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Oct 19, 2024

KitchenAid Semi Automatic Espresso Machine with Burr Grinder review | Tom's Guide

The KitchenAid Semi Automatic Espresso Machine with Burr Grinder is the closest thing I’ve ever had to a professional-quality coffee machine at home. If you want barista-style lattes at home, this is

The KitchenAid Semi Automatic Espresso Machine with Burr Grinder is the closest thing I’ve ever had to a professional-quality coffee machine at home. If you want barista-style lattes at home, this is the best way to get them.

Steam wand makes velvety milk

Preheats quickly

Minimal waiting time between pulling shots and steaming milk

Pours delicious espresso

Easy to clean

Grinder dose requires trial and error

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I’ve done my fair share of barista-ing. I’ve spent a collective three-and-a-half years of my life working at the biggest coffee chain in the world, as well as independent artisan coffee shops. So I love testing the best espresso machines. Is the KitchenAid Semi Automatic Espresso Machine one of them?

The short answer: oh my gosh, one hundred percent yes. But what makes it so good, I hear you ask? Well, the machine produces creamy, fully extracted espresso shots for a start. Then there’s the milk: I’ve never been able to get cafe-quality microfoam with at-home machines before, no matter how much I channel my past barista life. But when using the KitchenAid Semi Automatic steam wand, I was able to get beautifully velvety milk and pour latte art every time. The machine produces creamy espresso shots with acidity, bitterness, and sweetness, perfectly extracted with a complete flavor profile.

Are there any downsides to this machine? Well, it’s $700, but that’s not excessive compared to other semi-automatic and bean-to-cup machines. Meanwhile, the machine’s ‘smart’ grind dosage technology is supposed to take the guesswork out of shot doses, but certainly had me guessing.

For this machine’s quality, the $700 is definitely worth it. Find out the full story in this KitchenAid Semi Automatic Espresso Machine with Burr Grinder with Burr Grinder review.

The KitchenAid Semi Automatic machine is $699 from Amazon U.S. and £699 from KitchenAid U.K.. This is pretty pricey for the average person, but it’s not too bad for a semi automatic machine. The lauded Breville Barista Express is $749, the Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine with Grinder is an eye-watering $1,100, and the new De’Longhi La Specialista Maestro is $1,199.

I love how this machine looks. It’s available in three colorways: black, steel, and cream. I tested the black version and my oh my, does it look wonderful in the office kitchen. It brings a sort of sleek, modern glamor to the place. Not that we don’t bring enough of that ourselves.

The controls are straightforward and well-labeled, which was my major complaint with the Smeg Espresso Machines I was testing at the same time. Customizing your heating setting and shot size takes mere seconds, whereas with the Smeg machine I was consulting the manual, scratching my chin, and accidentally turning on a long shot when I wanted to increase the espresso temperature. There’s none of that on the KitchenAid Semi Automatic. The entire machine is sturdy, well-made, and well-designed.

The steam wand is maneuverable, meaning you can adjust the angle to suit your milk preference. It’s easy to clean, too, but more on that in the ‘Storage and maintenance’ section. The tamping accessories and portafilter baskets (both single-wall and dual-wall) are well-made and weighty, unlike the plastic Smeg accessories I criticized.

The grinder is a Burr style (if you couldn’t tell from the machine’s name), which means it has a moving wheel that crushes the beans, as opposed to a blade, which slices the beans. Burr grinders are generally understood to produce a higher quality grind: the burr makes a more consistent size of coffee and it doesn’t heat up, meaning the coffee’s flavor isn’t impacted. It’s a pretty quiet burr grinder: it maxed out at 70.2dB in testing.

KitchenAid claims the grinder has ‘smart dosing technology’, but mine must have been taking a break when I was trying to get it to work. I set the dial to ‘double shot’, but the grinder overfilled my portafilter so much that coffee grounds tumbled overboard and fell onto the drip tray. Yes, I was using the double shot portafilter. Then, I set it to ‘single shot’ and it was too little to fill the portafilter. Luckily, you’re not restricted to one of two settings: it’s a dial, so you can choose exactly how much you want to be meted out, so to speak. I put my setting at the second notch up from ‘single shot’, and found that to be ideal for the double shot portafilter.

Pulling shots is pretty straightforward. After grinding to your liking, you tamp the coffee with the included weighty tamper. Even better is the new group handle: it’s flat, meaning you can tamp the coffee flat on your table. I’ve never seen this before on a coffee machine — it could be a game changer.

Take a look at how beautiful this espresso shot is. This was extracted through a single-walled double shot portafilter at the highest temperature setting.

You can clearly see the three stages of the shot: the dark heart, the caramel toffee-colored body, and the thick, fluffy crema on the surface. This picture was snapped immediately after the shot finished pouring, hence the drop mark on the surface. While brewing shots, it averages 54.6dB.

Unlike the Smeg Espresso Machine ($529), you can pull shot after shot without having to purge the steam wand or wait for it to reach the correct temperature. I made three drinks in a row with minimal waiting time, which is a really important capability to have if you’ve got a family of coffee fans.

If you couldn’t already tell, I’m head-over-heels in love with the KitchenAid’s steam wand. I’ve never been able to create velvety microfoam like this on an at-home espresso machine before. When I was testing the Smeg Espresso Machine, I didn’t get on with the steam wand: it was too weak to create velvety milk, instead could only generate big frothy bubbles. Which is not great if you want latte art.

Speaking of latte art, this is what I managed to accomplish using the KitchenAid Semi Automatic steam wand. It’s a far cry from my Starbucks/Costa/independent cafe days, but it’s pretty good for being three years out of practise, if I do say so myself. The small bubbles you can see aren’t due to the espresso machine’s poor steam wand — I took this picture about five minutes after pouring the drink, so it had settled a bit. Office lighting is hard.

This milk texture is perfect microfoam — exactly what you’d get in a good cafe. I must bow down to this espresso machine, as this is the only at-home machine I’ve used capable of achieving this delicate texture. I doubt this success is due to my barista background, because other machines are incapable of steaming microfoam. I think with enough practice, anyone, regardless of barista background or not, will be able to get milk like this.

The drip tray is removable and easy to clean. When it’s full, a little ‘full’ red sign pops up through the grates — how cute is that? Behind the drip tray you can store extra portafilters and little brushes to make sure your machine is always immaculate. Emptying the grinder is pretty easy: just grind leftover beans into a group handle and stop grinding when it starts to sound different.

The machine is pretty big, at 13 inches tall and 15 inches wide, but an entire espresso machine never claimed to be compact, so I doubt you’re considering purchasing one if you don’t have the space.

I was testing Smeg machines at the same time as this KitchenAid machine, and the difference is astounding. The Smeg Espresso Machine (so no grinder) is $529 and isn’t even half as good as this machine. The Smeg Espresso Machine with Grinder is $1,100 making it $400 pricier than the KitchenAid version, and, again paled in comparison. Our best coffee machine for beginners is the Breville Barista Express, which made coffees beautifully, just like the KitchenAid. We didn’t like that there was no low water warning, which is something I’d like to see on the KitchenAid, too.

If you can get past the tiny qualm of inaccurate espresso dosage, which I could easily, there’s no reason why this shouldn’t be your next espresso machine. The style is appealing, it’ll look great in your kitchen, and the tamping accessories feel heavy and high quality. In terms of coffee making — obviously the most important aspect — I can’t fault this machine at all. I adored the melted-ice-cream-like milk texture, delicious espresso shots, and ease of use. For a semi-professional machine, this is remarkably easy to get used to.

Erin Bashford is a staff writer at Tom’s Guide, covering reviews. She has a Masters in Broadcast and Digital Journalism from the University of East Anglia and 7 years of experience writing music, events, and food reviews. Now she’s turned her attention to tech for Tom’s Guide, reviewing everything from earbuds to garlic crushers. In her spare time you can find her reading, practising yoga, writing, or stressing over today’s NYT Games.

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