KitchenAid is a household name in home appliances, best known for their iconic stand mixers – built to last, in a range of colours and a baker's dream appliance to show off on the kitchen benchtop.
Kitchenaid also make small kitchen appliances like food processors and blenders, hand mixers, kettles and toasters. We often put these to the test in our labs and find that, while they always deliver in terms of aesthetics, they can be hit and miss for performance.
With the rise of at-home coffee culture, KitchenAid has entered the competitive market of espresso machines, aiming to bring cafe-quality espressos to the budding home barista. Currently, they have three offerings – one semi-automatic and two fully automatic espresso machines. Of course we had to get one in front of CHOICE expert tester Adrian Lini. He recently put the KitchenAid Semi Automatic Espresso Machine with Burr Grinder to the test to see if it lives up to the hype.
At first glance, the machine definitely has the looks, but for $999, does it deliver what's most important – a great shot of coffee?
Time and again, our testing teaches us that price doesn't always equal performance. So how does this KitchenAid coffee machine compare to other espresso machines we've tested in our labs? Adrian takes a look.
On this page:
- Features of the KitchenAid espresso machine
- How does it perform?
- Does the in-built grinder work?
- Is the KitchenAid Semi Automatic espresso machine easy to use?
- How does it compare to other espresso machines we've tested?
- Should you buy the KitchenAid coffee machine?
Features of the KitchenAid espresso machine
It's common for KitchenAid appliances to have a sleek and stylish design and come in a range of colours. The Semi Automatic Espresso Machine is available in five colours – juniper (green), porcelain, stainless steel, candy apple (red) and cast iron black.
The machine has a metal-clad construction and comes with:
- a removable bean hopper with lid that can hold 225g of beans
- a 2.5L water tank
- in-built grinder
- tamper
- portafilter
- priming pump
- 355mL milk jug
- stainless steel single- and double-wall filters
- multi-angle steam wand for frothing milk
- cleaning brush.
Most of the espresso machines we've tested come with a one- to two-year warranty, but you'll get a three-year warranty with this KitchenAid.
It also claims to have "smart dosing technology" but Adrian couldn't see where the smart tech came into the equation.
"While it has a dial for the dose amount, this is common to all machines with a built-in grinder," he says. "The KitchenAid doesn't have the 'self-tamping' feature we've seen in other machines and doesn't recognise if there's too much or not enough grinds in the basket."
With the KitchenAid you'll need to choose the grind setting and dose amount, press the grind button and then tamp it yourself to determine if it's under- or over-filled.
The KitchenAid Semi Automatic Espresso Machine with Burr Grinder. Image credit: KitchenAid.
How does it perform?
Before you can use the KitchenAid espresso machine for the first time, you need to use the priming pump to manually put water through the system.
Priming a coffee machine is an essential step to prepare a machine for use so it functions properly. It involves running water through the machine to clear out any air bubbles, fill internal components and flush out any impurities or residue that may have built-up during manufacture (or if it hasn't been used for an extended period of time). It helps to maintain consistent water flow and pressure, which are crucial to optimal performance and coffee extraction. Skipping this step can result in weak coffee or can potentially damage the machine.
In his years of testing espresso machines, Adrian says this 'priming' step usually happens automatically.
"For every other machine I've tested, all you need to do is fill the tank with water, turn it on and it'll prime itself," says Adrian.
We've seen models come through the labs at a fraction of the cost that deliver better results and an espresso you can brag about
CHOICE expert tester Adrain Lini
"Using the pump is a short extra step in the set-up process, but going into our performance testing it didn't give me confidence that I would get a consistently good shot of espresso out of this machine."
"In terms of performance, the machine is mediocre at best," says Adrian. "Considering the price tag of almost $1000 for this KitchenAid coffee machine, we've seen models come through the labs at a fraction of the cost that deliver better results and an espresso you can brag about."
It took a few attempts to get a decent espresso out of the machine to deliver to our expert panel of judges for the taste test component of the test. Our experts scored the KitchenAid 65% for the taste test, that's only OK in our books. And if you were serving multiple cups at once you'd find the coffee temperature isn't consistent over consecutive cups.
On a positive note, it works very well for milk frothing.
For the full test results see the KitchenAid Semi Automatic Espresso Machine with Burr Grinder review.
Does the in-built grinder work?
Having an in-built grinder in a semi-automatic or manual coffee machine can be a great addition, and can save you from purchasing a separate grinder. However, if it doesn't perform well, the flow-on effect to the quality of your espresso can be detrimental.
In our testing, Adrian commonly uses single-wall filters when preparing the grind. Single-wall filters are used in the types of commercial espresso machines you'll find at cafes and leave nowhere to hide when making an espresso. Double wall filters use a second wall to generate more pressure during the pour and can help fix a shot of coffee that doesn't have the right amount of ground coffee, grind level or tamp.
When testing the KitchenAid, the in-built grinder was unable to grind our test beans fine enough to use the single filters. Only the double wall filters would work.
"It's not a good sign that the product comes with important coffee making accessories that can't even be used on their own machine."
"The lack of grind range and the inability to produce a grind that's fine enough is a red flag towards the quality and performance of the grinder and machine."
The 2.5L water tank sits at the back of the machine and may be awkward to access or remove to fill. Image credit: KitchenAid.
Is the KitchenAid Semi Automatic espresso machine easy to use?
At first glance, the control panel may look confusing. With no written labelling and only symbols, you might need to refer to the instruction manual initially to understand how to use it.
Once you understand the controls, they are easy to use and the machine as a whole is easy to operate.
"Keep in mind that the unit is comparatively lightweight, and when locking and unlocking the group handle you'll need to have one hand on the machine to stop it from moving on the bench."
How does it compare to other espresso machines we've tested?
The KitchenAid is a mid-performing coffee machine. While it's definitely not as bad as our coffee machines to avoid, it's a far cry from our recommended products.
It falls short in terms of espresso quality, coffee temperature consistency and grinder performance.
"Expectations are high if you're spending $1000, and this machine simply doesn't stack up to its competitors at the same or even lower price points," says Adrian.
While some of the manual and semi-automatic espresso machines in our review come with price tags that soar past the KitchenAid and fall into the thousands, you don't always have to spend a fortune to get a decent machine. We've tested similar semi-automatic machines from Breville and Sunbeam that feature an in-built grinder and provide better performance, all while costing less than the KitchenAid.
Should you buy the KitchenAid coffee machine?
If you already own a KitchenAid stand mixer that displays on your benchtop or have a KitchenAid toaster or kettle standing proudly too, it would be appealing to keep the theme going with their coffee machine. However, in the case of KitchenAid's Semi Automatic Machine, style doesn't equal substance.
"The shortcomings of its in-built grinder and its inability to deliver a decent shot of espresso leave me wondering if more could have been done in the design and execution of this machine," says Adrian.
We've tested over 60 manual and semi-automatic coffee machines in our labs. To see how the KitchenAid stacks up against the rest, and to find out which machines deliver great bang for your buck, check out our coffee machine reviews.
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Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
