Deciding the shade of the KitchenAid stand mixer of your dreams is already a near-impossible decision. It's about to get even more complicated with the arrival of the brand's new espresso collection, which features a range of stunning coffee machines as hard to choose from as the mixers.
The new KitchenAid Espresso collection features the KF6, KF7 and KF8, which are all fully automatic bean-to-cup coffee machines, as well as a semi-automatic machine, which might be about to rival everyone's favourite coffee brand Sage. The automatic machines feature hands-free milk heating and frothing, and start from £1,299 from the KitchenAid website.
If, for that price, you'd be expecting a live-in barista in your house then I hear you. The slightly better news is that the semi-automatic model comes in at almost half the price, and design-wise, is the favourite pick of the Ideal Home team too. Here's a sneak peek at these gorgeous new machines, so you can plan the kitchen worktop of your dreams.
KitchenAid's new Semi Automatic Espresso Machine
The KitchenAid Semi Automatic Espresso machine is certainly a looker. Available in cast iron black, stainless steel or porcelain white, it has an industrial look similar to the one we loved when we tested our favourite coffee machine ever, the Sage Barista Express Impress. The cast iron black colour is my standout favourite, with a textured finish that makes the detailing on the front of the machine stand out.
You'll have access to precision grinding and smart dosing with this semi-automatic machine, which features 15 grind size options and a 58mm portafilter.
This semi-automatic machine is more hands on than the other models in this collection, but I don't see that as a downside. It means that if you want, you could spend hours tinkering with the grind size and getting the settings exactly as you like them.
The experience of making your coffee will also take a little longer, as I've found with using the Sage Barista Express Impress, but I find grinding and tamping and pulling a shot of coffee to be a lovely, almost relaxing experience in the mornings. If you feel the same way, or want to learn more about coffee, this machine will suit you down to the ground.
KitchenAid's new Espresso Collection coffee machines
Offers up to 15 drinks at the touch of a button, and is available in stainless Steel, cast iron black and porcelain white.
The next level up in the series, the KF7 has over 20 drinks options, and a colour selection of stainless steel, cast iron black, porcelain white and juniper.
The most advanced machine in the collection, the KF8 features over 40 drinks options and has a plant-based milk mode on the frother.
Then we get onto the premium machines. Let's start with what all of these automatic machines have in common: an 'integrated conical stainless steel burr grinder' to turn your beans into freshly ground coffee and extract the best possible flavour, automatic milk frothing and a cleaning system that alerts you as to when it's time to give your machine a refresh.
Each machine in the collection features a colour touch screen you can scroll through when you're bleary-eyed in the morning, making your morning coffee as easy as touching one button. You can also create coffee profiles loaded up with your favourite drinks, so that there's no fiddling around with the settings.
From there, the differences between each machine begin, with the KF6 able to craft 15 coffee options and the KF8, at the other end of the spectrum, able to create 40 drinks at the touch of a button.
And while you can froth milk with all of these machines, the KF8 has one especially impressive feature: a plant-milk frothing mode which works with almond, oat or soy, as well as the regular milk settings. One of the best coffee machines we've ever tested, the Sage Barista Touch Impress, also has this setting and we loved it during our review, so we're excited to see how it pans out here.
Another thing I'm excited about with this KitchenAid range is that it's Quiet Mark approved. Quiet Mark conducts acoustic testing and verification of products that pass their quiet threshold so that you can rest easy about the noise levels in your kitchen if you do decide to invest in one of these machines. As someone who hates excessive noise at home, it's a big plus for me.
While the price tag of the automatic machines in this collection makes them more of a wishlist addition than a shopping list feature, the semi-automatic machine might just be about to rival the biggest players on the market. We'll hopefully be testing one out to let you know if the performance of that machine is as good as it looks.
