Philips Barastina review: the easiest bean-to-cup coffee machine I've ever used

It’s not often you wait a whole year from first hearing about a product to finally getting the chance to try it, but that’s exactly what happened with the Philips Baristina. I first saw it when it launched in Europe last spring, and after months of waiting, it finally arrived here. You can bet I was first on the list to give it a go.

The Philips Baristina is an interesting hybrid between a manual espresso machine and a fully automatic bean-to-cup model, designed to make real espresso from whole beans with minimal effort.

It’s quite a unique machine for this reason, so before you make any rash decisions based purely on how gorgeous it looks, it’s worth making sure the way it operates actually suits you too.

Philips Barastina review: price and availability

The Philips Baristina has an RRP of £299.99 in the UK, and can be purchased from a number of retailers, including Argos, Currys and Philips’ own website. It's also available in black or white.

The matching milk frother isn’t currently available separately in the UK, but there is an option to buy the machine and frother together for £379.99. I’ll update you as soon as the frother becomes available on its own, as it does make sense to have the pair, especially since the Baristina doesn’t have one built in. There is already a listing for the frother on the Philips website showing it will cost £79.99, but exactly when it’ll be available to buy is still unknown.

Philips Barastina review: design and features

Unlike many of the best bean-to-cup coffee machines, the Philips Baristina is very simple in its design. It’s built to fit easily into smaller kitchens and really only consists of the main machine body and the portafilter.

In terms of aesthetics, it has a very slim footprint and is made primarily from plastic to keep both the weight and price down. The bean hopper has a capacity of 170 grams, whilst the water tank holds 1.2 litres, which feels perfectly reasonable for a machine of this size. There’s also a drip tray and lid, both of which are dishwasher safe.

The portafilter itself is made from metal, whilst the handle uses the same plastic finish as the machine’s body. It also features a small button that helps eject the coffee puck once it’s been brewed, which is great if you’ve ever spent far too long trying to shake a stubborn puck out by banging the portafilter against your kitchen bin.

One of the more appealing features when the Baristina first launched was the idea that users could buy separate portafilters in different colours to customise their machine. Unfortunately, that option isn’t available in the UK just yet, but I’m hoping it will be soon because it’s a fun way to personalise the setup.

The way the machine works is also quite unique. Instead of manually grinding, dosing and tamping the coffee yourself, the Baristina handles it all automatically. It houses an integrated grinder that grinds the beans directly before brewing, and it uses a 16-bar pressure pump, which is the typical pressure required for proper espresso extraction.

For anyone who has spent hours trying to dial in the perfect grind size or coffee dose, this feels pretty revolutionary.

The Baristina also focuses on the core espresso drinks rather than offering a huge menu. You can make an espresso, a lungo, or opt for extra-intense versions of either by using the boost mode, which basically just increases it from a single shot to a double shot.

Philips Barastina review: performance

The Philips Baristina Espresso Machine is undoubtedly a refreshing entry into the bean-to-cup coffee machine market, and it’s easily a top choice for anyone who loves high quality coffee but hates the complexity that often comes with traditional machines.

The main thing that stands out about its performance is just how easy it is to use. As a user, you literally just insert the portafilter, choose the type of shot you want, and then swipe the portafilter to the right, where the machine grinds the beans. It then automatically moves the portafilter back to the left side of the machine and starts brewing.

I discovered fairly quickly that the single shot was a little too weak for my taste, so the extra-intense boost mode became my go-to setting. I’ve been using Lost Sheep Coffee’s Get to the Hopper beans, which are absolutely delicious with a smooth, chocolatey flavour. I also like that the bags are 200g, which means I can pretty much pour an entire bag straight into the machine’s 170g bean hopper without too much leftover.

The coffee itself is really high quality, producing a lovely shot with a nice layer of crema on top. The flavour is smooth and consistent, and because the machine handles the grind and dosing automatically, you get a great result from the very first brew without having to spend time choosing the right settings.

Cleaning is also far simpler than most bean-to-cup machines because there’s no internal brew group. Instead, you just remove the portafilter, press the built-in button to eject the coffee puck, and rinse it under water. If you’re used to constantly cleaning and maintaining more complicated machines, this feels pretty revolutionary.

That said, the portafilter eject button was slightly disappointing, mainly because it was one of the features I was most excited about. It still required a small tap to fully release the puck, but it’s definitely still easier than some machines I’ve used.

The other thing worth mentioning is the lack of a built-in milk frother. As someone who loves a frothy coffee, I found it to be a shame. The Baristina is clearly designed with espresso and black coffee drinkers in mind, but considering the machine costs around £300, it would have been nice to see one included in the box.

Philips Barastina review: verdict

The Philips Baristina Espresso Machine is one of the most interesting coffee machines to launch in years. It’s incredibly easy to use, compact enough for smaller kitchens and produces consistently smooth espresso with very little effort. Whilst the lack of a built-in milk frother and limited drink options might put off some users, the Baristina excels at what it’s designed for – making great espresso quickly and simply. If you love good coffee but don’t want the hassle of a typical bean-to-cup machine, it doesn't get much better than this.

Philips Barastina review: alternatives to consider

If you want something with a similar level of simplicity but still within the bean-to-cup world, I’d suggest looking at the Sage Bambino Plus. It’s a similar price and includes an integrated milk frother, which the Baristina lacks.

Another option would be the Philips Series 5500 LatteGo if you want something a bit more developed that can make a wider range of drinks.