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Phillips is a super automattic.
This is a semi automatic.
The main difference is that it will auto froth the milk for you.
The breville does but you technically need to fill the cup each time. Also breville allows you to manually froth if you wish.
I have the breville, and we had a saeco Incanto (which is a super auto similar to the phillips) before.
I believe our saeco actually broke after about a year. Theres definitely more parts obviously.
My big take away was that you constantly had to clean out the milk container which easily got pretty nasty, you can put the container in the fridge but still.
Also we drink large coffees, yeti cups etc the milk container often had to be refilled every morning.
The super required more cleaning cycles and such naturally. I dont recall exactly, but it just wasnt nearly as convenient as youd hope for. Not to mention it broke.
The breville requires a little trial and error to set up.
As someone else stated, i bought an extension for the portafilter, dosing funnel its called. To help keep the grinds in.
I also bought a better tamper, bc im a noob and it helps me get the pressure right.
The breville is close to fully auto,
Cleaning and such is far less common and pretty easy.
Its been pretty reliable and makes some great coffee.
I bought this last fall for the same price, and absolutely love it. It is used basically daily, and ended up being much more of a game changer for my home coffee consumption than I had expected. I figured I'd still do drip pretty regular just cause it's easy to make a big pot, but.... It's just *so* fast to make an espresso drink with this thing, and after some practice I'm making drinks that taste just as good as the local coffee shops.
Anyway, there's a little learning curve if you've never made espresso before, but this machine is great. And youtube plus a little trial and error fills that learning need nicely.
I've had this model for just over 2 years and use it at least once a day. Just like others say it does take a little bit to dial in based on beans and milk, but once you get it right it's so fast and tastes great.
Tips I can recommend:
Gently shake the portafilter handle when grinding the beans, lots of people have the plastic add-on, but just shaking keeps it from overflowing too much when tamping.
Don't take the hopper off when beans are in it. Makes a huge mess and is hard to clean.
Oat milk can take a bit to get right. Chobani Extra Creamy at 150 degrees / 6 foam is my go to.
Warm up that portafilter for like 7 seconds, dry it, then grind the beans.
Don't want a latte? Make an Americano. Takes about 2 minutes.
Also, keep it clean.
I just got back from Spain and LOVED the cafe con leche there. I have no idea what I need to make it in the US...I'm using kcups and they suck compared. I do know cafe con leche is half espresso and half hot milk. Is this the machine I need to replicate what I got in Spain. Thanks in advance for your help.
Cafe con leche is made with espresso and not filter coffee. The closest thing to cafe con leche out of a pod would be a nespresso pod for a latte. This breville will certainly make espresso and steam the milk needed for cafe con leche. Hope this helps!
I've been happy with this model. One reason I went with it is the automatic milk frother which works perfectly well for my needs. As other have said you need to get it dialed in, but it has been smooth sailing since. I buy fresh roasted coffee from a local roaster (through the mail) which has made a significant difference. I adjusted the internal burr based on a video, and bought a WDT tool and triple shot basket from Crema Coffee. My girlfriend uses it daily and I use it a couple of times a week. Mine came with a dosing funnel but it seems YMMV as other recommended buying one. I would say wait to see if it comes with your machine. The water filters ended up being cheaper to buy as a subscription from Breville than through Amazon. I used the OEM as they are supposed to help with hard water, which I have, but if you have softer water, the compatible GAC filters on Amazon may be fine.
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I just got back from Spain and LOVED the cafe con leche there. I have no idea what I need to make it in the US...I'm using kcups and they suck compared. I do know cafe con leche is half espresso and half hot milk. Is this the machine I need to replicate what I got in Spain. Thanks in advance for your help.
Can also go the cheaper route with a moka pot .. either way the espresso machines or moka pot method vasty superior to k-cups.
For moka pot ground Cafe bustelo works well with Cafe con Leche..
I just got back from Spain and LOVED the cafe con leche there. I have no idea what I need to make it in the US...I'm using kcups and they suck compared. I do know cafe con leche is half espresso and half hot milk. Is this the machine I need to replicate what I got in Spain. Thanks in advance for your help.
You would just manually add equal part steamed milk.
How does the grinder on this compare to something like a Baratza Encore? I assume it's better since it's espresso grind, which the Encore struggles with.
Phillips is a super automattic.
This is a semi automatic.
The main difference is that it will auto froth the milk for you.
The breville does but you technically need to fill the cup each time. Also breville allows you to manually froth if you wish.
I have the breville, and we had a saeco Incanto (which is a super auto similar to the phillips) before.
I believe our saeco actually broke after about a year. Theres definitely more parts obviously.
My big take away was that you constantly had to clean out the milk container which easily got pretty nasty, you can put the container in the fridge but still.
Also we drink large coffees, yeti cups etc the milk container often had to be refilled every morning.
The super required more cleaning cycles and such naturally. I dont recall exactly, but it just wasnt nearly as convenient as youd hope for. Not to mention it broke.
The breville requires a little trial and error to set up.
As someone else stated, i bought an extension for the portafilter, dosing funnel its called. To help keep the grinds in.
I also bought a better tamper, bc im a noob and it helps me get the pressure right.
The breville is close to fully auto,
Cleaning and such is far less common and pretty easy.
Its been pretty reliable and makes some great coffee.
Philips 5400 is super automatic and highly reliable. I've had mine for over 2 years. My wife and I have over a few thousands of shots counted because family likes it to so much we would always have to bring coffee for gatherings. All we've had to do is run the cleaning cycles as required for new filters, and descaling. It's super easy to maintain. The milk frother does need to be maintained daily if you use it but there's a cleaning button you hit and it takes 10 seconds to clear out the milk. I would say buying a separate frother is better. Even shops do this.
According to all the reviews I've read, the Breville pulls a slightly better shot than the Philips 5400. With that said, can you tell the difference? If one cannot tell the difference, automatic is the way to go.
Phillips is a super automattic.
This is a semi automatic.
The main difference is that it will auto froth the milk for you.
The breville does but you technically need to fill the cup each time. Also breville allows you to manually froth if you wish.
I have the breville, and we had a saeco Incanto (which is a super auto similar to the phillips) before.
I believe our saeco actually broke after about a year. Theres definitely more parts obviously.
My big take away was that you constantly had to clean out the milk container which easily got pretty nasty, you can put the container in the fridge but still.
Also we drink large coffees, yeti cups etc the milk container often had to be refilled every morning.
The super required more cleaning cycles and such naturally. I dont recall exactly, but it just wasnt nearly as convenient as youd hope for. Not to mention it broke.
The breville requires a little trial and error to set up.
As someone else stated, i bought an extension for the portafilter, dosing funnel its called. To help keep the grinds in.
I also bought a better tamper, bc im a noob and it helps me get the pressure right.
The breville is close to fully auto,
Cleaning and such is far less common and pretty easy.
Its been pretty reliable and makes some great coffee.
This is a great comparison. I have the Barista Express and love it. I think if you're not into learning a little and finding out how to use the machine go with the Philips.
The Philips however I think you compromise a little on taste and customization
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We bought the Sea Salt version of this last year and use it multiple times a day. My wife reminds me often that this is the best thing we ever purchased. Got it for $1000 and was quite happy with that, a steal at $800 IMO
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Top Comments
Phillips is a super automattic.
This is a semi automatic.
The main difference is that it will auto froth the milk for you.
The breville does but you technically need to fill the cup each time. Also breville allows you to manually froth if you wish.
I have the breville, and we had a saeco Incanto (which is a super auto similar to the phillips) before.
I believe our saeco actually broke after about a year. Theres definitely more parts obviously.
My big take away was that you constantly had to clean out the milk container which easily got pretty nasty, you can put the container in the fridge but still.
Also we drink large coffees, yeti cups etc the milk container often had to be refilled every morning.
The super required more cleaning cycles and such naturally. I dont recall exactly, but it just wasnt nearly as convenient as youd hope for. Not to mention it broke.
The breville requires a little trial and error to set up.
As someone else stated, i bought an extension for the portafilter, dosing funnel its called. To help keep the grinds in.
I also bought a better tamper, bc im a noob and it helps me get the pressure right.
The breville is close to fully auto,
Cleaning and such is far less common and pretty easy.
Its been pretty reliable and makes some great coffee.
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Share your experience with the Slickdeals community
Share information with the community. Please follow our Community Guidelines and be kind!
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But birthday is coming up, now I can hunt my wife and family about this. Maybe "Thanks op" is in order if I do get it.
Btw this price is at every retailer. Macys, and target has the same price.
Anyway, there's a little learning curve if you've never made espresso before, but this machine is great. And youtube plus a little trial and error fills that learning need nicely.
Tips I can recommend:
Gently shake the portafilter handle when grinding the beans, lots of people have the plastic add-on, but just shaking keeps it from overflowing too much when tamping.
Don't take the hopper off when beans are in it. Makes a huge mess and is hard to clean.
Oat milk can take a bit to get right. Chobani Extra Creamy at 150 degrees / 6 foam is my go to.
Warm up that portafilter for like 7 seconds, dry it, then grind the beans.
Don't want a latte? Make an Americano. Takes about 2 minutes.
Also, keep it clean.
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For moka pot ground Cafe bustelo works well with Cafe con Leche..
Phillips is a super automattic.
This is a semi automatic.
The main difference is that it will auto froth the milk for you.
The breville does but you technically need to fill the cup each time. Also breville allows you to manually froth if you wish.
I have the breville, and we had a saeco Incanto (which is a super auto similar to the phillips) before.
I believe our saeco actually broke after about a year. Theres definitely more parts obviously.
My big take away was that you constantly had to clean out the milk container which easily got pretty nasty, you can put the container in the fridge but still.
Also we drink large coffees, yeti cups etc the milk container often had to be refilled every morning.
The super required more cleaning cycles and such naturally. I dont recall exactly, but it just wasnt nearly as convenient as youd hope for. Not to mention it broke.
The breville requires a little trial and error to set up.
As someone else stated, i bought an extension for the portafilter, dosing funnel its called. To help keep the grinds in.
I also bought a better tamper, bc im a noob and it helps me get the pressure right.
The breville is close to fully auto,
Cleaning and such is far less common and pretty easy.
Its been pretty reliable and makes some great coffee.
Phillips is a super automattic.
This is a semi automatic.
The main difference is that it will auto froth the milk for you.
The breville does but you technically need to fill the cup each time. Also breville allows you to manually froth if you wish.
I have the breville, and we had a saeco Incanto (which is a super auto similar to the phillips) before.
I believe our saeco actually broke after about a year. Theres definitely more parts obviously.
My big take away was that you constantly had to clean out the milk container which easily got pretty nasty, you can put the container in the fridge but still.
Also we drink large coffees, yeti cups etc the milk container often had to be refilled every morning.
The super required more cleaning cycles and such naturally. I dont recall exactly, but it just wasnt nearly as convenient as youd hope for. Not to mention it broke.
The breville requires a little trial and error to set up.
As someone else stated, i bought an extension for the portafilter, dosing funnel its called. To help keep the grinds in.
I also bought a better tamper, bc im a noob and it helps me get the pressure right.
The breville is close to fully auto,
Cleaning and such is far less common and pretty easy.
Its been pretty reliable and makes some great coffee.
The Philips however I think you compromise a little on taste and customization
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Join The Conversation
Share your experience with the Slickdeals community
Share information with the community. Please follow our Community Guidelines and be kind!