Philips 4300 LatteGo Review: A Bargain at Twice the Price!

I’ve long been a fan of Philips coffee machines, yet I feel like they often get overshadowed by hyped-up models from other manufacturers. With that in mind, I’ve written this Philips 4300 LatteGo review for you.

As it happens, the Philips 4300 fully automatic espresso machine with LatteGo is a real gem that deserves more exposure. I mean, who wouldn’t want to know about a sleek, affordable fully automatic coffee machine with a ton of cool features?

Sounds intriguing? I thought it might!

Philips 4300 Fully Automatic Espresso Machine With LatteGo Overview

The Philips 4300 LatteGo is a mid range model in this particular series of super automatic espresso machines. It’s priced at $649.00 on Amazon, and I’d say that what you get for that price is pretty darn impressive.

The LatteGo milk system consists of a detachable milk carafe, which is super easy to clean since it snaps apart for rinsing. What’s more, the steamed milk and foam it produces is thick and light.

While that might be great for a latte macchiato, it may be a little too intense for a cappuccino. Still, like I said, at this price point I’m not gonna complain.

The machine makes great espresso, ristretto, coffee and americano, all of which you can select via the TFT display with buttons. Plus, the Philips has three milk drink recipes to pick from: café au lait, cappuccino and of course the classic latte macchiato.

If you don’t feel like using whole bean coffee, there’s a pre ground coffee bypass doser. That way you can use up that pre ground decaf coffee you picked up for guests last year. Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me!

Most of the drinks are customizable, all the way from grind setting to coffee temperature. That’s the main reason you can get such nice espresso from this machine. Not to mention the 4300 also has two user profiles and one guest profile for saving customized drinks. 

Cleaning is a breeze, too. Most of the parts are dishwasher safe, although I still recommend you wash them by hand. After all, no one wants dishwasher residue or etchings on their machine’s components.

Finally, you’ll be happy to hear that the included AquaClean filter helps to extend the time between descaling. What’s more, descaling is a guided program on the machine, so you know you’ll be doing it right.

Philips 4300 LatteGo Superautomatic Espresso Machine Features

Let’s keep the ball rolling with this Philips 4300 LatteGo review by taking a closer look at all the features on offer.

Size and Design

The Philips 4300 has a relatively compact footprint, measuring just under the size of two sheets of copy paper laid side by side. It’s tall enough to fit under most cabinets, too. For exact measurements, check out the specifications chart below.

Aside from that, the housing is mostly plastic with a spray painted mirrored silver trim. The only color offered for the 4300 is this black and silver style, which I can appreciate. Despite the fact that it’s all plastic, the Philips 4300 still looks pretty stylish.

User Interface

Right off the bat, I appreciate this machine’s no nonsense user interface. The display is a color TFT screen which you navigate using the buttons around it. The layout is extremely easy to understand, and the most popular drinks are front and center, along with a button to switch user profiles.

You can use the arrow buttons to scroll through the customizations for each drink, too. Also, behind the More Drinks button, you’ll find the milk froth only and hot water options. If you’re looking for the caffé crema and ristretto, you’ll find those here as well.

Ceramic Burr Grinder

I’ve noted this before in a previous comparison or two, but it’s worth mentioning again in this Philips 4300 LatteGo review. You’d be hard pressed to find another super automatic espresso machine at this price point with a ceramic burr grinder.

In other words, it’s something you usually see in the high-end machines. So, Philips really upped the ante by including ceramic grinders in its 3200, 4300 and 5500 models.

Ceramic burr grinders are much quieter than the stainless steel grinders you’ll find in most machines in this price range.

The Philips 4300 also boasts 12 grind adjustment settings, so you can feel confident in fine tuning your coffee. However, don’t go adjusting it willy-nilly right away; Philips recommends waiting until you’ve brewed 100 to 150 cups – or about a month – to adjust grinder settings.

A hundred and fifty cups a month? That’s just for amateurs!

LatteGo Milk System

Next, let’s talk about the milk system. Now, there are two models of this machine. One has the classic milk frother style which includes a manual steam wand. But because this is a Philips 4300 LatteGo review, I’m going to only talk about the integrated carafe.

Personally, I like the idea of a removable carafe. You can pour in the milk amount you need for your drink, then either rinse out the carafe or put the remaining milk into the fridge for later.

It’s also a snap to clean, literally. The milk carafe breaks into two pieces, exposing the steam chamber. That means you can get all around inside and make sure there’s no more milk residue hiding in the corners.

Speaking of cow juice, the LatteGo system does not do hot milk only. It will, at the very least, lightly texture everything it puts out, since the steam chamber is the only way to automatically add milk to your cup. However, you can dispense hot milk foam only if you want to create a drink that’s not preprogrammed.

Additionally, you can adjust the length of the milk foam. So, that’s another plus point for this machine.

Aroma Strength Settings

As it happens, you can adjust the aroma of your coffee, too. The Philips 4300 has five aroma settings to choose from, which gives you quite a bit of leeway.

So, whether you’re feeling like a particularly bold coffee or a mild and mellow latte macchiato, you can brew exactly the strength you want.

Water Reservoir

The water tank for the Philips 4300 holds your standard 60 ounces (1.8 liters) of water and is removable for easy cleaning and refilling. What’s more, Philips added in a complimentary water filter to get you started off on the right foot. It sits inside the water tank and ensures a deliciously tasty hot coffee every time.

The Philips 4300 uses an AquaClean water filter, that’s available on Amazon whenever you need to replace it. Which, incidentally, is every three months or 96 gallons of water. I’d say three months is a stretch for me.

The trick to this water filter is installing it when you first set up your machine. I highly recommend you do this. If you follow the directions in the user manual to install it correctly, Philips claims you won’t need to descale your machine for up to 5000 cups.

And I’m all for less descaling!

Spout Height

In the meantime, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to make each kind of specialty drink the 4300 LatteGo has to offer. The nice thing is there’s an adjustable spout, so you can set the dispensing height according to your espresso cup size.

I know it’s pretty standard on these types of coffee machines, but it’s worth mentioning. You can lift the spout up to 5.9 inches (15 centimeters) to accommodate your larger mugs.

That said, you probably won’t be able to fit a tall travel mug under there without some fancy maneuvering.

Specialty Coffees

In fact, adjusting the spout for your cup will also help prevent a mess when you try out the eight specialty coffees the Phillips 4300 LatteGo has to offer.

Aside from your classic espresso shot, the 4300 can make a smooth café au lait, black coffee, americano, cappuccino, latte macchiato, caffé crema or a punchy ristretto. There’s no flat white or regular caffe latte, but the amazing espresso this machine puts out more than makes up for that.

You can also double up on the coffee drinks and make two cups simultaneously. However, milk based drinks need to be made one at a time, since the LatteGo carafe can only hold so much liquid.

User Profiles

I’m sure you’ll be happy to hear that the Philips 4300 allows you to save your favorite customized drink settings in a user profile. In fact, this coffee machine has two user profiles as well as a guest profile with all the factory settings.

That way, you never have to worry about a visiting family member messing up your perfectly crafted drink recipes. I’m all for familial harmony, so I’d say Philips really hit a home run by including a guest profile.

App

The Philips 4300 series does have a couple of features usually found on more expensive machines. It doesn’t have an app, though, which is a little disappointing. But honestly, I didn’t really expect it on a machine at this price point.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing. In my opinion, the hands-on aspect is part of the fun. Of course, with the 4300 being an automatic espresso machine, there’s no portafilter and additional espresso tamper. Still, you have plenty of customization options to play with as you’re perfecting your favorite coffee drink.

Speaking of perfect coffee drinks, in the next section of this Philips 4300 LatteGo review I’ll talk about how Philips makes it super easy to brew up an amazing espresso.

How to Use the Philips 4300 LatteGo Fully Automatic Espresso Machine

I’ve already mentioned the awesome espresso you’ll get from the Philips 4300 LatteGo. Now I’ll show you how simple it is to start enjoying the fruits of the machine’s labor!

First, fill the water tank with fresh water and add coffee beans to the bean hopper. Reseat the Aroma Seal cover on the bean hopper (to keep the beans fresh), then choose espresso from the control panel.

At this point you have the option to make one or two cups of espresso. If you want to make two, press the button an extra time. You can also adjust the aroma before going any further.

Once you have it set up how you want it, press the start button. The machine will grind your coffee beans and create the puck, before forcing hot water through the coffee grounds and into your cup. Voila! Espresso at the touch of a button.

Incidentally, once you’ve done that about 12 times, it’ll be time to empty the waste collection container.

Best Coffee for the Philips 4300 LatteGo

Philips 4300 LatteGo Milk Foam 

In terms of milk foam, I’ve mentioned in other reviews that the LatteGo carafe produces a thick, creamy froth. It doesn’t dispense hot milk only, so for any specialty drink that requires it you’ll probably need to heat milk separately. But frothed milk? Philips has got your back.

Is it good for the drinks this latte machine makes? Sure, it will get you there. Does it adjust to make the perfect density for a classic drink recipe like cappuccino? Maybe not as well as a classic milk frother or a higher end machine, but it gets the job done.

Philips 4300 LatteGo Coffee Machine Cleaning

As I said above, the waste container holds about 12 spent pucks. You’ll want to empty and rinse the container and the drip tray whenever the espresso machine indicates they’re full.

Once a week, you should remove and thoroughly rinse the brew group to keep everything in good working order.

Of course, the LatteGo system should be rinsed after each round of milk drinks. That’s pretty easy since it comes apart for cleaning. Also, you can wipe down the housing with a soft microfiber cloth.

That’s pretty much it for regular cleaning of the Philips 4300. The AquaFresh filter will need to be replaced after about 96 gallons of coffee or, as I said above, about three every three months. And the machine will need to be descaled after about five thousand cups of coffee.

Don’t worry, though, the Philips 4300 coffee machine will indicate when it’s time to perform either of these periodic maintenance tasks.

At this point I should mention that the manufacturer insists you use Philips Decalcifier to descale your machine. I’ll leave it up to you to decide whether a cheaper alternative will work just as well. However, you should know that ignoring the manufacturer’s recommendation will void your warranty.

Philips 4300 LatteGo Coffee Maker Specifications

Philips 4300 LatteGo vs Other Super Automatics

It’s good to know what your options are, and I’m all for healthy competition. So, let’s continue this Philips 4300 LatteGo review by throwing a couple of other popular super automatics into the mix.

Philips 4300 LatteGo vs 3200 LatteGo

As you’ve probably guessed, the Phillips 3200 LatteGo is a step down from the 4300. Still, the majority of the 3200’s technical specifications are the same, aside from a few significant changes.

For starters, the 3200 doesn’t have a TFT display like the Philips 4300. Rather, the 3200 has a small touch screen display along with buttons to choose your coffee beverage.

There are no user profile options, although the machine will remember the settings of your last drink. The aroma settings on the 3200 only amount to three levels, but the adjustable milk and coffee length and coffee temperature control are the same as the 4300.

Costing $315.54, the 3200 has a smaller drink selection with only espresso, cappuccino, regular coffee, latte macchiato, and americano available.

See Also: Philips 3200 LatteGo Review

Philips 4300 LatteGo vs DeLonghi Dinamica Plus

Next up, let’s take a look at a non Philips espresso machine. The DeLonghi Dinamica Plus has a few features that are similar to the Philips 4300 LatteGo. For instance, they both sport a milk carafe system and two cup functions for non milk drinks. The footprint for both machines is nearly identical, too.

In regards to what sets these machines apart, the Dinamica Plus has a stainless steel grinder as opposed to the 4300’s ceramic grinder. There’s also an app to control the machine and store your personal preferences within the user profiles.

The Dinamica Plus also has a touchscreen display, pot function and 16 drinks to choose from – that’s double the drinks of the 4300. That said, at $1,029.99, you’re looking at spending a lot more for this machine.

See Also: DeLonghi Dinamica Plus Review

Philips 4300 LatteGo vs Other Super Automatics Comparison Chart

Verdict: Philips LatteGo 4300 Review

In short, the Philips 4300 LatteGo super automatic espresso machine represents great value for money. It boasts a couple of fancy pants features, such as the ceramic burr grinder, which you usually only find on more expensive machines.

Thanks to the LatteGo milk system and removable brew group, keeping the machine clean is as easy as, well … making an espresso.

And what an espresso it produces! Seriously, I can think of a couple of other manufacturers that’ll be a little rattled by how well the Philips 4300 coffee machine performs.

Listen, this machine ain’t perfect. For example, I can’t help but wonder if the grinder would have been quieter if Philips had included more sturdy housing. That said, at this price I’m willing to overlook stuff like that, and I think others will feel the same.

By the way, Philips has come out with an upgrade to the 4300 LatteGo, albeit with a heftier price tag. But, if you’re interested in what the new machine has to offer, be sure to check out my review of the Philips 4400 LatteGo.

Philips 4300 LatteGo Espresso Machine FAQ