KitchenAid KF3 Fully Automatic Espresso Machine

I have owned this smart automatic coffee machine for about a month now and would happily recommend it to anyone looking for convenience without sacrificing cup quality. As a disclaimer: while I drink 3 to 4 cups a day, I am not a hardcore coffee connoisseur trying to dissect subtle tasting notes—just a daily drinker who appreciates a good, reliable brew.

What I like:

Compact footprint: Slim enough to easily fit on a standard kitchen benchtop without dominating the space.

Automatic convenience: Packed with smart features and automation that save time compared to a manual or semi-automatic setup.

Variety & simplicity: Intuitive operation across 14 pre-programmed drink recipes.

Guided maintenance: On-screen prompts walk you step-by-step through the cleaning cycles.

User profiles: Stores personalised drink preferences for up to 4 different users.

Easy maintenance: Components detach easily for routine rinsing and cleaning.

Hose-based milk system: The lack of a dedicated milk carafe is actually a plus for me. The siphon hose pulls directly from your own milk carton or cup, delivering great froth while sparing you the chore of scrubbing an integrated container.

Areas for improvement:

Bean hopper lid: A hinged lid would be far more convenient than a loose lift-off cover when refilling under low overhead cabinets.

Water consumption: While the tank holds 1.8L, it only lasts about 5 to 6 drinks. The automatic rinse cycles are quite vigorous (especially for milk-based drinks), meaning you will refill it frequently.

Unlit start button: You press the triangular "Play" icon to start brewing, but the icon itself isn't backlit, making it easy to miss in dimmer lighting.

Drink navigation: The drink selection menu doesn't loop back to the first option when you reach the end, which feels surprisingly clunky for a modern digital interface.

"Iced" settings: The iced coffee and iced espresso options feel somewhat gimmicky; the liquid still comes out hot enough to melt a glass of ice in minutes.

Verdict:

Despite a few minor ergonomic quirks, the KF3 is a clever, capable machine packed with useful features that put a wide variety of good coffee right at your fingertips.

If you want delicious barista coffee with minimal fuss this is the machine for you. Looks like a premium appliance and would look great in any kitchen. Pro tip: Don’t skimp on good quality coffee beans! Pros: Premium looking machine. Looks like a quality appliance, and it is beautiful. Narrow in width, so it takes up less room. Ideal for compact or even spacious kitchens. Set-up was super easy.

Easy one-touch operation. Colour display, preset drinks, and it automatically grinds the coffee. So easy to master.

Creating profiles: you can have up to four profiles, then personalise your favourite drinks, adjusting strength, temperature, volume and milk amounts, and save them.

Nice to be able to make 2 cups of coffee at the same time.

Very hot coffee. Nice to have a coffee that is piping hot.

You can use pre-ground coffee as well as beans. We chose beans for the freshness.

Multiple grind settings that can be adjusted. Interesting to learn that a fine grind is better for light roast and a coarser setting for dark roasts.

Much, much quieter than expected - during grinding it makes a bit of noise understandably.

Milk frothing is exceptionally good, being able to use the hose makes it so easy. Love the simplicity. A very clever idea.

We tested the machine with full fat milk and low fat milk. We found the foam using the low fat milk was incredibly creamy, which we didn’t expect.

Easy to clean.

The machine is intuitive and guides you step by step through the process, and cleans itself immediately after making coffee. It prompts you to empty the drip tray, dispose of the used ground coffee, and then flushes the milk hose. Keeps it hygienic and in good clean condition. There is even an option for a deeper clean if you want it.

You can change the shut-off time to cut down on energy consumption.

If you need to put the appliance in storage, it has a process that protects it by evaporating any water, so it stays sanitary while stored.

Cons:

The water tank sits under the cabinets. A little awkward to get out to refill, depending on the height of the cabinets, as it slides up. We found it easier to refill using a jug.

Neutral:

Bigger than expected. Whilst being a very slim and beautiful appliance, it is quite deep. 47cm in depth might be a challenge for some kitchen counters.

It does use a lot of water from the 1.8L tank for rinsing, but you can change the settings so you can extend the shut-off time and set it to rinse when all your drinks are done for the day.

Does not come with a milk jug, but hardly an issue really.

In summary we would definitely recommend this coffee machine. It looks the part, the coffee is hot, and once it is set up you really do just press a button. The depth is the thing to check before you order, and the water tank is a bit of a fiddle under a cupboard, but neither of those was an issue for us.

We use it every day, what a luxury! For barista coffee without the fuss, it has exceeded our expectations.