Saeco Espresso

Good Sunday morning! Fancy a cup of espresso? I am sitting here catching up on life over a double espresso made in my new Philips Syntia Focus espresso machine. Having this machine for the past few weeks has made the start of the day a little nicer and has made working from home even better. I can make a really delicious espresso, super easily, any time I want.

When I received an email from a representative of Saeco Philips over the summer asking if I was interested in trying out one of their new machines, I was very excited. Over a phone call I learned more about the line which is made for coffee lovers who enjoy entertaining and quiet moments at home, savoring a slow start to the morning over an espresso or spending some time in the kitchen coming up with espresso recipes.

So far we’ve only had a chance to use the machine to make espresso, but we both love it. Setting it up was simple, and as you can see above, it’s pretty nice to look at. The machine takes up a small part of our counter next to the sink so it doesn’t impact my prep areas for cooking at all which is very important. The fact that it fits so perfectly next to the sink is also ideal for emptying grounds and filling the machine with water.

The machine did take a little while to learn to use, so if you buy one, I would recommend trying it out for the first time when you are wide awake, not when you need coffee desperately! Once I figured it out, I was off and running making a few shots of rich espresso with a perfect crema top every day. The display screen is helpful, as long as you know what the icons mean, so I would also recommend tucking the manual next to the machine at first. By now we are old pros, and most of all, we love that this machine cleans itself.

We haven’t used all of the features yet like the milk frother, but as the weather gets cooler, I see the machine getting even more use, including in cooking and cocktails.

Ever since our dinner at City Landing, I have been thinking about beef marinated in coffee, so that might be the first thing I make!

I am sure you will be seeing plenty of coffee recipes on the blog in the near future, but in the meantime, check out two past favorites, Mocha Cookies and Godiva Coffee Martinis. If you have a favorite espresso recipe to share, please let me know in the comments!

I received the Philips Syntia espresso machine free of charge as a review item. All opinions in the above review are my own.