Expert review Philips 3200 EP3221/40

I unbox the coffee machine and put it on the counter. In addition to the coffee machine, there's a water filter, water hardness test strip, coffee scoop, and manual in the box. I have to look for the Dutch explanation to get ready for use for a while, but eventually the steps are easy to follow. After tuning it on, I get the option to test the water hardness and install the water filters right away. I also notice that the coffee spout is highly adjustable. This is nice, as it means high coffee glasses also fit under it.

The controls of the coffee machines area easy. You can make an espresso, lungo, large coffee, americano, or cup of hot water with the press of a button. The touch buttons have logos, so you can see at a glance what you choose. By pressing the espresso button twice, you make two cups at the same time. You then press the play button to confirm. The bean hopper has a funnel shape, so the beans fall in the grinder and don't get stuck.

You can easily adjust a cup of coffee to your taste. Per cup, you can choose from 3 coffee strengths, coffee amount, and temperature settings. The bean hopper has a button to set the grind size of the beans. You need to press it and turn it at the same time. I set the grind size of the coffee machine to setting 1, so the beans are grinded very fine and the coffee gets more taste. Grinding the beans makes a lot of noise.

You can switch on the steam function by pressing the steam button. You then hold the pitcher with cold milk under the steam wand. The hot steam heats up the milk and froths it. It takes some time to master the right frothing technique and make nice milk foam. Frothing also takes quite a bit of time if you make multiple cappuccinos in a row.

There's a small compartment for ground coffee in the bean hopper. You may wonder why you'd want this when you can also make coffee with freshly ground beans. The answer is simple. You can now also make a cup of decaf in between. That's useful when you have trouble sleeping when you drink caffeine, but you still want to enjoy a cup of coffee in the evening. There's a small scoop in the box to put the ground coffee into the compartment.

The coffee machine has a water filter. This is nice, since it ensures you only have to descale the machine once every 1.5 years. You do need to replace the water filter in time. A red light lights up when you need to replace it and when you need to descale it. Cleaning the brew group does take some time. This is a part you have to take from the machine, rinse, and grease with a special silicone fat.