PHILIPS4300 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine - LatteGo Milk Frother, 8 Coffee Varieties, Intuitive Touch Display, Black, (EP4347/94)

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!

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!

Watery espresso shots. No matter the combination of different grind size or less water amount still pulled a nasty shot. Pucks were supper soggy and thin. I purchased this machine to replace a Saeco odea giro go that I’ve had for over 10 years. This item doesn’t even come close to the way the Odea pulls a shot. From the first time I used it excellent pulls no need to “learn” or adjust itself. No watery pucks and thick pucks in comparison to this new machine. Made an iced latte like I usually do on my old machine, NO flavor what so ever. All I tasted was the oat milk and I only use 1/4 cup and 1 tablespoon of sweet cream creamerBLAND!!! Added a second shot no help at all. It actually made it taste bitter. Mind you this is the way I’ve made my lattes for the past 10 years so I’m not doing anything different other than using this new machine. I tried making a honey nut latte which I’ve made over the past two years exact measurements of honey and peanut butter powder and oat milk like I’ve always used with the old machine and it doesn’t even come close! I’m not gonna lie Bustelos instant espresso tastes 1000 times better than what this machine makes. I really wanted to like the machine but it makes horrible espresso. I ran about 3lbs of coffee through it hoping it would get better. It in fact did not! Don’t waste your money! As soon as I saw the quality of the shot I knew the rest of the drinks this machine is capable of making would not be up to my standard. Such a shame,for the amount of money people are willing to invest in an espresso maker it should at the least make a descent shot.