Starting the day with a cup of coffee is a ritual for many.

Most make their cuppa from sachets or Nespresso capsules. The Philips 3200 Series LatteGo intends to upgrade that experience.

This 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 those 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 coffee beans.

Inside the coffee bean 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 compartment in front of the coffee bean compartment for you to pour in coffee powder.

On the machine's front, there is an adjustable coffee spout and a short pipe for you 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. You also have the option of normal 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 the operation of the LatteGo is easy, the 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 you slide in the rectangle water tank on the side of the machine. You would not know that if you don't read the manual.

I was hoping that I can get notifications when the coffee beans are running out, or that I can select the coffee on an app. But smart features and Bluetooth connectivity are lacking in this machine.

In addition, the LatteGo does not come cheap. At $1,399, it is quite 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.

FOR

• Freshly brewed coffee with frothed hot milk

• Easy one-touch operation

• Short brewing times

AGAINST

• Bulky and heavy

• Expensive

• Installation a hassle

• No smart features

SPECS

PRICE: $1,399

WATER TANK: 1.8 litre

MILK CONTAINER: 0.25 litre

WEIGHT: 8kg

RATING

FEATURES: 3/5

DESIGN: 4/5

PERFORMANCE: 4/5

VALUE FOR MONEY: 3/5

OVERALL: 3.5/5