Siemens EQ.6 plus s300: milk hose, big hopper, big footprint

The largest footprint in our UK list

28 cm wide, 38.5 cm high and 46.5 cm deep: each of those is the biggest figure among our UK bean-to-cup machines. The width is three to four centimetres more than a Philips or a Magnifica, which matters between a kettle and a toaster. The height is the one to measure twice: check the gap under your wall cupboards, then add whatever you need to open the hopper. And remember the milk: a carton or jug has to stand next to the machine, so the space you need is wider than the spec sheet says. If room is short, see our compact bean-to-cup comparison.

What that size buys is beans. The hopper holds 300 g, the largest we list, so a 250 g bag goes in with room for more, though a 1 kg bag still will not fit in one go. At an assumed 8 to 10 g a cup that is 30 to 37 cups, or more than a week for a couple at two cups each.

• Siemens EQ6 plus s300 TE653M11GB300 g
• JURA E8 Piano Black (UKD) 15842280 g
• Philips 5400 Series LatteGo EP5446/70275 g
• De'Longhi Magnifica Evo ECAM 290.83.TB250 g

Water is the compromise. The 1.7 l tank is the smallest among our UK bean-to-cup models: about 14 black coffees of 120 ml before rinsing, though it may go further in a milk-drinking household, since much of each cup is milk. The machine weighs 9.4 kg.

Milk: a hose, not a carafe

Siemens fits a frothing unit fed by a flexible hose. You put the other end into a carton or any container of milk. The practical consequence is in the numbers: there is no small integrated container to refill, so a round of four lattes does not stop half-way for milk. The carton goes back in the fridge afterwards.

On cleaning, Siemens states that the milk system is steam-cleaned automatically after each drink. That is the manufacturer’s description, not something we have observed. A hose remains a part that carries milk, and how you look after any milk system is covered in our cleaning guide.

For the choice between hose, carafe and LatteGo, see bean-to-cup machines with a milk system.

Eleven drinks, three of them not coffee

Siemens counts 11 drinks. The count includes milk froth, warm milk and hot water, so read it as eight coffee drinks plus three extras. Five are one-touch milk drinks: latte macchiato, cappuccino, café au lait, espresso macchiato and flat white. Other brands count differently, so do not line this number up too strictly against theirs.

The display is an LCD, by Siemens’s description. The coffee outlet is height-adjustable and there is a chute for pre-ground coffee, according to the product page.

The brewing unit is removable, so it can be rinsed under the tap. The grinder is described as ceramic.

The UK model, and what the s300 leaves out

Our figures were read on the German TE653501DE. The UK model is the TE653M11GB, which Siemens gives as a millimetre wider and three millimetres deeper. Capacities are the same in what we read.

Siemens’s spec sheet answers “no” to three of the brand’s own features on the s300: Home Connect, oneTouch DoubleCup and superSilent. There is no cup lighting either. Other EQ machines appear in UK shops (EQ500, EQ700), but we have not verified their data on Siemens’s site, so we do not compare them here.

Against the Philips 5400, the JURA and the Evo

• Against the Philips 5400 LatteGo, in the same bracket: hose against a 0.26-litre carafe, 300 g against 275 g of beans, but Philips states 12 grind settings and four user profiles where Siemens’s sheet gives neither.
• Against the JURA E8: both use a milk hose. JURA counts 27 specialities to Siemens’s 11 and sits a price bracket higher.
• Against the De’Longhi Magnifica Evo: a carafe machine four centimetres narrower, with a smaller hopper.

Missing from Siemens’s sheet

• Number of grind settings. “Multi-level” is all the sheet says. Our grind size guide explains what grind settings are for.
• Burr shape. Ceramic, flat or conical not stated.
• Heating system. Not stated.
• Warranty. Not shown on the product page we read; ask the seller for the UK terms.
• Noise. No decibel figure. We make no claim either way until we have measured it.

Wondering whether a bigger machine with a hose is worth the worktop? The machine finder filters on space and milk habits, the cost per cup calculator handles the money side, and the nine machines we cover are compared in our bean-to-cup comparison.