[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] My husband and I enjoy several cups of coffee per day (living that WFH life) and, after spending time in Spain last year, have come to appreciate espresso over the watered down coffee-water of our Keurig. We had previously moved over to using a Nespresso, but were thrilled to have been gifted this espresso machine from Kitchenaid. We care so much more now about enjoying one good cup of coffee instead of several weaker ones. First off, this machine is a beast. It’s so heavy and has quite a large footprint, so ensure you have the counter or cart space to accommodate that. It’s quite solid and clearly very well built. The accessories are also durable and thoughtfully complementary to the machine. There’s a hidden storage tray behind the drip tray that can be hard to find, but is quite clever and handy. The portafilter is heavy and feels good in your hand. There are four included filter baskets to suit all different grinds and sizes. What’s truly impressive is the absolute customization you can use in your production process to create the perfect cup of coffee tailored to your needs. Changing the texture of the grind, setting the volume of the grounds, the temperature of the water, the crema, all of it is at your fingertips! The catch-22 is that, if you’re like us, you might not have a background in the barista arts, so there’s a sharp learning curve in interpreting the settings to obtain the ideal result. My husband and I devoted a few hours to watching instructional YouTube videos to learn the techniques and vocabulary to adjust the settings to our liking. We still have a ways to go, but we’re enjoying the experience and trial and error of customizing the exact flavour/intensity. Some of my favourite features: this machine is quite fast! The water reservoir is gigantic, but designed in such a way that isn’t bulky. The “deck” of the machine has under lighting so you can clearly see what you’re doing while you’re doing it. The milk frother/steam wand is fantastic and easy to learn! I’ve already made delicious lattes that far exceed the coffee we were producing before with the pod machines. Some of my concerns: my husband and I were very frustrated with the manual. One basic thing it was missing was a page simply listing out and showing the contents of the box, which is something almost every other electronic device we’ve used had come with. Better visual/image instructions would be helpful, especially for the initial setup and preparation process. We found it quite frustrating to interpret the terms without an image explaining what each buttton and item was. We did figure it out, but it took an unnecessarily long time to do so. This is not a simple machine, so if you’re looking for something basic, this isn’t it. But if you’re willing to invest the time to learn, this machine will produce coffee shop-like results. Truth be told, we’re still learning how to use this. If you have barista experience, I’m sure this machine would exceed your expectations with its features and performance, but if you’re new to pulling espresso, be prepared to invest a significant amount of time and effort into learning the process. Buy a bag of cheaper beans in the beginning to get the hang of how to use the machine well and try out the settings to find out what suits your personal tastes. All in all we’re incredibly pleased with this machine. We probably never would have invested in a high quality espresso maker before we received this, but now we can’t imagine being without one. Absolutely well worth it and a solid investment for any coffee lover.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I received this Semi Automatic Espresso Machine with Burr Grinder about a month ago. The instructions booklet could use some work. I had trouble finding the tray with some of the parts and the directions didn’t always show the next step clearly. In spite of this and with zero experience with espresso machines, I figured out how to grind the beans, brew the espresso, and steam the milk. I’m still working on the settings for the ultimate espresso but the results so far have been great. I’ve tried several of the recipes in the booklet and a few from internet searches with great results. It’s time to invite friends over for coffee and pastries. As any espresso machine would, this one makes noise during its various processes, so be warned if you’re making morning coffee and have light sleepers. I think this a great start for a first espresso machine.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Absolutely love my KitchenAid semi-automatic espresso machine with burr grinder! The built-in grinder gives me fresh, consistent grounds every time, and I can easily adjust the grind size for different beans. The brewing process is smooth and precise—heats up quickly, delivers rich, full-bodied espresso with perfect crema, and lets me steam milk to café quality. It’s easy to use, looks stunning on my counter, and has completely upgraded my morning coffee ritual.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I’ve been using the KitchenAid KES6551 for a while now, and overall, I’m really impressed. It’s a beautifully built, solid machine that feels professional without being intimidating. The controls are simple, each button is clearly labeled, and I never feel overwhelmed when using it. One of the biggest standouts for me is how quiet it is. The grinder and brewing process barely make any noise — it even has a Quiet Mark certification. I also have to point out how incredibly clean the grinding is. There’s practically no static, so I don’t get coffee grounds flying everywhere. That’s honestly very impressive — almost no mess at all. The built-in burr grinder automatically doses the right amount of beans depending on whether I’m pulling a single or double shot. The large bean hopper is easy to remove with a simple twist and lift, making it effortless to empty, swap, or refill with fresh beans. I also love the 58 mm flat-base portafilter. It’s heavy and feels great in the hand, and the flat bottom means I can set it right on the counter to tamp evenly. Compared to other well-known brands that only offer a 54 mm portafilter, the 58 mm really does feel like a professional upgrade. The water tank is another win — a generous 2.5 L, so I don’t need to refill constantly. It’s quick to heat up, too. From switching it on to being ready to brew, it’s about a minute. There are also three temperature options to choose from, which is a nice touch. The steam wand is powerful, heating and frothing milk very quickly, and it’s easy to control for microfoam. Now, for the one issue I’ve noticed: after brewing, when I remove the portafilter, the coffee puck often sticks to the group head instead of coming out with the portafilter. It doesn’t seem to matter what grind size I use — it just tends to stay up there. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it does mean I have to knock it out separately every time. Overall, I’m very happy with this machine. It looks great, feels professional, and makes consistently excellent espresso without much noise or mess. If you’re looking for a semi-automatic espresso machine that’s user-friendly but still delivers a café-quality experience, this is a fantastic choice — just be prepared to deal with the occasional stubborn coffee puck.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Hello KitchenAid Espresso Machine! This is my first espresso machine and I’m so happy. I currently making myself an espresso every morning and I’m not stopping. I really like how compact it is, great grinding and well built. I love it!

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] We bought this to replace our decade old breville barista express. This machine is very comparable to our old machine and we love it. The KitchenAid takes about about the same amount of space over all but gives a little more workable counter space to the front and sides. This machine pulls great, consistent shots with mine being on the lower end of espresso range and my husband's being on the higher end of espresso range. The wand makes great micro foam and heats milk faster than our old machine. We love that it has adjustable brewing temperature and the drip tray is well designed keeping the dropped grounds from turning into a sludgy mess inside the drip tray like in our old machine. I can grind beans at 5 am before work without waking the whole house. We don't love that the drip tray needs to be emptied more frequently. We also don't love having a single button to have to press to choose different functions, but it is not awful, just not our workflow preference. We have yet to have to do a clean cycle, but it appears to be easy, and the user manual does a great job of explaining daily, weekly, and larger maintenance tasks.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Had my Expresso machine one month; made about a dozen cappuccinos, when the descaling light came on. The Kitchen aid manual said to use a descaling solution. Well, there was no solution provided with the expression machine for which I paid a lot for. Customer service states that kitchenaid does not even have their own descaling solution and they advised just to use any descaling solution. The right thing to do is to provide a courtesy package along with the machine.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I love this machine. I have never used anything other than a standard coffee maker and this is def more complicated but I got the hang of it quickly! Everything works great and you can easily make a drink at home that tastes (in my opinion) just like a Starbucks drink! My big gripe however, is the instructions are not great. The QR code they give you does not have any videos or extra information like they say it does, and there are several things missing from the instruction booklet. For example, in the instructions it says, “if the water light is flashing, scan the QR code or read the instructions on how to prime the pump”. Well the instruction booklet doesn’t say anything about how to prime the machine (I literally read it front to back) and the QR code only takes you to register the device online. I figured it out by finding instructions for a different espresso machine on their website and trying that, but it took me a while when they could have just typed out the instructions in the book. They also talk about the other types of filters that are included with the machine but I couldn’t find them anywhere. Finally after using the machine for a few days I emptied out the drip tray and behind it is a little secret compartment with all the other filters. I had no idea something was behind there because it didn’t say in the instructions and there’s no sticker anywhere to let you know go check there, so I just thought mine weren’t put in the box. In the end, I found all the parts and I figured everything out but it could have been SO much less frustrating if they added like three more sentences to the instruction booklet lol. It works great, and I am very happy with it.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] This is a product I received for free from @Influenster and @KitchenAid in exchange for my honest review. KitchenAid has long been hailed as a reliable household brand and this espresso machine is no different. It makes a delicious and smooth espresso in just a few minutes. It’s very easy to use, once you start. It came with all the necessary equipment and is compact enough that it doesn’t take up a ton of space. The machine itself is well made, and probably doesn’t need to be cleaned after every use, but I do that due to my own personal preference. It looks nice in my kitchen and is a light stainless steel that blends well with my other appliances.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I have had this machine awhile….The first one had a glitch in the espresso stream, but it was replaced promptly and hassle free. I am impressed with the quality of the shots. I also like that you can customize the amount of water you want to use when adding to your shots…This machine is very user friendly and makes a great espresso…Highly recommend for the price!