When it comes to the caffeine reliant among us, having a good day is not a matter of waking up on the right side of the bed. Rather, it hinges on starting the day on the right sip. Namely, a good cup of coffee. For some, that might mean a bitter espresso strong enough to jolt you out of any lingering daydreams and force you to join the world of the waking. For others, it’s nipping to the local cafe for a latte. While espresso purists will be quick to recommend a manual coffee machine, for those who want to replicate barista-quality coffee sans fuss, a fully automatic coffee machine is the way to go.
KitchenAid has long been a go-to for chic stand mixers, with its colourful enameled designs contributing to appliances that are a welcome addition to any benchtop. The kitchen appliances brand recently entered the coffee game with the launch of four machines; a semi-automatic espresso machine and three fully automatic espresso machines (KF6, KF7, and KF8).
Now, while I enjoy a coffee made by an actual barista (or even a barrister turned barista), visiting a cafe is more of a mid-morning or early afternoon, full consciousness, savour the moment kind of thing for me. Whereas my first (and often second) coffee of the day is typically consumed bleary eyed and in complete silence. Desirous of replicating barista-level coffee without the need for human interaction—I require coffees #1 and #2 to muster the fortitude to order coffees #3 and #4… those pleases and thank yous can really take it out of you—I trialled the KitchenAid KF8 Fully Automatic Espresso Machine (wordy name, we’ll be referring to it as the KitchenAid KF8 for brevity hereafter).
Priced at $2599AUD, the KitchenAid KF8 is the top of the line model in the fully automatic espresso machine range. Here’s our honest review.
Aesthetics
The KitchenAid KF8 is a relatively compact machine. Its design integrates the burr grinder into the main compartment (there’s a separate milk container), making for a seamless aesthetic. While the body of the KitchenAid KF8 is rectangular, the edges are rounded off for a cornerless curvilinear design that looks at home in contemporary and classic kitchens alike. The machine comes in four shades — glossy white, crinkly black, glossy juniper green, and metallic stainless steel. Despite its compact nature, the KitchenAid KF8 is a rather big boy, weighing in at 12kg. While it required a little effort to get onto the benchtop (remember: bend at the knees, not at the back), it has two back wheels that make it easy to maneuver.




First impressions
Upon turning it on for the first time, the KitchenAid KF8 greets you with a warm welcome (see, good manners aren’t dead) and prompts you to set your language and user profiles. The five-inch touchscreen is both intuitive and easy to use, with step-by-step prompts for everything from selecting and personalising your beverage to refilling the water tank and changing or refilling the coffee beans, as well as maintenance tasks like rinsing the milk container and occasional deep cleaning and descaling.
Brewing options
The KitchenAid KF8 comes with 12 distinct preset coffees. Black coffees are espresso, espresso lungo, coffee (long black equivalent), ristretto, and Americano. Milk coffee options are cafe au lait, cafe latte, cappuccino, cortado, flat white, macchiato, and latte macchiato. There are also four additional options for frothed milk, warm milk, hot water, and green tea (the latter is for hot water at 75-80°C which is the ideal temperature for making green tea; the machine does not contain a tea compartment).
KitchenAid markets the KF8 as having over 40 recipes; this number is courtesy of the ability to personalise the strength, length, temperature, and milk type of each of the aforementioned 12 coffees.
The integrated burr grinder uses two rotating abrasive surfaces to ensure beans are uniformly ground for a clean and even extraction; it comes with seven adjustment settings so you can control your grind size depending on the type of coffee you’re making and your desired flavour profile.
Personalisation
If you’re one of those people who feel #seen by your local barista deeming your order “the usual,” you’ll enjoy the KitchenAid KF8’s user profile feature. Much like your favourite barista, the KF8 is able to remember your order; simply add your favourites to your user profiles (you can save up to six drinks across six user profiles). Even better than your favourite barista is its ability to adapt to change; should, on a random Tuesday afternoon, you decide to change your soy latte to an almond cappuccino, you can do so without throwing off the balance of the universe and having your barista question whether they’ve misjudged the essence of your personality. And, the next day you can go right back to said soy latte — no questions asked.
Espressos and black coffees
We tested various types of beans while trialling the Kitchenaid KF8 and while the type of beans certainly influences the body and crema of an espresso, the grind size, tamp, pressure, and temperature play a large role in the extraction. When paired with a full bodied bean, the KitchenAid KF8 consistently delivered a thick and velvety espresso with a good amount of crema. Other black coffees like espresso lungos and Americanos also came out well. We also loved how the machine lets you adjust your espresso and water ratios here to get your ideal coffee.
Milk-based coffees
The primary reason I opted for the KitchenAid KF8 over the KF6 or KF7 models was for the dedicated plant-based milk feature. The milk canister for the KF8 comes as a separate unit that connects to the machine with a hose, making it easy to swap milks and store any excess in the fridge.
While I’m not exactly sure how the machine prepares dairy and plant-based milks differently (perhaps a lower frothing temperature for plant milk?), the KF8 was adept at preparing milk-based coffees with almond, soy, and oat milk for most coffee varieties. We found that the machine delivered the best amount of froth on a latte macchiato, with lattes and flat whites also producing good results.
It’s worth noting that the KitchenAid KF8 produces a relatively fine and silky froth; taste wise this is up to scratch, but those who enjoy their cappuccinos with a super dense, unshakable layer of foam may find it doesn’t quite match the standard of your favourite barista.
Overall, as a household of frequent latte macchiato and cafe latte drinkers, we found the KitchenAid KF8 successful at rivaling the local coffee shop (minus the latte art).
Cleaning and maintenance
The cleaning process is invariably the most annoying part of owning a coffee machine (or anything, really). However, the KitchenAid KF8 makes this substantially less annoying with its smart cleaning features. The machine keeps tabs on what needs cleaning and refilling, prompting you to refill the beans and water tank when they get low. The machine also lets you know when the drip tray and puck container need to be emptied out.
After each milk-based coffee, it reminds you to rinse the milk system (this can be put off until after you’ve fulfilled your coffee requirements for the morning, but should be done before powering off to prevent a dreaded congealed milk in the hose situation) and provides step-by-step instructions on how to do so. The human involvement is satisfyingly limited here — you basically just need to empty out the drip tray and place a container under the coffee dispenser.
Other considerations
While you may need a coffee to start the day, you don’t necessarily want your machine to auditorily key in every member of your household to the fact that you’re getting caffeinated. The KitchenAid FK8 is Quiet Mark certified, with its integrated bean hopper and burr grinder staying quiet while grinding. It’s not completely silent, however the brief buzz isn’t enough to disturb any sleeping beauties you may cohabitate with.
The bean hopper is neatly integrated into the machine and can be removed to fill or change beans. As a household with multiple coffee drinking preferences, we loved how easy it was to switch beans over — you can also purchase a separate bean hopper if you want to use two different bean varieties on the daily. The KF8 has a handy bean purging system which seamlessly disposes of any leftover beans in the machine when switching, so there’s no need to worry about getting robusta residue in your single origin arabica.
AR Verdict
As far as fully automatic coffee machines go, the KitchenAid KF8 is one of the best, significantly streamlining the coffee making process and handling both black and (plant and dairy) milk-based coffees with ease. Smart features like easy cleaning and maintenance, seamless bean changing, and the ability to customise the espresso, water, and milk ratios of each drink make it an ideal choice for those who like their coffee made their way.
Words by T. Angel