Philips Saeco Syntia Focus Automatic Espresso Machine

This is the first espresso machine I have owned, so I won't be comparing it to other machines. I've had the machine for about 5-6 months now, using it once or twice nearly every day with no problems.

I have been drinking espresso for a long time and I appreciate a well-balanced, properly extracted, silky crema and rich cup of gold. This machine is quick and consistent with every cup. With the touch of a button, you can go from bean to drinking within seconds. I prefer heavy thick espresso, so I keep it at it's finest setting for a powerful cup. There are two methods to set the potency: one to adjust the coarseness of the grind and one to adjust how much to brew in each cup. You can use pre-ground as well, however, I have not tried it.

The steamer works fantastically and takes mere seconds to warm up. The design makes a great foam on top for a perfect cappuccino or latte.

It's easy to keep clean and it is very easy to set up right out of the box. The brushed finish leaves no fingerprints and the steam wand wipes clean with a damp rag very easily.

The machine is built sturdy and is very low profile, which is great for smaller kitchens lacking counter-space. You can adjust the height of the spout for different sized cups. The full operation (grinding, tamping, brewing, and disposing) is not loud at all compared to some machines I have heard.

Since the machine is relatively small in size, it does not hold a massive quantity of beans, the water tank does have to be filled often (but it is very easy to fill), and the waste bucket needs to be emptied after 4-5 uses (easy to dump).

I have nothing bad to say about the design, operation, interfacing, or maintenance of this machine. I highly recommend it to anyone and wouldn't return it for anything. It truly is the best part of waking up!

--Salud!

We have had this machine for a couple of months and love it. We spent a lot of time looking at different machines. We were looking for durability, brew quality and price (I know, not a big surprise). Finding all three is a challenge in the superatomatics. The Saeco Syntia seems to meet all our needs.

It costs a little more than some of the others, but the issue I saw again and again with cheaper models was that they just didn't hold up. There were very few reviews outlining any problems with the Syntia.

So far everything is great. The documentation with the machine is just OK. I strongly recommend viewing the how-to videos on You-Tube by Saeco; they were very helpful.

The machine is much smaller than I thought it would be and fits very nice on our kitchen counter taking up just a little more space than a coffee maker. For the savings in space, the size of the water tank is sacrificed; we need to fill it every day. This is the only complaint thus far. We are very happy with the performance.

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We previously owned a Talea Touch that the display started acting up after almost 4 years of a LOT of use. I decided to pull the trigger on this unit instead of re-buying that one I love the way this looks. It's small height fits nicely under our counter and allows easy access to the bean hopper without having to move the unit around. The coffee (and we rarely drink espresso...use this mostly for coffee) is great tastes very good and although I read that it might taste different due to the lack of the SBS (Saeco brewing system) that my Talea had, I find the taste to be very close. I doubt seriously I could taste test a difference in a blind test.

For those that want to use this as a pure coffee maker, please note that the most you can get out of this unit is 8oz. We use 12oz coffee cups and were hoping to get some menu adjustments to add a few more oz of water to the cup, but it's not possible. Now, in fairness, the Talea does allow you to make this adjustment but essentially it just waters down the coffee a little more (which I felt I always noticed in taste but didn't know exactly how the Talea worked and assumed that it was making the adjustments via pre-brewing, etc... but it doesn't...it just adds more water).

Overall, had this unit a few days and really happy with it. Good build, nice looking, easy to use and the coffee is noticeably hotter out of the unit than my Talea ever was. Several people used to put their cup in the microwave after just to get it hotter. Not so with the Syntia. It also allows you with the dial on the front to dispense hot water as well, so great if you want a cup of tea, etc...

If I had one big complaint it's that the water hopper is really small smaller even than my Talea. I didn't measure, but if you're doing all espresso it's probably not a huge deal. When you're doing all coffee the water runs out fast...maybe 3-4 glasses tops and you are re-filling the water.

Highly recommend though my wife has people coming to our house just to drink coffee with her. Everyone loves this thing the quality is SOOOO much better than anything else we've tried. My sister bought us a Keurig unit to keep in our guest suite and we had to use that for a few days waiting on this unit from Amazon. It's not even close. And, the best part of a unit like this is that you can use whatever beans you like best you're not tied to a companies product to keep making coffee. Personally, we love the Dunkin Donuts blend. Soooo good. :)

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We have had a lot of problems with our unit. It has been in to service and we have it back but we are still not please. We upgraded to this from an Incanto and I miss our old machine! This looks nice and is easier to fill and empty but it is a lot more sensitive too. Upon receiving the unit back from service, we received a comical letter advising us not to use the machine on full strength. The person who serviced seems to have a personal attachment to coffee makers. It made me think of the Seinfeld episode where the mechanic drives off with Jerry's car because Jerry wasn't a good enough owner. We bought this because we like very robust coffee. I didn't come with a lame setting as far as I know! I am annoyed at and frustrated with this machine and Saeco 'service". I hope this is the only dud in their product line.

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Years ago, I worked part-time at Starbucks as a barista. Even before my Starbucks days, I managed an espresso bar in college. I know my coffee/espresso drinks and I've worked with some hardcore machines. After I left my barista jobs, I figured getting the same quality of espresso drinks at home would be hard to do. The machines I've purchased to replicate what I used on the job fell pretty short in terms of power, speed and quality. I then resorted to purchasing my coffee/espresso drinks instead so I could continue enjoying espresso with the same expectations.

When I tried out the Syntia Focus for the first time, I was impressed. It really yielded a great quality with perfect 'crema' {or espresso foam}which is telling of a good machine. Crema is achieved when everything from the water temperature, pressure, tamping and timing is perfect and where it needs to be to put out the best espresso. Who would have thought a home espresso machine would really deliver like this?! I was hooked and I liked the product so much I taught a 'Barista Basics' class to a handful of coffee/espresso loving students.

Using the Syntia Focus Automatic Espresso Machine, I taught folks how to create the perfect cup of espresso and a myriad of espresso drinks from cappuccinos, lattés, mochas, breves, mistos, etc. Needless to say, we were all pretty wired by the end of the class! Since the holidays are just around the corner, if you're looking for a great gift to give a fellow coffee/espresso lover, I highly recommend this espresso machine. But honestly, don't wait until the holidays to purchase one. This is great even for yourself so you can have fun making your favorite coffeehouse drinks and be a master barista in your own kitchen!

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