Smart home gadgets are all about saving money and time while enhancing your experience and the Philips 5400 Series LatteGo machine ticks all the boxes and much more. The fully automatic espresso machine can make 12 different coffee drinks straight from bean to cup, saving you trips to Starbucks or Pret,
Originally priced at £679.99, shoppers can now enjoy a 20% off discount and save £130 on the machine for £549.99 when you buy it from John Lewis or Argos.
You can also customise each drink and choose the grind settings, intensity and drink size at the touch of a button. I am a coffee lover and this Philips LatteGo 5400 sped up my breakfast routine by half and I got to enjoy my cuppa just as fresh as the ones from cafes.
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The machine is like a one-stop shop to fill up your adrenaline. You put in some coffee beans, fill up the LatteGo system with milk and press a button – it grinds the bean, fills the basket and tamps with precise pressure, then brews to your exact preference.
In two minutes, my drink is ready. This is a game changer for me as I used to spend 15 minutes doing all the above using my De'Longhi Dedica Espresso machine.
![The device made a pretty good ristretto with rich creama like a mini stout](https://i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk/incoming/article32437394.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/20240311_094425.jpg)
The water tank includes an AquaClean filter and colour-changing paper to test for water hardness. However, it took me a few tries to find a coffee set-up I preferred.
I tried it on a few expresso drinks and made a ristretto with perfect rich crema that looked almost like a baby Guinness. It's the most satisfying thing to watch as the colour gradually changes from light blonde to black. A common pointer of getting a good espresso shot is the 2:1 brewing ratio, by choosing the highest bean setting and a 30ml espresso shot will give you roughly 35ml of ristretto.
![I also made a milk-based drink, latte macchiato, and it's definitely comparable to coffee shop standard](https://i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk/incoming/article32437392.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_Capture.jpg)
![The machine first dispensed the milk then added in the coffee shot so the full flavour of espresso won't be lost](https://i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk/incoming/article32437574.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_PXL_20240317_115546867.jpg)
Then I moved on to the milk-based drinks. On the menu, there are cappuccino, latte macchiato, café au lait and café latte. I picked the "fancy" latte macchiato and used a tall glass - it fitted perfectly thanks to the height-adjustable spout.
Interestingly, the machine ground the beans first and then heated the milk before making the espresso shots. The drink came out exactly as shown in the picture.
I found I could not practise latte art with the LatteGo milk system. It's a simple clear-view container and a spout where it heats up the milk and dispenses it to the cup directly. Another thing to note is some reviews said it was "very loud" when working.
![The Philips LatteGo 5400 can make 12 coffee drinks and store up to four profiles to customise each drink](https://i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk/incoming/article32437564.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_cof.jpg)
But the coffee machine is great for people who love to drink freshly ground coffee and want to get rid of the hassle of grinding beans and tamping the coffee. There is also a chamber for ground coffee if you don't want to buy coffee beans.
The machine is retailed at a premium price, £679.99, but now you can get it for £549.99 and if you drink a cup of coffee a day, this would workout as £1.50 per day – which is still cheaper than getting it from a coffee shop.
Alternatively, you can go for Philips' previous model, the LatteGo 3200, which is now reduced to £439 from £599.99. De'Longhi's Magnifica Evo bean-to-cup coffee machine is also on Amazon's Spring Deal sale, you can get it at £419.99, instead of £549.