Saeco Via Venezia RI9367/01

Machines are expensive and awkward to service – I have two machines. The first developed problems with the machine not passing coffee, which can be due to problems at the shower screen filter and the valve behind it or with the pressurised filter holder. My machine developed problems with both inside a year. Disassembling the shower screen is difficult, they put a really soft phillips head… Read more

screw in there which is very difficult to remove after a long period of use, I ended up stripping one even armed with a great assortment of screwdrivers. The filter holders are also expensive to replace/ or buy replacement kits springs etc.

Initially I chose to get my machine repaired at an approved service centre, not only did they charge for an expensive descale etc(whether the machine needed it or not), they did not fix the filter holder properly and it caused the boiler chamber to overpressurise and shear a bolt. They wanted to charge me to fix this, they fixed the boiler gasket and bolt but didnt fix the filter holder problem so it happened again.

Rather than deal with the repair centre again, I just bought a working second hand one for less than their service price. It has worked well for the last three years, but alas now the same problems as the first have arisen with the filter holder valve working and the "shower screen" filter screw being impossible to remove.

Currently Im looking for another working second hand one.

My only criticism with the operation of the machine was that the water heater wasn't powerful enough. Unless one stopped and started the machine five or six times over 3 minutes or so to do one cup to allow the boiler to release the water at a reasonable temp. Otherwise , Id just put the cup into the microwave at the end.

Quality machine, simple but works well – Our second Saeco. The first (a wedding present) lasted nearly 10 years before the aluminium boiler went and wasn't worth repairing. This one has now been going about 8 years and gets used every day. I love the simplicity (don't need all the gauges and gizmos many have), although I never bother with the milk-frother. I don't like cappuccinos, and… Read more ·  1

it's easier to heat milk in the microwave for a flat white or macchiato.

Last year, one of the four main bolts that hold the boiler and the main structure together sheared, so it leaked boiling water out. The dome nut had often fallen off, and I guess over-tightening it over-stressed the bolt. But it was easy to fix - found a suitable bolt in my box-o-bits. The hardest part was remembering how it all went back together again - take lots of photos first if you do this!

Makes great coffee. Always use freshly ground beans (conical-burr grinder, not a slash-and-burn spice grinder). I'll happily buy another Saeco when this one eventually dies.

Very reliable with simple design – I am retired coffee machine serviceman and can say with confidence my Saeco Via Venezia which is early model SIN006 is a remarkable piece of ingenuity. The simple design without any electronics makes it a very reliable machine provided it is used correctly. it is ideal for domestic use because of its compact size. The pressurised portafilter… Read more ·  1

allows you to produce a fine smooth espresso shot or two when you use right grind fineness (salt grain texture not flour) and correct dosage with spoon provided, tamper is only required to tidy the filter before use. Admittedly you may have to temporarily move drip tray to fit a mug under the filter to make large cuppuccino or americana but the rewards are well worth the slight inconvenience. Provided the machine is cleaned with coffee cleaner periodically, descale every few months and use it as per instruction manual it will give you years of hassle free service. You can find cleaning and maintenance tips on YouTube or Google search the required website.

Via Venezia – I’ve had my Via Venezia for 19 years and it’s still going strong. It has not broken down on me once and it is used daily. It makes better coffee than any other expensive, fully automatic machine. I dread the day that it dies! Show details

Has stood the test of time – My Via Venezia is 17 years old and has served me quite well. Have had it serviced twice but now living in Sydney, need to know where I take it for a service, which is now overdue Show details ·  1

Awesome machine – If you can still get one (new or secondhand) GO FOR IT. Makes better coffee than the local baristas. Very easy to use, too. Over the moon with the purchase. Show details ·  1

Mixed Emotions - Not Bad Coffee But – Have used this unit consistently to 3/4 cups per day since purchase. The quality of espresso produced has been pretty good - consumption is via long black for morning coffee and flat white/cappuccino later. Had the machine back with service agent during warranty period for leaking steam wand (hot water). The problem was sorted after repair but… Read more

has since recurred. Consequently, not sure about whether pressure is up to scratch. Unit has been regularly de-calcified (quarterly) since purchase and regularly thoroughly cleaned.

Recently purchased a new Portafilter which was expensive and of a different construction than the original (aluminium vs brass?).

Parts purchase system is clunky and parts are expensive.

Overall, could not give the unit more than 3 stars although to be fair, the cost of the unit is about 50% of an equivalent replacement in other brands.

Worked for a while, now a piece of junk – I've had this machine for a bit over 4 years, made nice coffee until it stopped working. Had this same problem a year ago with it just making a whirring noise but not dripping any coffee. Sent it to an authorised repairer under the extended warranty and they said they hadn't found anything wrong with it but if it made that noise again to just… Read more

release a bit of the steam as it was building up inside the machine. Problem resurfaced constantly but most of the time it was fixable with this 'trick'. Just outside the 3 year extended warranty period and it happened again - only this time we couldn't do anything to make it work again. Warranty has now expired and it is a useless piece of junk on the counter while I spend too much buying cafe coffees. Have to get another machine but need to figure out which one. Thought the via venezia would be great due to reviews but bitterly disappointed.

Customer service is non-existent – I totally agree with the previous reviewer - we have had no end of trouble since our purchase late last November. Also from the first couple of weeks we too had the panarello fly off whenever used. We have had emails back & forth & been told to take to a service centre here in Launceston that no longer exists! We have since had a part fall off the… Read more

machine & one rubber stopper foot also detach from the machine. I am both appalled & dismayed at the suggestion to "reach out to our customer service" as there is no customer service! If only we had bought at DJs or Myer they would replace/refund with no questions asked - which is exactly what good customer service is & Philips totally lacks!

I have had my machine for over 20 years. It never misses a beat. Makes a fanastic coffee and very easy to use. I do descale and service the machine regularly. Behave now for a second one which l brought second hand and take it with me camping. I… Read more

would recommend this machine over any of the automatic machines. I have definitely got my money worth over the years.

Does the job – I bought my Saeco Via Venezia off a friend who moved out of state well over 10 years ago,I knew nothing about making coffee or this brand. After few months of "average" coffees with limited knowledge in using a manual machine I did some research on a few forums . As suggested I modded the portafilter & replaced the steam wand then experimented… Read more

with the grind,tamping & my technique things only got better from there. It's had a intermittent fault where steam will not come out of the wand,maybe a faulty micro sw or solenoid I don't know ?,& will fix it when it fails. It's a simple machine with a 2L water tank produces good steam & pump pressure it's well built. Apart from the mentioned issue it's been reliable & produces a consistently good coffee,& that's what it's about. Update I found the fault & simple repair done soon after writing this review & had no issues since.

Excellent home espresso machine – This little coffee machine is perfect for home use. A small footprint but delivers great tasting coffee with a good crems. Steamer is easy to use and produces a good froth. A frothing attachment for the wand is included which I don't use preferring a creamier, denser froth. There is also the option for using sofy pods instead of loose ground coffee. Perfect! Show details

Easy to use and makes a great coffee – Had the machine for about 8 years now and it’s still pumping out the coffees like new. I use this machine at work with another 2 staff members. It’s robust and simple design does the job just as good as a machine that costs ten times the money. Show details ·  1

The best espresso machine! – I am totally happy with this machine and have had it for over 10 years. It makes the best coffee and I have tried a few other brands, like Breville that look the same but the coffee flavour is watery and comes nowhere near Saeco Via Venezia. I so wish they still made them as all my friends who try the coffee want one, Show details ·  1

Excellent small reliable machine – I’ve had mine for 18 years and used everyday. Not as smooth as the more expensive models but for a simple machine it’s as good as it gets . Very happy with it and it has not had any issues at all . All the buttons and disks still in tact.  Show details ·  1

4 years and still going strong! – I Love this little coffee machine, easy to use and clean and churns out a good coffee. Not too expensive either. Like anything, if you take proper care of it, it will be good to you in return. I do love making my own coffees exactly how I like them while another bonus is that I don't have to pay 4/5 bucks for a coffee I don't like. Really… Read more ·  1

dislike that.

I did a lot of research before buying and when I did I went to buy a coffee tamper from Cottle on Coventry in South Melbourne. (The group head needs a particular sized tamper)

The guy instantly knew and guessed that I had just bought a Via Venezia because of the tamper size. I asked him if I'd made the right decision and he proceeded to tell me that yes, I had as it a good quality beginners coffee machine. He was right!

Love this Machine. Very solid – Have had a lot of coffee in our time and this machine is far better than any breville, sunbeam etc. The Saeco is solid and makes amazing coffee. The machine has been used daily for about 4 years without having any issues. The cleaning process is easy, however we have only cleaned once in the 4 years with no issue. The machine is easy to use and heats up quickly.  Show details ·  1

Excellent machine – This machine is at least 12 years old and hasnt missed a beat. We make at least 8 to 10 coffees a day. Always reliable and makes a great crema. Its still going strong. Make sure you always put right grind in when grinding your own beans or it will clog up and tricky getting it back on track.  Show details ·  1

Easy machine to use – I bought mine second hand and after taking it apart and giving it a thorough clean, I find this machine worked great. I had never owned a coffee machine before and I found this an easy machine to use. It gives me consistent tasting coffee every time I make one.  Show details ·  1

Reliable, repairable, excellent results for the money – My second Saeco has worked very well for 4 years. (I had the first for 17 years but was careless about maintenance and eventually it developed rust problems.) Replacement parts are readily available online from 3rd parties, more available and less expensively than from Philips itself. There are also excellent youtube videos showing you how to… Read more ·  1

replace parts and fix common problems like a leaking steaming wand yourself. I bought a 3rd party non-pressurized portafilter so I can make true espresso with it. Lacks the precise temperature control, double boilers and other features of much more expensive and larger "professional grade" machines, but gives excellent results for its price and size. If you can still find one, grab it.

What is the closest replacement product? – I have loved this machine for 7 years but it recently broke. I hear it is no longer available. Is there a similar Saeco product or Gaggia one you could recommend? I am missing my morning coffee and am devasted that the machine broke and it is no longer available.  Show details

P e r f e c t Espresso every morning – I purchased our machine after moving to the country (no coffee shops open at 6am) and was tired of paying a LOT of money for a simple espresso. This machine paid for itself after 12months. It started dripping in 2016 from the steamer when pumping out the coffee, so I have to manually hold the handle to stop the drips. Other than that the only… Read more ·  1

thing I would change is the accessibility of the water tank to clean it. A bit of a pain.

These machines I've been told are no longer available so I don't know what I'll do if this one just dies as I love it despite its one fault.

Easy To use and makes great coffee – A great coffee machine with no fancy circuitry to fail Bought 2nd hand off Gummy 10 Years ago extremely reliable, never descaled as I use filtered water. Only glitch is the steam wand drips . I don't use it as I drink black coffee so haven't bothered to fix it. I bought this after seeing it score 2nd place to a Gaggia unit costing twice as much. It makes perfect coffee with great crema . mine is the earlier Saeco prior to Philips.  Show details ·  2

A Marathon winner – Given this machine as a wedding present and it is still going (we don't use the milk frother however). Love using this machine - just so simple to use and the smallest footprint possible. The real kicker is the wonderful crema however - a lot of very expensive machine cannot achieve this everytime but the little engine just keeps on chugging. … Read more ·  1

Don't understand why this model is discontinued. We've never even descaled it - just cleaned it through with hot water.

Surprisingly still going strong – After reading all these reviews for the Saeco I feel the need to provide my own experience. It's probably pot luck whether your machine is a lemon or an outstanding buy and not sure what makes the difference. You'd think the technology is the same for every model. Therefore why happy and unhappy customers? I bought my Saeco Via Venezia, Type Sin… Read more ·  1

006 in August 2004. It makes between 4 and 6 coffees a day. In all these years, it has never missed a beat, not once! It makes a beautiful crema every time. To be fair, I must point out I haven't been paid or asked to write anything favorable. This is a genuine review from most likely a very lucky customer.

Coffee Lover

EXCELLENT VALUE – I have owned my Via Vanezia for the past 6 years ( 2 to 3 cups a day ) and it hasn't missed a beat. I generally grind my coffee beans but I am no coffee snob and do buy ground coffee from time to time. The steam wand is strong if you want a cappaccino .It has a pressure portafilter but I still give the basket a light tamp which seams to… Read more ·  1

produce better crema. The machine has a stainless steal boiler and heats up quickly.

My process for a cappaccino is to run hot water into the cup, use full steam into the milk until it reaches the desired temperature then give it a light tap to remove bubbles and swirl around until you produce the micro foam. Empty the hot water from the cup espress the coffee, pour the milk in and your done.

The appliance should be descaled every few months.

I'm sure there are excellent machines out there but for the money the Via Venezia is a solid performer.

PHILIPS FACTORY OUTLET AUSTRALIA - Saeco Via Venezia Manual Expresso Machine – I previously had a Saeco Via Venezia Manual Expresso machine for 13 years - it never missed a beat, it was used every day, made perfect coffee & I recommended it to many people. It was destroyed in the fire that gutted my home 5 days before Christmas day. That is why I brought the current Saeco Via Venezia Manual Expresso machine. 3) I have had… Read more

this Saeco Via Venezia Manual Expresso machine for one month, from the very first day it had problems, the pannarello blew off & left the steam spout pumping out boiling steam, very dangerous., the Coffee Brew Unit dripped copiously and finally, the entire machine stopped working, the only light that comes on is the luminous on/off switch. Philips Consumer Lifestyle Philips Consumer Care – Global Support are proposing to repair a dud machine. That's incredibly poor customer service. Alternatively they advised I "chat" with Customer Care. I fail to see what "chatting" with real time support would achieve. I would NEVER again recommend anyone buy a Saeco Via Venezia Manual Expresso Machine from Philips.

Great coffee maker, pannarello makes great froth but now tripping Earth Leakage safety switch – Produces great coffee, rich thick creme. Used every day. De scaled regularly and only rainwater used. Disappointed that after only 30 months use when when using the Steam to froth milk it is tripping our Earth Leakage house safety switch. Surprising after reading other reviews and the writers talk about 10 years service.  Show 2 replies

This machine is rubish – I have had this Saeco Via Venezia for one month and it is a big disappointment it leakes more water than you use and the black plastic steamer is broken after trying to clean it ,and it make a louse coffee I would not recommend buying this machine I will go back to my breville mc at least it dose not leak water

One of the best reliable little machines – Used my poor reliable coffee machine till it couldn't handle any more. Lasted 7 years of intense daily use (it had around 175kg of coffee beans put through it). It makes great coffee n works very much like cafe machine (used to be barista as a student ). The only gripe I ever had was the illogical way to refill the water. Want to buy the same one again. Just hope it is just as good these days. All the best to fellow coffee lovers.  Show reply

Proven Itself solid, reliable and makes a good drop – On 20th May 2013 I made a comment to the lady who had trouble with her machine that as it was made in Romania that was probably the cause of it. The Saeco Rep thought otherwise. I only had my machine a year then and now another year later I've had it long enough to give a review. Firstly, I have to retract the statement that being made in… Read more

Romania was a negative. I got that repeatedly from the American barista sites and had been satisfied with their insights until now.

After two years my machine has been almost flawless. I say almost as it has choked due to calcium build-up. That's normal.That it lasted 18 months without a hiccup without need for descaling is fairly good testament as to how solid the machine is. So calcium build-up was dealt with by descaling and voila it is still running sweet. Most people in soft water environments descale I guess either six months or yearly. So waiting longer than I should is my error. That it kept making good coffee says a lot about the machine.

At two years it still makes very good crema with excellent pressure. The flavour in the coffee is there even though it comes out a tad on the quick side, double basket in about 10 secs. The steam function blows chunks. Even now in a curved or small cup the pressure nozzle only needs to get opened half, three-quarters in a mug otherwise wide open I've coated myself. Anyhow at half open I get an excellent dense foam even after two years.

The American barista sites had many recommending removal of the plastic support from the portafilter but frankly my machine has worked so well that modifying it wasn't worth the risk.

This is the first mid-range machine that i will buy again - even if it is made in Romania. It has outperformed my Gaggia Classic that I had previously. It makes good coffee, good froth and has lasted very well.

When we went on a month's holiday overseas where I relied on shop bought espresso and cappuccino. I missed the coffee my machine makes. The fact is I now take it on holidays and weekends away. So that is a fairly good gauge as to the quality of the coffee and the durability of the machine. Quite good coffee. Dense foam. Excellent durability. Easy water top up. Really nothing.

Great Coffee for the Hands on Barista at home – I have had my machine for over 10 years and it is still going strong. I have heard there is a new model from a new manufacturer that is not so great so if you can find an old one on eBay go for it. It makes a great coffee and steams milk well but you need to be hands on as it is in no way automated. Over the years it has been serviced for a minor… Read more

issue with the internal thermo switch tripping out if I left it on for to long. App the boiler overheats as water steams out slowly if left on. To get it serviced in Brisbane was an hour long drive (and $150) so, being electronically handy, I located the switch on top of the boiler and reset it myself. I had to replace the pump as well, but again, if you are handy and SAFE, you can buy these from the service centre and DIY. Great coffee, froths milk well. Easy to clean. Thermo switch trips if you leave it on for too long and not use it.

Great Little Machine! – I purchased this coffee maker in 2001! Yes it has been going for all this time without any hic cups. However, just stopped last weekend and local dealer advised not worth fixing. Google search suggested trip switch? Hard to find but I am back making great coffees and certainly have no hesitation recommending the brand but not the dealer, who I… Read more

feel could have suggested the cut off switch and then it that did not work, certainly the purchase of another saeco machine. I run a small bed and breakfast so it is important to have good coffee and not just for my guests! Thanks to the people who take the time to google suggestions for trouble shooting. Really reliable and with good maintenance will just keep going and going

It is ok- but price is too high – It does produce nice coffee however it leaks and sometimes the coffee is not coming out. overall its too expensive