Review on ☕ Black Philips 3200 Series EP3241/54 - LatteGo Fully Automatic Espresso Machine by Tony Pierce

Update - 12/19/2019 - So I've been using this for a few months now and in the end I keep it a four star score. I like the simplicity of the machine. He does what he does well and doesn't pretend to be of high quality. Of course, I'd love to try the DeLonghi Eleta, but I can't wait for almost two thousand dollars. I set the "aroma" to the maximum and the degree of grinding to the finest. I had no need or desire to change these settings. Now that I use very good Italian coffee beans, the pucks are well shaped and quite hard. However, the "drip time" is about eight seconds. According to an Italian espresso website, the ideal time is 20-25 seconds for a shot of espresso to "squeeze" into the cup. I invited a neighbor downstairs to get his opinion. He lived in Italy for several years and now uses this solid brass and copper hood with a temperature sensor. A wonderful piece of Italian art. When he saw that the Philips 3200 produced a shot in about eight seconds, he didn't even try (!). Mumbled that most Americans think Starbucks is what espresso is supposed to taste like, etc. Okay. Many make either 2x Americano or 2x coffee every morning and cappuccino every day. Sometimes I use a separate dispenser for decaf coffee. When I add milk I turn the heat down from the default setting to medium to high. I'm hot enough. 2x Americano set for medium water fills an 8 ounce American coffee cup to the brim. When you need a place for milk, a light touch on the "continue" button stops the water flow immediately. However, double coffee fills the cup less, leaving room for milk. I wish there was a way to program the machine to make a double cappuccino. You can increase/decrease the amount of coffee, amount of water and frothed milk, but you cannot make real double coffee. I made a regular size with extra frothed milk and then added a single serving. Works fine, but still. The new Lattego milk system is very simple and convenient. But make sure that the two halves fit together well. A couple of times I didn't and the milk spilled all over the counter. I cleaned the car every week or so. It usually takes five minutes, but every once in a while you'll find ground coffee in nukes and crackers and it takes longer. Conclusion: so far so good. ------- (original review below) As far as I know, I can say that I am the first to test the Philips 3200 series espresso machine with LatteGo. I've had the device for three weeks now and have prepared all the drinks offered. I hope to update this review as experience warrants. Conclusion: Currently (10/2019) the cheapest super machine makes good espresso and milk-based espresso drinks, but there are compromises, compromises and challenges. If you want to make a latte, look elsewhere. Overview: The newest part of this machine is the stupidly simple milk carafe. It consists of two parts that fit together. Pour milk, choose from two milk-based drinks and watch the machine create fresh milk and beautiful foam. In the end, the two parts are separate and easy to clean - no straws, straws and complicated attachments. I pray the plastic tabs connecting the two sections don't break. That would be real crap. Background: I've studied the supercar market more obsessively than the frog studied cars in The Wind and Willow (if you're unfamiliar with this Disney classic, you're really missing out). When I saw this $700 Phillips 3200 I was intrigued and kept it. The next day the price rose to $799. A week or two later it dropped to $709 and I bought it. At the time of this writing in October 2019, it has hit $799 almost everywhere. Disclaimer: This is my first automatic espresso machine and I'm not a coffee expert but a die-hard fan. But everyone who has tried espresso, coffee, americano, cappuccino and latte macchiato agrees that they are tasty and hot enough on factory settings. I posted the video but I suggest you search the web for the best of Seattle Coffee Gear and Phillips himself. (I'm not including links because I don't think Revane approves of YouTube embeds.) The machine makes espresso, coffee, and americano in single or double sizes. To select a double size, press the appropriate beverage button so that the red indicator changes from x1 to x2. He makes two milk-based drinks: cappuccino and latte macchiato in just one size. You can choose between three factory settings for brew strength and water volume for all five drinks and three milk levels for milk-based drinks. You can also set the maximum settings for water and milk, but only for x1 sizes. When I was making my morning Americano, I wanted a regular US sized coffee mug, around 8-9 ounces. The x1 size was too short; The x2 size would have overflowed if I hadn't stopped it. It was surprising (and frustrating) to learn from customer support that you can only set max x1 size tiers. So I have to watch this now. There is also a way to increase the temperature. I found the default temperature to be quite high and didn't mess with it. I have no idea how many grams of coffee are ground or how much water and milk is used in cubic centimeters or ounces. The water tank is said to hold 61 oz. Well, on paper maybe without a water filter installed. I've measured cups at six and a half ounces - maybe 54 ounces. But the machine stops working when the water falls below a certain level, maybe 20% of the bottom. In addition, the machine uses about an ounce of water for self-cleaning when it's on and a little for self-cleaning when it's off. If you only drink espresso and cappuccino, this might be enough. More water flows from inside the machine into the drip tray than is usual with these machines. So if you're brewing a regular coffee and an americano, specifically twice to fill a standard American cup (8-9 ounces), you'll need to add water far more often than the 61-ounce spec suggests. The bean pod claims to hold 11 ounces. I haven't measured so can't confirm. At first it seemed that the grains did not slide smoothly towards the mill. But even when the hopper was almost empty, the beans were sent to the coffee grinder. But it's better to keep an eye on it. There is also a port where you can pour pre-ground coffee, for example decaffeinated. Use only one measuring spoon. The shovel is included. I've tried this twice with decaffeinated coffee and it seems to have worked well. When you turn on the machine, the machine's red LED lights will flash in sequence and the machine will enter self-rinse mode with espresso. hot water. I set this process to 60 seconds. It might take an extra minute to make an espresso, a little longer for a milk-based drink, but certainly not without reason. The coffee machine switches off automatically after 20 minutes or half an hour of inactivity. As mentioned above, the self-cleaning nozzle needs some water. There is no way to set a timer to turn on or off automatically. You can put cups on the machine, but it's actually not a cup warmer at all, just a ribbed top. I haven't had any of these tricks before and can't tell if the one minute heat up time for first use in the morning is too long or relatively speaking too loud. After the deafening roar of my old Nespresso grinder and kettle, that doesn't sound bad at all. Others may have different opinions. I have already cleaned it three times according to the weekly instructions. It takes about five minutes to wash everything. General pluses: - The drinks are strong and tasty. Good crema on espresso, good regular coffee and smooth americano. Pleasant foam and steam from the new LatteGo tank. Very hot (for those who tried). -- The milk container/frother is stupidly simple and easy to clean, about five seconds under running tap water. -- I cleaned the brewing mechanism three times a week as directed. . It takes about five minutes to do everything necessary. Just. General Cons: - Concerned that the touch buttons will become more and more problematic. You're not very responsive anymore. Poor fit and finish of tray and metal lid. It doesn't fit well in the canal. -- Less minus than fact, the 1.7 liter water tank needs to be refilled more often than you might expect. -- I hope the tabs that lock the milk container won't come loose. If this is the case, this review gets 1 star. Why 4 star rating? Because despite some shortcomings, the main focus for me is the ease of use and the taste of the coffee. Why not 5 stars? I wish they had a latte button instead of latte macchiato which is very similar to cappuccino. The fit and finish isn't that great either, I'm concerned about the plastic protrusions on the milk container.