your basic coffee, unless you use espresso beans you will have to either use pre ground, yes there is an option for that or replace the beans in the grind hopper. I appreciate the grind hopper does appear to seal well so it will help to keep your beans fresh.In short, read the HomeID app recommendations and don't be afraid to experiment for your perfect cup of coffee.