Customer Ratings & Reviews

[Employee of bestbuy] This espresso maker is so nice. Great for making, Americanos, iced macchiato's or even hot tea with the hot water Despenser. Takes up much less space than most espresso makers and looks great.

[Employee of bestbuy] I say worth it because i stepped up from a $50 bella machine. The only reason i give this 4 stars is because the 5 star worthy coffee cost extra with the automatic milk frother. This is what made the coffee experience top tier. I usually drink iced coffee and its from Starbucks half the time. Since buying this machine i have not gone ti Starhucks once and have been exclusivelydrinking hot coffee. Its great…. To say the least.

I am a coffee person, espresso, latte, black. This device let you make a great cup of coffee before I had a cheap machine that always made coffe taste like plastic. But this one is made of high quality materials and does not change the taste of coffee. I am very happy the only problem is that if you use steam it relase some water to the catch pan which you should throw away. But that is not a big problem.

Good coffee maker, easy to use and clean. I haven’t used other brands but love this so far

My wife loves everything about it and it matches our kitchen aid blender

KITCHENAID - SEMI-AUTOMATIC ESPRESSO MACHINE - MATTE BLACK MODEL:KES6403BM Best Buy Tech Insider Network COMPACT MOSTLY MANUAL ESPRESSO GOODNESS – FROTH IS TOO POWERFUL BUT OK OVERALL The KITCHENAID - SEMI-AUTOMATIC ESPRESSO MACHINE does a very good job, once you get it dialed into the optimal recipes for your coffee drink. The machine is packed with care and everything is carefully wrapped and packaged. It is pretty compact, but does a good job overall. The output temperature is very hot, which is good for such a compact unit. There is a lot to like and a couple of little picky points. I like the included variety of portafilter baskets, the included frothing pitcher, scope and good quality tamper. The instructions are clear, but sparse and don’t do much to teach you how to make a good cup of espresso. Overall, I was able to make a great cup of espresso and foam. Even if you are new to espresso making, the KITCHENAID - SEMI-AUTOMATIC ESPRESSO MACHINE should serve you well. SETUP Setup and operation is pretty straight forward. Simply rinse everything out, and start using. I would suggest you combine the KITCHENAID - SEMI-AUTOMATIC ESPRESSO MACHINE with a good quality burr grinder and a scale to help determine the optimal brew settings. Since the temperature and water amount is controlled by the machine, the only influence you have on the process is grind size, amount of grounds, and tamping pressure. SOME ADVICE FOR NEW BARISTAS This is where it can get frustrating if you are new to espresso. I generally find it takes about 2 hours to dial in the perfect brew each time I get a new espresso machine or change beans. Each bean roast is a little different. You can easily go through ½ pound of beans finding the right recipe. You really can’t take many shortcuts. There are tons of videos out there to guide you. What has worked for me over 3 machines, it to target 25 seconds of extraction time for a double shot. I keep a log of what variable I am changing like amount or grind size, and only change one thing at a time. I start a timer once the first drops start to emerge and stop the time when the last drops emerge from the portafilter. If the time is way under 25 seconds, you may need more or finer grinds. It the time is way over 25 seconds, then you might need less grounds or courser grinds. For the KITCHENAID - SEMI-AUTOMATIC ESPRESSO MACHINE and my espresso beans, I found 19 grams of beans, and the finest grind setting on my burr grinder (1) and a medium firm tamp produced the desired results. 18 grams was really bitter, and 17 grams were under extracted in about 15 seconds. USAGE There are some trade offs with the KITCHENAID - SEMI-AUTOMATIC ESPRESSO MACHINE and its moderately compact size. Nothing below is a show stopper, just some minor annoyances. Compared to my taller espresso machines, I found I was always crouching down to use the machine, like to attach the portafilter to the group head. (I’m only 5 foot 9 inches) Because the water reservoir is in the back, you can’t keep the machine under the counter, you have to be able to either lift out the reservoir (with the built in handle) or lift off the lid and pour in liquid. Because we use filtered water from the fridge, it is easier for us to pour water into the espresso machine, instead of moving the pitcher to the fridge. The reservoir lid is smooth and not easy to lift off (nothing to grip). The foaming wand is a little hard to manage again to due to the height, you can’t easily get just the tip of the want in your milk. You almost have to move the machine to the edge of the counter and work with the frothing mug off the counter. The steam setting was more powerful than we are used to, which resulted in a hard time controlling the process. Finally, there is a tall distance from the portafilter bottom to the top of a typical 2-3 oz espresso cup. We found that we needed to put something under our espresso cups to raise them closer to the output spigots to help avoid splashing. One last thing, it is very loud. CONTROLS The controls are simple, there really is not much to change. 1 or 2 cups. Coffee, Water, or Steam. That is about it. It is very easy to operate. RECOMMENDATION Overall, I can recommend the KITCHENAID - SEMI-AUTOMATIC ESPRESSO MACHINE for anyone just getting started with espresso, but willing to put in the work to learn how to make a good cup of espresso.

Review of Kitchen Aid Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine KES6403, Black Mate color. The package contains espresso machine with comprehensive accessories needed to go through making process. These are: 1. milk pitcher, 2. coffee scoop, 3. tamper, 4. Single Wall for 1 shot, 5. Single Wall for 2 shots, 6. Double Wall for 1 shot, 7. Double Wall for 2 shots, The tamper is heavy giving feeling of professional version. The machine itself, it looks slim and simple to use as it has 4 buttons to control the modes, number of dose, clean cycle, and start/cancel button. At the rear side is placed the ON/OFF switch. The Drip tray is removable, same way is the stream wand. Its water tank also goes on the rear, which has a handle to remove to to refill or to carry. It comes with a simple to understand instruction to make espresso as well if needed. Now on the making of espresso, naturally after following the instruction to prepare and setup, it is straight forward process. First select the desire dose of espresso, then fill in the filter basket., then tap down. This would be same for any espresso making. Where is noticeably simple is selection of mode for espresso shots then start and watch its brewing and the smell of coffee that fill in the space. The result is quite deep and strong flavor, and on the top appears creamy foam. I used Lavazza pre-ground espresso cofffee as reference. Also, the water temperature and hardness can be set in low/medium/high. The making of foam milk is not much different based on few time did. Just it will take some get used to if not a experienced already. Now note on some short coming or I wished it would be better: 1. What I couldn’t tell or it is the way is, the top of the machine is cup warmer, but this not actually I could see working or seems to warm not much as I would expect. 2. The Drip Tray, some how or certain point it fill in the water just for having the machine on or when I had hot water via wand. Hence need to watch it frequently so that doesn’t overflow. 3.Among accessories could have included Knock Box. 4. This last one is a inconvenience for being non practical aspect. The Portafilter position gets on the way on using the wand to steam the milk as locked position is diagonal to the right side almost front of the wand. In overall, it is good to have for those who enjoy going through the process of espresso and have good espresso shot without having large size version.

I am a coffee drinker but now I’m a espresso lover! I’ve had my espresso machine for a week and my family and I are enjoying brewing the different coffee grounds and the aromatics as they spread in the house! I personally love caramel coffee grounds and it really amplifies the awesome smell in my house in seconds. I have always been enthralled by espresso makers and having one in my house now I love it even more. So the machine comes with a metal cup which I’ve been using to brew the shots and steam my creamer. Then, I pour it on ice and enjoy. My only concern is all the coffee grounds that are spilled everywhere. No matter how careful I am there are coffee grounds all over my counter. It certainly can be user error but I have also seen coffee shops and it seems nearly inevitable. It hasn’t been a big issue and I get to use the grounds from the coffee for my plants and roses. Lastly, enjoy and play around with the coffee filters which help guide you for making one shot to two shots. I love that for a beginner like me it has simple baskets to show me how much coffee I actually need. If you’re looking for something to help you appreciate coffee more and grow your espresso making skills then the Kitchen Aid Machine is for you!

Ok. I must admit I’m coming from and k-cup style espresso makers. And like their k-cup counterparts for brewed coffee, espresso pods can be quite expensive. And though there are reusable espresso pods out there, the overall quality is less than espresso pods more so for true espresso served in coffee shops. Thankfully there are consumer grade espresso machines out there. The Kitchen Semi-Automatic Espresso Maker is one such model. Using the Kitchen Semi-Automatic Espresso Maker is pretty much a straightforward procedure. First attach the correct espresso basket to the portafilter (note there are for filter baskets fo you to select what type of coffee grounds and if you want to have a single or double shot. Then fill the coffee basket and use the tamper to compress the coffee to a puck. Attach the portafilter to the espresso maker and select if you want a single or double shot. And that’s it. Easy peasy. And if you prefer a latte or cappuccino, then there’s a steam wand to make that frothy milk for you. Now I suggest that you go to the internet to look at videos on how to make frothed milk and steamed milk. (And yes there is a difference!) And with a little practice, you can now have coffee shop quality espresso in your own home! But do note here is also an automatic milk frother attachment which is sold separately. That IMO is purely optional. Lastly, be aware that espresso machines don’t come in cheap. But if you are an espresso lover and want to have your own espresso at home, I would highly recommend this model.

This Kitchen-Aid expresso maker is not for the faint of heart or the time deprived, this is as close to being an espresso barista as most people will ever want to be. Up front and to be clear, most of the espresso making process is manual, once you hit start the machine will heat and pressure the water to create very excellent espresso. But getting to that point you have 1 of 4 different cups that vary from self or pre-ground beans. You also have a milk frothing cup and damper. All of the espresso equipment is high quality and substantial feeling, much more so than the main unit itself. I did like how easy it was to fill up the water reservoir it even had a convenient handle. The milk frother definitely heats and froths milk but is very loud. Make sure to disconnect the milk frother using the button on the bottom. Cleaning and storing all of the attachments on to me is going to be a drag. The cartridges are labeled on the underside so if you always make the same cup you can store the rest. The frother gets hot enough that a coating on the outside needs extra cleaning. Overall the quality of espresso and cappuccinos was excellent but the time needed and effort to make a single drink is not going to make this a viable option for anyone other than someone who grinds their own beans and wants the freshest coffee possible. For me that’s just not an option, cleaning the grinds was harder than expected and the amount of forced needed to attach the grinds to the unit was kind of a pain.

I've been using espresso machines for years, I got this unit for a guest quarters machine, a nice option vs the aging coffee maker I have in there now. One big issue was counter space, I needed very compact machine that was easy to use. This KitchenAid surely fit the bill, being one of the smallest machines that was still semi-automatic. In the attached images, I attempted show how the unit is packed and what's included. The unit is packed very securely. All of the attachments are packed on the top, the main machine on the bottom. It has a fairly large 48oz removable water reservoir, with a convenient handle. And it's marked so that full is about 2" from the top, this is important, to prevent spilling. Don't attempt to overfill. It has a on/off switch in the back, all other controls on the front. The first button controls what's to be dispensed, espresso (group head output), froth (wand output) and hot water (wand output), the second button controls the drink size, the third selects the cleaning cycle, and the fourth is the start stop button. Compared to other smaller machines the 48oz water tank, is generous, many are much smaller. But given my experience with espresso machines, I really wish the water tank had a filter. Hard water is tough on espresso machines, and filters help control scale/lime build up, I fear the machine will need to be cleaned frequently (-1 star). My other experience has to do with the coffee grind used, it must be finely ground (see image), a lot finer than you'd use for a drip coffee maker. You need to over fill the shot holder by 25-40% before tamping down the grounds on a flat surface, you need to tamp flat across the top leaving about 1/8" to 1/16" room at the top. For best results grind whole beans right before making espresso. Once the machine is filled with water, and the coffee is tamped down, you need to attach the portafilter to the machine, the entry slot is about 20 degrees to the left, any then twist the portafilter to the right about 40 degrees, where it will click to a stop. If your coffee is not tamped down flat it will be difficult to attach, if it is over filled it will be difficult to attach. Once it is attached select the drink size you will be making, and then hold down first button (with espresso selected) about 3s, and the lights over the first 2 buttons will begin to flash and the machine will start heating and pressurizing water internally. Then place a cup under the group output (the portafilter) and press the far right button, espresso and crema should be delivered to your cup in about 12/20s depending if you making a single or a double shot. If your making Cafe Americano (espresso+hot water) you can add hot water from the frother to your cup with the hot water selection. This machine has a neat programmable feature that allows you to program how long either a one short or two shot espresso delivers water, the 12/20s times can be independently reset (longer or shorter by the user, by holding in the start button for the duration you desire. This will effect the quantity of crema produced, but it's a really nice option not found on other machines (that know what is best - ha). So you could program the 2 shot size to dispense for 60s, which would be very similar to making a Cafe Americano all at once automatically.... Very common for US coffee drinkers, that prefer the richness of espresso, but not the thickness/strength. Over all I'm very impressed, I tried the milk frother, and was not impressed, it made more of a mess than truly frothed milk. But I don't use this feature often. As a simple espresso machine it does the job. As with any new espresso you have to experiment with the amount of coffee used to get the cup you're looking for. I suggest weighting what you use/grind when starting it is to best determine how much you've used (by weight). This machine has a slightly larger portafilter than the machine I use in my kitchen, so I also used a bit of trial and error before I found the right amount (but it was fun experimenting with my "taster" wife).

This espresso machine is mighty for its size. I usually only make cappuccinos and black coffee once or twice. Took me 5 mins to setup clean out and start using. It’s not too loud and works is just fine. Other than not having a coffee grinder this machine lacks nothing. Tamp the coffee, load the water and get coffee. Add milk or creamer and steam it from the nozzle on the side and now you have cappuccino. The size is perfect for a small kitchen.

I have been frustrated with larger espresso machines because I have hard water in my condo. But, when I saw this unit available for an incredible on sale price on Best Buy, it was a no brainer to at least try it. It still took me a few months to start using it (since I hate reading manuals) and had to then employ a burr grinder that I purchased. Now, I'm an experienced espresso maker but I didn't have to read a manual (aside from basic set up instructions) for this machine since it's incredibly simple and user friendly. I feel the steam wand works very well and the espresso wand delivers reasonably good crema when the coffee is extracted. I only have two things that I'd change about this unit: I'd increase the heat of the coffee and prefer the ability to have a longer extraction of the coffee (larger shots). I steam my soy milk extra hot but it still isn't quite hot enough and I pull two double shots to get as much coffee as I'd like per drink. That said, it's an incredible buy for a small home espresso machine and the quality is great for this price point. I haven't had to clean it yet but hoping that it will be equally simple to do. Buy it on sale and you'll be especially happy with it!

So far its performing as expected. Makes good espesso with all the parts visible. Steams milk well. Its easy to use. The main downsides are that there is no water filter, althoigh i would not expect one at this price. Also its laower than some to heat up and is a a little louder.

I have always wanted an Espresso machine and this one is perfect. It fits nicely in my office and looks like a professional machine. The water storage is convenient with a large capacity tank. The tank has a built-is handle and a nice secure lid so I don’t spill while carrying it from room to room. This is a high quality product that works extremely well. The unit comes with 4 different filler baskets including two single scoop baskets and two double scoop baskets. A compacting device is included to pack the coffee into the baskets as well as a scoop for measuring. The water heats up quickly and makes a cup within seconds. One has the ability to change the espresso volume, water volume, temperature setting as well water hardness setting. I am always careful to use filtered water with all of my coffee appliances. After selecting the volume, simply press start and you’ll have a great tasting espresso in no time. The steaming wand also works fast to put a nice creamy top on your cup of espresso. It works well with milk, almond creamer any creamer you choose. Be careful not to put too much milk into the included pitcher as the steamer will expand the liquid while it is heating it. I am now the family barista, as everyone is asking me to make them an espresso. It is fast and easy to make, so this has become my morning tradition.

Great little machine! It’s easy to setup, perfect sized, and overall great quality. It’s really easy to use, and very well made. High-quality and very sturdy pieces. Definitely a great purchase.

This thing does everything I want it to. The heat up time is incredibly fast, especialy for the size of the machine. The steaming wand is powerful enough even for cappuccinos, again, surprising given how small the machine is. My only complaint is how frequently the drain tray must be emptied (abot every other double shot for espresso only, and about every time you use the steaming wand) but I understand that’s necessary to keep up with the heat demands, so it’s not even enough to dock a star.

I have been using Nespresso machine to get my espresso and other milk coffees, but it can not beat making your own espresso with your favorite coffee beans. Kitchenaid Espresso machine enables me to make great espresso! I am really happy with how easy it is to use this machine and the quality of espresso it delivers!

Got a great deal on deal of the day. Washed and used immediately and it has exceeded my expectations. Very easy to use and makes great espresso even with mediocre coffee. Have used almost too much since purchase as it's so easy and tasty.Wife has used the steamer for milk and is impressed as well. Great buy, very happy!

This is my first espresso machine. Simplicity made it easy to learn to use. Still trying to dial in my favorite cup. Seems sturdy and well built like most kitchenaid products. Ergonomics of steam wand could be a little better. Overall a great machine "for the price I paid"