Delonghi Magnifica S vs Philips Baristina: the match of affordable espresso machines

The unbeatable Delonghi Magnifica S has insolently taken the place of the best quality/price ratio in our comparison for 5 years. And for good reason, this fully automatic, compact, clever and practical machine is often priced around €200 (notably during commercial operations such as sales, Black Friday, French Days, etc.), enough to enjoy a freshly ground coffee without ruin. More recently, the small world of coffee saw the arrival of a new machine that breaks the rules. Halfway between the full-automatic espresso grinder and the semi-automatic, the Philips Baristina wants to convince capsule coffee lovers to switch to enjoy the pleasures offered by a bean machine. Priced around €300, the Philips Baristina is a compact and fun machine that has some great advantages to offer.

Two compact and practical machines

Clutter : if the size of your future coffee machine is the number 1 criterion, it is better to head towards the Philips Baristinawhich measures only 18 cm wide compared to 23.8 cm for the Delonghi Magnifica S. In terms of depth, it is roughly balanced: the two machines will occupy a fairly large space on a work surface.

Preparing a coffee : The two coffee machines only work on preparing a short or long espresso. There is no question here of considering the preparation of a more advanced recipe such as a doppio, a cappuccino or a latte macchiato, unless you upgrade to the higher versions of these two models, delivered with a milk jug. Coffee lovers are therefore in the spotlight.

Customizing recipes : The customization of coffee recipes is much more limited on these two coffee machines than on the very high-end full auto models. The Philips Baristina does not provide any very precise adjustment, it is only possible to add an “extra shot” (an additional dose of coffee) to adjust the intensity of the coffee. On the Delonghi Magnifica S, the small central dial is used to vary the intensity on several levels. It therefore offers more choice.

Versatility : Both of these coffee machines grind the beans and use a steel grinder to do so. There Delonghi Magnifica S has a hatch for ground coffee, very practical if there are no more beans at home, to change the grind or to prepare a small decaf occasionally. For its part, the Philips Baristina can also accommodate ground coffee directly in the filter holder but the operation is less practical since the bean container must be completely empty, otherwise the machine will grind automatically before moving the filter holder to the right side (where the machine cups and automatically extracts the grounds). Let’s give an extra point to the Magnifica S which has the merit of being equipped with a steam nozzle to froth the milk in a separate pot. Note also that the Delonghi machine can brew two coffees at once, while the Baristina prepares the coffees one by one.

Speed

We evaluate coffee machines on the same criteria. This time takes into account starting the device, preheating, rinsing the nozzles (when there are any at start-up), grinding and extracting the coffee. To the extent that the Philips Baristina does not have a dispensing nozzle per se, it does not perform an automatic rinse on start-up, which means that it is quicker to prepare for the first coffee of the morning. It does it in 55 seconds, while the Delonghi Magnifica takes 1 min 20 seconds.

Interview

Fully automatic machines are always easier to clean than semi-automatic ones. And for good reason, the latter force the user to clean their filter holder after each coffee, while fully automatic machines, like the Delonghi Magnifica S, have a collector in which the coffee grounds cakes are housed. This avoids dispersing small particles of ground coffee – as is the case with semi-automatic machines – which can quickly soil the work surface or the drip tray.

The Delonghi Magnifica also requires less intervention on the part of the user to fill the coffee beans or water into the tank, because its compartments are more spacious (space requires!).

Finally, descaling is an operation that is a little easier to carry out on the Delonghi Magnifica S than on the Baristina.

Sound level

If you install your coffee machine in an open kitchen, be aware that the Baristina from Philips is quieter. When grinding grains, it does not exceed 61 dB(A) (vs. 67 dB(A) for the Delonghi Magnifica S). The sound level created by the extraction is similar, since the two machines send out almost 54 dB(A).

Conclusion

Whether you choose the Delonghi or the Philips, you will have understood, there is no bad choice. Both respond to different expectations and consumption habits. The Delonghi Magnifica S goes further than its rival by allowing you to further personalize coffee recipes and is easier to clean. The Baristina is more compact, resolutely simple to use and is even quieter. It allows users to play apprentice baristas without taking too many risks, since it automates most of the steps in making coffee. Either way, these two low-cost espresso machines are excellent references for converting portioned coffee lovers.