There’s a real market for these coffee machines, which combine the extraction quality of a manual machine with the simplicity of an automatic one. But at the same time, isn’t it contradictory to want to play both fields?
Philips is getting into the game with the Baristina, and that’s the first reaction I had to it…
And what an attractive machine it is! But is the coffee really good ? That’s why I’ve explored all its possibilities and capabilities for you.
Would you like a coffee?
Why The Baristina?
Before describing the technical aspects of this new coffee machine, it’s important to understand its positioning, and in particular its pricing. You can’t expect the same thing from a machine aimed at the hobbyist as from one aimed at the most demanding of prosumers.
The Baristina undoubtedly falls into the first category. It currently retails for 499 US dollars. That’s more expensive than a capsule machine, but just as affordable as the least expensive bean-to-cup machines with built-in grinder.
It’s a machine that’s been simplified as much as possible to offer a gateway from capsule coffee to bean coffee, all with maximum simplicity. This is the Baristina’s niche: to offer coffee with the quality of a manual machine, but with an automatic machine.
Let’s put it simply: Philips wants to replace all capsule machines with its own system, as simple as a capsule machine, but with a result as good as a bean machine.
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Introducing La Baristina
A look of elegance
The visual aspect of this Baristina is, in my opinion, quite successful. The machine is compact, which is an asset in small kitchens, and the proportions are good. Another successful aspect of this model is its modern look. Personally, I really like it.
We’re holding a machine with a portafilter. You might expect the stainless steel of Italian machines, for example. Instead, we have a sober machine with rounded lines. All in all, it fits in very well with contemporary kitchens.
On the other hand, quality-wise, even for a 500 dollars machine, I find it a little lacking. It’s a little too light, which means it moves easily when you’re making coffee. And the plastic gives the impression of being fragile.
A coffee machine isn’t meant to be abused, but you’d expect better!
It’s also worth noting that the plastic doesn’t let any more noise through than on a slightly more expensive machine. I’ve taken several measurements: the grinder makes 72 db, the pump 60 db, and these are classic values on a Delonghi or Philips 2300, for example.
A responsible machine?
Responsible consumption is on everyone’s lips, and it’s an approach fueled by the manufacturers themselves. This Baristina is no exception. Philips highlights the following elements:
- 50% of the machine is made of recycled plastic
- Coffee is easily composted or used as fertilizer
- Machine packaging is 100% recyclable
- Coffee beans are less polluting than coffee capsules
- Minimal standby power consumption
Let’s face it, these features don’t make the difference between buying this machine and another, but they’re still worth it. Small detail: coffee can be used as fertilizer for your green plants, but only in small quantities.
Technical data
- Width: 18 cm
- Depth: 38 cm
- Height: 34.5 cm
- Number of drinks: 2, espresso or lungo coffee
- Coffee accepted: bean or ground
- Number of cups: 1 or 2
- Filter holder: 1 pressurized for 2 cups
- Heating type: thermoblock
- Pump type: vibration pump
- Steam nozzle: no, milk frother optional
- Energy rating: A+
- Body material: ABS
- Color: White or black
- Weight : 5 Kg
- Water tank capacity: 1.2 L
Interface: swipe and flow
Touch
To make a good cup of coffee, it’s not just the quality of the machine that counts. You also need to know how to use your machine. That’s why manual machines are reserved for the informed public, while the major coffee machine manufacturers are moving towards fully automated machines. And that’s what the Baristina is.
The Baristina offers just two beverages: short or long coffee. So there are just two buttons to make your selection. It’s so simple!
Additional note: there are actually 3 buttons. The third is the aroma booster, for a fuller-bodied coffee. This is the only way to customize the machine.
As you may have gathered, there is no power button. The machine remains permanently on standby, but with minimal power consumption.
However, this means it starts up faster than other machines for the first espresso – around 40 seconds, or half the time of some machines with a grinder – since the thermoblock doesn’t have to cool down completely.
The speed with which the Baristina serves its espresso is reminiscent of the time it takes to use a capsule machine.
Swipe
Where the machine interface changes, and the Baristina communicates around this point, is in the Swipe gesture.
You’ve heard of swiping. The idea is to scroll the image on your smartphone to the right or left, just as you do when playing videos on social networks, for example.
With this Baristina, you’ll start your percolation in the same way, with this fashionable gesture. You swipe your filter holder under the grinder, and then the filter holder moves, swiping in the other direction, under the coffee group for extraction.
It’s fun, it’s playful, and it plays a big part in the automatic aspect of this Philips Baristina. My kids love it!
Swiper doesn’t change the quality of the coffee, nor does it make the machine any simpler, but visually, the gesture adds a little something extra! We’re following the same approach as the BCoffee and its packaging-free coffee pods. Note also that this has no impact on percolation time: allow 16 seconds for the extraction itself.
Real talk, coffee and Baristina
Personalization
The whole philosophy of the Baristina is to be a simple machine. Simple in its handling, as we saw above. But it’s also simple because it doesn’t offer the possibility of setting extraction parameters.
So there’s only one temperature for the water, only one fineness of grind for the beans. The machine is designed to adjust the fineness of grind for each type of coffee.
Your only leeway is the length of the cup. This ranges from 30 to 70 ml for espresso, and from 70 to 200 ml for long coffee.
Don’t cry scandal! It has the simplicity of a capsule machine, so multiple settings wouldn’t have made sense. But does that make for bad coffee?
Extraction
Coffee bean grinding and percolation are therefore automatic, and all you have to do is place the filter holder in position for the process to start. This is a pressurized filter.
The result in a cup? The coffee is decent, fairly light, but tends to lack body. It’s undeniable that it’s not bad, but you shouldn’t expect coffee from a top-of-the-range manual machine, but you can feel the difference with a capsule machine, no doubt about it. As for the crema, it’s more of a foam, but the visual effect is there.
To take extraction quality a step further, a cup of Baristina was run through a refractometer to calculate the TDS.
For this model, the value is between 5 and 6. For a machine with a built-in grinder, like the Delonghi Evo we tested a few years ago, the figure is around 8. An espresso on a manual machine will reach around 10, even 13 for a ristretto.
This value is therefore coherent for this type of machine, but also expresses a certain limitation due to the limited number of possible adjustments, particularly those for the shredder.
Still on the subject of cup quality, the machine uses a little less coffee than the average (12 g maximum) per extraction, which again, compared to a machine with a grinder, is a few grams below the norm. It’s closer to 14-15, like a Delonghi machine.
The temperature, set at 85°C or 185° F, is just right for drinking the cup quickly after extraction. Once again, it’s a shame not to be able to control this parameter, but the coffee comes out hot and I appreciate this little extra.
Solving the Baristina extraction problem
Clearly, the Baristina lacks body compared to a more demanding manual or even automatic machine. And that’s about as good as it gets. Firstly, you can’t change the fineness of the grinder, although this would have helped the end result. Secondly, you can’t change the amount of ground coffee in your cup.
Your only leeway is the amount of water. But that’s a trap, because too much water on a coffee can lead to over-extraction and bitterness.
We’re therefore talking about a coffee with few parameters, which is what this machine is all about.
Dairy drinks
The Baristina doesn’t come with a steam nozzle as standard, so you won’t get hot water for the Americano either. However, your model can be sold with a milk frother, in a design matching that of the Baristina, as an option.
This means you can make your milk drinks, such as cappuccino or latte macchiato, in two batches. What’s really interesting is the quality of the foam. It’s thick and solid, with regular bubbles. It may not be perfect, but it’s still very high quality.
Once again, there may be a flaw in the milk temperature, which means you’ll be drinking your milk drink fairly quickly after preparing it, but nothing serious.
Dual-purpose
Philips describes the Baristina as a machine that does everything for you. But after all, you can decide to take control of your coffee-making, especially if you want to make it a little better.
In fact, you can manually fill the filter holder with coffee. Industrial ground coffee is tasteless, so the ideal solution is to grind it yourself, or have it ground by your roaster.
This solution applies particularly to those who want to consume decaf. But it can be made with any coffee. However, and this is the downside, if you do this on a daily basis, it would be wiser to turn to a machine that allows a little more subtlety in the settings to get the most out of it.
Caring for your Philips Baristina
Maintenance, too, is simplified:
- Descale every 40 liters (about once a month).
- The filter holder empties automatically thanks to a system that expels the coffee cake. Simply rinse the filter holder with clean water.
- Press the intensity booster button for 3 seconds to start rinsing the coffee nozzles.
While simplicity is a virtue, the maintenance of a coffee machine remains essential to optimize the machine’s lifespan. We would have appreciated :
- Insert a filter cartridge
- Rinse coffee group
- Automatic rinse
- A drip tray under the cup.
Who’s the Baristina for?
Ideally, I’d say the Baristina is for those who love their capsule machine. They like the small footprint, style, ease of use and low maintenance.
They love their capsule machine, but are frustrated by the quality of the coffee, which could be better, want to pay less for their coffee beans than for capsules, and want to open the doors to the huge diversity of coffee beans.
These will find the compromise they’re looking for in Baristina.
However, if you’re looking for a real espresso, this is not the machine I’d recommend. Good alternatives can be found with classic machines or hybrid coffee machines such as the Sage Barista Express.
