PHILIPSSeries 3300 Fully Automatic Espresso Coffee Machine - 6 Hot & Iced Drinks, LatteGo Milk System, 40% Quieter SilentBrew, Ceramic Grinder, Aquaclean Filter, Glossy Black (EP3341/50)

Was put off by some of the negitive reviews but happy I bought it. Home run. Espresso tastes great, the design is very good, easy to operate. Super silent.I've had two previous Saeco's over the past 15 years. This are now owned by Philips. Philips borrowed much of the internal design from Saeco. One of the reasons I went with Philips is that being it was similar internally, maintenance would be easier for me. Also, I had few issues with my Saeco machines, so figured why not given other top brands have about the same ratings.What you'll notice is this machine has the same internal brew system as my old Saeco from 8 years ago. But they changed about everything else ...for the better. Drop trey no longer has any wires in it, or se sort, no faulty false sensor events. Also the water is now just a pull out drawer. No more top loading or filling. Easy slick. Love it.I was resistant to get the carafe. After my fordt Saeco that was fully automatic, and every expensive, started to give me problems after a few years, all those issues were with the brother, carafe, pump systems related to it. I wanted to pair down the range of internal components that could go wrong. Well the Latte Go doesn't really have any additional internal components for this just the carafe using the built in brother pump (smae internals without the Go carafe) so I did it.The machine is super quiet. Espresso comes out HOT (big improvement from last generation). It's also very good. I don't know why people say it comes out watery. My first cup sort of did but then I adjusted the grind and the amount of water used per pull and BAM. Spot on. Maybe the very few negitive reviews just haven't found their sweet spot..and i like mine as strong as it gets...still it's smooth, strong, not harsh.Here is one negitive thing but also a silver lining. The Latte Go carafe broke on first attempted use. So much for that "fewer things to break" theory. The carafe is a genius concept but the carafe design itself is perhaps some of the worst design execution I've seen. Has a frame where you insert the container, the container has a hole at the bottom and will leak unless you clip the container into the frame just right. The hole at the bottom is suppressed by pressure. There is no functional reason to have a hole at the bottom, none. Anyhow, the plastic clip broke right off when slotting it in.I called philips support. Zero wait time, zero hassle, they were super nice and sending me a new one. I'm really hesitant about the carafe design or if it will hold up fkr a week nevermind years. However at least it's external and support appears to be stellar if it does.

This is the fourth "super" espresso machine I have owned over the last 20 years and all were similar regarding features. So, I have some experience to base my review on and I may get a little preachy in the process. I can honestly say that this is by far the best machine I have owned. I roast my own beans and the Philips machine does full justice to the bean I strive to get a good flavor profile from when roasting. My previous machines were all "good" or "good enough". But, this machine is excellent for producing a very satisfying cup. I say all this with one caveat - any machine, regardless of price, can't make a bad bean better. Don't waste your money if you are not going to either home roast or source your beans from a reputable roaster. Find a local roaster or check out Sweet Maria's, Peet's, and other online sources. While I usually just do a straight cup or two in the morning, having the frother for Cappuccino or Macchiato is a plus when having guests come by. It's so simple! The other things I really appreciate about this machine are first, the much improved noise control from the grinder. Second, the very efficient extraction process. I am using 40-50% less beans than my previous machines and getting a vastly better cup. And lastly, I like having the ability to pre-set defaults for water temp, etc. It's not something you have to do, but it's there if you want it. If you decide to buy one, do yourself a favor and buy a set of the double walled, clear glass coffee cups. They are great for any drink when using the frother. It really enhances the visual experience, keeps your drink hot, and your guests will appreciate them.

If you are like me search the plethora of super automatic espresso makers, this one certainly will make the list. At least it made mine (sort of). I mean what is not to like? It is feature packed, small compared to other super automatics and it does make a pretty good cup.However, out of the box and brewing your first up, it’s certainly not going to be what you hoped for. For example as stated in the instructions you need to run a large number of brews through it before everything breaks in. And so I did. In fact, you can see the progress of how well it’s brewing due to the packedness and look of the brewed coffee pucks.Brewing a cup is easy, it’s pretty fast compared to others and it’s quiet too. I guess the previous model made. It more noise grinding. Here, it’s very quiet yet you still have the robotic whirring of the mechanics switching and preparing each puck.Although the love affair was short lived. This was not due to the quality of the beverage made but the result of the mess the machine made. As others reported for the 3200 model, it leaks. In fact water pours out the bottom onto the counter top and if you are not wise to this, the water lands on the floor.Now the leaking is not because the water tray is full, clogged or what have you. Rather it is from the inside of the unit during the brew cycle. And the funny thing is, the water never goes in the tray. In other words it’s coming from something further back in the unit (not the water tank either as the leaked water feels “very warm”). Lastly, the unit was not more than three weeks old, I have now returned it for a refund.I really wanted to like this, I really did. For the price point, size and beverage quality it was spot in. But to have a failure this new in its life cycle, I was not looking to risk further failures later down the road. It’s sad and hopefully this design flaw is addressed as I believe it will be a great product….. someday.If you are thinking like I did and see this as a great beverage maker, just beware of the leak because over time it seems to get worse. Yet, maybe yours will run flawlessly; who knows.