KitchenAid KF8 bean-to-cup espresso maker review: a top performing automatic coffee machine for well-heeled loafers

KitchenAid enters the fully-automated coffee making arena with not just one but three chic new bean-to-cup machines, along with a semi-auto model for those you prefer a bit more hands-on. For the record, the bean-to-cup grouping in the new KitchenAid Espresso Collection comprises the single-serve KF6, the twin-spout KF7 and the expensive but fully-specced bells-and-whistles KF8 model we’re reviewing here.

The KitchenAid KF8 is a great option for families since it features a wide range of coffee-making options, from ristretto to lungo to cappuccino and everything else in between. Plus it provides the wherewithal for family members to save their preferred coffee styles and recall them at the touch of a button. This machine is almost entirely hands-free bar emptying the water tray and confining the spent coffee ground pucks to the recycling bin.

Our guide to the best bean-to-cup coffee machines is chock full of best-selling models in both fully automatic and semi-automatic configurations from key players like Sage, Gaggia, Jura and Beem. Will the KitchenAid KF8 pack enough punch into the cup and head straight to the top of our current list or will it languish somewhere in the middle of the pack? Read on for the low down.

KitchenAid KF8 review: Price and availability

In the UK, the new KitchenAid KF8 retails at around £1,899 and is available from a number of outlets including KitchenAid, eCookShop, Harts of Stur and Currys, where it’s shifting for £100 more.

If you’re living in the USA, try Amazon or KitchenAid direct where you can snap one up for a not insubstantial $1,799.99.

KitchenAid KF8 review: design and features

KitchenAid is famed for its retro-designed food mixers, coffee machines, toasters and kettles but there’s nothing retro about the KF8. With its textured metal-clad construction and clean modern lines, this Scandi-style minimalist model is so inconspicuous when in situ on the work top that you will hardly notice it.

The KF8 is available in four discreet colours – stainless steel, juniper, white (which is more cream) and cast iron black – and measures a not inconsiderable 36cm in height, 26cm in width and a whopping 48cm in depth if you include the water catchment tray. Mind, I had no problem squeezing it into a space beside my gargantuan Ooni Volt 12 pizza oven though the KF8’s height under the kitchen cupboard has made it tricky to remove and fill the large 2.2-litre water container and top up the bean hopper.

Given that this is a fully-automated machine – a very quiet one to boot – it comes with an animated colour touch screen display, in this instance a substantial five inches from corner to corner. Aside from the main coffee selection, personalisation, proceed and cancel buttons surrounding the display, everything is controlled via the screen. Crucially, KitchenAid’s tech bods have designed the screen interface to be extremely intuitive so users will likely never need to refer to the instruction manual.

I’ve got to say that I’m very impressed by the exhaustive list of coffee options you’re given here – 12 in all including cappuccino, espresso, cafe latte, espresso lungo, macchiato, latte macchiato, Americano, flat white, coffee, café au lait, ristretto and cortado. This comprehensive line up is complemented with four alternative non-coffee options: frothed milk, warmed milk, hot water and green tea.

Furthermore, each coffee selection can be customised to the individual’s preference and this includes overall strength, amount of coffee in grams, milk type (it accepts plant-based alternatives like oat, almond or soy), order of milk or coffee, amount of water per extraction and water temperature. Users can then save their favourite selection to their own named profile – you can have up to six – for easy recall later. If you’re a household full of espresso coffee aficionados, I guarantee you’ll be in black gold utopia with this machine.

Heading to the business section, the KitchenAid KF8 comes with a twist-and-lift bean hopper with capacity for around 200 grams of beans and below this is a very decent burr grinder with a hidden self-tamping mechanism. Once ground, the selected program begins extraction by first applying a pre-infusion for greater water coverage within the KF8’s concealed portafilter. The group head itself is especially worthy of mention since it not only looks stylish with its glowing white light surround but it can be easily lowered or raised from 9cm to 14cm to accommodate different sized cups beneath. This group head is fitted with two spouts for batch making.

For milk or plant-based coffee, the KitchenAid KF8 ships with a separate plastic 700ml milk container that’s connected to the group head via a rubber tube. I have no idea how it works but what I do know is that it produces the right consistency every time, whether it’s a latte or a frothy cappuccino. I’ve been especially impressed by the way it makes macchiatos by extracting the right amount of coffee followed by a single dollop of frothy milk. As alluded to above, the KF8 also accommodates a range of plant-based ‘milks’ for vegans.

Like all automated bean-to-cup machines, the KF8 runs a self-cleaning sequence whenever you turn it on. This involves rinsing fresh water through the group head to remove any remnants of coffee-flavoured water from the last extraction. Thankfully it only does this during power up and not between extractions. Nevertheless, the process does take a minute or two and this may add extra time to what may already be a busy morning. Likewise, the machine will also suggest a self-clean after every milk-based extraction but this can be ignored if making a subsequent cup. 

I should add that a lot of water is used for the cleaning process and, as a result, you will need to frequently empty the large water tray beneath the cup holder and carefully carry it to the nearest sink for disposal. You will also need to refill the main water container. This level of manual maintenance is part and parcel of all automatic bean-to-cup products so bear this in mind if you’re not keen on making regular trips to the sink and perhaps opt for a semi-automatic machine like the excellent Dualit Espressivo Pro instead.

You get a three year guarantee with this machine and that’s a very good thing because there’s a lot of complicated stuff going on behind the scenes. But, hey, that’s the price you pay for the convenience of making any coffee drink you want at the touch of a button.

KitchenAid KF8 review: performance

I’ve been mostly very impressed by this machine’s performance. It’s very quiet for an espresso machine – ie not too much high-volume buzzing in the background – and, unlike some bean-to-cups I’ve tested, it thankfully produces espressos with oodles of palate-smacking punch, especially if parameters like coffee body and strength in the selection menu are set to a maximum. 

For my many tests, I used my favourite Spiller & Tait Signature blend and the KF8 delivered the goods in all disciplines, whether it was a single-shot espresso or ristretto, a latte, cappuccino or macchiato. Strangely, the colour of the KF8’s extraction looked quite watery when viewed from above but any concerns of weakness were thankfully quashed when I took a look at cup level and spotted the tell-tale signs of a good extraction, namely a stream or rich, golden, oily crema. This is a key factor for me because I’ve tested several bean-to-cup machines that were incapable of producing anything like as strong a cup of espresso as this model. Top marks in that respect. Granted, there was a bit of trial and error in working out the amount of coffee and milk required to fit a specific cup, but in the main I was lucky enough to get this right nine times out of ten.

However, there's one major source of annoyance with this machine – the ridiculous amount of water it uses to clean itself every time you turn it on. In fact, at times it seems to have used more water for cleaning than it has for making coffee and I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve been instructed to either empty the dirty water tray or fill the water container. I should add again that all bean-to-cup machines go through regular ritualistic cleaning regimes like this and the KF8 is no different. It’s just the nature of the beast.

KitchenAid KF8 review: verdict

It’s not cheap, I’ll grant you that, but the quality of coffee-based drinks this handsome hunk produces is well up there with the best of the competition. Yes, there is the hassle of having to regularly empty the dirty water tray and refill the water reservoir but even this isn't exactly the end of the world. All you need to know is that, in the broad church of espresso machines, this one shines.