KitchenAid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF8 - Porcelain

The KitchenAid KF8 is the top of the KitchenAid espresso range: a bean-to-cup machine with a 5 inch touchscreen, an automatic milk system and over 40 recipe options. It grinds, doses, brews and textures the milk on its own, and it remembers how six different people take their coffee.

The point of a machine like this is that nobody has to learn anything. Beans go in the hopper, milk goes in the container, and everyone taps their own name and their own drink. Behind the screen it grinds fresh for every cup and pulls two at once when you want two. The café menu without the café routine, on a metal-clad machine built to sit out and be looked at.

Highlights

• Over 40 recipe options across espresso, lungo, americano, coffee, cortado, macchiato, cappuccino, latte, latte macchiato, flat white and cafe au lait, most available as doubles
• Six user profiles, so each person saves their strength, size and milk once and taps it from then on
• Automatic milk system with an included container and hose, dairy or plant-based, with no wand technique to learn and one of the simplest cleaning routines in this class
• Two drinks at once from the dual delivery spouts, which is the difference between serving two people and serving them in turn
• Removable bean hopper that twists and lifts out, so you can swap to decaf or another roast without emptying the machine, and auto purge clears the grinder between batches
• A 5 inch touchscreen with adjustable coffee strength and three brew temperature levels, plus hot water at two temperatures
• 2.2 litre water tank with a fitted filter, enough for a full morning

Who it's for

• Households where everyone drinks something different and nobody wants to adjust a machine to get it
• Anyone who wants proper milk drinks daily without learning to steam milk
• People who want a machine that looks like it belongs on the counter, not like equipment

One thing to be clear about. This is a fully automatic machine: no portafilter, no tamping, and the milk is textured for you rather than poured by hand. That is the whole point for most people who buy it, but if making the coffee yourself is part of the appeal, tell us and we will show you the machines that are.

Living with it

Day to day, say yes when it prompts the milk rinse, and empty the grounds container and drip tray. The milk container lifts straight out and goes in the fridge or the dishwasher, which is about as easy as milk handling gets on a machine like this.

Then periodically, the "Clean Me" indicator tells you when a cleaning cycle is due and walks you through it, and the brew unit comes out to be rinsed. Set your water hardness on day one with the strip in the box, because the cleaning and descaling schedule adjusts to it. Tablets, filter and strip are all included.

FAQs

• Do I need to know anything about making espresso?
  No. It grinds, doses, brews and textures the milk on its own. You choose the drink on the touchscreen and it does the rest: no portafilter, no tamping, no steam wand technique.
• Can it remember how different people take their coffee?
  Yes, up to six people. Each profile stores its own drinks with their own strength, size and milk settings, so nobody resets anything.
• Can it make two drinks at the same time?
  Yes. The dual delivery system pours two cups at once, which is what makes it a household machine rather than a one-person one.
• Does it work with oat or almond milk?
  Yes. Fill the included container with whatever milk you use and the machine textures it automatically. Barista editions of plant milks foam best, as they do on any machine.
• How much cleaning does it actually need?
  Less than most machines in this class. It runs an automatic milk rinse when you accept the prompt, and the milk container lifts straight out to go in the fridge or the dishwasher rather than being scrubbed in place. Beyond that the screen tells you when a cleaning cycle or descale is due and walks you through it, on a schedule set by your water hardness.
• Can I get hot water for tea or an Americano?
  Yes. There is a hot water function with two temperature settings, so tea and a longer black coffee are both on the menu.
• What is the warranty, and who fixes it if something goes wrong?
  KitchenAid covers the KF8 with a 2 year warranty, and Coffee Warehouse is a KitchenAid warranty and service centre. If it ever needs work, it is handled by the people who sold it to you rather than shipped off to a stranger. Call us at 1-888-742-1777.

Specifications

• Type: Fully automatic bean-to-cup espresso machine
• Drinks: Over 40 recipe options, most available as doubles
• Display: 5 inch touchscreen
• User profiles: 6
• Grinder: Built-in with smart dosing and auto purge between batches
• Bean hopper: 270 g, removable
• Milk system: Automatic, removable container and hose, dairy and plant-based
• Delivery: Dual spouts, two drinks at once
• Hot water: Yes, two temperature settings
• Adjustments: Coffee strength, plus 3 brew temperature levels
• Water tank: 2.2 L, with filter
• Dimensions (W × D × H): 25.9 × 47 × 36.3 cm
• Weight: 12.7 kg
• Warranty: 2 years
• In the box: 2.2 L water tank, water filter, removable bean hopper, milk container with hose and lid, brew unit cleaning tablets, filter mounting spoon, water hardness test strip

Why buy from Coffee Warehouse?

• We are a KitchenAid warranty and service centre, so warranty work and repairs are done by us, not couriered off to someone you have never spoken to
• Two Ontario showrooms, Markham and Richmond Hill, where we will run a milk drink on it so you can taste the foam and hear how loud it is, plus live virtual demos if you are not nearby
• Help getting it set up, from water hardness to bean choice, so it tastes at home the way it did here
• Free shipping and financing available
• Toll-free support at 1-888-742-1777, before you buy and long after