Could Philips new bean-to-cup machine kill off pod coffee machines forever? The Baristina is the best-looking machine I've seen for £300

The cost of enjoying a cup of coffee at home from fresh beans just drastically dropped with the release of Philips Baristina Espresso Machine, which will be available from the 6th of February and is available to preorder now from John Lewis for £299.99.

One of the reasons that people often cite for picking a pod coffee machine over the best bean-to-cup version is the cost, with the latter often coming in at over £500. But this manual machine (which means you need to pull your own espresso shots) costs far less than competitors.

With a pricetag that might just be about to end the supremacy of pod coffee machines for good (depending on if the coffee is any good, of course), this frankly shockingly good looking machine is not only a bargain, but has a small footprint on a worktop too.

Here's a closer look at the coffee machine that might be about to spark a more affordable bean-to-cup machine revolution.

Part of the appeal for many with this machine will be the uncomplicated design. There's a three-button control panel along the top of the machine, which isn't visible from a head on view, and a fluted-look body behind where the portafilter sits.

With other bean-to-cup machines there can often be a steep learning curve before you get the hang of how the programs and grind sizes affect your coffee. Philips are aiming to do away with that kind of complication with the Baristina.

The brand claim this machine has a brewtime of under 60 seconds, calling it an 'efficient' option for busy mornings. There's no capacity for milk frothing inbuilt within the machine, though there are separate small frothers which will be on sale alongside it.

This is also a compact machine. Measuring up at (18cm x 345.5cm x 38cm) it is markedly smaller than Ideal Home's current favourite manual bean-to-cup machine, the Ninja Luxe Cafe (which I awarded five stars to in my review). One of my gripes with it was its bulky size at 33.6cm in width.

Made from more than 50% recycled plastics, Philips is also keen to emphasise the eco-friendly edge to this machine as well as the benefits that customers can enjoy by ditching pod coffee forever, with cost per use and sustainability coming up trumps.

From a first look it's very easy to see why the Baristina might be a hit with those who have put off buying a bean-to-cup machine on the basis of price. Here are some other sub £300 machines you can compare it with.

Do you like the look of this new Philips machine?