Home LivingAppliancesKitchenCoffee MachinesKitchenAid KF8 bean-to-cup espresso maker review: a top performing automatic coffee machine for well-heeled loafersIf you can afford the high price, the new KitchenAid KF8 takes automated coffee making to a whole new level of sophisticationWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.(Image credit: KitchenAid)T3 VerdictKitchenAid’s latest and very expensive bean-to-cup espresso machine caters to all tastes, whether it’s producing a lush cappuccino or a near barista-strength ristretto. Simply choose your preferred style of coffee on the large animated colour touchscreen and sit back while it quietly rustles up your favourite beverage. Yes, you will need to interject quite regularly to meet the machine’s self-cleaning requirements but that’s a fair price to pay for such convenience… if you can afford it.Reasons to buy+Ace performance+Super easy touchscreen interface+Makes a huge range of espresso-based coffees+Attractive modern stylingReasons to avoid-Very expensive-Too much self cleaningWhy you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
Home LivingAppliancesKitchenCoffee MachinesKitchenAid KF8 bean-to-cup espresso maker review: a top performing automatic coffee machine for well-heeled loafersIf you can afford the high price, the new KitchenAid KF8 takes automated coffee making to a whole new level of sophisticationWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.(Image credit: KitchenAid)T3 VerdictKitchenAid’s latest and very expensive bean-to-cup espresso machine caters to all tastes, whether it’s producing a lush cappuccino or a near barista-strength ristretto. Simply choose your preferred style of coffee on the large animated colour touchscreen and sit back while it quietly rustles up your favourite beverage. Yes, you will need to interject quite regularly to meet the machine’s self-cleaning requirements but that’s a fair price to pay for such convenience… if you can afford it.Reasons to buy+Ace performance+Super easy touchscreen interface+Makes a huge range of espresso-based coffees+Attractive modern stylingReasons to avoid-Very expensive-Too much self cleaningWhy you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
If you can afford the high price, the new KitchenAid KF8 takes automated coffee making to a whole new level of sophistication
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: KitchenAid)T3 VerdictKitchenAid’s latest and very expensive bean-to-cup espresso machine caters to all tastes, whether it’s producing a lush cappuccino or a near barista-strength ristretto. Simply choose your preferred style of coffee on the large animated colour touchscreen and sit back while it quietly rustles up your favourite beverage. Yes, you will need to interject quite regularly to meet the machine’s self-cleaning requirements but that’s a fair price to pay for such convenience… if you can afford it.Reasons to buy+Ace performance+Super easy touchscreen interface+Makes a huge range of espresso-based coffees+Attractive modern stylingReasons to avoid-Very expensive-Too much self cleaning
(Image credit: KitchenAid)
(Image credit: KitchenAid)
T3 VerdictKitchenAid’s latest and very expensive bean-to-cup espresso machine caters to all tastes, whether it’s producing a lush cappuccino or a near barista-strength ristretto. Simply choose your preferred style of coffee on the large animated colour touchscreen and sit back while it quietly rustles up your favourite beverage. Yes, you will need to interject quite regularly to meet the machine’s self-cleaning requirements but that’s a fair price to pay for such convenience… if you can afford it.Reasons to buy+Ace performance+Super easy touchscreen interface+Makes a huge range of espresso-based coffees+Attractive modern stylingReasons to avoid-Very expensive-Too much self cleaning
T3 VerdictKitchenAid’s latest and very expensive bean-to-cup espresso machine caters to all tastes, whether it’s producing a lush cappuccino or a near barista-strength ristretto. Simply choose your preferred style of coffee on the large animated colour touchscreen and sit back while it quietly rustles up your favourite beverage. Yes, you will need to interject quite regularly to meet the machine’s self-cleaning requirements but that’s a fair price to pay for such convenience… if you can afford it.
T3 Verdict
KitchenAid’s latest and very expensive bean-to-cup espresso machine caters to all tastes, whether it’s producing a lush cappuccino or a near barista-strength ristretto. Simply choose your preferred style of coffee on the large animated colour touchscreen and sit back while it quietly rustles up your favourite beverage. Yes, you will need to interject quite regularly to meet the machine’s self-cleaning requirements but that’s a fair price to pay for such convenience… if you can afford it.
Reasons to buy+Ace performance+Super easy touchscreen interface+Makes a huge range of espresso-based coffees+Attractive modern stylingReasons to avoid-Very expensive-Too much self cleaning
Reasons to buy+Ace performance+Super easy touchscreen interface+Makes a huge range of espresso-based coffees+Attractive modern styling
Ace performance
Super easy touchscreen interface
Makes a huge range of espresso-based coffees
Attractive modern styling
Reasons to avoid-Very expensive-Too much self cleaning
Very expensive
Too much self cleaning
Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
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KitchenAid enters the fully-automated coffee making arena with not just one but three chic new bean-to-cup machines, along with a semi-auto model for those you prefer a bit more hands-on. For the record, the bean-to-cup grouping in the new KitchenAid Espresso Collection comprises the single-serve KF6, the twin-spout KF7 and the expensive but fully-specced bells-and-whistles KF8 model we’re reviewing here.
The KitchenAid KF8 is a great option for families since it features a wide range of coffee-making options, from ristretto to lungo to cappuccino and everything else in between. Plus it provides the wherewithal for family members to save their preferred coffee styles and recall them at the touch of a button. This machine is almost entirely hands-free bar emptying the water tray and confining the spent coffee ground pucks to the recycling bin.
Our guide to thebest bean-to-cup coffee machinesis chock full of best-selling models in both fully automatic and semi-automatic configurations from key players like Sage, Gaggia, Jura and Beem. Will the KitchenAid KF8 pack enough punch into the cup and head straight to the top of our current list or will it languish somewhere in the middle of the pack? Read on for the low down.
KitchenAid KF8 review: Price and availability
In the UK, the new KitchenAid KF8 retails at around £1,899 and is available from a number of outlets includingKitchenAid,eCookShop,Harts of SturandCurrys, where it’s shifting for £100 more.
If you’re living in the USA, tryAmazonorKitchenAiddirect where you can snap one up for a not insubstantial $1,799.99.
KitchenAid KF8 review: design and features
(Image credit: KitchenAid)
(Image credit: KitchenAid)
KitchenAid is famed for its retro-designed food mixers, coffee machines, toasters and kettles but there’s nothing retro about the KF8. With its textured metal-clad construction and clean modern lines, this Scandi-style minimalist model is so inconspicuous when in situ on the work top that you will hardly notice it.
The KF8 is available in four discreet colours – stainless steel, juniper, white (which is more cream) and cast iron black – and measures a not inconsiderable 36cm in height, 26cm in width and a whopping 48cm in depth if you include the water catchment tray. Mind, I had no problem squeezing it into a space beside my gargantuanOoni Volt 12pizza oven though the KF8’s height under the kitchen cupboard has made it tricky to remove and fill the large 2.2-litre water container and top up the bean hopper.
Given that this is a fully-automated machine – a very quiet one to boot – it comes with an animated colour touch screen display, in this instance a substantial five inches from corner to corner. Aside from the main coffee selection, personalisation, proceed and cancel buttons surrounding the display, everything is controlled via the screen. Crucially, KitchenAid’s tech bods have designed the screen interface to be extremely intuitive so users will likely never need to refer to the instruction manual.
Furthermore, each coffee selection can be customised to the individual’s preference and this includes overall strength, amount of coffee in grams, milk type (it accepts plant-based alternatives like oat, almond or soy), order of milk or coffee, amount of water per extraction and water temperature. Users can then save their favourite selection to their own named profile – you can have up to six – for easy recall later. If you’re a household full of espresso coffee aficionados, I guarantee you’ll be in black gold utopia with this machine.
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
Like all automated bean-to-cup machines, the KF8 runs a self-cleaning sequence whenever you turn it on. This involves rinsing fresh water through the group head to remove any remnants of coffee-flavoured water from the last extraction. Thankfully it only does this during power up and not between extractions. Nevertheless, the process does take a minute or two and this may add extra time to what may already be a busy morning. Likewise, the machine will also suggest a self-clean after every milk-based extraction but this can be ignored if making a subsequent cup.
I should add that a lot of water is used for the cleaning process and, as a result, you will need to frequently empty the large water tray beneath the cup holder and carefully carry it to the nearest sink for disposal. You will also need to refill the main water container. This level of manual maintenance is part and parcel of all automatic bean-to-cup products so bear this in mind if you’re not keen on making regular trips to the sink and perhaps opt for a semi-automatic machine like the excellentDualit Espressivo Proinstead.
You get a three year guarantee with this machine and that’s a very good thing because there’s a lot of complicated stuff going on behind the scenes. But, hey, that’s the price you pay for the convenience of making any coffee drink you want at the touch of a button.
KitchenAid KF8 review: performance
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
For my many tests, I used my favouriteSpiller & Tait Signatureblend and the KF8 delivered the goods in all disciplines, whether it was a single-shot espresso or ristretto, a latte, cappuccino or macchiato. Strangely, the colour of the KF8’s extraction looked quite watery when viewed from above but any concerns of weakness were thankfully quashed when I took a look at cup level and spotted the tell-tale signs of a good extraction, namely a stream or rich, golden, oily crema. This is a key factor for me because I’ve tested several bean-to-cup machines that were incapable of producing anything like as strong a cup of espresso as this model. Top marks in that respect. Granted, there was a bit of trial and error in working out the amount of coffee and milk required to fit a specific cup, but in the main I was lucky enough to get this right nine times out of ten.
However, there’s one major source of annoyance with this machine – the ridiculous amount of water it uses to clean itself every time you turn it on. In fact, at times it seems to have used more water for cleaning than it has for making coffee and I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve been instructed to either empty the dirty water tray or fill the water container. I should add again that all bean-to-cup machines go through regular ritualistic cleaning regimes like this and the KF8 is no different. It’s just the nature of the beast.
KitchenAid KF8 review: verdict
(Image credit: KitchenAid)
(Image credit: KitchenAid)
It’s not cheap, I’ll grant you that, but the quality of coffee-based drinks this handsome hunk produces is well up there with the best of the competition. Yes, there is the hassle of having to regularly empty the dirty water tray and refill the water reservoir but even this isn’t exactly the end of the world. All you need to know is that, in the broad church of espresso machines, this one shines.
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KitchenAid KF8: Price Comparison
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