Starting the day with a cup of coffee is a ritual for many.
Most make their cuppa from sachets or capsules. The Philips 3200 Series LatteGo intends to upgrade that experience.
The professional-grade automatic coffee machine, which is designed for home use, is able to grind coffee beans into a cup of coffee in a matter of minutes with a simple push of a button.
It looks and functions like coffee machines you find in airport lounges. But the LatteGo is slightly smaller and slimmer than those machines.
Still, it has quite a large footprint (24.6cm by 43.3cm), stands at 37cm tall and weighs a hefty 8kg.
On its top is a coffee-bean compartment with a cover that is said to be able to preserve the aroma of the beans.
Inside the compartment, there is a grind-setting knob that lets you select from 12 grinder settings - from ultra-fine to coarse.
There is also a small chamber in front of the coffee-bean compartment to pour in the coffee powder.
On the machine's front, there is an adjustable coffee spout and a short pipe to install the milk container.
Above the coffee spout is a control panel with touch-sensitive buttons. Here, you can select from five types of coffee - espresso, espresso lingo, cappuccino, latte macchiato and Americano.
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FOR
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• Freshly brewed coffee with frothed hot milk
• Easy one-touch operation
• Short brewing times
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AGAINST
• Bulky and heavy
• Expensive
• Installation is a hassle
• No smart features
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SPECS
PRICE: $1,399
WATER TANK: 1.8 litre
MILK CONTAINER: 0.25 litre
WEIGHT: 8kg
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RATING
FEATURES: 3/5
DESIGN: 4/5
PERFORMANCE: 4/5
VALUE FOR MONEY: 3/5
OVERALL: 3.5/5
You also have the option of standard coffee and hot water. In addition, you can adjust the intensity of the coffee as well as the amount of coffee and milk you want.
Press the button for the coffee you want, select the intensity, press the start button and wait for your coffee to be brewed.
It takes 87 seconds to brew a small cup of Americano. Surprisingly, it is slightly faster - 82 seconds - for a cup of cappuccino, which has a milk-frothing process.
While operating the LatteGo is easy, its installation is not. Reading the manual before installation is highly recommended.
For example, there are parts that need to be installed inside the machine before sliding in the rectangular water tank on the side of the device.
I was hoping to get a notification when the coffee beans are running out, or the ability to select the coffee on an app. But smart features and Bluetooth connectivity are lacking in the machine.
In addition, the LatteGo does not come cheap.
At $1,399, it is a big investment. On the upside, it is more environmentally friendly than using sachets or capsules.
All you need are the coffee beans of your choice.
