The Philips EP4347/94 espresso machine (with LatteGo milk frother) sits in the esteemed class of automatic espresso machines which are more pricey than regular espresso machines but pamper the owner with a bean to cup cappuccino (or whatever your Italian style hot or cold beverage choice maybe).
The Philips EP4347/94 is the latest machine from Philips and with the LatteGo frothing system you can forget about putting a pitcher under the steam wand and frothing your own milk. This system froths and steams milk for you and even pours it into your espresso glass/cup for you. Is there a down side? Read until the end to see if Philips have hit the right note or need to smell the coffee.
Benefits of an Automatic System
An automatic espresso machine such as the Philips EP4347/94 not only has the benefit of grinding your favorite beans, tamping them for you, pumping water to extract flavors and finally pouring on milky froth, it also allows for easy drink selection and customization.
The Philips EP4347/94 has eight drinks you can choose from with their own dedicated buttons: espresso, cappuccino, coffee, ristretto, latte, macchiato, café au lait, Americano, plus it can produce hot water for teas. The TFT screen will store two user profiles with your favorite customized recipes.
Cleaning The Philips EP4347/94 Espresso Machine (with LatteGo milk Frother)
Philips have clearly made the easy cleaning of the EP4347/94 a key feature. The machine cleverly automatically rinses itself daily to keep limescale and unwanted residue at bay. However, the machine is said to create 5000 cups of coffee before this dusky model needs a descale. Descaling is straightforward: Simply add a descaling solution to the water reservoir and turn the machine on, letting the solution surge through every nook and cranny. Then rinse with clean water and let stand for a few hours.
The LatteGo milk reservoir and spout are easily detachable with a soft pull and can be washed by hand or in a dish washer. The drip tray also needs washing regularly in warm water and soap. There is another part that needs a weekly rinse according to Philips: behind the water reservoir is the brew group that slots in and out easily.
Bean Grinder and Use of the Philips EP4347/94 Espresso Machine
Coffee aficionados will always tell you the best coffee beverages are made from freshly ground beans. The ceramic burr grinder of the Philips has 12 settings with which to set your grounds coarseness from fine grind powder to course. Ceramic grinders are seen as harder and more precise and so Philips promises you’ll be able to produce 20,000 cups before possibly encountering problems. In short that’s one cup a day for 54.7 years.
Fill the water reservoir (which holds an impressive 1.8 liters), add your favorite beans to the burr grinder and press the drink button of your choice; a rich espresso, in this case, with impressive crema is ready in 30 seconds. The milk frother system, LatteGo is quite hypnotic as it hums into action, creating steamed milk for latte style drinks and denser foam for cappuccinos which it does with adept style. 3 small icons on the milk jug indicate how much milk is needed for cappuccino or latte, which is a useful touch.
While the drinks are bistro style quality, it may be worth a mention to Starbuck lovers that there will be no latte art with this LatteGo, though you could always sprinkle cinnamon through a stencil for a a more lustrous end beverage. Check out a few options on Amazon here (we may get a small commission for purchases).
The final drink it should be said comes out hot with an impressive crema; you may have limited control over water heat with low, medium and hot settings. Medium heat will produce a good temperature of 150 F which is ideal for an espresso.
Nuances Worth a Mention With the Philips EP4347/94 Espresso Machine
Some aficionados may take some of these following features for granted, though I believe they are worth an honorable mention:
- AquaClean water filter changeable at the request of the machine deters limescale and provides good quality water for beverages.
- 11.42″ width is a decent footprint for a machine in this class.
- Use Coffee powder or beans
- Room for tall glasses or espresso cups
- Coffee waste needs emptying once a week with family use.
- The frother does a good job with any milk type (soy, almond, cow).
Cons
- As I touched on before the LatteGo milk frother does not create latte art which maybe a negative point for some.
In Conclusion
The Philips EP4347/94 with LatteGo milk frother system lives up to its billing as a fully automatic espresso machine with a trifecta of solid axioms: firstly, ease of use, secondly: bean to cup and thirdly: easy to maintain.
The final beverages themselves are influenced by the coffee grounds, though the quality of espresso with thick crema is bistro standard, produced in sharp time and at a touch of a button. The milk frothing device makes the Philips stupidly easy to use compared with its cheaper sibling with classic milk frother and makes an illustrious foam for cappuccinos. However cappuccino and latte lovers may miss the opportunity to practice their latte art skills.
We found a great price on Amazon (we may get a small commission for purchases).
