Philips Espresso 4000 Review: Life Just Got More Delicious

The Saeco Minuto, manufactured and distributed by Philips in South Africa, has recently made waves for bringing affordable and easy to make fresh bean and fresh milk coffee and coffee drinks in our homes.

One of the first machines sizeable enough to satisfy a small office, yet small enough to fit comfortably into a modern kitchen – Philips has done some improving, some tweaking and advancing – and have the new Espresso 4000 Range as their latest offering.

Philips Espresso 4000 Overview

The first and (in my opinion) most noticeable and forward-thinking change in the Espresso 4000 – when compared to the Minuto – is the variable brewing pressure arm.

This arm or lever (known officially as the CoffeeSwitch Lever) is located on the centre spout piece, and can either be locked into the “upward” position to brew at a lower pressure, to produce exceptional milk-based drinks, regular coffee’s and may also be used when the user wants a less-rich coffee taste.

Flipping this switch into the “downward” position allows for a higher brewing pressure, which would be used by those who enjoy their Espresso’s and also a stronger coffee.

You can still expect the wide variety of drinks as offered on the earlier models – which include Espresso, Espresso Lungo, Classic Coffee, Cappuccino as well as frothed milk.

The machine display has remained entirely similar – with chrome finished buttons for each of the six menu buttons – four of which are pre-set for drink selections and two remain reserved for machine settings (including coffee strength, temperature, volume and other main settings.)

The standard ceramic grinder keeps the threat of worn-out grinders at bay, and the coarseness of your coffee can be adjusted within the 5 grind levels. Yep, that means pretty much anyone who enjoys coffee can find their perfect balance for their palette. Keeping on that note – the Espresso 4000 offers a memory function – so you can choose to dispense however little or much coffee as you wish.

One more new feature is the height-adjustable spout – meaning you can now fit your latte glass comfortably under the spout without sacrificing coffee volume whatsoever.

Philips Espresso 4000 Pro’s and Con’s

Some of the advantages have already been mentioned in our overview – but for a quick recap:

• CoffeeSwitch Lever – allows for variable brewing pressure
• Height-adjustable milk spout
• Easy to use and modern user interface
• Variable heat settings
• Memory function
• Fresh beans ground with bluntness-banishing ceramic grinder
• Removable milk carafe for easy storage

There will always be some downfalls – so here goes:

• Removable brew group, which proved to be a bit of a niggle in the Minuto range – has remained. This means regular removal of the brew group to clean it out, and replacement of the brew group take a bit of getting used to.
• Limited to milk froth; maybe we’re a little spoiled , but with brands like Jura offering the Professional Fine Foam frother means we are somewhat used to being able to switch between frothed milk or micro-foam. The Espresso 4000 is only capable of making frothed milk – not a bad thing at all though – especially if you like heavier milk-based drinks.

Philips Espresso 4000 Specifications

• 1.8 litre water tank
• 250g Bean Hopper
• Drudge drawer (for used coffee grounds) can hold up to 15 “pucks” – i.e. – only need to clean out the machine after every 15 cups made.
• Height 330mm
• Depth 429mm
• Width 215mm

Philips Espresso 4000 Price

You an expect to pay in the region of R 9000.00 for this little beast.

Check out Philip’s brief overview of the machine here – Philips Espresso 4000.