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Although it may seem strange, KitchenAid’s kf8 fully automatic espresso machine is beautiful to look at. The minimalist digital display and stainless steel exterior fits in perfectly with the other appliances on my kitchen counter. It comes in four colors, but I’m testing the silver/steel color, which is sleek and modern. Flat top for easy access is useful for storing cups and other accessories.
The milk tank is attached only to the tube, which means it can be easily removed for cleaning and storing in the fridge.
The intuitive touch screen interface means quick selection of drinks, satisfying sounds when making selections and when your drink is ready. The biggest feature of the KF8 is its complete customizability of beverages. Once you’ve selected the drink, another screen allows you to choose options like temperature and whether you want light, medium or strong bodied espresso, grind strength and amount of liquid. Choose the type of milk, and the machine will serve your drink differently depending on whether you want a dairy or plant-based drink. I was impressed that you can also decide in what order you want to mix the ingredients – for example, hot milk with espresso on top, or first espresso and then milk, which affects the texture and look of each drink.
One downside is that for the Americano setting, you can’t change the order of water and espresso, which means the crema is compromised when adding water. You can manually select hot water and then add a shot of espresso, but this requires a few extra presses.
One of my favorite features is ‘My Profile’, which allows you to store people’s uniquely customized drinks (up to six). This means you can have a double shot instead of a single shot in your cappuccino, 80ml of hot water in your Americano versus 100ml of hot water, and a 40ml espresso shot instead of a 50ml shot with a medium-bodied, full-bodied drink. This variation allows you to evolve and play with creating your perfect drink and saving it for minimal brain use on a stuffy morning. The option of two espresso shots means you can make your drink extra strong or even make two drinks at the same time.
It took me a while and some Googling to figure out that the panel on the right side of the machine is detachable and adjusts the grind fineness. I like strong, finely ground espresso, and I was a little nervous that I’d have to waste two pucks-worth of coffee on each cup.
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The bean caddy can be closed from the grinder by the turn of a knob, so you can easily change beans depending on whether you want to try something new or need a decaf cup. The grinder is purified after each use, so there is no chance of cross-contamination of the beans. Although this is primarily a bean-to-cup machine, there is a single-scoop slot next to the coffee bean caddy for ground coffee if you prefer. It requires frequent purging, so the drip tray fills up very quickly and the water tank (although a hefty 2.2 litres) tends to drain quickly, meaning frequent refills are necessary.
The drip tray has a red ‘buoy’ that floats to indicate the need to empty it. After any drinking involving milk, the milk tube, which also goes to the drip tray, is also purged, and will need to be washed more frequently as the milk drains very quickly. Used coffee ‘pucks’ are stored in a separate tray next to the drip tray, which needs to be emptied less frequently. But I have found mold in there on a few occasions, so it’s worth cleaning it regularly. The metal drip tray cover also scratches easily, which can be a bit unsightly, especially on a machine costing around £2,000. Glass and ceramic cups obviously get dropped frequently, so a tough metal one would make more sense.
The machine purges when you turn it on and off, which can be annoying as it fills the drip tray every time. One way to do this is to set the machine to run for eight hours. I can’t measure how much energy it consumes, but it means you don’t have to worry about water purification when you turn it on, after your drink is ready, and again when it turns off. I turn it on at the beginning of the day and turn it off when I go to sleep, using a cup to collect water.
The machine also signals when the tray needs to be emptied, when the water tank needs to be refilled, when the grinding funnel needs to be refreshed, and when you need to descale (although I haven’t tested it long enough to demonstrate this yet). Minimal maintenance is required, but the water filter will need to be replaced every two months, according to the KitchenAid website. Each filter costs £15 to replace, and there is one in the box when it arrives. But I use filtered water from my Brita to fill the water tank.
The machine is quite quiet, the loudest noise is grinding. Some coffee machines (I’m looking at you, Nespresso) make very loud noises, which can be quite jarring when you wake up in the morning.