Philips Baristina BAR300/60: 18 cm wide, grinds and tamps

The narrowest grinder on the worktop

Most espresso machines with a grinder on board are built like small cabinets. The Baristina is not:

• Philips Baristina Espresso machine, Black BAR300/6018 cm
• De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Manual espresso maker EC9155.MB28.5 cm
• Sage the Barista Express (SES875)31.8 cm
• Ninja Luxe Café Premier (ES601UK)33.6 cm

At 18 cm wide it takes a little over half the width of the Barista Express. Only the Dedica EC685 is narrower among our espresso machines, at 14.9 cm, and the Dedica has no grinder. The height is 34.5 cm, which fits under ordinary wall cupboards with room to spare, and the weight 5 kg.

The figure to check is depth: 38 cm, deeper than the Barista Express. On a shallow worktop, measure from the wall before anything else. Our small espresso machines page sets the narrow models against each other.

Slide the handle, and it does the rest

Philips describes the Baristina as a machine that grinds, tamps and brews on its own: you slide the portafilter across and the machine does the work. That is the clearest difference from the other portafilter machines we list, where at least part of grinding, dosing or tamping is left to you. How the motion compares in practice with the others we have not checked.

It follows that there is little to adjust. Philips publishes no grind setting; its German sheet for the white version lists none. The grinder is Ceramic and the hopper takes 170 g, less than a standard bag. Three buttons do the rest: espresso, lungo and an intensity boost, which according to the manual grinds more beans for a stronger cup. The manual sets espresso at 40 ml and lungo at 110 ml by default, adjustable from 30 to 70 ml and from 70 to 200 ml. Philips counts 2 drinks.

If you would rather understand and control grind size, the grind size guide shows what you would be giving up, and the La Specialista Arte, in the same mid-range bracket, offers 15 settings and a steam wand.

For decaf the manual allows pre-ground coffee, up to 10 g at a time.

No milk on this version

The BAR300/60 has no steam wand and no frother. Every other espresso machine we list has one or the other. If you drink cappuccinos, Philips’ answer in the UK is a bundle: BAR303/60 and BAR303/00 add a separate milk frother. Those bundles are not the model this page describes, and we hold no figures for the frother. For milk drinks from one appliance, the Bambino Plus froths automatically, and a bean-to-cup machine does the lot.

Pressure, tank and power

Philips rates the pump at 16 bar, where the other portafilter machines that publish a figure state 15 bar. Rated pump pressure is not the pressure in the basket, so read nothing about the cup into the difference.

The tank holds 1.2 l: about 30 espressos at the default 40 ml, or ten lungos at 110 ml, before rinsing. For one or two people drinking espresso, that is several days; for a household on lungos, a daily refill.

Power is not on the BAR300/60 sheet itself. We print 1,550 W from Philips’ German sheet for the same machine in white (BAR300/00). Portafilter diameter, basket type and dose are not published; the portafilter is the only accessory supplied.

The one published noise figure

Philips states a noise level of 72 dB. No other manufacturer in our database publishes one, so there is nothing to set it against, and a figure without a stated method and distance cannot be compared with independent measurements. We report it as Philips’ figure and plan to measure noise across machines ourselves.

Cup height, cleaning and other details from the manual

• Cup height. Up to 14 cm with the lower drip tray removed, according to the manual; 9.5 cm on the grille and 12.8 cm without the drip tray. The product sheet says 13.5 cm.
• Switching off. There is no on/off button; the machine switches itself off.
• Water filter. Not supported, according to the product sheet. How often to descale then depends on your water: see our water hardness guide.
• Dishwasher. Only the plastic drip-tray covers; never the portafilter.

UK model numbers

Our figures are for the BAR300/60, the black machine on its own, sold in the UK as the Baristina Espresso machine, Black. Philips’ UK shop also lists the white BAR300/00 and the BAR303 frother bundles. The BAR305, BAR307, BAR308 and BAR320 references sold in Germany and France are not in the UK shop; the BAR320 is in any case a different machine, with two bean hoppers. Philips’ UK sheet states a 2 years-year guarantee.

Where it sits

The espresso machine comparison places the Baristina among every espresso machine we list, espresso machines with a grinder sets it against the other all-in-ones, and espresso machines for beginners looks at it from the learning side. The machine finder checks whether a portafilter machine suits the way you drink coffee, and the cost-per-cup calculator works out what beans cost you per shot.