Philips 4300 LatteGo Review 2023: A Bargain at Twice the Price!

Next up in my exploration of super automatic espresso machines is today’s Philips 4300 LatteGo review. I figured it was high time to finish looking at the rest of the machines in this series and discuss why I like them. So, stay tuned for those reviews in the next couple of weeks. 

For now, though, I want to focus on this gem: the Philips 4300 LatteGo. Let’s get started!

Pimped out Philips 3200

Philips 4300 LatteGo

Great value for the price!

Great espresso

Thick, creamy milk froth

Ceramic burr grinder

Easy to clean

A little noisy

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Philips 4300 LatteGo Fully Automatic Espresso Machine Overview

The Philips 4300 LatteGo is a mid range model in this particular series of super automatic espresso machines. It’s priced at $918.99 on Amazon, and what you get for that price is pretty darn good. 

The 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. That might be great for a latte macchiato, but 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 and of course the classic latte macchiato and cappuccino. 

If you don’t feel like making regular espresso drinks, there’s a pre ground coffee bypass. 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 to save your customized drinks. 

Cleaning is a breeze, too. Most of the parts are dishwasher safe, although I still recommend you hand wash them. No one wants dishwasher residue or etchings on their machine parts. 

The AquaClean filter that’s included in the box helps to extend the time between descaling. Plus, descaling is a guided program on the machine, so you know you’re doing it right. 

My First Impressions: Well Designed!

Anyhow, let’s keep this Philips 4300 LatteGo review rolling. The machine itself 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 casing is mostly plastic with a spray painted mirrored silver trim. The only color offered for the 4300 is this back and silver style, which I can appreciate. Despite the fact that it’s all plastic, the Philips 4300 still looks good. 

The LatteGo container sits at a slight angle over the steam spout, and is easily removable for cleaning. Speaking of cleaning, the water tank is also removable, as is the brew group and drip tray. 

The Philips 4300 also comes with the lubricant for the brew group, a measuring scoop for the ground coffee bypass and an AquaClean filter, which is nice. More on that in a bit.

Philips 4300 LatteGo Features

First off, let’s take a look at what you get for that $918.99 price tag. 

User Interface

Right away, I like the no nonsense user interface. The display is a color TFT screen which you control 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 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 5400 models. Ceramic 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 level adjustments, so you can fine tune your coffee. However, don’t go all willy nilly adjusting it right away; Philips recommends waiting until you brew 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 steam wand for you to manually froth your milk. But because this is a Philips 4300 LatteGo review, I’m going to only talk about the LatteGo 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 hiding in the corners.

Speaking of milk, 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, so whether you’re feeling like a bold coffee or an extra punch in your latte macchiato, you can brew exactly the strength you want. 

Water Reservoir

The water tank for the Philips 4300 holds your standard 60 ounce (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. 

AquaClean Filter

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 sure you’re all for less frequent descaling! 

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 fix the 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. However, 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 roasty 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 at a time. However, milk based drinks need to be made one at a time, since the LatteGo carafe can only hold so much liquid. 

User Profiles

What’s more, the Philips 4300 allows you to save your favorite customized drink settings in a user profile. These coffee machines have two user profiles and 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 recipe. 

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 and perfect 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 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 at this point. 

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. 

Once you do that about twelve times, it’s time to dump the waste container. 

Philips 4300 LatteGo Milk Foam

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

Is it good for the drinks this 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. 

As I said above, what you get for the price of this machine is amazing. And what’s a good Philips 4300 LatteGo review without a proper specification chart with all the details?

Philips 4300 LatteGo Coffee Machine Cleaning

As I said above, the waste container holds about twelve 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 rinse the brew group thoroughly to keep everything hygienic. Of course, the LatteGo system should be cleaned 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 4300 LatteGo will indicate when it’s time to do either of these periodic maintenance steps. 

At this point in my Philips 4300 LatteGo review, 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

To get back to what I mentioned earlier about other machines being available in this series, let’s take a look at those now and compare them to the Philips 4300. 

Philips 4300 LatteGo vs 5400 LatteGo

Next up, let’s look at another Philips machine with LatteGo technology. The Philips 5400 LatteGo is the next step up in the series, and it adds some extra bells and whistles to the features of the 4300. 

In terms of color, Philips swapped out the silver painted trim for chrome. It doesn’t look any different, but the upgrade is there. There’s even a travel mug function. I’m not entirely sure how it works, given the capacities between the 4300 and 5400 are the same. I’ll need to look into this further in a later review. 

Besides that, there are four user profiles available on the 5400 along with the guest profile. 

The main difference is the 5400 can make a few more drinks than the Philips 4300 LatteGo. Along with the drinks from the 4300, the 5400 adds flat white, caffé latte and espresso lungo to its repertoire. 

Philips 4300 LatteGo vs 3200 LatteGo

Conversely, the Phillips 3200 LatteGo is a step down from the 4300. Just like the Philips espresso machines above, the majority of the technical specifications are the same, aside from a few changes.

It functions on 60 Hz, 120V as opposed to the 4300’s 50 Hz, 230V energy values. Additionally, it doesn’t have a TFT display like the Philips 4300. Rather 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 have three levels, but the adjustable milk and coffee length and coffee temperature control are the same as the 4300. 

Costing $699.00, 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

Last but not least, 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 sixteen drinks to choose from –  that’s double the drinks of the 4300. That said, at around $1,500.00, you’re looking at nearly double the price tag of the Philips 4300.

See Also: DeLonghi Dinamica Plus Hands On Review

Philips 4300 LatteGo vs Other Super Automatics Comparison Chart

Verdict: Philips 4300 LatteGo Coffee Machine

In short, the Philips 4300 LatteGo is great value for the price. It boasts a couple of nice upgrades, such as the ceramic burr grinder, which you usually only find on more expensive machines.

Pimped out Philips 3200

Philips 4300 LatteGo

Great value for the price!

Great espresso

Thick, creamy milk froth

Ceramic burr grinder

Easy to clean

A little noisy

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	CHECK PRICE

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

And what an espresso it makes! Still, I can’t help but wonder if the grinder would have been quieter if Philips had included more sturdy housing. That said, there’s just no arguing with this automatic espresso machine’s price tag.

Philips 4300 LatteGo Espresso Machine FAQ