Saeco Picobaristo vs Philips 3200 isn’t the easiest debate to debunk. However, after comparing their general brewing features and consistency in flavor performance, the Philips 3200 is the clear winner.
Philips 3200 boasts a balanced espresso flavor that will impress you with the chocolaty note and smooth crema. In addition, I like how organized its interface is, where users can easily understand the purpose of each button without having to brainstorm the possible functions. As for the milk foam quality, I have been able to make beautiful latte art with it. For its price and value, I highly recommend Philips 3200.
As for Saeco Picobaristo, it offers an excellent selection of one-touch drinks and can produce some rich espresso shots. I suggest this model if you want a thin and elegant style. However, its bean hopper is a tad lousy, which is the major reason why I don’t particularly enjoy the machine.
Saeco Picobaristo vs Philips 3200: Comparison Chart
Last update on 2023-05-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Saeco Picobaristo vs Philips 3200: Differences
Philips 3200 wins 2-1 and ties once against Saeco Picobaristo. In most aspects, they are equally good, but the Philips 3200 has been a fan-favorite for years due to its stable steam wand, smooth milk foam, and clear interface. I will reveal the details I like and don’t like about both devices.
Grinder
Winner: Philips 3200
Philips 3200 is equipped with a ceramic conical burr grinder, which is very common in today’s espresso machines. What I like about this device is that it doesn’t make too much noise when grinding beans, and the texture of the grounds is very even. In addition, with a conical grinder, it’s easy to avoid jamming because the coffee ground doesn’t accumulate in the grinding teeth due to its natural shape.
As for Saeco Picobaristo, it comes with a ceramic flat burr grinder. The great thing about the grinder is that it consistently delivers even coffee grounds for my espresso and coffee, which results in balanced-flavor espresso. What I don’t like about it is that the grinder keeps more gunks and bits than the conical grinder or Philips 3200. By far, it hasn’t jammed yet, but it might not be the best in the long run. So, there is a stability factor that you must consider.
Also, Philips 3200 wins with its grinder that comes with 12 settings as well, while the Saeco Picobaristo has only 10 settings. So, there is a higher possibility of adjusting the ground texture and the coffee strength without adding anything to it or choosing darker roasts, which is bad for grinders.
Espresso extraction
Tie
Regarding the espresso flavor, I think both machines do a great job with their 15-bar pump pressure. The pump pressure extracts every note of flavor and never fails to bring out a velvety layer of coffee crema as well.
But Philips 3200 breeds softer espresso, which isn’t as bold as the espresso flavor from Saeco Picobaristo. This can be the device’s strength and weakness at the same time.
If you want shots of coffee essence in the morning to wake you up, Philips 3200 can do the job, but it won’t be as potent as you want it to be. On the other hand, if you find it hard to handle a bitter and strong shot of espresso, Philips 3200 will be more than ideal. It also has an aroma seal lid to maintain the coffee beans’ freshness and rich aroma.
Milk system
Winner: Saeco Picobaristo
Saeco Picobaristo is equipped with a milk carafe, which is very convenient since it’s all about automation. On the contrary, Philips 3200 comes with a steam wand only and needs users to handle the milk pitcher to get the right milk foam texture according to the recipes they are crafting.
Each system has pros and cons, but if you are a beginner seeking an A-to-Z device, Saeco Picobaristo’s milk carafe will suit you better. On the other hand, if you are looking for an entry-level machine with certain manual aspects with which you can play around and get involved, Philips 3200 is a more fun choice.
As for the milk texture, it’s easy for a milk carafe to craft dry foam for latte macchiato and cappuccino, while the steam wand is more fitted for a creamier texture. And that’s the case with this pair.
Water tank
Winner: Philips 3200
With a 60-61oz water tank, the pair doesn’t require as frequent refilling as many other espresso machines on the market. What I want to comment on is the position of the tanks. While Philips 3200’s is front-pull and space-saving, Saeco Picobaristo is vertical-pull and needs extra space up top for removal. As a result, it needs to be positioned far from any surface clouded by objects on top. As a result, kitchen cabinets will be Saeco Picobaristo’s worst enemy.
Saeco Picobaristo vs Philips 3200: Similarities
I want to highlight 2 similarities between Saeco Picobaristo and Philips 3200 that are highly important: the programmability and the heating element. Check them out below!
Programmability
These devices offer quite an impressive adjustment to fine-tune the espresso however we like. We can adjust the coffee strength, volume, and temperature with available options. It’s possible to change the milk texture as well with Picobaristo, while it’s clearly easier and more diverse with Philips 3200’s steam wand. There is no fixed recipe. Instead, users have certain control over the outcome of the drinks.
Single boiler heating system
Being cut-price espresso machines, it’s very normal for the pair to have a single boiler as the sole heating system. Normally it takes only a minute for them to heat up, but I prefer leaving them on for longer (around 5 minutes or more) to ensure that the espresso comes out as hot as possible. Make sure to give the cups you use a blast of hot water first, and they will maintain the high temperature longer.
Quick Rundown Of Philips 3200
- With Philips 3200 Series enjoy the delicious taste and aroma of coffee from fresh beans at the perfect temperature
- LatteGo Milk System: Top your coffee off with a silky-smooth layer of milk froth
- Intuitive Touch Display: Select the perfect coffee for your mood with just one touch
- My Coffee Choice Menu: Adjust the strength and quantity of your beverage and choose from three different settings to suit your preferences. The Aroma Extract system intelligently strikes the optimum balance between brewing temperature and aroma extraction by keeping the water temperature between 90 and 98°C
- Powerful Filter and Easy Maintenance: Thanks to the AquaClean, enjoy clear and purified water - by changing the filter after being prompted by the machine, you will not need to descale your machine for up to 5000 cups
Last update on 2023-05-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Quick Rundown Of Saeco Picobaristo
- The largest variety from a compact machine: brews 11 Coffee varieties
- Enjoy up to 5, 000 cups of Coffee without descaling
- Delicious hot cappuccino and latte macchiato at one touch
- Extract maximum flavor with the 100% ceramic grinders; Material boiler: Stainless steel
- Adjust and store your individual length, strength, and temperature with 5 aroma strengths and 10 grinder settings
Last update on 2023-05-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Product Video
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References:
- Philips 3200: https://www.usa.philips.com/c-p/EP3241_54/series-3200-fully-automatic-espresso-machines
- Saeco Picobaristo: https://saeco.com/picobaristo/
I am Ralph Mason and I am a passionate coffee drinker. I worked as a barista for a few years and since 2012 I have been trying to convince as many people as possible of good coffee.
I started writing on the barista blog on RepublikCoffeeBar in 2018. It was a pure hobby site and I tested coffee products like coffee machines, beans, mug, and other accessories. After the first year, my blog is becoming a well-known coffee site with about 100 thousand visits per month.
In 2019 I decided to focus on RepublikCoffeeBar only. I became a full-time coffee blogger and was declared crazy by many.