Philips AquaClean CA6903/22: twin pack of water filters for Philips espresso machines

The AquaClean filter sits in the water tank of your bean-to-cup machine and holds back limescale and impurities before the water reaches the brewing unit. That is meant to improve taste and protect the machine from deposits. The CA6903/22 pack contains two genuine Philips filters, so you are covered for two changes.

The main point is descaling: according to Philips, AquaClean lets you make up to 5,000 cups without running a descaling programme. That figure only holds if you change the filter every time the machine asks for it. Put the change off and the benefit is gone, and the machine goes back to prompting you to descale as usual.

Philips describes fitting as simple: push the filter into the tank connector and activate it on the machine, which then reminds you when the next change is due. Philips lists compatibility with the 800, 1200, 2200, 3200, 4300, 4400, 5400 and 5500 series as well as GranAroma and Xelsis.

Worth knowing: check your manual or machine menu first to make sure it supports AquaClean. Not every Philips or Saeco machine uses AquaClean; some models need different filters. The filter does not replace descaling for good, it postpones it. Each filter is due after a certain amount of water or time, and the machine sets the schedule.