Philips Baristina Milk Frother - Foam milk perfectly​. Hot and Cold. Dairy and Non-Dairy. Easy to Clean. for Philips Baristina Espresso Machines. Milky White (BAR311/00)

I was looking for an espresso machine that was easy to use, easy to clean, and that made great coffee. I purchased this on prime day and I am extremely satisfied. It met my three criteria and then some! First, this has to be the simplest to use espresso machine on the market. You put the beans in, fill the water tank, and it pretty much does the rest. When it's done you just empty the puck (into the trash or into a bucket to save for your garden, but not into the sink!), rinse it out, wipe the machine down, and you're ready for the next one. It also makes delicious espresso...which of course is highly dependent on the beans you use. I've brought this to work multiple times to make espressos or lattes for my team and they loved it. The portability was a feature I wasn't necessarily targeting when I bought it, but the smaller size allows for easy transport. It also holds sufficient water to allow for many cups without refilling. This is definitely worth the purchase and it has come through for me over and over again. It functions exactly as expected and helped expose me to a whole new way of enjoying coffee. I would highly recommend for anyone looking for a smaller espresso maker that doesn't want to break the bank.

At first, the machine seemed great. It made decent espresso and everything felt smooth. Then, after about 5 months of normal use, the problems started. The portafilter began getting stuck halfway on its way back. It would stop in the middle, and the machine could not finish the cycle. A few days later it got worse. The machine basically died. It stopped responding to button presses and the buttons only flashed, like it was stuck in an error mode with no way to recover. Only after that did I read more reviews and realized I am not the only one. Many people report the same failures, and there are lots of comments about support being unresponsive, with no real help, replacement, or compensation. Unfortunately, I found that out too late. So I opened it up, and what I found was shocking. A small white connector that looks cheap and poorly protected, with visible discoloration that suggests oxidation or contamination. The portafilter position Hall-effect sensor PCB has clear corrosion and white crusty residue around multiple components and solder joints. Electronics should not look like this inside a kitchen appliance that deals with water and steam. Inside the machine, there is a yellow zip tie that appears to be installed from the factory to hold parts in place. That is not a proper mount or repair, it looks like a shortcut. Root cause of the portafilter sticking: Coffee dust and tiny grounds collect on the rail mechanism. Once that happens, the friction increases and the spring is too weak to push through it. So the portafilter jams halfway unless you constantly clean the rails. For a machine in this price range, that design is unacceptable. Bottom line: this machine is built with poor materials, poor sealing, and questionable assembly choices. Mine worked briefly, then turned into a flashing, unusable box of plastic. I strongly recommend avoiding it.

The foam is excellent and unrivaled; the design is brilliant and should promote longevity and durability. This is the best non-steam frother out there. I've tried lots of frothers throughout the years. Non-steaming ones struggle to get well-formed, hot foam. And many of them also break prematurely because the container portion has openings at the bottom which can get clogged or leak and cause malfunction or short circuiting. Literally I've never had another one that has lasted more than 6 months of daily use. Although I've only had this one for a few weeks, it appears that it will last much longer with a better design that protects the electrical and motor components from liquids (I will update this review if that changes). The frothing whisk is oscillated magnetically, so the whole milk basin is isolated from the motor and electrical components unlike any other frother I’ve tried - simple and brilliant. Makes it so much easier to clean too. I had high hopes for this frother after seeing it on display, and so far it has not disappointed. It's elegant and simple. Looks amazing on the counter. Feels solid and well-made. Just one button that can serve two simple functions - hot foam (1 sec press) or cold foam (3 sec press). The foam itself is really solid and well-formed unlike many other non-steaming frothers. A couple of things to note to get the best foam: it finishes very quickly and has to be poured right away to keep the foam. It seems like the bottom layer of foam deforms back into milk quickly because if you wait even just 30 seconds after it has finished, there's a good amount of liquid milk that gets poured out. But if you pour right away after it finishes, it's all foam. The other thing is that if finishes very quickly. Faster than you'd expect. It seems to work faster than any other non-steam frother I've used. Maybe 20-30 seconds? It doesn't burn the milk, either. I haven't tried frothing other liquids, but I'm going to do that next. My only qualms are that there are no operating instructions included - just a paper with lots of warnings. And secondly, it was initially falsely advertised as having a "heating only" function which it seems is not true. I had to find a youtube review to figure out how to do the cold foam function (hold the button for 3 seconds) because there are no instructions included, for some odd reason. And also, it doesn't seem to be able to just heat up the liquids which seems like an oversight. For something so expensive already, I'd expect a simple heating function. It can make hot foam, so it couldn't have been that difficult to engineer another function to do heat-only without froth (like double-tapping the button maybe?). Maybe the next version will incorporate a heat-only function.

It’s interesting to see some say the coffee tastes watery and no options for choosing different grinding size on this espresso machine. This espresso machine makes 3 types of coffee: Espresso, Double Shot and Lungo (about 6.5 Oz for a lungo). I think before you buy any espresso machine you need to know yourself if you are the snub type or used to be a barista or want to be a future professional barista to make all kinds of varieties of coffee from this machine then this machine is way too simple for you. This machine is best for using medium roast espresso beans. Once you get it set up, let it do the work. I always get a nice espresso with creama on top. I have a separate milk frother in a stainless steel jar so I froth the milk at the same time this espresso machine is brewing. I like the simple design of this machine. And I won’t spend a ton of money to get a fancier machine since all I want is a cup of espresso or double shot or lungo quickly in the morning. This machine is easy to clean and maintain and it makes a decent cup of coffee without me having to do some manual work to get it work. I still use my beloved stainless steel Moka pot sometimes. Never doubt the wisdom of generations of Italians since most families in Italy use Moka pot for their espresso. This machine helps me save time some days from watching it cook on the stove like a Moka pot does and I am not interested in spending lots of time choosing different grinding size or manually tamping the grounds everyday or taking time to wash gazillion parts of accessories like from some machines.

This espresso machine is perfect if you want real espresso without a complicated setup. The machine is compact and doesn’t take up much counter space, which is a big plus. It heats up quickly and makes consistently good espresso with a nice crema. Operation is very straightforward: add water, insert the pod/grounds, press a button, and you’re done. Cleaning is simple as well, with removable parts that rinse easily. It’s a great option for daily use, especially if you want quality espresso without dealing with a bulky or complex machine. Overall, a solid, well-designed espresso machine that delivers good results with minimal effort.

This machine is worth it compared to a Nespresso, Keurig, or other pod machine if you are primarily interested in espressos or lungo. Pros: it's easy to use, clean, and the espresso is good, even better than Nespresso or lavazza pods which I've had. Not very loud. Use your own beans. Small. Cons: plastic materials feel a bit cheap. It sometimes drops some coffee grounds on counter or in espresso. The machine slides a little when you push the portafilter over which is annoying. You can only make one espresso at a time and have to empty and rinse the portafilter each time. I can't speak to the longevity of this as it's only about one month old, but the espresso is good, it's super convenient and easy and I love that I'm not over spending and wasting plastic on pods anymore!

I rarely write reviews, but this experience has been extremely frustrating. I purchased this Philips Baristina espresso machine hoping it would be a convenient all-in-one solution — unfortunately it turned out to be a complete waste of money. The machine stopped working in under 3 months, with no warning at all. For something at this price point, this is completely unacceptable. What made the situation worse was the lack of support from both Amazon and Philips. Amazon refused a return or refund because the return window had passed, and Philips customer service was absolutely unhelpful — no troubleshooting that worked, no repair option, and no replacement offered. I was basically left with a dead machine and no solution. For something marketed as a reliable, easy-to-use espresso maker, this has been nothing but disappointment. I would strongly advise others to think twice before buying. A product at this price should at least last a year — not barely a few weeks. I hope the seller or manufacturer sees this and finally reaches out, because the support so far has been nonexistent.

I've had this machine for a few weeks now. Everything bad you've been told about this machine is false. It only makes espresso but it makes great espresso if you use the righ beans (I use the Lavazza Super Crema Medium Roast). The water tank is big enough to last for days. The coffee can be made stronger or weaker at the push of a button. The machine is easy to use and easy to clean. It replaces a Philips 2200 that was a bitch to clean, had multiple settings but never delivered a good espresso. I can't speak of durability yet. So far I'm very pleased