Is the Philips Café Aromis Series 8000 worth it for a household where everyone wants a different coffee?

RRP at time of testing: £893 | Check price at Philips, Argos or Currys

My verdict

There are two types of people in this world: people who know the difference between a ristretto and a lungo, and people who’ve spent years happily drinking instant coffee from a kettle and calling it a personality trait. 

I’m very much in the second camp. Before testing the Philips Café Aromis Series 8000, our coffee setup was a kettle. That was it. No grinder, no pod machine, no frother arm, no tiny scales, no knowing look while discussing crema. Just instant coffee and hope. 

Five weeks later, the kettle has only been touched for tea. 

The Philips Café Aromis Series 8000 is a fully automatic bean-to-cup coffee machine with a touchscreen, hot and cold milk carafes, personalised profiles and more than 50 drink options. It’s big (though not as big as Sage or Ninja equivalents), clever and expensive. It’s also very good - and my bank balance agrees.

The package is large and heavy - DH had to help me lift it 

It won me over because it does what I need a pricey appliance to do: it makes life easier without making me feel stupid. I don’t want coffee homework. I don’t want a frothing wand that requires technique. I don’t want to watch 11 YouTube tutorials before breakfast. I want a good latte, quickly, while someone is asking where their PE kit is.

This machine does exactly that. It won’t suit everyone. If you love the ritual of grinding, tamping and frothing your own coffee, this probably isn’t your machine. You’ll miss the theatre. I can’t personally relate, but I respect your journey.

If you have a tiny kitchen or only drink the occasional coffee, it’s probably too much machine for your needs. But for busy households where different people want different coffees, and where bought coffees are a regular expense, it makes a lot of sense.

How I’ve tested the Philips Café Aromis Series 8000

I tested the Philips Café Aromis Series 8000 for five weeks in my main kitchen. My husband and I used it daily, and my mum also tried it when she came to visit. On a quiet day, we made at least four coffees between us. On a particularly stressful or hectic day, that number crept up. 

Before this, we were a kettle-and-instant-coffee household, which I appreciate is considered blasphemy by real coffee people. During testing, the machine completely replaced instant coffee for us. We only used the kettle for tea.

We tested it with Löfbergs Brazil single origin whole coffee beans from Tesco and semi-skimmed milk. We mainly made lattes, iced lattes and espresso, plus frothy babycinos for the children.

We also tested the user profiles, hot and cold milk carafes, touchscreen, HomeID app, cleaning routines, drip tray, grounds container and general day-to-day practicality.

Philips Café Aromis Series 8000 coffee machine: what’s in the box?

Inside the box, you get the Philips Café Aromis Series 8000 machine, LatteGo Pro hot and cold milk carafes, an AquaClean water filter, a water hardness test strip and instructions. The model I tested also came with everything I needed to get started straight out-of-the-box.

The packaging is designed to make unboxing a tad easier, thanks to the included handles

First impressions of the Philips Café Aromis coffee machine

My first thought when the Philips Café Aromis Series 8000 arrived was: it’s heavy.

It looks and feels premium from the second you open the box, but it is slightly bulk - though it’s no bigger than our dual air fryer. That wasn’t a shock. A machine doing this much was never going to be dainty. Still, you do need to think carefully about where it will live.

Thankfully, we have a decent amount of kitchen counter space. We put it in a corner close to the sink, next to the kettle and near a plug. That turned out to be a good spot because the water tank is easy to fill and the drip tray is easy to empty.

It fits under our kitchen cupboards, although I do need to slide it out when adding beans to the hopper. That’s not a major issue, but it’s exactly the sort of thing worth knowing before you buy. If your cupboards sit low over your worktop, measure first. Please don’t spend nearly £900 only to discover your new coffee machine has to live where the toaster used to be.

In our white and grey kitchen, it looks smart and sleek. It’s not a shy appliance, but it doesn’t look plasticky or out of place.

Set up is relatively straightforward - provided you follow the instructions properly

Is the Philips Café Aromis Series 8000 easy to use? 

Yes, surprisingly so. Setup took around 15 minutes and involved a few steps, including setting up the water filter and testing our tap water hardness. I made myself take it slowly, mainly because I’ve never owned a coffee machine before and didn’t want to break an expensive appliance before it had made me so much as a latte.

The instructions were clear and easy to follow, and nothing about the setup process was especially annoying. That feels like faint praise, but with premium kitchen tech, “nothing made me want to throw it into the garden” is actually a compliment.

The touchscreen is excellent. It’s clear and responsive enough that you don’t have to prod at it angrily like a McDonald’s self-service screen. The menu is big, but I found it exciting rather than overwhelming. There was a lot of “oooh, I can make iced lattes” and “oooh, I can make babycinos for the kids” in the first few days. 

The Philips HomeID app was very straightforward to connect and helpful for the initial setup. After that, we didn’t really use it. I didn’t test the Barista Assistant because we didn’t need it to enjoy the machine. For us, the app was a nice extra rather than a reason to buy.

Setting the water hardness was a learning experience

I used the HomeID app to help me set up the machine, but haven’t needed it since

Personalised profiles on the Philips Café Aromis Series 8000

The user profiles are one of the machine’s best features. My husband and I set up separate profiles and both of us have stuck to them. He has three drinks saved: one regular coffee, one large coffee and one espresso for the gym. I have my regular coffee measured for my favourite mug and an iced latte saved too.

It sounds like a small thing, but it saves time. Instead of scrolling through all the drink options while half-awake, you tap your profile and choose your saved drink.

On busy mornings, I could set my coffee going and get one child dressed before it finished. Not drama. Just hot coffee appearing while I deal with socks, school bags and someone shouting that their jumper feels “wrong”.

The adjustable spout is useful too. Our normal mugs fit underneath easily, and I could also use glasses for iced lattes with ease. 

We’ve two profiles saved - husband is orange, I’m purple

Philips Café Aromis Series 8000: is the coffee good quality?

We were very keen to try the machine quickly, so we picked up Löfbergs Brazil single origin whole coffee beans from Tesco. I’m sure there are people who would spend three days researching beans. I am not currently one of them. Still, the coffee has been lovely. 

We haven’t adjusted the grind settings because, honestly, we haven’t needed to. We’re still learning to be coffee connoisseurs, and the drinks tasted good straight out of the box.

My husband says the espresso is strong, balanced and rich, and it has a decent crema. He now takes one with him before gym trips. I’ve mostly stuck to lattes, because I am nothing if not predictable.

Compared with our old instant coffee routine, the difference is huge. The coffee tastes richer and smoother, and the strength settings make a noticeable difference. I like a stronger coffee in the morning and a gentler latte later in the day, when I’m pretending it’s a calming ritual rather than simply another caffeine top-up.

We haven’t found a drink we wouldn’t make again, although we’ve mainly stuck to lattes, iced lattes, frothy milk and espresso. There are still plenty of options left to explore.

I was very, very excited to get this setup and used for the first time

We picked up a bag of coffee beans we found in our local Tesco 

Is the milk frother easy to use on the Philips Café Aromis coffee machine?

The LatteGo Pro milk system is the feature that made the biggest difference for me.

One thing that has always put me off coffee machines is the frother arm. I have neither the time nor the emotional bandwidth to learn wand angles before 8am. This machine does the milk for you, and it does it very well.

You fill the milk carafe, attach it to the machine and let it get on with it. No skill required. The milk comes out frothy and smooth, and semi-skimmed milk worked well throughout testing.

The kids were particularly excited about the frothy milk. Babycinos at home became a whole thing and my mum now puts in an order for an iced latte when she comes over. Iced lattes were a godsend during the May and June heatwaves. That said - how cold they are depends on how much ice you use, and I did once overfill a glass with ice then forget to adjust the froth amount. The froth overflowed, but it wasn’t the machine's fault. 

Leftover milk can go back in the fridge in the carafe, which is handy and avoids waste, assuming you remember to do it.

Cleaning the milk carafes is mostly easy, but they do have edges and crevices that need a bit of attention. It took me a little while to realise they separate into two parts for a thorough clean. Both have been through the dishwasher and were absolutely fine.

I am a latte girl through and through

The milk is nice and frothy every time

Is the Philips Café Aromis Series 8000 easy to clean and maintain?

Day-to-day cleaning is straightforward, especially because our machine sits near the sink.

The drip tray needs emptying daily, while the grounds container has generally needed emptying weekly or whenever the machine prompts us. There is something oddly satisfying about chucking the used coffee grounds into my HOTBIN outside, which is not a sentence I expected to write in a coffee machine review, but here we are.

There are some milk drips and coffee splashes around the mug after a few uses, but nothing dramatic. A quick wipe with a damp cloth sorts it.

I did get grounds escaping into the lower tray on a couple of occasions, but that was mainly because I ignored the warning to empty the grounds container and decided I could squeeze another two or three coffees out of it. The machine, unsurprisingly, knew better.

Now for my confession: I have not yet rinsed the brew group, even though Philips recommends doing it weekly. I know. Appalling behaviour. I couldn’t immediately figure it out, but after looking more closely at the instructions, I now know I need to open the service door on the right-hand side and press the PUSH lever to release it. I know what I’m doing this weekend.

That’s worth mentioning because while the machine does a lot for you, it isn’t a self-sustaining coffee elf. You still need to keep on top of basic maintenance.

The iced lattes were definitely appreciated during the May and June heatwaves

Is the Philips Café Aromis Series 8000 coffee machine good for family life?

Yes, if you have the space and drink enough coffee to justify it.

It’s quick enough for normal family life, and it copes well with making several drinks in a row. My usual latte takes less than a few minutes. I can set it going, do something useful and come back to coffee, which feels like a small domestic miracle.

It is not silent, though. The grinder is loud, but not so loud that it feels like you’re standing in a coffee shop. The machine also beeps before rinsing, which confused us at first. Our youngest now shouts, “Mummy, the machine is cleaning itself,” in case I somehow missed the appliance announcing its own hygiene routine.

We live and work in an open-plan space, so we can hear it. It hasn’t woken anyone up or interrupted family life, but I wouldn’t run it while on a work call. If you have a separate kitchen and living room, it will probably feel less intrusive.

For us, it has made life easier. It’s a luxury, yes, but it’s also one we use every day.

Babycinos are now a daily occurrence for the kids

How does it compare with other coffee machines?

This was my first bean-to-cup machine, so I’m not going to pretend I can compare it with years of owning similar models. Before this, we had a kettle. Years ago, I had a Tassimo pod machine, and compared with that, this is in a completely different league.

The biggest difference is freshness and flexibility. Pods are convenient, but you’re limited by the capsules you buy. With the Philips Café Aromis Series 8000, you can use whole beans, save your favourite drinks, adjust strength and milk quantity, make iced lattes and prepare different drinks for different people without swapping capsules or doing much thinking.

Compared with a manual espresso machine, this is for a different type of person. If you like grinding beans, tamping coffee and creating tiny milk hearts, you’ll probably find this too automated. But if you want decent coffee without the barista routine, it’s ideal.

Below you'll find a side-by-side comparison of three similar coffee machines - the Philips, a Ninja and a Sage option.

Final verdict - is this the coffee machine for you? 

The Philips Café Aromis Series 8000 is best for busy households who love proper coffee but don’t want the faff of making it properly.

It’s particularly good if different people in your home like different drinks. The personalised profiles are useful, the touchscreen is easy to use and the milk system takes away the intimidating bit of making lattes at home. It has handled daily use in our kitchen for five weeks and has completely replaced instant coffee for us.

It is expensive, heavy and bulky. You need enough countertop space, and ideally enough height under your cupboards to access the bean hopper without dragging the machine forward every time. It’s also not silent, and the milk carafes need thorough cleaning.

You can adjust the quantity of coffee and milk to suit your cup and caffeine needs

But would I buy it with my own money? Yes, though I’d probably watch for a discount.

If you regularly buy takeaway coffees, the price starts to make more sense. Two coffees at around £4 each is roughly £8 a day. Even once you factor in the cost of beans, a household buying coffee out regularly could make back a good chunk of the cost over time.

More importantly, it makes very good coffee with very little effort. My husband loves it. My kids love their babycinos. My mum now orders iced lattes when she visits. And I, a former instant coffee loyalist, have been thoroughly converted.

It’s a gorgeous machine, and suits our kitchen perfectly

Don’t buy it if you enjoy the ritual of making coffee by hand, have limited kitchen space or only drink the occasional cup. Do buy it if you want excellent, personalised coffee at home without needing barista skills.

Some doors, once opened, cannot be closed. Instant coffee, I’m afraid, is now one of them.

About the author

Rebecca Roberts is a Senior Content Editor hailing from Leeds. Here at Mumsnet, she aims to bring parents content that’s designed to make life easier. As a mum of two herself, she knows all too well just how much things can cost these days. From mattresses and bedding to kitchen gadgets and beauty tech - she's on a mission to find and test the products that are designed to make life that little bit easier for parents (and won't break the bank).

Beyond her role as an editor here at Mumsnet, Rebecca can be found balancing life as a working mum of two young kids and when she’s not at her desk, you’ll likely find her at a school PTA meeting, in a nearby coffee shop, or walking her two dogs up and down country lanes.

About Mumsnet reviews

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