50 facts in comparison
Philips 5400 Series vs Philips Saeco Xelsis
Philips 5400 Series
Philips Saeco Xelsis
Why is Philips 5400 Series better than Philips Saeco Xelsis?
- 8.1kg lighter?
8kgvs16.1kg - Water tank is transparent?
- Has integrated filter?
- Doesn’t use proprietary capsules?
- 48 mm thinner?
372 mmvs420 mm - Has a touch screen?
- 12.5% larger water tank?
1.8 lvs1.6 l - 4 more grind settings?
12vs8
Why is Philips Saeco Xelsis better than Philips 5400 Series?
- Has a steam wand?
- Has cleaning alert?
- Indicates when drip tray is full?
- Has a pre-infusion function?
- Can brew and steam simultaneously?
- 6 more programmable buttons?
6vs0 - 27.27% bigger bean hopper?
350 gvs275 g - Has cup warmer?
Price comparison
Philips 5400 Series
Philips 5400 Serie EP5447/90 Kaffeevollautomat, 12 Kaffeespezialitäten (LatteGo Milchsystem) Matt-Schwarz...Philips 5400 Serie EP5447/90 Kaffeevollautomat, 12 Kaffeespezialitäten (LatteGo Milchsystem) Matt-Schwarz/Verchromte Arena
Philips Saeco Xelsis
PHILIPS 4300 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine - LatteGo Milk Frother, 8 Coffee Varieties, Intuitiv...PHILIPS 4300 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine - LatteGo Milk Frother, 8 Coffee Varieties, Intuitive Touch Display, Black, (EP4347/94)
General info
The type of coffee machine.
Volume is the quantity of three-dimensional space enclosed by the product's chassis or, in simpler terms, the space the product occupies.
How much power the device consumes when it's switched on.
This means that the capsules/pods are widely available, whereas with some manufacturers you can only buy them from special shops or online.
The machine automatically deposits the used coffee grounds or pods into the dump box after extraction. The dump box capacity shows how many drinks you can create before it is full.
We consider a lower weight better because lighter devices are more comfortable to carry. A lower weight is also an advantage for home appliances, as it makes transportation easier, and for many other types of products.
When covered under the manufacturer’s warranty it is possible to get a replacement in the case of a malfunction. Note: This may vary by region.
The thickness (or depth) of the product.
The height represents the vertical dimension of the product.
Components
One of the most important aspects to pulling a great espresso is the amount of pressure used. Aspects such as how tightly tamped the portafilter is can affect the pressure and therefore the overall quality of the extraction. A pressure gauge helps you to adjust your process to achieve a perfect 9 bar of pressure.
A 58mm portafilter is the most common size in the industry, offering a greater range of accessories to purchase such as portafilter baskets and tampers.
It has a steam wand, which allows you to make steamed/frothed milk to create other drinks from an espresso base.
It comes with a commercial style steam wand as opposed to a pannarello steam wand. These are harder to master but can allow you to produce better, richer milk froth.
The espresso machine has an integrated grinder so that you don’t have to buy a separate one.
An E61 group head provides excellent temperature stability, a key aspect of producing great espresso. It also has the benefit of a passive pre-infusion feature.
A bigger bean hopper means that you have to refill it less often.
The device has an electronic display to present information to the user.
With a cup warmer you can heat the cups before pulling your espresso so that it doesn't go cold quickly, which affects the taste and quality. It also means that you don’t have to manually heat them using hot water.
Water source
A PID controller controls the temperature of the boiler electronically. It offers a far greater degree of accuracy and consistency than a regular, mechanical thermostat used to control temperature. This is very important as a temperature of around 92°C to 96°C is key to pulling the perfect espresso.
The water tank is removable, making it easier to refill.
With a transparent water tank you can easily see when it needs to be filled up. This is important as attempting to make an espresso with an empty tank can damage the machine.
An integrated water filter produces cleaner water for brewing espresso. It also helps to prevent the build up of limescale.
The coffee machine can connect directly to the water supply. This ensures you never have to refill the machine with water.
A hot water outlet is useful as it can be used to heat cups, as well as making americanos, long blacks and teas.
With a larger water tank you don’t have to refill it as often.
Maintenance
After a certain period of being idle, the device will switch to a sleep mode to conserve power.
The machine alerts you when it requires cleaning.
With a drip tray indicator the machine informs you of when you need to empty the tray.
It has an internal fuse/thermal sensors which prevents the machine from overheating.
The machine automatically cleans the coffee circuit, meaning that the machine requires a minimal amount of cleaning.
The machine automatically cleans the milk circuit, meaning that the machine requires a minimal amount of cleaning.
Features
With a pre-infusion function you get a low pressure of water before it ramps up to around 9 bar of pressure. This gently expands the grinds to get a smooth extraction and to help prevent channeling in the cake.
With a double boiler or heat exchanger system, you can brew and steam milk at the same time. This has an advantage over single boiler machines where you have to wait between brewing and steaming for the temperature to adjust.
These buttons can be programmed for different types of coffee such as an espresso, doppio or ristretto. This means once you have mastered a particular style of coffee, you can get it the same every time.
The time taken to pull an espresso shot is one of four key elements, and should be around 19-22 seconds. Once you have the grind, dose and tamp correct, you can use the shot clock to time the pull perfectly.
A higher number of grind settings gives you more flexibility when choosing the fineness of your ground coffee. The particle size is important as a grind which is too coarse can produce weak tasting espresso, whereas a grind which is too fine can lead to a bitter taste.
For machines which accept coffee capsules/pods, each one can create a different drink, including teas and hot chocolates. More types of drink available gives you a greater range of choice.
The device can connect to Wi-Fi.
This technology allows the users to use their smartphone as a remote control for the device.
Miscellaneous
A larger integrated frother means it is possible to create more frothed milk for use in coffee-based drinks such as cappuccinos.
With one press of a button you can create a cappuccino.
Ground coffee, especially if freshly roasted and ground, results in much better quality coffee than the kind of results you get with pods or capsules.
Price comparison
Philips 5400 Series
Philips 5400 Serie EP5447/90 Kaffeevollautomat, 12 Kaffeespezialitäten (LatteGo Milchsystem) Matt-Schwarz...Philips 5400 Serie EP5447/90 Kaffeevollautomat, 12 Kaffeespezialitäten (LatteGo Milchsystem) Matt-Schwarz/Verchromte Arena
Philips Saeco Xelsis
PHILIPS 4300 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine - LatteGo Milk Frother, 8 Coffee Varieties, Intuitiv...PHILIPS 4300 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine - LatteGo Milk Frother, 8 Coffee Varieties, Intuitive Touch Display, Black, (EP4347/94)
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