Customer Ratings & Reviews

Easy to use, easy to maintain and service and makes great coffee beverages as well! This KitchenAid fully-automatic espresso machine has it all. The bright color touchscreen controls just about everything and a few extra backlit buttons on the sides add functionality. The water supply container is easy to access. The bean hopper has an innovative design to switch beans easily. The main grinding mechanism is easy to access from a door on the side when needed. For more frequently maintenance, the drip dray and used-grounds container are easy to access from the front. This machines looks great on the counter and makes great coffee, but it’s also a breeze to use for your daily grind (pun intended). Highlights: * Excellent results. * Quieter than others when brewing. * Easy to use touchscreen with backlit capacitive buttons along the sides of the screen. * Removable bean hopper for easy-changes of bean variety. * Dispenser slides up and down, has accent lighting and a cup illumination light. * Easy milk rinsing system has the hose connect to drip tray. * Drip tray has a visible indication when it’s full. * Easy to remove and empty the waste bin and drip tray. * Supply water tank level is visible without removing it or opening the lid. * Attractive styling matches other new KitchenAid countertop appliances. * Everything is easy to access. * Serial number is on the side inside the access door. * Great warranty. Room for Improvement: * Rinse water collects on top of drip tray and gets the bottom of mug wet. * No place to store the milk hose when not in use. * Cannot rearrange the profiles or the drinks within each profile. * Cannot remove the rotating handle from the water tank for tank cleaning. * Deep cleaning of the grinder system requires removal from the side. Setup: Everything was assembled already except for the Milk container and hose which are meant to be removed when not in use anyway. As with anything similar, it’s best to wash the water tank, milk container and bean hopper before filling, but the rest should be ready to use. Power on the unit for the first time and the touchscreen walks you through the setup basics including installation of the water filter (optional), measurement of water hardness (also optional) and filling the beans for the first cup. Our water had a 0 hardness reading and we have whole-house filtration, so I opted to skip the in-tank water filter. Before putting the machine in its normal spot, I opened everything up to familiarize myself with all of the parts what may need attention in the future. The water tank has a lid that flips up for easy access to pour water in or if you’d rather remove the tank to bring it to your sink or fridge’s water dispenser, that’s easy, too. There’s a rotating handle you can use to lift and carry the tank easily. It should be noted, however; that this rotating handle does not appear to be removable and it does kinda block the tank’s opening which makes it a tad harder to hand-wash the tank. I used a bottle brush with a long handle to get reach in more easily. The bean hopper is actually removable which is a really neat. You can buy extras (currently around $40 each) and fill them up with different roasts of beans - then swap out the beans for each beverage. There’s even a “bean purge” function in the menus to expel beans from the prior batch so you won’t have any mixed in to the next bean’s batch. This means that you can easily keep a hopper with a darker roast for espresso and another with a lighter roast for coffee if you want. When it comes time to deep clean the bean grinding mechanism, you just open the right side door and rotate a handle to remove it from the machine. My other fully-automatic espresso machine doesn’t require removal of this mechanism, but it still doesn’t appear to be too difficult to do. For those with knowledge of laser printers, removal of this mechanism is similar to removing/reinstalling a toner cartridge which is easy on most printers. Once you get everything washed and set up, it’s a simple matter of choosing your drink, putting a suitable cup under the dispenser and watching the magic. Usage: One of my favorite features of this machine is the ability to have up to 6 user profiles. Each profile has your favorite collection of drink recipes each with their own customizations. This works great if you like a strong Americano but your spouse prefers a more mild Americano. It would be an appreciated improvement if you could sort the profiles and drinks to put your most commonly used ones at the front of the list, but that’s a minor inconvenience compared to having to manually adjust each drink each time you make it. After using a similar fully-automatic machine from another brand for years, I expect that the drip dray and waste bin need to be emptied every few days. Both are easy to access from the front and are a cinch to do. There’s even a red floater in the tray that rises up when the tray’s waste water needs emptying. It’s also easy to empty this tray but just tilting it over the sink versus my other (older) machine that required disassembly of its 4 parts to fully empty it. As with my other machine, this one does a rinse cycle with fresh water immediately after you turn it on. The design of the drip tray on this machine is such that a puddle of water sits on the tray and if you don’t wipe up first, the bottom of your coffee cup will get wet and then transferred to your table. Just something to look out for and a minor inconvenience. My daily use once it’s set up is to turn it on, wait for it to heat up the water and rinse the system, then put the cup on the drop dray (perhaps wiping off the rinse water first), then tap the “Profile” button, my profile name, my desired drink, and then finally the “Play” button to make it. The top of the dispenser lights up to indicate it’s working while the touchscreen shows the details and progress bar. There’s also a light under the dispenser that lights up the cup as it’s being filled. By the way, the machine remembers the last profile used and that’s the default for the next cup, so as long as you don’t constantly switch profiles, it’s one less tap to get your drink. It couldn’t be easier to make a drink that has frothed milk. Just add your choice of cow juice to the provided container, slide open the door on the side of the dispenser and attach the provided milk hose between the dispenser and the milk container. The machine will steam and froth the milk as needed for your drink per the recipe. When done, you can detach the milk container and put it in the fridge for next time. The hose that was detached from the milk container now can be connected to the hole in the drip dray, and the machine offers to quickly rinse the milk system. Sadly, there is no storage area for the milk hose when it’s not being used. I’d like a little spot somewhere covered to put it while the milk container is in my fridge, but that’s just a small suggestion for improvement. I haven’t used this machine long enough to need to do any of the automated cleanings aside from the quick milk rinsing, but the manual outlines what needs to be done when the machine requests it. There’s also a menu in the touchscreen to check on how close you’re getting to needing to do any of the cleaning routines so you can plan ahead if you want. A few cleaning tablets were provided but a quick scan online shows that they are relatively inexpensive to buy more when needed. By the way, the step-up model has a slightly larger touch screen which moves a few of the capacitive buttons into the menus, there are a few more specialized recipes and you can use non-cow milks if desired. Otherwise it’s the same thing. Overall: So far, this machine makes tasty and authentic-tasting coffee and milk-based beverages. It looks great on the counter, is easy to use and easy to maintain. A few small improvements could make it even better, but overall it’s fantastic for what it does and has some convenient features that other brands don’t have.

The KitchenAid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF7,is a sleek, modern design. Its stainless steel exterior gives it a professional, robust look, while its compact size fits nicely on my kitchen countertop without taking up too much space. Looks aren’t everything—what really matters is how well it performs, and I have to say, this machine delivers quite an impressive experience. Setup for the KF7 was super easy and quick to set up, just plug it in and power it up and follow the step-by-step on the LED screen, with how to install the water filter, filling the water storage and how to set the grind size of the coffee beans. In the settings of the KF7 you can add multiple user profiles and save how you like your coffee from the amount of coffee that will come out, temperature, and if you want milk added. This makes it perfect if you have multiple people in the house who like their coffee a certain way. The coffee hopper is very nice and allows you to remove the whole thing from the machine which makes it easier to refill, and change beans on the fly if you want. A nice little feature that KF7 has that I didn't realize at first is that it has wheels, which allows it to pull out if you have deep countertops. I do recommend running the KF7 a couple of times with coffee in it before consuming any coffee because the first cup I had tasted a little funky and ran it 3 more times and it tasted perfect after that. One of the best things about the KF7 is its ability to make a variety of coffee beverages with ease. Whether you're craving a simple espresso, a foamy cappuccino, or a creamy latte macchiato, this machine has you covered. With just the touch of a button, it can brew: Espressos: Rich, full-bodied, and with a perfect crema on top. The machine allows you to choose between a single or double shot, depending on your caffeine needs. Americano: If you like a smoother, longer coffee, the Americano option adds hot water to your espresso for a less intense flavor. Cappuccinos: The KF7 perfectly froths the milk for a classic cappuccino, giving you a velvety foam that balances well with the espresso. Latte Macchiatos: For those who love a creamy, indulgent coffee, the machine steams the milk to perfection before adding a shot of espresso, creating that signature layered look. Flat White: This is one of my favorites. The balance between the rich espresso and steamed milk without too much foam is spot on. Hot Water: Ideal for tea drinkers or other hot beverages. Each drink can be customized to your taste. You can adjust the strength of your espresso, the amount of milk froth, and even the water temperature. The machine also remembers your preferences for future brews when saved to your profile.. This is a fully automatic machine, meaning it takes care of every step of the brewing process, from grinding the beans to frothing the milk. Here’s a rundown of some of the standout features. The Integrated Conical Burr Grinder works seamlessly to grind fresh coffee beans for each cup, preserving the flavor and aroma. You can adjust the grind size, which is great for tailoring the brew to your taste. For those who prefer pre-ground coffee, the KF7 also includes a bypass doser. The Automatic Milk Frothing System creates milk-based drinks with this machine. The automatic milk frother is detachable for easy cleaning and produces consistently rich foam. You can adjust the froth level depending on whether you want a cappuccino or a latte, I do wish the container top had a suction seal, it just sits on top of the container, this would have been ideal, because I could just store it in the refrigerator if there is any left over milk. The touch-screen interface is intuitive, and I can easily select the drink I want without navigating through confusing menus. Plus, the machine is quick to heat up, so I never have to wait long for my morning coffee. Self-Cleaning System: Maintenance is a breeze thanks to the machine’s self-cleaning capabilities. After each use, it automatically rinses the milk and coffee circuits, keeping everything hygienic. The removable brew group also makes deep cleaning easy. Double Boiler System: One of my favorite features is the double boiler system, which means I can steam milk and brew coffee at the same time. This significantly reduces wait time, especially when making multiple drinks back-to-back. Water Reservoir & Bean Hopper: The water reservoir is 2.3 liters, which is large enough that I don’t have to refill it often. Similarly, the bean hopper holds a decent amount of beans and has a sealed lid to keep them fresh. Adjustable Spout: The adjustable spout is a thoughtful feature, allowing me to use different cup sizes without worrying about splashing or drips, though my 16oz Ember tumbler wouldn't fit under it which was a tad sad but now just have to transfer my coffee to it, when I’m on the go. Pros and Cons Pros: 1.Wide variety of coffee drinks: From espresso to cappuccino, the machine makes everything I need with just the press of a button. 2. Customizability: I love being able to tweak the strength, grind size, and milk froth levels to suit my preferences. 3. Ease of use: The touch-screen interface is simple, and the machine operates very intuitively. 4.Self-cleaning: The automatic rinsing system saves me a lot of time, and I don’t feel overwhelmed by maintenance. 5.Quick brewing: Thanks to the double boiler, it’s fast, especially when making multiple milk-based drinks. 6.Sleek design: The stainless steel finish looks great in any kitchen and feels durable. Cons: 1.Price: It’s on the pricier side, so it’s more of an investment for serious coffee lovers. 2.Milk frother cleaning: While the self-cleaning feature is great, the milk frother sometimes needs a more thorough manual cleaning to keep it in top shape, and lack of suction seal on the cap. 3.Large footprint: Though not huge, it’s bigger than a regular drip coffee maker, so you’ll need some counter space. Overall, the KitchenAid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF7 is a fantastic choice for anyone who loves high-quality, café-style coffee at home. It offers an impressive variety of drinks, customization options, and convenience that make it a joy to use daily. While it’s a bit of an investment, if you’re serious about your coffee, it’s worth every penny. The ease of use and the ability to craft a perfect cup at home has definitely elevated my coffee game.

KitchenAid has made an easy to use automatic expresso machine with the KF7 Series. It looks good, has a good design, and is easy to use. It took only a few minutes to get setup and running. There are clearly marked touch sensitive buttons on the front as well as a bright easy to read touch screen. The drip tray is easy to insert and remove and has a indicator that will let you see when you need to empty the tray. The machine will also let you know by displaying a message on the screen. It also comes with a container for milk and a hose that is connected to the machine and the milk bin. Features The KF7 makes it easy to select what type of drink I want. The touch screen is bright and easy to read. Through the screen, I can also set up profiles. The initial settings are for small cups, but you can change the amounts of coffee and milk that is used for any particular drink. The use of profiles is helpful in that I can set specific amount of Oz used for each type of drink and save it to the profile. This allows me to have specific amounts used based on the different sized cups that I have. Initially, I wasn't sure if I was going to like the milk container design, but it grew on me quickly. It's deign uses a hose that connects to the machine and the milk container. It takes only a second to remove the hose from the container. I then place the container in the fridge. Cleaning the hose is an option that displays after I make a drink that uses milk. To clean it, I connect the end of the hose that connects to the milk container to a port in the drip tray. Then select the appropriate option on the touch screen. The K7 then preforms a basic cleaning. There is also an option for a deep clean. It has a bean hopper on top towards the back of the machine. It's removable making it convenient to add coffee beans when you need to. It would be nice if the K7 had a window of some kind that would let you see the level of beans in the hopper, but unfortunately, there isn't. The water revivor has a water level indicator that can be seen while standing in front of the K7. That's helpful as I can't look at it from the side since I have the K7 next to something. Construction The K7 is constructed well. The look is nice and looks good next to my other appliances. The milk container's walls and bottom are plastic, but I'm not expecting any problems with it. The hose that connects to the milk container if very flexible and should last a while. It would have been nice to have an extra, but that is something KitchenAid can consider as a possible addition to the package. The water bin is made of plastic and has a good design. It fits well in the side of the K7. The bean hopper is also well made and is removable. Overall, I think the construction is good and I believe the K7 will last a long time. Final Thoughts KitchenAid has a good offering in the K7. They have made it very simple to make drinks. The design makes it easy to clean and setup. I like the results of the drinks I've made with it. I also like the customization it allows when it comes to the amount of coffee and milk. The profile feature is something that I use and it really helps that KitchenAid has added that as a feature. If you are looking for something that is straight forward, easy to use, and produces really good results, then I would recommend considering KitchenAid's K7 Automatic Espresso Machine.

-Initial Thoughts- KitchenAid consistently proves why they excel in producing efficient, elegant, and premium-quality kitchen appliances. If you enjoy coffee as much as I think you do, feel confident in spending your hard-earned dollars on this product. As a fellow coffee connoisseur, I can attest that the KitchenAid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF7 has become a staple in my morning routine. -First Impressions- Foremost, I must give credit to the packaging department. The product was treated with great care, utilizing every bit of space efficiently. While it may seem trivial, peace of mind during transit is crucial when you're spending a significant amount of money. The unboxing process was seamless, and KitchenAid included all the necessary paperwork to get you on your way to becoming a (somewhat) professional cafe barista. The product, including the box, weighs around thirty pounds, so keep that in mind. However, these machines are designed to stay put, so it’s a temporary concern. The machine's overall height and width are also advantageous, fitting comfortably under most cabinets and occupying minimal countertop space. -Ease of Use/Design- Classy, but modern, the KF7 strikes a balance between industrial and state of the art design. Each individual layer looks and feels premium, from the water reservoir to the grinding system. Upon powering on, I was greeted with an intuitive touchscreen and easy-to-follow instructions. The responsiveness feels smooth, and the variety of options is delightful. You can enjoy a range of coffee-related beverages, from macchiatos to lattes and cortados, with the capability to brew two cups simultaneously. The grinding/brewing process is equally impressive as this is the quietest espresso machine I’ve ever heard. This was my first machine with milk-capable recipes, and my excitement was palpable. -Favorite Features- One standout feature is the ability to add enough user profiles for the whole family, making it easy to save and brew your preferred beverages. Another convenience is the separate milk container, which can be stored in the refrigerator when not in use. Reconnecting it is as simple as plugging in the included straw. The self-cleaning function notifies you when it's time to rinse the milk steamer, ensuring easy and no-mess cleanup. This is in addition to the automatic rinsing when starting up and shutting down. Additionally, the side ventilation prevents moisture buildup under cabinets, a common issue with top-venting units. The drip and puck tray require minimal effort to remove and are dishwasher safe. The KF7 is also equipped with wheels, making it hassle-free to move without risking countertop scratches. -Missed Opportunities- While the KF7 is impressive, a few areas could be improved. A standby mode with a clock would be a nice touch for aesthetic purposes. Additionally, the lack of WiFi connectivity is a bummer as scheduling a brew, especially in the morning, would have been ideal. There is also limited space for larger cups and mugs, making it impossible to brew directly into a thermos. Despite these minor inconveniences, the KF7 remains my top choice for espresso machines. -Conclusion- I highly recommend the KitchenAid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF7. Just a few minor inconveniences, but easily rectifiable in future models. I feel it's important to know what you're paying for, especially at the current price point. Without its flaws, the unit could truly shine, which is why I rate it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

All I have to say after purchasing almost every espresso machine. This is the best i ever used.

If you're an espresso lover searching for café-quality coffee at home, the KitchenAid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF7 (KES8557) might just be your new best friend. After using it for a few days, here’s my take on this powerful machine. First impressions? Sleek and solid. The stainless steel finish not only gives it a modern, polished look but also makes it durable. This espresso machine feels like a premium product just by the weight and sturdiness. It’s compact enough to fit on most countertops without taking up too much space, yet large enough to showcase its robust capabilities. One of the biggest selling points of this machine is its ease of use. It's fully automatic, which means it takes the guesswork out of pulling a perfect shot of espresso. I used to make coffee by grinding beans daily for my French press, which was a major chore that I dreaded. The single feature that I love the most about this Kitchenaid is I can dump a whole bag of beans into the bean hopper and when I want a fresh cup of coffee the machine automatically grinds the beans for me. No mess or clean up involved! With the simple press of a button, you can have an espresso, cappuccino, or latte in under a minute. The touch controls are intuitive, and the digital display helps guide you through the process. If you’re new to espresso machines, this one offers a very gentle learning curve. The KF7 delivers rich, flavorful espresso shots that are on par with what you'd get from a coffee shop. It uses a 15-bar Italian pump, ensuring excellent pressure for extraction. The adjustable brew strength settings via the touchpad are a fantastic touch for those who like to experiment with different coffee beans. It also comes with a built-in steam wand that produces perfectly textured milk for frothy cappuccinos and silky lattes. The steam wand has a professional-grade feel to it, and it’s easy to clean after use. Speaking of cleaning, this is where the KitchenAid KF7 really shines. It has an automatic cleaning cycle that rinses the machine after each use, keeping it running smoothly and preventing any build-up. The drip tray and water reservoir are easy to remove, clean, and refill. However, the drip tray is the major negative feature for me. It fills up too quickly and I don’t know where the water is coming from. I have to empty the drip tray every day, which seems unusual since I don’t notice water leaking into it when I’m brewing and I keep a mug underneath the machine to catch the cleaning cycle water. The water reservoir also isn’t that large, you can make about 4 cups of coffee with it. As for the quality of the regular coffee, I’m not going to say its better than what my French press was making, as I’ve gotten to be quite good at extraction techniques with it after 20 plus years using it. I will say the Kitchenaid makes high quality coffee that is very good, but most importantly, it does it very easily at the touch of a button. However, I do wish that the Americano and Coffee drinks that this machine makes would fill up a standard 8 oz mug. I would say these 2 drinks, that I drink the most often, come in at about 5 oz each. The KitchenAid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF7, KES8557 is a dream for espresso enthusiasts. It delivers high-quality espresso, is easy to use, and has a stylish design that complements any kitchen. If you’re looking for a hassle-free espresso machine that doesn’t compromise on quality, this model is an excellent choice. I really wish I could give it 4.5 stars, but I gave it 5 stars since the main thing I didn’t like about it was the drip tray having to be emptied frequently, but that was not a major sticking point for me.

I have owned espresso machines for over 40 years and can say this KitchenAid machine is the best. The design is elegant, the functionality is easy to use, and they got the details correct. Starting with design, the machine has a stainless-steel finish with soft curves and looks elegant. On the front is the adjustable dispenser with a nice touch of white light that wraps around the top. The color touchscreen controls are well-designed and easy to use. On the right side of the machine is the power button, which is an elongated pill-shaped stainless steel, making it easy to locate. On the left side is the large water tank. The water tank is easy to lift out and fill. On the top back is the sizeable removable coffee hopper. The removable hopper makes switching out beans and cleaning the hopper easy. A purge function ensures that all beans are cleared out of the grinder. The top covers are ridged and a nice place to store your cups so that they are close. Operating the machine is easy. When you turn it on, it takes 30 seconds for the machine to warm up and clean itself. Once ready, you can select from 13 options: Caffe Latte, Espresso, Cappuccino, Americano, Macchiato, Latte Macchiato, Espresso Lungo, Coffee, Cortado, Flat White, Frothed Milk, Warm Milk, and Hot Water. Once you select an option, you can customize it. Customization options are Coffee Volume, Milk Volume, Body, Order (coffee or milk first), Strength, Temperature, and single or double pour. If you make a customization, you can save it in a profile for easy future access. Press the start icon, and your drink will be made. If making a milk-based drink, fill the lovely glass milk container and attach it to the machine’s dispenser via the silicone hose provided. Once a milk-based drink is made, you can clean the hose Now or Later. The onscreen instructions will guide you through the process. You detach the hose from the milk container and plug it into the base, and the machine pumps hot water and steam through the hose. I leave the hose conveniently attached as storage until the next time it is needed for a milk-based drink. We are delighted with this KitchenAid Espresso machine

TLDR: I’ve got similar machines from competing brands. This KitchenAid produces a hot drink far better than any other machine I’ve used. While labeled as a “Fully Automatic Espresso Machine” this machine does far more than just espressos. INTRODUCTION / SET-UP The KitchenAid KF7 handles all aspects of the coffee brewing process. From measuring the beans, grinding, extracting with water, frothing milk, rinsing, etc. The KF7 does it all with little to no human intervention. Assembly is straightforward with minimal requirements. Set your machine on the counter, remove some packing material, add water, add beans, and turn it on. A machine with this many features and options and this amount of complexity has an intimidatingly large owner’s manual. Large and thorough enough that I’m sure some folks would find it off-putting. Not to worry. With the KF7, the onscreen display walks you through the entire set-up process. It is concise, but not frustratingly complicated. EVERYTHING required to get the machine up and running and making coffees and espressos is included in the first start-up menu. KitchenAid should be commended for making a machine so complicated so easy to set-up and get working. USE / EXPERIENCE You don’t have to be a coffee “connoisseur” to appreciate the quality of beverage produced in the KitchenAid. The problem with owning this machine is that other in-home appliances do not live up to the standards produced by the KitchenAid. I know I’ve already sung high praise for the KF7, but so far it has deserved it. I’m far from a connoisseur. Honestly, I use my “pod” coffee maker nearly every morning. The ease and simplicity, especially when tired, is just hard to beat. Users of the pods will likely agree that no matter what brand, flavor, or strength, most just leave you wanting. It’s coffee, but it isn’t the greatest. A short time ago, I was provided another model similar to the KitchenAid to test. While not as sophisticated as the KF7, it too grinds its own beans and makes fresh ground coffee. Users are more or less committed to Americanos with some form of milk available, but the selections are limited. While this machine produced better results than ANY pod I’ve ever tried, I still felt like there was something weird about it. No matter what bean I tried, it just was off. I tried different strengths, water amounts, etc. It was good, but just not great. I’ll go ahead and say it now. The first cup of coffee (Americano) I made with the KitchenAid KF7 tasted better than any cup of coffee I’ve ever made in my pod machine or the competitor’s coffee grinding machine. The hardest part I’ve found with the machine is the amount of customization available. You can customize any available drink to your liking. Strength, temperature, water amount, milk amount, milk frothing, foaming, everything is customizable. You would be hard pressed to find a coffee drink this thing can’t make to your liking. CONCLUSIONS I find no real issues with the KitchenAid KF7. It makes a great cup of coffee or espresso or nearly any other form of coffee-based drink imaginable, even some I didn’t know existed. The touchscreen display is intuitive and self-explanatory. First time users will have no problem finding their desired drink. KitchenAid claims 20+ different “recipes” are built-in. I haven’t tried them all, but the drink list is extensive. Even some lesser-known coffee drinks are included. Being fully automatic, there isn’t much to do, and I REALLY like that. Keep a sufficient supply of water, keep the beans filled in the sealed hopper, and after 10 or so drinks, empty the used grounds bin and water that’s been flushed from the system. The machine takes care of cleaning itself after use. Even the milk tube and reservoir are easy to use and clean. KitchenAid has spent a TON of time and research to make a machine that is user-friendly and easy to maintain. Unlike my competitors’ products, KitchenAid includes a water filter, a measuring spoon for using ground coffee, cleaning tabs, and even a hard water test strip with purchase. Aside from some beans and water, the product is complete and ready to go. My Americanos, my espressos, my cappuccinos have all turned out excellently. While it did take me a couple of times to get them just right, once I did, the drinks have been great. So far, everyone I’ve made drinks for have all agreed that they tasted great, many saying that if they had this, they wouldn’t need to spend $8 on their name-brand drink anymore. That’s high praise in my book. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I have had so many coffee makers, espresso machines, single pod style makers. Normally there is something always too difficult to or complicated to keep me from using espresso machines that include a way to add milk or cream but this kitchenaid fully automatic is exactly that. Automatic simplicity and I love it! Initially you follow the steps, add the filter in the water canister, do a cleaning and get familiar with the components and after that it’s soooo easy! I have both ground and whole coffee beens and it has the ability to make either one. The bottom portion is so cool as disposing the used coffee grounds is as simple as taking the bottom water drip pan thing. Coffee tastes so much better than our other machines and as a result it’s now our only coffee maker that gets space on our counter. I do want to say it’s a big machine and I provided pictures on how much space it takes on our apartment small space. But it is definitely worth it for me as it is easy to pick what you want and there is great instruction on how to make it as well!

Hello fellow caffeine addicts. I would like to introduce you to your next splurge: This is the KitchenAid Fully Automatic Expresso Machine (KF7). This machine has the looks, the class, and the brains that you definitely want to take it home and introduce it to mom. But be careful, because she will want to take it from you wants she sees what this magnificent machine has to offer. Let's work chronologically and begin with setup. This machine is mostly preassembled, has been tested, and is pretty much ready to go out of the box. Once you find where you want your new caffeine caddy to call home, remove the protective film from the touchscreen, plug her in, and follow the simple instructions on the screen. These instructions walk you through installing a water filter and filling with water, adding your beans or ground coffee, hooking up the moo juice, and running an initial break in cycle. All-in-all I was ready to brew in under 15 minutes. Oh! And before I forget...This Espresso Machine is on wheels! That is amazingly helpful if you have it set up under hung cabinets and need some extra room. After setup is complete, place your favorite coffee receptacle under the spot, select your beverage of choice, select temperature, strength, amount of milk (if applicable), the order that the coffee and milk are dispensed into your cup, and send it! In about 60 seconds you have a cup of deliciousness. If you are the drink right away kind of person, I would recommend medium heat. Hot is well...hot. Not quite lava hot, but you will be waiting a bit if you don't wish to have a burnt mouth. Also, the machine will walk you through a quick and simple cleaning cycle for the milk portion of the machine after each use. During a small party, this machine dispensed 6 different beverages to both coffee fans and non-coffee fans (sinners, I know). Whether the consumer enjoyed coffee regularly or not, there was a consensus that the settings needed to be set to a darker roast setting to really lock down the flavor. We also learned that every time you turn this machine on, it will automatically start a brief rinse cycle, so it is best to leave a cup under the dispenser. Overall, this machine is amazing. Its simple, elegant, but yet can cater to a more complex pallet and allow users to customize their beverages and save individual user settings for use at a later time. I have to admit that my favorite feature of this machine is not coffee related. Stick with me here. I have a life hack for you. This KitchenAid Espresso machine also has settings for just hot water and warm milk. Over the week I have had this, I have found out that it can also make Hot Chocolate and even Ramen Noodles! Versatility +1. Would I recommend this machine? Definitely. Whether for a home, or even a small business, this machine is absolutely amazing!

This is an excellent automatic espresso and coffee machine. It might be a bit much for personal use, but it is perfect for an office or for entertaining. Great feature set and easy to use—even for people who have never used it before. Most of the time it cleans itself, which means you just have to empty the drip tray regularly; deeper cleaning is required occasionally and doesn’t take a lot of effort. GREAT TASTING DRINKS One of the most important criteria, to me, is the quality of the drinks. I am really impressed with what this machine does. It has quite a few choices built into the menu, and each one is customizable in terms of brew strength, size, etc. In addition, the machine comes with a nice recipe book to help you create even more impressive coffee-based concoctions like deserts, milkshakes, or mixed drinks. I am particularly impressed at how well it handles milk-based drinks. It will create a perfectly respectable cappuccino or latte without any fuss! It’s truly fully automatic. The downside of being fully automatic is that the artistry is gone from steaming and frothing milk… but if you just want to enjoy your drink and not fuss with all of that, this machine is perfect. EASY TO USE This machine is very approachable for anyone, with its touchscreen interface that walks you through drink selection, options, and even routine cleaning. When I brought it into the office, a small crowd gathered and people became jittery with excitement (or was it the coffee?) when they tried it out and brewed their choice of drinks. All the settings and options seem straightforward, and the menu of choices makes exploring new drinks simple and approachable. The trend lately has been to add network connectability to everything, even if there’s no benefit to doing so. I’m glad to see that the engineers behind this machine didn’t bother. This leaves the interface and setup clean and straightforward, and you don’t need to download an app to use it. This is a massive machine—about twice the size of my previous daily espresso machine. While it can brew single shots or drinks, it seems much more suited to brewing a bunch of drinks at a time. I say this because every time you turn it on or off it rinses itself (which is great). This ends up using a lot of water, and leaves you having to empty the tray virtually every time you use it. So, I think it’s much more worth it to make several drinks in a row instead of using it just for one drink and then turning it off. FLEXIBLE FOR MULTIPLE USERS This machine seems to be designed for multiple users—again, great for a small office environment. People can create their own profiles and save their favorite drink settings. It has a milk container for milk-based drinks, but it’s very easy to use the milk hose in your own milk carton if you want to use a specific kind of milk (some like almond, some like soy, some like full-fat organic cow)—and the machine reminds you to rinse the milk hose after every use! For those who might want a different type of coffee, that’s possible too: there’s a bypass door for pre-ground coffee, and the bean hopper can easily be removed to use a different bean. There’s a purge option to help clean out previous grinds to make sure you get exactly what you want. PROS: - Consistently good drinks, espresso, milk-based, and even regular coffee. - big water tank - big bean hopper - Easy to switch to a different coffee or milk option - profile-based presets for multiple users CONS: - large physical size - Routine rinsing uses a lot of water from the tank (especially cleaning the milk tube) - Some settings are confusing, at least to me (“strength”, coffee volume, “body” (light/medium/strong), grind size (coarse/fine) and coffee quantity are all different settings). - Priced higher than many other automatic machines.

I have to admit, I never thought I'd own something like this, but to be able to make coffee shop level coffee without annoyance or the cost of the coffee shop is like a dream. Packaging: Pretty straightforward brown box, nothing special here. I'd usually talk about something that makes packaging stand out, but honestly, this is about as barebones as it gets. Maybe they saved the money here to apply it to the quality of the device, and I'd say with use it certainly seems like it. Setup: Straightforward, it's basically 3 main parts, the unit, the bean hopper that goes inside and the milk container. Plug it in and you're off. Settings are straightforward including cleaning, there's just not a lot of complication to a machine that is designed to make complicated drinks, so that's a very welcome thing. I know the higher end model has 'plant based' milk options which I suppose I should have considered, but this works well for me. Be sure to follow the directions for the water filter and testing your hard water. A note on the water filter later. Use: It has a bunch of built in recipes, I'll admit I haven't tried them all and probably wont ever, there's just some that don't appeal to me, like the 'flat white', but really it just makes a great espresso. I will say that even though it's labeled as a fully automatic espresso machine, to have a bunch of options including 'regular' coffee is great because to me I do feel like the miss in so many espresso machines is that it feels like all you can do with them is limited to anything espresso or espresso-based. With this you dont need to get creative to just have coffee. I wish it had come with multiple bean hoppers as that's part of what it touts itself as being a quick thing, to swap your coffee by swapping hoppers. I think it would be neat to have a bunch but I probably wont go out of my way to buy another. Cleaning: It'll tell you when it needs cleaning, you can also do it in the menus, I dont really know if the cleaning options are time or sensor based, but so far I've only run the milk cleaning option, I'm sure it'll nag me eventually to do the other ones, but at least it isn't excessively naggy. It comes with cleaning tablets and as I mentioned before, a water filter. I suppose it all makes sense, especially with excessively hard water, I just feel like the one thing that will eventually render this obsolete is the water filter. Eventually even if the machine continues to work, the filter will become either hard or impossible to find. As for the cleaning tablets, I guess that remains to be seen if they are easy to find, though I imagine any dissolvable coffee maker cleaning tablet might work. Overall: It's an exceptionally nice machine, having multiple options outside of just espresso makes it useful in a lot of situations. Barring the minor issues of the cleaning tablets or the water filter, it's still a wonderful machine, and honestly I'm being nitpicky with those. I just don't love proprietary things. I do however love the machine and heartily recommend it.

This is the ultimate automatic espresso machine. It comes with everything you need except coffee beans, water and milk. It’s easy to use and essentially cleans itself. The system would work well in a small office or reception area as well as in the home of anyone who likes espresso-based drinks. This espresso machine comes with a handy quick start guide (plus a full use and care manual and a recipe booklet). Plus, the machine has an on screen “first use” guide built in. Basically, you wash the water reservoir, and the milk container, lid and connecting tube. Then turn on the machine. It goes into its “first use” menu and guides you through installing the water filter, filling the coffee bean hopper and water reservoir. It guides you every step of the way. The controls are mostly via the touch screen, with a few touch controls on the front alongside the screen. There is a good selection of coffee beverages built into the menu. You can also set up individual profiles with favorite drinks and control the coffee strength, proportions of milk, and even how hot it is. Then touch the check mark to save and you can recreate the exact same drink easily. After struggling with my old manual (very unpredictable) espresso machine, this one is a breeze! The machine even prompts you to clean it afterwards. That works great, too. But I have one very small complaint. It prompts you to empty the drip tray and the remove the coffee pucks. But it isn’t exactly clear that you pull out on the drip tray to find the discarded pucks and remove the drip tray to make it easy to pour out the accumulated liquid. It took me a bit to figure that part out. But once I did, it was simple. Pro tip, have a bowl handy for the rinse processes. Mine does a brief rinse when I first turn it on, a rinse on the milk pipe after I prepare drinks using milk, and another rinse as part of the shut off process. I like clean so this is good, just have something handy to catch the rinse water in. One simple but really handy feature is that the dispenser part can be adjusted up and down to accommodate a taller cup. I didn’t find this for a couple of days, and I was so happy when I did. This espresso machine is not all bells and whistles. It makes really good espresso-based drinks. So far, I’ve tried the cappuccino, espresso, flat white and latte modes. (There are many more.) All were every bit as good as the expensive ones at the neighborhood coffee shop. So, if you are thinking, “that’s a lot of money for a coffee maker”, consider that for less than 50 cents worth of coffee beans and milk you can make the same coffee drink you have been paying $5 or more plus tip. The savings could add up quickly.

Short review: This is amazing. My favorite super automatic that I've had. Longer review: This is a beautiful super automatic espresso machine. The screen is crisp, clear and responsive. The LED lighting on the top and bottom of the spout is a nice touch that makes it stand out and feel luxurious. Setup: Very easy. other than washing the water and milk containers, there isn't much to do. You really can just plug it in, add water and coffee beans and be good to go. NOW....if you want to customize your machine and drink settings, you bet you can. The touch screen has a list of drinks that you can make (espresso, macchiato, flat white, americano and more). Simply put a mug under the spout and tap the drink you want. A screen then comes up with settings you can tweak (water amount, coffee amount, strength, temperature and more). You can simply press the start button, or change the settings as you wish. To the left of the touch screen are two buttons: Drinks, and "my drinks". If you touch the my drinks section, it brings up a menu with profiles. I've created two (one for me, one for my wife). You can then add drinks, customized to your taste, and save them for easy recall. I am a huge fan of this feature and ease of use. To the right of the screen are 4 buttons (start, settings, cleaning menu and stop). The settings menu has options for water hardness, filter settings and more. The cleaning menu walks you through maintenance cycles that you will need to do (clean milk container, descale, etc) Lastly, this thing is QUIET! Yes, it still makes noise, but it is the quietest espresso machine I've had. In the end: I love this thing. Get it!

Overview: Fully automated machine that will produce various coffee drinks using an intuitive touchscreen display. This machine is similar in operation to the ones used in popular coffee chains and convenience stores. I have used high end espresso makers in the past and this unit exceeds other brands in terms of ease of use and the steps required to make popular coffee house style beverages. Set Up: • Setting up was easy. A Quick Start guide is included. • The machine has a built adjustment for water hardness and includes a hardness test strip. • An optional water filter is included for the water tank. • The water tank is removable or can be filled in place. • Easy access to the bean hopper from the top of the machine with the option to use whole bean or ground coffee. • Manual adjustment is available for the desired bean grind size. • A milk tank and dispenser hose are included for hands free milk-based drink preparation. • Operation: Once set up, machine operation is simple. Select the drink you want and wait. You can adjust for coffee, water and milk volumes for each drink selection. For example, the default setting volume for a espresso shot is 1.4 ounces. This volume can be adjusted to your taste. For a Latte, not only can you adjust espresso shot volume, but milk volume can also be adjusted. For a larger “coffee house” Latte you may have to double up on the brew. It does take a bit of experimenting with volumes to get the flavor you are looking for, but it is not a complicated process. Once you get the desired flavor and amounts, you can set up for up to six individual user profiles storing multiple drink preferences in each profile. The one thing that really stood out for me was the automatic ground removal. The coffee ground “puck” is automatically discarded to a plastic bin located in the pull-out drip tray housing. This was not indicated in the set up or instruction guide. Just open the tray and remove the bin to discard the used grounds. Other than having to fill the bean hopper, water and milk tanks the KF7, KES8557 truly is a fully automatic espresso machine. The only option I would add is a direct water supply hook up so you wouldn’t have to continually manually fill the water tank. If you are looking for a home espresso machine include this KitchenAid in your search.

I've been a coffee drinker my whole life. I'm not a Q grader by far, but I do appreciate a good cup of coffee. I came across one of these machines at a Hilton I stayed at and thought it was really nice. Saved some money and decided to go for it. And I love it! I was a little intimidated, I don't know my way around an espresso machine with the pulling of the knobs and shaking of the frothers, etc. But for this machine all you have to do is plug it in, put in water, beans and a jug of milk, and you're all set! As you can see from the pictures, the instructions are VERY simple, easy to set up and only a few things to do (add water, add beans, clean / rinse / wipe things). After things are set up, you will need to go through a few cups of coffee in order to get the right taste, so can't judge the taste after the first 3 or 4 cups. The instructions said 4-5 cups but I really found 6-8 cups where the taste really settled in. The onscreen menu is easy to understand, easy to navigate, and lots of choices; lattes, espressos, macchiatos, warm milk, frothed milk, etc. And the best part, everything is super easy to clean. Once you are done, you connect the line back into the machine (from the frother) and the menu will even remind you to do so, and it will rinse the line for you. And when you are done, you pull out the tray from the bottom to rinse everything and done! Everything cleaned in 2 steps. Now for the taste, this will highly depend on alot of variables... type of beans used, type of water used, particular drink. I highly recommend just going for the espresso shots, then adding froth'd milk, then just a touch of creamer. This is what most Americans are used to, from the likes of Starbucks. But if you want an authentic coffee, yea, it can do it pretty faithfully too as you would get in a restaurant. Overall I highly recommend it. I was very intimidated by how much effort was needed to clean or to set one of things up, but I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to set up and how easy it is to clean. That was the biggest problem and glad it's not a problem here. And the great taste is definitely the bottom line. Can't recommend this enough!

This KitchenAid KF7 Fully Automatic Espresso Machine is very different from any other coffee maker I have ever used. I’m used to pod and drip machines. Needless to say, there is a bit of a learning curve. With pod machines, you have very little control over how the coffee is brewed. At best, you get to choose the pod and maybe standard brew or strong brew. Not much else. This machine lets you modify your drink almost any way you want it. The modifications are almost endless. I’m not a huge Espresso person. It’s too strong for me. But I do love a good Cappuccino or Latte and the KF7 excels at this. It took me a few tries to get the best mix of beans and coffee/milk ratio, but I got it and couldn’t be happier with the drinks I’ve saved to my profile. Things I really like about the KF7: 1) The coffee is as fresh as it can get. All you have to do is add beans (and milk to the milk container if your drink needs it). The machine grinds the coffee right before it is made and adds milk. 2) The touch screen is easy to read and use . 3) You can create user profiles. Each user can add the drinks they like the best. 4) The drinks can be modified to taste. You want more coffee and less milk or visa versa? You can do that. You want stronger or weaker coffee? You can do that. You want a larger or smaller drink? You can do that. The only thing it doesn’t do for you is add sugar or chocolate for you (if you want a mocha drink). However, you can add these things to your cup before you brew. 5) The spout height is adjustable. If you use a small cup, lower the spout so the steam stays mostly in the cup. If you have a larger cup lift it as required. The largest cup I was able to fit is a 16oz insulated Dixie cup. 6) There are recipes online for drinks that are not on the screen (ie – Mocha Cappuccino). 7) You can get filters for the water so you have the clean, filtered water for your brew. 8) The ground coffee is ejected into a removable cup in the tray making cleanup fairly easy. 9) There is a removable tray making it fairly easy to change to a different bean. There are additional steps I will outline in the not so great section. 10) There is a small door that you can use to add pre-ground coffee if you don’t have beans. Things that are not so great: A) Every time you use the milk, it asks if you want to clean the milk supply system. It takes a couple of minutes and you need to unplug the hose and connect it to the water tray. B) The water in the tray needs to be dumped 1-3 times a day depending on how many times it is used. If using this in a small office, it would need to be cleaned more often and you would likely need someone in charge of keeping this cleaned. C) There is quite a bit of cleanup and maintenance required compared to a simpler brewing types. D) When you want to change the beans, you can get most of them out by lifting the bean tray out and dumping them into a bag. However, quite a few beans are left behind. If you don’t like to waste beans, like me, you must fish these out of the shoot that leads to the grinder. Alternately, you can use the clear grinder feature that will grind the remaining beans and dump them into the used grinds up. This is quicker, but it wastes some beans. E) Using the milk could be easier. The milk is in a separate container that needs to be kept cold when not being used. You need to constantly move it to and from the refrigerator. F) This thing is big and heavy. You need counter space. I don’t have room for this in my home. I moved it to my small office. There is not a lot of counter space there so it’s in the conference room for now. G) Cost – The machine is expensive to buy and use. Pods are $50 per cup. Drip machines are less. I feel like this machine goes thru coffee beans and milk very quickly. While I don’t have numbers, I’d bet the cost of a cup is between $0.75 and $1 depending on what you make. H) Large tumblers don't fit. Max cup height is just about 5 1/2" Improvements I would like to see: - Add an internal, cooled container to help keep the milk fresh and more convenient to use. - Make it more compact. It seems very large for what it does. Conclusion – This is a really good machine for the home if you like these fancier drinks and have the space, time and funds for it. I would recommend it to certain people. I will, for now, stick with my pods because they are easier and make a pretty good cup of coffee.

Before I start the review I wanted to say that this is not my first or second fully automatic espresso maker. A had a number of them before. Over the course of time my initial impressions went from the typical “wow it does it all, no labor required to make a coffee drink” to “how good you’re really are from the standpoint of usability and coffee making abilities”. Not only how tasty the coffee is but also whether it is to live with over time (will it fit under the cabinet, how easy it is to access the coffee bin, add water, clean it without fuss and service the machine over time). The machine was packaged very nicely. There was nothing to put together, the only item not already installed into the machine was the water filter. The KF7 exterior is made out of steel, good looking stainless steel grade, except the very top is made out of plastic which closely matches in color the stainless steel look below. It is 14 1/2 inches high, 10 1’4 inches wide and 18 3/8 inches deep, all sizes approximate. The front drip tray is 4 inches deep. The available range of the height for the cup is between approximately 3 1’2 and 5 1/2 inches. The power cable goes out in the rear, but it does not required much more extra space in the back, I would say having 19 inches available counter depth should work. The stainless steel body is not finger-proof type but the fingerprints can be clean easily with a moist cloth. The screen is also a fingerprint magnet, again relatively easy to clean. The top cover over the coffee bin is entirely removable and does not require much much extra space above the machine to remove it or put it back. The top does not offer a functional mug warmer. The top side door that allows access to the water container is hinged, meaning not removable and when fully open requires about extra 3 1’2 inches, making to max high of the machine at approximately 18 inches total with the water door in its most upward position. But in order to take the water container out you don’t need to open the top door completely up as the water container slides out sideways after being picked up maybe half an inch up. The water container can hold up to 2 liters of water or 64 oz with the water filter inserted. That large volume of water reduces the refilling frequency, which is great. The water container has a nice handle inside that makes grabbing it easy in order to take it out or put in. The handle folds down when not in use. There is a vertical narrow see through window that shows the water level. If the water level goes too low the machine will display a message to add water. In the water container there is a proprietary water filter that is screwed in into the water container with the measuring spoon attachment, very easy to install and remove. The manufacturer suggests changing the filter every 50 liters of water or at least four times a year. The power on/off button is on the right side. On the same right side there is a door to the brew unit. The door feels solid and is easy to open and remove and to put it back on and close. The start up process takes less than 10 seconds from the moment you push the power button to machine being ready to make a coffee drink. The start up process is very quiet. The coffee bin container is removable. That helps if we want to switch from one kind of coffee to another, makes it easier to empty the container and add new coffee type. There is also the so called coffee purge function that allows to remove the remainder of the prior coffee beans from the grinder so the new coffee bean type does not mix together with the prior one. What’s different with KitchenAid is that to adjust the grind level you don’t adjust it in the coffee container area (how it is typically done with many other espresso makers) but you have to open the side door on the right and use the adjustment there. The adjustment there does not provide any numbers to easily set your preferred grind level, rather it slides left or right and you need to eye ball where you want to set it. You can also alternatively put one spoon of ground coffee in the opening next to the bean container if you don’t want to use the beans. The milk container is relatively large, allowing to store up to 800 ml of milk (3 1/3 cup). The hose between the milk container and the unit detaches from both when needed, both ends look identical. There are two different cycles of cleaning the milk connection called Easy Milk Cleaning and Deep Milk Cleaning. The Easy is recommended after each use when a milk based drink was generated, the Deep one is recommended to be completed once a month. After you make the first milk based drink you will be asked on the screen if you want to clean the milk system now or later. If you select “later” then you will no longer be prompted to do the milk system clean and you will have to select the milk system clean from the menu manually. The advantage of having a larger milk container versus a smaller one is that with the larger container you can put more milk in and then when stored in the fridge the more milk you have in the container the less likely the milk will go bad soon. Regarding the automatic cleaning the machine cleans automatically at the machine start and before shutting. The amount of water used for cleaning is about 30 ml for the coffee only based drinks and about 120 ml for the milk based drinks when you clean the milk system with the Easy cleaning level. The Easy milk system cleaning starts first with running the water through the system (including the hose connecting the milk container with the machine) then pushing steam through it. For maintenance there is a dedicated icon displayed on the side menu that allows to select descaling, Easy and Deep Milk Cleaning, brew unit rinsing or cleaning, purging beans from the grinder and evaporating moisture from the unit (if we want to store the unit for longer durations and avoid the accumulation of water related issues like mold). Menu also allows for turning on sounds for button touching and alerts (on or off), selecting volume units (ml or oz), duration of the standby time (before unit shuts off itself after the last interaction) for either 8 minutes, 30 minutes, one hour, 4 hours or 8 hours. You can also select from 4 available colors of coffee progress display. There is menu for water filter operations and water hardness levels (unit comes with one water hardness test stick which is easy to use). The following drinks are available on the menu. Caffe latte, espresso, cappuccino, Americano, Macchiato, Latte macchiato, espresso lungo, coffee, cortado, flat white, frothed milk (only 120 ml volume), warm milk (same 120 ml only) and hot water with temps settings of low, medium and high and volume from 80 ml to 260 ml. The average puck size came to 18 grams in my experience. If it comes to the coffee drink customization the following options are available. Strength from 1 to 3, water temperature (low, medium, high), drink volume (for coffee drink and milk selected separately) with coffee minimum volume set at 30 ml, milk minimum from 30 ml for cortado only, 40 ml for caffe latte and cappuccino, 60 ml for flat white and latte macchiato. The maximum milk volumes are as follows, cortado topping at 100 ml of milk, cappuccino at 140 ml, latte macchiato at 190 ml and caffeine latte at 240 ml. For Americano the coffee volume goes from 30 to 45 ml and water volume from 80 to 260 ml. You can adjust volumes by either 5 or 10 ml up and down, which is nice as some other manufactures only offer levels (like low, medium, high) but not actual measurements. You can also set the body level from light through medium to strong. Finally for the milk based drinks you can define which one goes first, coffee or milk for certain milk based drinks. All of these personal preferences for each drink type can be added to the personal profile for easy access later on. The machine allows up to four different profiles. There is an easy access to the profiles menus from the front of the machine. If it comes to the quality of the drinks, I had a chance to compare the K7 drinks to my prior fully automated espresso maker. Overall the coffee drink flavor from K7 came out quite solid, however I was somewhat disappointed with the crema which was just okay, on the weaker side (again side to side comparison using the same beans in both machines). The milk froth came out nicely structured, though the foam was not as robust as I was hoping for, closer in structure to the steamed milk in my view. You cannot adjust the froth density like it can be done with other espresso makers. You also cannot adjust the milk level temperature though the milk gets somewhat warmed in the process, it is not very hot but it is warm once in the drink. Only regular type of milk (no almond or soy or the type of milk) can be used on the K7 as per manufacturer. For the other milk types consider the K8 model, which also offers even more drink types. The level of noise this machine generates is very low relative to other fully automated espresso makers I had a chance to work with. Grinding, making the drink or the cleaning process, they all are very quiet relative to other espresso makers in my experience. In conclusion, based on the initial impressions the KitchenAid K7 espresso maker looks like a well designed and quality product. It is also very quiet relative to other fully automated espresso machines which can help in the household settings with others present. The coffee based drinks taste great. The milk froth feels mostly right and it comes out warm, though not hot. There is a great range of drink customization and up to four profiles are offered to store individual preferences. The large sizes of the water and milk containers require adding water or milk less frequently, which in turn makes it easier on the use. Recommended.

I’ve had a few espresso machines in the past, including some fairly premium ones, but I always found some reason to stop using them after a while. This Kitchenaid has some automated features that to me really set it above any of the others I’ve used. The process from start to finish is pretty simple, and the screen guides you step by step, and is fairly intuitive. After inserting the beans, filling it with water, and connecting a container full of your desired milk, you can select a variety of different drink options, hit start and wait for everything to finish. Once it does finish, it provides instructions on how to clean the machine, which is as simple as detaching the hose from the milk container and inserting it into the drip tray, placing a cup under the main pouring point and pressing start. It’ll rinse out the milk line as well as where the espresso pours from. From there, you can empty the tray when it’s full of water, dump out the pucks of used espresso, and you’re ready to go again. On the drinks themselves, you have a number of different choices, ranging from a Macchiato or Cappuccino, to “coffee” or even just steamed milk. You can customize the number of drinks you want to make at once (1 or 2), and also have the ability to increase how much milk or espresso is used in each drink. There’s also an option to change the strength of the espresso, and one of my favorite options is the ability to change the temperature. I like to use the medium setting most of the time as it’s ready to drink. My wife prefers her drinks hotter, and if I’m going to add any creamer afterwards, I might use the hot setting occasionally as well. I usually brew “2 drinks” in one cup and it about fills a small-medium size coffee cup. There’s an option to increase the amount of milk included, and I might end up doing that in the future, but I’ve been trying out the default settings so far. Overall, I really can’t recommend this highly enough. My only complaints are pretty minor. 1. When the beans are low, it doesn’t detect they’re low until they’re actually out. This means the last drink you make could end up with half a shot ground before it alerts you to add more beans. A sensor to notify you when too low to pull a full shot would solve this. 2. The milk container is entirely separate. This isn’t really a problem or unique to this machine, but it would nice to have a sliding drawer or an attachment of some kind to hold the milk container in place, particularly between uses. It’s either sitting on the counter next to the machine or sitting on top, and it feels out of place instead of part of the set. 3. While there are photos of the drinks on the screen to choose from, I’d love an option to view a more in depth description of exactly what the drink is. I ended up looking up each drink online, but anytime a guest comes over, they always have to ask what each of the drinks are. This is by far the best home espresso machine I’ve ever used. I’m making myself a drink at least once, if not twice every day now, and my wife who never even bothered to learn how to make a shot on our last machine is using this one nearly daily as well.

To start off, I've been using semi auto style expresso makers for the past few years. While I generally have enjoyed dialing in settings per bean type, I will admit that I've also gotten quite lazy with some of the maintenance and cleaning required to run a typical machine. That's not to say that my previous semi auto machines brewed a worse expresso shot, but the endless wiping down and dumping per 1-4oz basket can be quite the nuisance when you're in the rush and just want a solid mixed drink without the hassle. FORAY: I was interested in Kitchen Aid KF line because it has Swiss roots and a lot of people in the expresso world believe its a rebranded and custom variation of a Miele design. I can't exactly confirm this to 100% certainty, but there are striking similarities especially in regards to the brew unit assembly. And yes, the Kitchen Aid KF7 is 100% made in Switzerland. SETUP: *Fairly standard setup and run down. Actually includes its own filter (Swiss made) and Kitchen Aid seems to sell them directly for around $20 USD. *You're given a single test strip to test water hardness. I would recommend using a consistent source and not switching between alternative options...IE: I'm using Brita filtered water into the machines own filtered reservoir. My water hardness is on a 1/5 scale which translates to 1/4 on machine. *If you plan on using bottled water, you should keep the specific brand and type before switching out. Otherwise you will need more test strips on a per water basis. Spring water for example has a ton of minerals which may or may not harm the machine. On the opposite side, clean purified water may not even need a filter at all. Once initial setup is run down, you run the machine for 3-5 shots and it should dial in fairly well. IMPRESSIONS AND USE: The default setting is 1.4oz which is kind of in between a single and double shot. Ristretto or "Short shot". I actually was very impressed with the amount of crema the machine produced with beans I generally don't really care for on my other machines. The general expresso range is 1.0 to 2.0 oz which is fairly standard. Can dial in between single and double shots. Mixed drinks such are the pre configured Latte and Cappuccino came out better than expected. Water is HOT! at max setting. This is a general problem to most machines, but I'm actually happy with this. The medium setting is all I need. The milk jug can easily be stored in the refrigerator when not in use. At first I thought this was kind of gimmicky, but it does its job well so far. I'm used to wand frothing and didn't know what to expect. Not bad.. hoping the line doesn't corrode long term. MAINTENANCE: I wanted something more straight forward in the morning, but there is definitely a learning curve to achieving that. For starters, this machine will auto purge before and after use. If you want to use milk, the machine will ask you to rinse the milk side after every pour. I'm indifferent to the milk cleaning since you're going to generally want to clean that side given my organic whole milk has around 9-12g of sugar and you don't want your machine breaking down due to corrosion or caked milk in-between parts. To combat coffee shot cleaning, I use a small plastic cup before and after use so that when it wants to automatically dump before shutting down, it drains into my cup and not the drip tray. While I've had the machine for little less than a week now, I'm still trying to understand the automatic limitations of when it wants to recommend a full dump, since that locks you out from brewing. Is it less maintenance than a semi auto? Yes, but you're still have to maintain the drip tray which fills up quickly. DOWNSIDES: The water reservoir isn't as big as I want it to be. Especially because the machine is going to want to purge consistently to keep it in tip top shape. I hope the next version addresses this as I notice I'm running out of water after a handful of shots and mixed drinks. There seems to be a left right bias to shot dispensing if you're running 2 small shot mugs. My right side dispenses a little more than the left. There doesn't seem to be any manual calibration in regards to tuning it either. This won't matter if you're a single cup user, but I'm a little let down by that. Could be a tolerance factor too. OVERALL: This is an exceptional machine that rivals some of the absolute best options available on the American market. Not sure if this is a partnership or OEM prospect, but Kitchen Aid 100% outdid themselves in this endeavor. I have a few cons that are reflected in my overall rating of the machine, but it's so close to being the perfect all in one device without breaking the bank on absolute flagship devices. From hot water to a variety of coffee shop options, this more or less does it all. 4.5/5.