Philips 4300 Superautomatic Espresso Machine Expired

Welcome to the club @darthsho. This is a fine start.

My take on Super-auto coffee machines.

Depending on the make and model, these can certainly pull some decent coffees. Since I try not buy new unless its a compelling deal like someone selling a gifted machine, I'll usually buy second hand working or not.

I've seen many machines that are abused since their users get too comfortable with the convenience and ignore regular or longterm maintenance.

In the last few years I acquired several machines, a few Jura , one Saeco Sirus S-Class, most recently a Delonghi Eletta that was 5 years old with over 5000 coffee's made.

I also managed to find a good deal on a commercial grade Italian made Quick Mill Monza Evo Deluxe, at the time of its release it was used by over 200 McDonalds McCafe's in Italy.

Adding to the collection I also have a Breville Dual Boiler 920XL, acquired with about 1500 shot count. This one had a good amount of scale build up.

The Jura's are good machines, but lack the ease of longterm at home maintenace since the brew group aka brew infuser cannot be easily serviced.

The Delonghi is designed similiar to the Saeco, removeable brew group is a great feature for those less inclined to spend money on sending it in for professional service. The alternative is learning how to service your own machines.

What I noticed on all machines is neglecting to keep the dredge or grounds tray clean, this can contribute to mold groth in the machine.
I saw it first hand in my personally refurbished Jura Micro 5 which I did a complete teardown and sanitizaition. After one year, and depending on humidty levels in the home, it started to show signs of mold in the lower brew group area.

Another issue I've seen is the water reservoirs will look clean, but have a micro film of scum that has built up inside. This will eventually collect inside the tubing and pumps of the machine.

Quick tips if you don't like to read.

- Keep the water reservoir clean, allow it to dry out occassionally and wipe the inside with a paper towel to see if its actually clean.

- Keep dredge/grounds tray clean.

- Get some skinny tube brushes and baking soda, or an espresso cleaner like BioCaf, Caffiza, etc. for longterm care. Regular dish soap can leave residue or unwanted secents that could impact taste in the cup.

Self-proclaimed expert here. I have owned a super automatic and currently own a Barista Express. From an efficiency perspective, the super automatic wins hands down. If I'm making a latte/flat white on my barista express, it probably takes 3-5 mins depending on how awake I am. Super automatic, 90 seconds. Sounds like a small difference, but for busy people trying to rush out the door, it can sometimes be the difference between having a coffee to take with me and needing to buy one on the way. If you're drinking straight espresso, the time gap is smaller.

So why do I own a Barista Express? Simply put, I'm a coffee nerd who likes trying a lot of different beans. To pull the right pressure in an espresso shot you need 3 factors to be correct - grind (fine/coarse), amount, and tamp (how tightly you pack the beans in the portafilter). If I buy a 1lb bag of beans, these three factors do not stay the same a) from one bag of beans to a different type of bag of beans and b) from the first shot you pull to the last one you pull ~2 weeks later. Different beans have different properties, and as they oxidize, those properties change.

With the more manual approach of the Barista Express, you can correct for these factors and pull a very good shot of espresso across a wide variety of beans with different properties. With the super automatic, the grind and amount can be adjusted, but it will be more of a blind approach without a pressure gauge, the tamp will always stay the same. This can result in some bad (sour) espresso shots as bean properties change.

RECOMMENDATION: If you're going to use the same beans most of the time, I'd recommend the super automatic, it's a more seamless experience and you'll learn how those properties change by having it every day, and you'll be able to make the proper adjustments if it tastes sour. If you want to try lots of different beans and become a nerd, I'd get the Barista Express. If you like coffee with milk and sugar all the time, the nuances of a perfect espresso shot aren't very noticeable and I'd tend towards the super automatic. If you like closer to straight espresso, you'll want to be able to dial it in more perfectly, and I'd go with the Barista Express.

Lastly, can't speak to the specific build quality of this machine vs. the Barista Express, previous comments sound pretty positive, but a general rule is that fewer internal components on the semi-automatic will likely lead to a longer life as there are less costly components that can break. Not a deal breaker but just an FYI.

If only the lattego was also discounted. Thanks for the post OP