Coffee beans for Philips coffee machines

What to look for in beans for your Philips

Philips bean-to-cup machines use a ceramic grinder and a removable brew group. The beans you use affect how well both keep working, as well as how your coffee tastes.

• Roast: medium to medium-dark. Very dark, oily beans leave a greasy film in the grinder and the brew group and can stick in the bean hopper, so the machine stops picking them up.
• No flavoured or caramelised beans: the coating can clog and damage the grinder.
• Arabica or blend: a blend of arabica and robusta gives more body and crema in an espresso. Pure arabica, such as Segafredo Selezione 100% Arabica or Pellini TOP 100% Arabica, is softer and a little more acidic, which suits a lungo.
• Bag size: if you drink coffee every day, a 1 kg bag is the practical choice. Only fill the hopper with what you will use in a few days and keep the rest of the bag closed.

What you will find here

Most coffees in this category are espresso blends in 1 kg bags, from Italian roasters such as Lavazza, Segafredo, Kimbo and Pellini, and from others such as Julius Meinl, Dallmayr and Costa Coffee. illy comes in 250 g, including the Arabica Selection single origins; handy if you like to switch coffees often. For decaf there are illy Decaf and Lavazza Decaf My Easy Day. There are also sample packs with two to four different coffees, so you can compare before you buy a larger amount.

Grinder setting and your first cups

With new beans, start on a middle setting. Turn the grind setting only while the grinder is running, and one step at a time; the difference usually shows after two or three cups. A finer setting gives a stronger, fuller espresso, a coarser one a lighter cup. Many Philips models also have a separate opening for ground coffee, handy for a single cup of decaf without emptying the hopper.

Coffee beans for Philips LatteGo and the 5500 Series

If your Philips has LatteGo or another milk system, you will mostly drink cappuccino or latte macchiato. Milk softens the coffee, so a fuller-bodied blend with a darker roast comes through better than a mild, light one. Rinse the milk system after every use; the LatteGo container has two parts and is quick to clean.

Maintenance and cleaning

• Descale when the machine asks for it; how often depends on the hardness of your water. See our coffee machine descaler.
• Brew group: on most models it is removable. Rinse it under the tap once a week.
• Drip tray and coffee grounds container: empty and rinse daily.
• Coffee oils: use cleaning tablets regularly, especially with darker roasts. You will find them with our coffee accessories.

Philips Senseo

Do you have a Philips Senseo rather than a bean-to-cup machine? That uses coffee pods, not beans, so you will find the right coffee in the Senseo category.