Philips 1200 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine, Classic Milk Frother, 2 Coffee Varieties, Intuitive Touch Display, 100% Ceramic Grinder, AquaClean Filter, Aroma Seal, Black (EP1220/04)

The media could not be loaded. We were replacing a KRUPS machine that was making great coffee until it finally died, so some of this review will reference the KRUPS.When you first get this machine the first 5-10 cups are going to be very weak but eventually the machine will calibrate and you’ll figure out your favorite options, grind density.The good:- easily removable water tank (easier than krups) it slides out forward so don’t have to move the machine ever- makes a variety of coffee sizes and grind types.There is a knob inside the coffee bean area with 12 grind settings.- aroma seal top for the coffee beans holder plus it works with ground coffee too if you get those on accident.- milk steamer is very strong and easy to clean - this design is better than Krups. The steamer can be stopped when you want to so milk doesn’t overflow.- the coffee is really good once you get used to the settings - though not as good as Krups…The OK- startup is a bit lengthy - the first part of the video - the machine shuts down after about 10-15 minutes fully.- it cleans every time so that small amount of water after startup always gets dumped, don’t put your cup there and leave cause you might forget to dump it :)Overall it’s a very good mid range full service machine, easy to clean and maintain and the water tank doesn’t have small areas that will grow mold - this was a problem on the Krups.Hope this helps! Overall I probably would have gotten a Krups because I was used to it but since it’s not sold in the US anymore this one is a very good replacement.

This is a great machine for easy lattes and coffee. I bought this machine with the hopes to make lattes, and it has exceeded my expectation. The grinder is really solid and makes a very good tasting espresso. It was easy to set up using the videos from Philips. I was pleased it fits under my upper cabinets with room to place a milk pitcher or cup on top of the machine. It’s very convenient that the water carafe is accessed through the front of the machine (not the top). The machine is not too loud either. I was concerned about waking up family in the morning but it hasn’t seemed to disturb anyone. The settings are very easy to adjust and it notifies you when it’s out of water. I have had issues with the milk frother. It’s a bit of a defect on the manufacturing. If the silver part of the frother is pushed on too tightly it will block the small air hole. It has to be loosely attached for it to get good airflow for the milk. I thought I had a defective machine, but then after messing around with it I figured out the problem. Be sure to rinse the milk frother after every use to prevent milk blockage (I also run hot water through after using the steam wand to make sure it is clear). It’s very easy to clean out the water tray and old grounds. I will add you must have the machine on when you dump the grounds or the machine will not recognize you’ve emptied it. It is recommended to rinse the inside of the machine weekly. The first time I did it I had some issue getting it back together, but I think with time it will get easier. I would 100% recommend this machine to anyone wanting an easy latte or coffee at home. I’ve found that it tastes better than going to a cafe as I can make it according to my liking. There are many videos on YouTube to help with milk frothing and making specialty drinks.

Bought one of these for traveling and two as gifts at Christmas. This fits in my large suitcase for taking to VRBOs. We stay on Whibey Island in a rural area and it's nice to have quality coffee. In some ways, I like the functionality better than my Jura E8. The steam wand works great and the removable insides make cleaning a breeze. Will see how many trips it can take in a suitcase before it breaks. But, successful after one round-trip so for. Those given as gifts have been well received. Once the Jura dies, I may not spend at that level again as this works so well.

In writing this review I was conflicted in whether to give a one or five star rating. In the end, unfortunately, I must give it a one star.First, some of the nice things about the machine. If you have a Keurig, and drink coffee from that, you are going to LOVE the Philips machine. On its worst day, the Philips makes way better coffee than you will ever get out of your Keurig. Also, since this machine usus whole beans your cost per cup will be way less. With this, the machine will pay for itself over a Keurig in no times, since those little coffee pods are so expensive.For me, this is my fifth super-automatic coffee maker. Day in and day out, I use a traditional Rocket Espresso machine to make my morning cappuccino. A machine like the rocket produces the ultimate drinks, and so I like to start my day out with one of those. However, it takes a little effort to use the machine, so I got the Philips to get quick easy coffees throughout the day.When the machine arrived, I was pretty impressed. It was fairly compact, easy to add beans, water, dump the pucks and clean the drip tray.The first serious issue with this machine was I simply could not dial in a proper espresso. When the machine makes a coffee, it is very weak and watery. In watching it press the coffee out, almost immediately the stream turns clear, and almost no rich golden color. It appears to use a very small volume of coffee to make a cup, leading to a very weak coffee. Compounding the problem, it never forms a proper puck. When i look in the drip tray, I do not see anything resembling a puck, but just see a pile of coffee ground sludge. The instructions and online forums says this is an issue to start with, but be patient as it will dial itself in. So, I decided to go ahead and make lots of coffee and just pour it out to let the machine calibrate. I made 30 cups, and yet the machine could not produce a proper puck, and still made weak coffee. Made 15 more cups, and still same thing. Also I should note at some point in the process I adjusted the bean grind to finer and finer levels, trying to get a good puck and a good strong coffee. I did not find success. What I observed is, that even setting my grinder on the finest setting, it produced grounds about like grocery store drip coffee. It did not produce fine powder like you expect from an espresso grind. For a machine like this, if you are not producing a powder like coffee, you simply will not get a strong cup of coffee. To try and get at least a drinkable coffee what I found is I needed to set grinder on finest grind setting possible. Set the coffee bean amount on the largest setting possible, set the water amount on the smallest possible, and then follow the instructions to set the temperature to the maximum brew temperature. At this point I could sort of get a drinkable coffee.At about the time that I got a drinkable coffee setting dialed in, the machine malfunctioned. In pressing the go button, the machine would malfunction and the three error lights would come on. In looking at the troubleshooting manual, I tried the suggestions, but did not work. It said if the suggestions did not work to contact Philips.The malfunction appeared to be that a bean had become jammed in the grinder, and the motor did not have enough power to begin grinding due to the stuck bean. I could tell because when the machine malfunctioned you could hear the motor hum, and the machine immediately shut down. I live in East Africa, so simply no possible way to ship the machine back to Philips for repairs, so I decided to try and repair myself. In looking in the coffee hopper, I found that Philips had used though odd star shaped screws, meaning it was going to be next to impossible to remove the cover to get to the jammed grinder. I finally had to modify a philips head screw driver with a grinder, and I was able to get into the machine. By clearing the beans out of the grinder, putting it back together, it worked again. Unfortunately, I anticipate this will happen again, since the motor appears to be underpowered to have enough start up torque to hand the situation of a stuck bean. To be honest, it was so hard to take the machine apart, I will not undertake that effort again. Next time the machine jams, I will simply have to toss the machine out.So, the issue with this machine, fundamentally is, the grinder motor is not powerful enough to dislodge a stuck bean. Secondly, the grinder is not able to provide the fine coffee grind needed for a proper espresso. Thirdly, even on hottest setting, the brew termperature provides coffee that is not piping hot.Really wanted to love the machine, but unfortunately it appears to have some fundamental design errors.