PHILIPS 1200 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine
Designed for coffee lovers seeking convenience without sacrificing quality, the Philips EP1220/04 is part of Philips’ 1200 series, aimed at delivering barista-style beverages with one-touch ease. It features a robust ceramic grinder, a classic steam wand for milk frothing, and an AquaClean filter system that minimizes maintenance while enhancing water purity.
This model offers two primary coffee options — espresso and coffee — with customizable settings for strength and volume. It’s an excellent entry-level super-automatic espresso machine ideal for home users looking to upgrade from pod-based systems or manual brewers.
Product Highlights & Features
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Fully Automatic Brewing: Enjoy espresso or coffee from freshly ground beans with the press of a button.
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Classic Milk Frother: Steam wand creates silky milk foam for lattes and cappuccinos.
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100% Ceramic Grinder: Long-lasting and precise, this grinder retains the aroma without overheating the beans.
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Intuitive Touch Display: Simplified interface makes operation and customization easy.
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My Coffee Choice Menu: Allows adjustment of coffee strength and volume with three levels of customization.
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Aroma Extract System: Maintains optimal brewing temperature (90–98°C) for balanced extraction.
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AquaClean Water Filter: Reduces scale build-up and eliminates the need for descaling up to 5,000 cups.
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Compact Design: Small footprint makes it suitable for kitchens with limited counter space.
Technical Specifications
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Model | Philips EP1220/04 |
| Coffee Maker Type | Fully Automatic Espresso Machine |
| Color | Black (Matte Finish) |
| Material | Plastic, Stainless Steel, Ceramic |
| Dimensions | 10” D x 15” W x 17” H |
| Weight | 15.4 lbs (7 kg) |
| Wattage | 1500 watts |
| Voltage | 120V |
| Grinder Type | 100% Ceramic, Adjustable (12 grind levels) |
| Milk Frother | Classic Steam Wand |
| Water Tank Capacity | Approx. 60 oz (1.8 L) |
| Bean Hopper Capacity | Approx. 9.7 oz (275 g) |
| User Interface | Intuitive Touch Buttons |
| Water Filter | AquaClean (included) |
| Auto Shut-Off | Yes |
| Beverage Types | Espresso, Coffee, Hot Water, Milk Froth |
| Filter Type | Reusable |
| Warranty | 1 Year (Check Manufacturer Details) |
Final Verdict
The Philips 1200 Series EP1220/04 offers a compelling blend of quality, convenience, and affordability. It’s an ideal choice for casual coffee drinkers or anyone transitioning from pod machines to bean-to-cup systems. The ceramic grinder ensures a consistent grind, while the AquaClean filter simplifies maintenance. While its milk frothing capabilities are basic compared to more advanced models, it still allows for delicious cappuccinos and lattes with a bit of manual finesse.
Pros
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Excellent value for a fully automatic espresso machine
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Easy to use and clean
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Ceramic grinder and AquaClean filter enhance longevity
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Compact and stylish
Cons
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Limited to two coffee varieties (no specialty drink presets)
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Steam wand requires manual operation
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Not ideal for users wanting more advanced milk systems (e.g., LatteGo)
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.2/5)
If you’re looking for a dependable, affordable espresso machine that doesn’t sacrifice bean-to-cup quality, the Philips EP1220/04 should be high on your list.
MC –
Bought 3 on Amazon Prime Day.
Bought one of these for traveling and two as gifts at Christmas. This fits in my large suitcase for taking to VRBOs. We stay on Whibey Island in a rural area and it’s nice to have quality coffee. In some ways, I like the functionality better than my Jura E8. The steam wand works great and the removable insides make cleaning a breeze. Will see how many trips it can take in a suitcase before it breaks. But, successful after one round-trip so for. Those given as gifts have been well received. Once the Jura dies, I may not spend at that level again as this works so well.
Amazon Customer –
10/10 budget automatic espresso machine!
I could not be happier with this automatic espresso machine. It grinds well, makes excellent espresso, and notifies you when things need to be cleaned, filled, and empty. Really good value for the price and super functional. Also incredibly simple. It seems to work best with light/medium roast espresso — and gets the temperature pretty much perfect.
2 people found this helpful
James K –
excellent coffee/espresso for its price range
We had an Saeco Intellia for over about 12 years, which we loved, before it started being less reliable, throwing errors, wasting ground coffee, and just weaker coffee overall. I didn’t want to spend another $800 or so on another superautomatic and decided to get this after watching/reading several reviews. It’s only my wife and I who use this in the house. She prefers her morning double strength americano while I like a morning shot of espresso so we don’t need a lot of the extra features of a more expensive superautomatic.We’ve been using the Carina for a month now and I gotta say this machine is excellent for what it cost. The espressed coffee is way better than what the Intellia ever made.. stronger and more robust. The creme is about the same tho and still not nearly as much as I used to get with a manual espresso I had a long time ago (I think it was a cheap $80 delonghi but an excellent espresso maker nonetheless and WAY WAY WAY better than a Kureg or Nespresso which we’ve had before as well). The ground pucks are tighter too meaning there’s more coffee grounds being packed in.What I also love about the Carina is that if you run out of water during the brew, it will wait until you refill the reservoir and let you continue the brew instead of dumping the grounds and forcing you to start over again like the Intellia did. Other things I like about the Carinia.. The waste ground collection is within the waste liquid reservoir and the grounds fill up a bit faster than the liquid.. which means it kinda forces us to dump both the grounds and the liquid whenever the grounds collection is filled up. This prevents the liquid from overfilling and spilling out which used to happen quite a lot with the Intellia that had the ground collection separate from the liquid.I am using the AquaClean filter for the moment to measure how effective it will be and the maintenance cost of replacing them every so often. We’ll see if I want to keep using them or go back to the manual decalcification process.Anyways.. the Carina makes great coffee and is a bit easier to clean. Highly recommend it.Also, to anyone using a Kureg or Nespresso machines and looking to upgrade.. I strongly recommend getting a superautomatic.. they make a MUCH better cup of coffee and the Carina is probably the best one you’ll find at this price range and not to mention you’ll be saving money in the long run and create less waste for the landfill.
29 people found this helpful
Izabela –
The only espresso machine you will ever need
I love this espresso machine.It’s easy to use. Just put water in water container and put hole beans on the top.Choose the size and strength of your desired coffee or espresso and you will be in heaven.All buttons are located on front panel.Entire machine is made out of plastic so it’s easy to clean.Quality of machine is very good.Housing is very durable.You can ser 3 different water temperature if you want super hot coffee.You can set water hardness to decale it at appropriate intervals.Just love it and can’t live without it.
7 people found this helpful
Blake Hughes –
A nearly perfect latte; My home detention is way better now!
My basis for comparison is my use of the original Saeco Super automatic machines from the early 2000’s-This Philip’s model 1200 is a smooth operator!It is a computerized robot so…It takes maybe 30 seconds – that’s all- to begin the process you initiate via push button. The unit makes neat noises indicating the steam is becoming ready/ so far it’s been a maximum of 45 seconds to start steaming!The unit came with a test strip for water hardness- which here on a The Island of Hawaii is high. There are background adjustments to account for the water hardness as well as adjustments for how much coffee / water goes into each shot; creating a pretty great Latte.The first ten shots can’t possibly taste good as it seems like the machine needs to be conditioned somehow-this was expected- I RAN OLD BEANS THROUGH INITIALLY FLUSHING THE RESULTS RIGHT DOWN THE DRAIN.Then I put in some fresh French roast beans and ViolaPretty close to how I like it boom. I did use a thermometer while steaming my almond milk, but to my surprise the sound that comes from the frother correlates to the increasing temperature- then I make a shot or two directly into my cup.* it’s been about 6 weeks since purchasing this unit.I make my lattes now using OAT MILK!To get the strongest shoes I HAVE NOT DONE ANY ADJUSTMENTS BUTI was doing it wrongFirstMake sure your beans in the Reservoir are on top of the grinder- not just next to the grinder. My observation of Puck density/ finished weight after pressing espresso goes up if I mound the beans on the grinder.SecondFor a 12 oz latte it takes 4 oz if milk.I didn’t realize the best lattes I have ever had are espresso shots stored into the foamed milk!The price/ size – features on this machine are just what I needed!Thanks Philips!
3 people found this helpful
nitamay –
Good Coffee Machine
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We were replacing a KRUPS machine that was making great coffee until it finally died, so some of this review will reference the KRUPS.When you first get this machine the first 5-10 cups are going to be very weak but eventually the machine will calibrate and you’ll figure out your favorite options, grind density.The good:- easily removable water tank (easier than krups) it slides out forward so don’t have to move the machine ever- makes a variety of coffee sizes and grind types.There is a knob inside the coffee bean area with 12 grind settings.- aroma seal top for the coffee beans holder plus it works with ground coffee too if you get those on accident.- milk steamer is very strong and easy to clean – this design is better than Krups. The steamer can be stopped when you want to so milk doesn’t overflow.- the coffee is really good once you get used to the settings – though not as good as Krups…The OK- startup is a bit lengthy – the first part of the video – the machine shuts down after about 10-15 minutes fully.- it cleans every time so that small amount of water after startup always gets dumped, don’t put your cup there and leave cause you might forget to dump it :)Overall it’s a very good mid range full service machine, easy to clean and maintain and the water tank doesn’t have small areas that will grow mold – this was a problem on the Krups.Hope this helps! Overall I probably would have gotten a Krups because I was used to it but since it’s not sold in the US anymore this one is a very good replacement.
20 people found this helpful
Ulric DeBlois –
Top Grade Machine
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High quality coffee/espresso maker. Espresso and coffee lovers know that when there is foam on the top there is wonderful rich coffee. I have had this machine for a year and a half with no issues. I use it at least once a day. All my friends and family beg for a cup of coffee or espresso when they visit. I would recommend this maker to everyone.
3 people found this helpful
JJ –
Overall a great option, worth the investment
Overall a great option, it does take a lot of counterspace but worth the real estate price you have to pay.If you are reading this review you may be considering this machine. I don’t like the American style of coffee machines. I had a Nespresso or a Bialetti Moka Pot for a long time, this machine really solves all my issues not falling into the Keurig ripoff but getting good coffee away from Nespresso. My first two cups I debated if I should return the machine but have been extremely happy every new cup I brew. Very happy with the purchase, play with settings, coffee beans, intensity, and water volume. If you have patience to test settings you will love the machine, if you complaint on every corner you will just keep complaining here, life may be hard on you.OK some people complain not having chrome or bling or stainless steel front, but you are paying basically the cheapest automatic machine from the bunch, you want all stainless? got to pay for all stainless… overall this machine does not disappoint, worth every penny, would buy it again. Now you can stop reading and add it cart once you find the best price out there.
3 people found this helpful
andrea furby –
Love this machine
Love this machine. Have had it for about a year now and works great. Easy to clean. Easy to use. Makes the best iced lattes. Overall quiet. Perfect size for counter top! No issues whatsoever. Only down side is the steaming feature is less than great doesn’t foam the milk well at all but I don’t do hot drinks anyway so doesn’t bother me!
pupplecabbage –
Love it
Love it, makes good coffee , our family enjoys it