- Philips Baristina is a new compact espresso machine
- It claims to brew coffee from beans in a minute with a ‘single swipe’
- It should be much easier to maintain than a typical automatic coffee machine
Philips has launched a new coffee machine that promises to make authentic espresso using fresh beans with the speed and convenience of coffee pods – but without the cost.
According to the company, the Baristina will prepare your drink “with a single flick of the portafilter handle.” I haven’t seen it in action yet, but judging by the description and the pictures shown, it sounds like it works the same way as a bean-to-cup coffee maker, but without the hassle of having to take the machine apart to clean the brew group and empty the hopper of used grounds.
Instead, the Baristina uses the same type of portafilter handle as a manual espresso machine. Slide this into place and the machine will grind the appropriate dose of coffee directly into the filter, tap it down and then extract your shot of espresso once the kettle has reached the ideal temperature and pressure.
The whole process apparently only takes a minute, after which you simply remove the portafilter handle and tap on the used coffee grinders, just as you would with a conventional coffee maker.
There are no steam pipes, but if you want to prepare lattes and cappuccinos, there is a separate Baristina milk frother that can produce hot and cold milk foam.
Espresso without mess
I’m not sure how much customization Baristina will offer, (hopefully you’ll at least be able to adjust the grind size to suit different coffee types), but it sure looks exciting. My biggest issue with super automatic coffee machines is that while they save you time and effort in the short term, they take a lot more effort to keep clean than a manual espresso machine.
It sounds like the Baristina will give you the best of both worlds, handling all the technical and potentially difficult parts of the brewing process for you without any coffee mess inside.
I will be testing the Philips Baristina soon and will give you a full review once I have reviewed it. If it works as well as Philips claims, it might even earn a spot in our list of the best espresso machines.
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