Verdict
Pros
- Quick and easy to use
- Automatic cleaning and descaling
Cons
- Large and expensive
Key Specifications
- Bean-to-Cup system; Adjustable strength; Automatic cleaning and de-scaling
What is the Philips Saeco Intelia Focus HD8751?
Part of the Saeco bean-to-cup range, the Philips Saeco Intelia Focus HD8751 takes you from a pile of beans to a fresh cup of coffee with the press of a single button. What you get is coffee-shop grade coffee, without the fuss of a more traditional espresso machine.
All you need to do is put beans in the top of the machine, fill up the 1.5l water reservoir and the Saeco Intelia will do the rest. It also has a milk steamer, although unlike some less high-end coffee machines, there’s no milk reservoir built into the Intelia.
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What we liked
The Philips Saeco Intelia Focus HD8751 is super-quick and easy to use. With regular use, it’s virtually maintenance-free too.
It self-cleans and descales, although this does mean it leaks out a little water every now and then, making it imperative that you keep an eye on the spill tray. Waste ‘used’ coffee grounds are then dispensed into a drawer – and as there’s room for a dozen or so coffee pellets in there, you don’t need to rush to the bin every time you want a coffee.
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What we didn’t like
Two of the most serious considerations with the Philips Saeco Intelia Focus HD8751 are size and cost. This isn’t a coffee machine with a tiny footprint, and at just under £450 it’s a pretty serious investment.
Of course, if you’re buying for a big coffee-drinking household, being able to use naked coffee beans rather than expensive pods it’s a pretty sound investment in the long-term.
It’s not the best machine for ground coffee, though. You can use grounds, but it’s more fiddly than using beans.
SEE ALSO: Best Coffee Machines Round-up
Verdict
The Intelia is a cracking machine that has some of the flair of a professional machine with a bunch of design tweaks that make it dead easy to use and maintain.
Trusted Score
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
