PHILIPS L'OR BARISTA Sublime Coffee Capsule Machine, for Double or Single Capsule, Volume Personalization, Adjustable Tray, 2 Cups, Compatible with Nespresso, Black (LM9012/60)

Product Information

There are three brewing strengths from which to choose, offering the flexibility to make your coffee just how you like it. The Philips L'OR Barista Sublime is a new kind of Nespresso coffee machine that can accommodate two different sizes of pod – standard and double shot. With the pannarello classic milk frother you can froth your milk exactly according to your preferences.

Unlike other pod machines, the Sublime has a dual spout, allowing you to pour two cups at the same time.The Philips L'OR Barista Sublime is an affordable pod coffee machine, compatible with the new L’OR Barista XXL capsules, L’OR espresso single-shot capsules, and a range of alternative branded coffee capsules including Nespresso. Thankfully, L'OR’s own brand of espressos and lungos are generally very good – rich and strong while not being too bitter, and with excellent dollops of crema on top – so I suggest giving them a whirl. This means I’ve sometimes felt the need to extract two pods one after the other just to get a proper barista-style hit. To be honest, this is not something we found beneficial or attempted more than once – as there is such a variety of single and double volume sizes to choose from we didn’t feel the need.

The smart nozzle of the filter coffee machine swirls the coffee as it drips into the glass jug, spreading the aroma consistently throughout. Others simply bundle a separate milk frother which heats and froths the milk at the touch of a button. We wanted to know if its espresso crema matched anything we’d tasted previously – or was indeed superior. L’OR recommends using the L'OR Barista CA6530/00 Coffee Machine Descaler for the job, with full descaling taking around 40 minutes. The Thermospeed technology will flash-heat the coffee circuit when the automatic espresso machine is turned on and prevents the loss of heat for perfect, hot coffee without the wait from the very first cup.In terms of maintenance, the only regular task will be to empty the used capsule bin – although this will very much depend on how much coffee you get through in a day; it holds 12, remember.

Design and functionality is also incredibly important when choosing a coffee pod machine, which is why we carefully consider the build quality and style of every machine we review. Most pod machines have a hard time producing the same size shot over and over but after weighing several espressos, I found the Sublime poured a 30g shot of espresso almost every time, with only one or two grams difference on some occasions.We used a mix of single and double L’Or coffee pods to test the different coffee strength and size combinations you can make. In our household, we have a preference for drinking caffeine-free coffee, so we were slightly disappointed that the selection included only one such pod. Anyone can make standard Nespresso pods but, as their copyright exclusivity has not expired, only Nespresso can make the Vertuo pods. A team of coffee artists create each L'OR blend, ensuring that only the best beans are harvested for a quality cup of coffee. We always take this into consideration when undertaking our tests, ensuring we highlight all the best features for a range of needs and budgets.