A couple of niggles though. Whilst the tank may be 1.8 litres, the usable capacity is much less. When ’empty’, there is a significant residual amount of water in the tank and the filter also reduces the capacity so in reality usable capacity is about 1.3 litres – a big difference. Secondly, there is no indication when the bean hopper is getting low. This means that you can request a drink only to have the hopper run out part way through the grind. This then cancels the drink and wastefully disposes of the unused grounds.

Both of these foibles have effected my previous (Gaggia) machines as well but as the most recent was 7 years ago, one thought this may have changed

When comparing this machine to our previous Nespresso machine, two key points stand out. This machine produces vastly superior coffee (once you’ve dialed it in correctly – I’ll discuss that further on) but it requires more maintenance. Regular TLC is necessary to keep it in good shape, but it’s entirely manageable and, in my opinion, worth it for the superior coffee.

Initially, I was a bit underwhelmed after making the first few cups of coffee with this machine. The coffee tasted somewhat watery, but it still surpassed the Nespresso machine. However, it wasn’t matching the standard I’d expect from a good coffee shop, which I was somewhat expecting given the price. As a novice, I knew nothing about dialing in grinder settings. Once I tweaked these settings, the coffee quality transformed from just okay to fantastic. I gradually adjusted the grinder until I found a setting that tasted best (3 with my current beans), which made a significant difference. Be prepared to experiment with this (please note, you can only change the setting while it’s grinding, which can be a bit irksome).

I considered a few other well-reviewed bean-to-cup machines, but what attracted me to the Philips was its simplicity. We appreciated the convenience of a pod machine, so a bean-to-cup that offered a similar setup was ideal for us. This machine is incredibly easy to use and allows you to customize each coffee. You can adjust the strength, add less or more water, and save your preferences to a profile, so each family member can have their own preferred settings. I love this feature.

My wife and I primarily enjoy straight-up coffee, so we weren’t concerned about some reviews noting the mediocre performance of the milk frother. If you’re interested in making milky coffees, it should suffice. A proper steam wand might yield better results, but learning to use it requires an extra investment of time and energy. There are cheaper Philips machines with a steam wand instead of the latte-go, so that could be an option if you prefer that. We chose this particular model (5400) because it was on sale, but I expect the other models in the range to produce equally good coffee, albeit without some of the additional features.

There are a few things I don’t particularly like. The ‘latte-go’ milk holder feels somewhat cheap, and I fear a fall onto a hard floor could end it’s life quite quickly. There’s also a piece of plastic that slots into the drip tray and acts as the machine’s front fascia, which scratches easily. The machine rinses itself when turned on and off, which can lead to stale coffee water contaminating your clean cup if you forget about it. Also, the machine doesn’t recognize when the coffee grounds container has been emptied while the machine is off. It can be slightly annoying, but it’s manageable once you’re aware. Lastly, be sure to keep an eye on the water tank, as the machine doesn’t recognize when the water level is too low to make the selected drink. This isn’t a major issue as the machine will prompt you to refill the tank and let you continue with your drink, but it can be inconvenient if you’ve set your coffee to brew and left the room for a few minutes.

Cleaning the machine is fairly straightforward. Every week, access the side panel found behind the water tank, remove the ‘group set’ or ‘group head’ (which is the core part of the machine and has group in it’s name), and rinse it under the tap to remove any coffee grounds. Let it air dry overnight. Be sure to heed the instructions that warn against using a cloth or anything that might leave fibers in the mechanisms. You’ll also need to clean the now empty area from which you removed the group set, as coffee grounds find their way everywhere. A slightly more challenging task is lubricating the group set/head. I’ve seen varying advice, even from Philips, on how often this should be done – it ranges from once a month, to once every 500 coffees, to once every four months if you drink 1-5 cups a day (more frequently if you consume more). I chose the once every four months option. It was a bit tricky due to the difficulty in seeing how much lubricant I was applying to the black plastic, but I think I managed. I haven’t had to descale the machine yet, so I can’t comment on that process, but I will update my review if it proves to be troublesome.

Despite some minor flaws, I can’t justify deducting a star because the machine excels in all the important areas. The profiles and customization options are easy to use; the main challenge is figuring out the best settings for you. My final piece of advice is to invest in a decent bag of coffee beans. We tried some cheap ones, and the coffee was horribly bitter. If this is your first machine of this type, you might blame the machine instead of the beans. But if you choose to buy this machine, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.