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.
