Philips Baristina: neither fish nor fowl
9.6.2026
Translation: Megan Cornish
Camera: Davide Arizzoli, Ambra Antonelli
Pictures: Davide Arizzoli
Cutter: Ambra Antonelli
The Philips Baristina promises the feel of a portafilter machine that’s easy to use. But it’s actually a fully automatic machine with extra steps. And the main question I have is: why?
The very name Baristina promises a coffee experience like you’d enjoy in a piazza during an Italian holiday. Freshly ground coffee from the portafilter, made easy. And all this at an unbeatable price of under 300 Swiss francs or euros. All my alarm bells are ringing. It’s clear at first glance what compromises Philips has had to make to achieve this.
1. Non-adjustable grinder
Philips promises perfect coffee, but I can’t adjust the grind. Anyone familiar with portafilter machines knows this is the most important setting, whatever your setup. As a natural product, your coffee will sometimes be drier, sometimes moister. Sometimes darker roasted, sometimes lighter. I have to adjust the grind for every cup because the water flows through the portafilter at different speeds. I can’t do that with the Baristina… but then again, it’s not a true portafilter machine.
2. Fully automatic with some manual diversions
It’s no longer enough for us to swipe on potential partners on dating apps. Philips wants us to do the same on its coffee machine. That’s what the instruction manual calls it when I lock in the portafilter and press to the right. The coffee’s then ground directly into the portafilter, then it springs back and the coffee comes out at the bottom. You then have to knock the coffee grounds out of the portafilter yourself.
The Baristina works like an impractical fully automatic coffee machine, where I don’t have to swipe anything, and it automatically knocks the pucks into a collection container. And the cheapest fully automatic models cost about the same as the Baristina.
3. Looks stylish, but seems cheap
I can see why someone would want the Baristina in their kitchen. It looks chic with its matte surfaces and minimalist design. In comparison, fully automatic machines look like spaceship cockpits from a bad 90s TV series. But there’s more style than substance behind the design. When I insert the portafilter, the Baristina creaks and groans. I have to hold it down so the machine doesn’t move while I’m swiping. If I press one of the buttons on top, the whole machine wobbles.
Can the Baristina make good coffee?
The Baristina’s functions are easy to explain. It has two buttons for espresso or lungo and one button to make the coffee «stronger», which triggers the machine to grind more beans. Anyone who’s seen my tutorial on how to properly adjust fully automatic coffee machines knows I use a trick to weigh the coffee grounds.
With the Baristina, I get 10 grammes of coffee grounds for a normal shot and 12 grammes for a «strong» shot. For an ideal espresso, the ratio between beans and brewed espresso should be 1:2. That means 12 grammes should yield 24 grams of espresso. However, the Baristina goes way beyond this, producing over 40 grammes of coffee from 10 grammes of grounds on the normal setting. The result is a watery, overly acidic brew. Luckily, I can at least adjust the amount of water.
So, I can pull a reasonably decent espresso by programming a strong espresso with a shortened extraction time. You’re not going to win any barista world championships with 12 grammes of coffee grounds for 30 grammes of espresso. At least the result’s more balanced than on the default setting.
I wouldn’t even use the lungo function – I’d turn the espresso into a classic Americano with hot water instead.
Avoid if you’re looking for barista quality
The Baristina doesn’t work as a portafilter machine. It’s a fully automatic machine that looks a bit more stylish but takes extra work. However, it’s perfectly adequate as a fully automatic option. I managed to pull a half-decent espresso. But I can also do that with truly automatic machines. The fact you have to manually prepare every single coffee with the Baristina is ridiculous… It’s neither a portafilter machine nor a fully automatic one. I have no idea who’d want to buy something like this.
In a nutshell
The Baristina’s no replacement for either a portafilter or an automatic machine
The Baristina may seem like a portafilter machine, but it’s actually a fully automatic machine with manual steps. It’s essentially the worst of both worlds. At least I managed to make a half-decent espresso (for a fully automatic machine). It does look stylish, but it loses points for its design and cheap finish.
Pro
- Looks stylish
- OK Espresso for a fully automatic machine
- Doesn’t take up much space
Contra
- Fully automatic, but with extra steps
- Cheap finish
- You can’t adjust the grind setting
Simon Balissat
Teamleader Editorial
Simon.Balissat@digitecgalaxus.chWhen I flew the family nest over 15 years ago, I suddenly had to cook for myself. But it wasn’t long until this necessity became a virtue. Today, rattling those pots and pans is a fundamental part of my life. I’m a true foodie and devour everything from junk food to star-awarded cuisine. Literally. I eat way too fast.
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