Philips Café Aromis Review: Is This the Best Philips Machine?

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) is a German newspaper that almost always reviews high-priced, snobby coffee machines. Makes sense. That’s why I was quite surprised when a Philips Café Aromis review was featured in the January 13, 2026, issue.

Fully automatic Philips espresso machines are known for being very good, but above all for being very affordable. So they’re not really the FAZ’s cup of tea. Still, the Series 8000 is apparently about to change that.

For $1,999.95, you get an overwhelming variety of specialty coffees, cold brew and cold foam, plenty of technological advances, and premium materials for the discerning consumer. 

When a manufacturer has established itself in a certain price bracket, I’m initially skeptical when it reaches for the stars and turns to new target groups. The FAZ was only moderately enthusiastic about this move. And what about me? Read on to find out.

Philips Café Aromis Overview & Special Features: What Can the 8000 Series Do?

Until now, Philips has prioritized simplicity. Every fully automatic coffee machine in every series – numbered 1 through 5 – featured simple operation via touch buttons, a fairly classic selection of specialty coffees and, above all, the tubeless LatteGo milk frother.

The ”Philips breaks almost completely with this tradition. The weight, dimensions and overall look remain the same. But beyond that, this fully automatic coffee machine moves in a completely different direction:

How Many Drinks Does a Fully Automatic Coffee Machine Need?

One of the biggest problems with the Café Aromis for FAZ author Marco Dettweiler is the huge recipe selection. His rant ends in the beautiful phrase, “Coffee machines are not an adventure park.”

On the one hand, he’s right: ultimately, there’s only a finite number of variations you can make with coffee beans and milk. With even the best fully automatic espresso machine, it hardly matters whether you call it a flat white or an espresso macchiato. Besides, most people only drink lattes or cappuccinos anyway – he’s right about that, too.

On the other hand, he seems to have no idea about the fully automatic coffee machine market. After all, customers want variety – these machines are like an amusement park! Whether that makes sense or not.

As with other machines offering a similarly wide selection, the 54 recipes on the Series 8000 menu are mostly just marketing hype. And I think this is even more true here than, say, with the Jura Z10, which offers 40 specialty coffees.

At least that particular model can make cold and hot drinks and sweet milk foam. The Philips Aromis can only brew hot and cold drinks and produce cold milk froth.

Then again, compared with other machines with recipe overkill, the Series 8000 is a real bargain. Just under $2,000.00 for so many preparation options plus state-of-the-art technology is outstanding.

Nice details like the wooden accent on the coffee dispensing spout add to the overall appeal, even though the rest of the construction – which involves a lot of plastic – is fairly average.

Note: Even though the Philips Café Aromis looks like it’s entirely silver from the front, the side panels are white. That might not be to everyone’s taste, and it won’t fit into every kitchen’s decoration scheme.

Setting Up the Philips Café Aromis

From the very beginning, Philips has focused primarily on buttons and simple displays. While other manufacturers – even after years in the touchscreen business – still haven’t figured out what’s important about this technology, the Café Aromis gets it right away.

The touchscreen responds quickly and accurately, and the drinks and their settings are organized into groups (with or without milk, hot or cold). That way, you don’t have to wade through 54 recipes; you can quickly find an americano, cappuccino or whatever tickles your fancy.

On other models from this brand, the in-house HomeID app has so far been nothing more than a gimmick offering tips and information. But with the 8000 Series, you can also use it to adjust certain settings. In addition, the Barista Assistant helps you get the right coffee flavor from the specific beans you’re using.

We’ve seen this before with other manufacturers, and as always, I’m not a big fan of such presets. First, the app and profiles make the settings unnecessarily complicated; second, the tips are usually too general; and third, you can’t really pinpoint exactly what makes your beans unique.

At the end of the day, I think you can avoid the gimmicky extras altogether. The Café Aromis thrives on its user-friendliness and simple menus. Even without the user manual, you’ll get the best flavor in your cup almost right away.

Incidentally, I used my Coffeeness Espresso Blend during my Philips Café Aromis review. With that in mind, you can expect to get slightly different results, depending on the coffee beans you’re using.

Philips Grinder: Volume & Adjustment Settings

Even though the Café Aromis offers many new features, the quality of the Philips grinder has clearly remained the same. The 8000 Series also offers 12 grind adjustment settings and, with a noise level of 63 decibels, is just as quiet as its counterparts.

For my beans, I used the third finest grind setting. For fresher or darker coffee beans, choose the fourth finest setting and assess the cup quality.

Drink Settings: Volume, Strength & Temperature

Regular Coffeeness readers won’t be surprised by my recommendations for coffee and espresso volume: 1.4 ounces (40 milliliters) is the best choice for espresso, while 4 ounces (120 milliliters) is ideal for a well-rounded cup of coffee.

When it comes to coffee strength, the Café Aromis fully automatic espresso machine offers plenty of options. I started out using the highest intensity level (7). In hindsight, though, I’ve found that depending on the beans, you can get by with a lower number. Level 4 is a good starting point; and it’s best to always adjust in single increments.

Philips advertises that, thanks to BrewExtract technology, the Aromis “doses more coffee and extracts deeper flavor” with each brew cycle. On top of that, there’s an Extra Shot function designed to add even more intensity to your brew.

All of that is true, but it quickly makes the coffee too strong – and ensures that you use more coffee beans per brew than are necessary for a good cup.

As for the temperature, you’ll want to select the usual settings: super-hot for espresso (level 3), not too hot for coffee (level 1).

Adjusting Milk Foam: Hot or Cold?

With the 8000 Series, Philips is introducing an upgraded version of its unique, tubeless LatteGo milk system for the first time. And this LatteGo Pro milk system is a success.

You get two color-coded milk containers for hot or cold milk foam. As always, all you have to do is click the desired container into the machine – it takes care of the rest.

For me, the biggest improvement is in the capacity. While the LatteGo milk frother used to be rather teeny, it’s now twice as big. This means you can easily make two cappuccinos or one latte macchiato plus one cappuccino with a single fill.

However, there’s one thing that Philips hasn’t been able to change: The LatteGo Pro milk system doesn’t allow you to make two milk-based drinks at the same time. On the other hand, coffee preparation is quick and easy.

If milk foam were judged solely on appearance, the Philips Café Aromis would likely fail the test. That’s because the steam nozzle in the LatteGo Pro milk system doesn’t seem to work as well as usual. Cappuccinos and latte macchiatos come out more puffy than smooth, with a few bubbles and air pockets.

In terms of taste, however, both drinks are impressive. The cappuccino, brewed at a robust 162 degrees Fahrenheit (72 degrees Celsius), is both fluffy and creamy, and the same goes for the latte macchiato at 156 degrees Fahrenheit (69 degrees Celsius).

Espresso & Coffee: Premium Flavor in Every Cup

When it comes to evaluating coffee and espresso, my opinion and that of the FAZ diverge completely.

For author Marco Dettweiler, the espresso tastes “just as good as it does from many other fully automatic coffee machines.” He argues that “functional versatility takes precedence over a well-made espresso.”

It quickly becomes clear from the article how he arrived at that conclusion. He compares the taste of a fully automatic machine espresso to that from a semi-automatic machine – and that just can’t work. After all, they are two different drinks.

It’s also unclear which beans he used. Because with my Espresso Blend, the espresso turns out delicious and well-rounded. It delivers body without bitterness, has minimal acidity and still tastes complex and lively.

For me, the Aromis espresso clearly leans toward the portafilter style and is thus far superior to many fully automatic coffee machines I’ve tested. This also applies to the temperature, which, at 156 degrees Fahrenheit (69 degrees Celsius), is above average.

Although the regular coffee leans more toward the fully automatic machine standard, it still invites you to keep sipping with pleasure At 174 degrees Fahrenheit (79 degrees Celsius), it also brings plenty of heat to the cup and is likely to win over many fans.

Cold Brew and Iced Latte: Great Success?

There’s one thing you should be aware of before buying a fully automatic coffee machine with cold brew technology: “cold” is relative. That’s why manufacturers always encourage you to add ice cubes to the glass first.

During my Philips Café Aromis review I made sure to take measurements: the iced cappuccino comes out of the machine (without ice) at around 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius). That makes sense – after all, no fully automatic coffee machine has a cooling unit yet.

However, Philips has managed to overcome the usual limitations of cold extraction and, above all, cold milk foam. As it happens, the cooler version looks far better than the hot milk foam, and the finished drink offers plenty of flavor and a great mouthfeel.

That said, I still maintain that you shouldn’t ever purchase a fully automatic model solely as a cold brew coffee maker. It’s a nice bonus, but you should be sure you’ll actually use it. Otherwise, the machine becomes unnecessarily expensive.

Best Coffee for the Philips Café Aromis

After 10 years reviewing super automatics and espresso machines, and over 15 years reviewing coffee beans, we’re proud to offer our own Coffeeness Espresso Blend. Comprising ethically farmed and sourced coffee beans, our Espresso Blend is expertly roasted in small batches to guarantee freshness.

This premium blend of direct trade Brazilian coffee beans produces rich, bold and complex espresso that’s ideal straight or paired with milk. Featuring notes of chocolate and hazelnut, our Espresso Blend is particularly low in acidity, making it easy on the stomach.

Here’s how we recommend setting up your Philips Café Aromis for the perfect espresso and coffee:

Cleaning & Descaling: The Details Matter

While the Series 8000 fully automatic coffee maker is otherwise very well thought out, Philips seems to have dropped the ball a bit when it came to designing the drip tray. Unfortunately, the tray is designed in such a way that water spills out too easily when you carry it from the machine to the sink.

On the other hand, Philips has paid attention to other details. For example, the water tank is made of a slightly more flexible plastic than usual, making it easier to grip.

The newly designed brew group seems to have taken a page from Nivona’s book and now features fewer nooks and crannies. This means less coffee grounds get stuck, and you can easily remove the brew unit and rinse it off.

Fortunately, nothing has changed when it comes to cleaning the milk system – it’s as easy as ever. Just click it out, disassemble into a few pieces, put it in the dishwasher or rinse it under hot water and you’re done.

When it comes to descaling and other major cleaning tasks, the machine tells you when you need to do what. It’s pleasantly straightforward and pleasantly uneventful. You just need to make sure you have the maintenance accessories on hand.

Philips Café Aromis vs Other Super Automatics

Philips Café Aromis 8000 Series vs 5000 Series

To understand the technological leap represented by the Café Aromis, it’s worth making a brief comparison with the previous flagship model, the Philips 5500 LatteGo. In my opinion, the 5000 Series isn’t the brand’s best model, but there’s still not much to complain about.

If you want to see Philips at its best, there’s an even more affordable option than the 5000 Series. My top picks in the entry-level category, the Philips 2300 LatteGo and its slightly larger counterpart, the Philips 3300 LatteGo, are currently almost unbeatably great.

See Also: Philips 5500 LateGo Review

Philips Café Aromis vs DeLonghi Eletta Explore Cold Brew

When I read through the features of the Philips Café Aromis 8000 Series, the DeLonghi Eletta Explore Cold Brew immediately came to mind. Because the parallels – from the functions to the price – cannot be overlooked.

If there are any notable differences at all, they’re in the small details. DeLonghi offers its Eletta fully automatic coffee maker in many versions, each with one or two special features – such as a carafe option, a travel mug and so on.

However, the DeLonghi grinder is louder, and the coffee maker’s design isn’t as sleek as that of the Philips’. In general, though, you can’t go wrong with either model.

See Also: DeLonghi Eletta Explore Review

Philips Café Aromis vs Others Comparison Chart

Verdict: Is the Series 8000 Fully Automatic Really Worth It?

Even though I don’t share the FAZ’s negative opinion of the Philips Café Aromis 8000 Series, their review got me thinking. Because I wonder who this new fully automatic coffee maker review might actually be of interest to.

Philips fans love the brand above all for its top value-for-money models in the lower price range. As I said earlier, machines like the Philips LatteGo 2300 or Philips LatteGo 3300 are popular for good reason.

Sure, the Café Aromis offers excellent value for the money, with its huge selection of beverages, cold brew capability, larger milk frother and overall features. But there are plenty of other machines in its class that can do just as much or even a little more. Take the DeLonghi Eletta Explore Cold Brew, for example.

Plus, it’s not really a family machine, since it can’t dispense two milk-based drinks at the same time. And if you’re looking for something a bit more upscale, you’ll probably opt for a Jura coffee machine.

Don’t get me wrong: The Café Aromis is a great fully automatic espresso machine with impressive quality and excellent usability. But it doesn’t offer any real unique selling point and therefore feels a bit out of place on the market. 

Does that make it worse? Of course not. But I believe that sooner or later it will either receive an update or disappear from the scene altogether. Because Philips and the high-end segment just don’t seem to be a good fit yet.

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