I'm a bean-to-cup novice but this KitchenAid coffee machine couldn't be easier to use – it has over 40 drinks options

KitchenAid's KF8 is the most deluxe out of its lineup of three fully automatic espresso machines. With a super-automatic design, the bean-to-cup coffee machine promises to handle everything from grinding to milk frothing.

But does the Kitchen Aid Fully Automatic KF8 Espresso Machine deliver easy brewing? After two weeks of testing, I thinks its worthy of a place among the best bean-to-cup coffee machines. Here's why.

In a nutshell

KitchenAid is a trusted brand recognised for its durability and innovative kitchen appliances, which is why we were so excited during our first look at its fully-automatic espresso machines. Made up of three bean-to-cup coffee machines, the collection's standout is definitely the KF8 model. The KitchenAid Fully Automatic KF8 Espresso Machine is the most advanced and most expensive of the three, and I can see why now that I've had the privilege of testing it.

With a menu of 15 fully customisable drinks, this stylish product recreated all my coffee shop favorites and tailored them to meet both my own and my guest's preferred temperature, strength, and dietary requirements. As someone who prefers their cappuccinos dairy-free, I loved how well the KF8 frothed my almond milk by allowing me to specify whether I was using a plant-based alternative. Plus, the six drink-saving profiles are ideal for busy households and sped up my morning routine.

And the best part? I did nothing except tap a vibrant, intuitive touchscreen. The super-automatic machine handled everything, and that includes grinding, tamping, and milk frothing. Great for those who usually rely on a barista for their caffeine fix, the KF8 fully automatic is easy to use, clean, and set up even for beginners. However, don't expect to make larger drinks as I couldn't even fit a standard latte glass underneath the adjustable dispenser, and the £1,899.99 will be way outside a lot of shoppers' budgets.

KitchenAid Fully Automatic KF8 Espresso Machine specifications

• Dimensions: 47cm x 26cm x 36cm
• Weight: 18.1kg
• Capacity: 270g bean hopper, 2.2L water tank
• Pressure: 19 bars
• Included: water tank and filter, removable bean hopper, milk container with hose and lid, cleaning tablets, spoon (doubles as a filter mounting aid), and a water hardness testing strip
• Grind settings: 7
• Options: Single or double shot, hot water, milk frother
• Drinks: 15, including hot water and green tea
• Adjustable features: dose volume, shot volume, body, milk type, extraction water temperature, grinder burr adjustment, water hardness
• Colours: Juniper (dark blue-green), Porcelain white, Cast iron black, Stainless Steel
• RRP: 1,899.99

Who tested this machine?

Frances Daniels

I’m Frances, and I'm a freelance reviewer for Ideal Home. I've tested some of the most impressive kitchen appliances on the market, from premium pans to state-of-the-art multicookers. I love a plant-based cup of coffee on the go, so I was excited to test the KitchenAid Fully Automatic KF8 Espresso Machine, which promises a wide-range of dairy-free drinks without the preparation. I tested the advanced bean-to-cup machine on a loan period for over a week, whipping up classic americanos and frothy cappuccinos to see if the KitchenAid Fully Automatic KF8 Espresso Machine will replace my kitchen's pod machine.

Unboxing and first impressions

The KF8 machine arrived in a very heavy shipping box on my doorstep. The box was so heavy, in fact, that I struggled to lift it onto the kitchen table and had to do the initial unboxing steps on the floor.

However, the box's heftiness wouldn't have surprised me had I checked the weight in the specs: 18.1kg. For reference, most bean-to-cup espresso machines are around 10kg. It's a tall machine, too, so it's best suited for larger kitchens without low-hanging cabinets.

I opened the box to find a manual, a quick start guide, cleaning tablets, a spoon, a milk container, a water hardness test, and the KF8 espresso machine itself. The machine comes mostly assembled, and all you have to do is insert the filter. Fortunately, the included spoon doubles as a mounting aid, so this step was easy for me.

Once I lifted the machine (which isn't as heavy out of the box) onto the kitchen worktop, I could step back and appreciate just how luxurious and modern it looked on my counter. My KF8 machine is in a versatile silver shade called Stainless Steel Finish, but it's also available in dark green, white, and black.

The first thing the quick start guide instructs is to remove and wash the water tank and milk container, and then turn the machine on. After that, the on-screen instructions appear and take it from there.

What struck me when first using the machine was how vibrant and intuitive the touchscreen is. Its image is clear, and I never once felt overwhelmed as I waltzed through every onscreen introductory question. I then primed the machine by making four shots of espresso.

I must say that this is one of the easiest machines I've ever set up. Apart from the hefty weight, the machine was a snap to install and the instructions were easy to follow. I have set up coffee machines in the past with confusing picture-book instructions, but the KF8's touchscreen allows for interactive step-by-step guidance instead.

What's it like to use?

The KF8 is the first bean-to-cup coffee machine I’ve tried. Until now, all my coffee makers had been easy-to-use pod machines.

As the best pod coffee machines require very little brewing skill or knowledge, I found the idea of a bean-to-cup machine a little daunting. Semi-automatic machines had been my only frame of reference when it came to the bean-to-cup kind, and these often involved doing the dosing, tamping, grinding, and milk frothing yourself.

Fortunately, I had nothing to worry about. The KF8 has the largest touchscreen out of KitchenAid’s fully automatic espresso machines, and it’s straightforward to navigate.

Each drink is labelled and displayed in the home menu with a clear illustration, and tapping one will take you straight to a customisation page.While the customisable features vary from drink to drink, most will allow you to adjust the strength, volume, body, and temperature of your coffee with a simple swipe or tap.

Once you’re happy with your personalisation, you simply press the play button and your drink is made for you. No need for you to grind, dose or tamp. With all the heavy lifting done for you, it’s a walk in the park for anyone who’s new to making coffee at home.

For milk-based drinks, the KF8 comes with a milk container and a hose which you connect to the machine. I simply poured my unsweetened almond milk into the container, hooked it up, and then selected 'plant-based' under milk type. From there, the machine frothed the milk to create a quick, frothy cappuccinos.

The KF8 has six user profiles, where you can save your favourite drinks and settings. This is ideal for busy mornings when you just want a quick latte without entering your specifications. The number of profiles is also a bonus for larger households, families, and regular guests.

With the KF8, two drinks can be made at the same time (although, they will have to be rather similar) which is a nice feature if you're entertaining. The 'purge' function also made switching beans easier when my flatmate wanted to try the machine using her higher quality coffee beans.

Of course, there are some things you will need to do yourself, such as filling the bean hopper with coffee beans. The bean hopper can be easily removed and returned thanks to an eject button and twist lock.

You can also switch to ground coffee without removing the beans by putting a spoonful down the ground coffee compartment located next to the hopper.

You'll also get helpful onscreen reminders telling you when its time to refill the water tank and bean hopper, and it also keeps you on top of cleaning and maintenance by reminding you to rinse the milk system.

The one glaring drawback of the machine is the size of the drinks it produces. It makes great small and regular drinks, but don't expect a grande cafe latte with this machine.

Previous machines I used allowed me to remove the drip tray to fit my standard-size latte glass or bigger mugs under the dispenser. Here, I couldn't fit even half the glass under the dispenser, despite it being adjustable.

Coffee Quality

Okay, so it's straightforward to use, but what does the KF8's drinks taste like?

The quality of a cup of coffee can depend on the beans being used, not just the machine. I used coffee beans from Taylors of Harrogate.

The first drink I made was a classic espresso. The result was a rich and balanced shot with a crema that lasted a good couple of minutes. I also felt the coffee extraction really emphasised the notes of malted caramel my beans claimed to have.

It also got seal of approval from my flatmate, who is way more of a coffee aficionado than I am.

However, I prefer less concentrated and milk-based coffee to a straight espresso, so the ultimate test would be how much I enjoyed an americano or a cappuccino.

The americano was smooth and delicious, but I was worried how well the cappuccino would go as plant-based milk is notoriously hard to froth.

One of the drink options is pure frothed milk, so I decided to give the milk frother a test run before I created a cappuccino. The result was cloud-like frothy almond milk with a thick foam.

Pleased with this result, I went on to make velvety, airy cappuccino. Other milk-based drink I tried included cortados, flat whites, and lattes — and all were of coffee-shop quality.

Cleaning

While even a fully automatic machine can't take care of all the cleaning and maintenance, the KF8 gladly helps out with its automatic cleaning modes.

Messages flash up on screen reminding you when to rinse out the milk system, which is easy to do as the touchscreen displays step-by-step instructions. You will also need to regularly empty and clean the drip tray and coffee puck tray, which again, the touchscreen reminds you to do.

On thing that's important to mention is the amount of water that is used through frequent rinsing. The machine rinses itself and the milk frother after every use, so be prepared to refill the 2.2 L water tank often.

Also, keep in mind that you'll need to have an empty cup around to catch the rinsing water. Still, it's a machine that cleans and rinses itself, so refilling it a couple of times a day is a small price to pay. Plus, you can always skip a rinse cycle if you're in a rush.

As someone who lives in a hard water area, I was pleased to see that the box included a water hardness test strip. You simply dip the strip in a cup of your tap water, and check the strip's squares to see your water hardness level.

You can then enter your water hardness level into the machine so it can adjust the frequency of its automatic descaling reminders depending on how hard your tap water is.

How does it compare to similar coffee machines?

Let's put it our there: the KF8 has one premium price tag.

I own the Bosch Tassimo My Way 2 pod coffee machine, which is practically prehistoric compared to this fully automatic machine. The My Way 2 retails for around £75, so you can imagine how much better the user experience, coffee quality, and long-term value is when operating a super-automatic machine worth over £1,899.

But how does it compare to other fully automatic bean-to-cup espresso machines?

Our current No 1 fully automatic machine is the De'Longhi Rivelia, which also has automatic milk frothing and rinsing, 19-bar pressure, and a touch screen with a vast menu of drinks. It received a five-star review and also has iced drink options, and it's over £1,000 cheaper at just £750.

However, you have to pay extra for the automated features and it doesn't have a plant-base milk option or as short a brewing time. It's also louder than the Quiet Mark-certified KF8, which has a much lower grinder and brewing noise. (My flatmates didn't hear a thing during earlier mornings.)

The DeLonghi Rivelia's 1.4L water tank capacity is also much smaller than the KF8's 2.2L, as is its touchscreen size and amount of user profiles — the image is less vibrant, too.

Should you buy the KitchenAid Fully Automatic KF8 Espresso Machine?

If you have the budget to invest in a £1,899.99 machine, then the KitchenAid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF8 will definitely measure up to its luxe price tag. It's so straightforward and easy to use and maintain that even bean-to-cup novices like myself will take no time at all get started. All 15 drink options are fully customisable and adjusting each one to your dietary requirements, taste, and even water hardness has never been simpler.

I definitely reccomend it for larger households who want to make cafe-quality beverages straight from their kitchen without taking too long in the morning or waking up the whole house. It's also a great fit for people who genuinely love and appreciate good coffee, but aren't that skilled at making it themselves.

That said, there are much cheaper fully automatic machines out there if you're willing to sacrifice some advanced features, and you may be disappointed if you're someone who always asks for a large at the coffee shop counter. These drawbacks aside, the coffee machine is still a fantastic investment from a beloved brand that makes quick, easy, and delicious coffee. .