KitchenAid Semi Automatic Espresso Machine with Burr Grinder, 2.5L, Juniper, KES6551JP

I waited several months before reviewing this item. It was a splurge for me and I have not regretted it for a second. I researched everything around this price point and am so glad I went with the KitchenAid! I love the all-metal, high-quality build and the way it slides on its little wheels back and forth. It's semi-automatic, which for me makes me feel like I'm really making the coffee (fully auto feels like cheating and not so much of an experience, I'd probably go back to 100% manual first) but it's soooo easy to use that it's no problem when I'm in a hurry or sleepy. I weigh out beans for each cup because my husband and I like different coffees, and the grinder works great with way less mess than my old standalone burr grinder. The frother is easy to use and clean. We've switched beans many times and it doesn't take much effort to dial in and get the flavor right. The cleaning cycle takes a good bit of time but I only need to do that about every 6-8 weeks depending on usage. I'm just thrilled with this thing and still look forward to using it every morning.

Im a kitchenaid fan. I use my standing mixer all the time and have all sorts of attachments for it. I’ve also used several espresso machines. This one was not intuitive, the instructions were trash, and their were limited to no customer video walk through online. I followed the instructions to purge water through the system in the manual and then by following the video online because the manual instructions were awful. After I did that, I tried to run the machine, it then ran two super weak shots where the water was barely room temp even after adjusting the temp setting from the middle to the top setting. I looked up troubleshooting and nothing helped. In frustration I pushed the purge button which is front and center as I was pushing buttons to try to figure out why it wasn’t working. When I pushed the purge button it wouldn’t turn off. I even hard restarted it several times. I contacted kitchenaid customer support and they told me to do what I had already done. Also, did I mention It was also leaking!!!! After the first use, I didn’t try again until the morning and it had leaked. The water container was on correctly. Super disappointing. I was really excited for this. Oh well returned it and got a breville which worked perfect right out of the box. Take notes kitchenaid!

Why did you pick this product vs others?:outstanding!. There's a little bit of a learning curve. It took me maybe an hour and a few lattes to get the hang of it. Outstanding foam the taste of the espresso is awesome. The design of the machine is fantastic. It is quiet.I can't believe the junk that's out there that other vendors are selling. Do your research. Nice job KitchenAid!. Staying true to your legacy of quality.

First, I worked for a year in a small town coffee shop, where they sent me to actual "coffee lab" to learn how to pull espresso shots, and steam milk (the two key factors - aside from the quality of the beans - to an exceptional milk based espresso drink).That being said, I was looking for a machine that would keep my attention, other than getting a job as a barista again, because I have a passion for a good coffee drink.This machine may not be for a novice if you want to experience a quality espresso. I have had this machine for about a week. I did a lot of research before landing on this model, with KA not IMO, even being a leader in the coffee brewing space. There are tons of micro adjustments that can be made, making brewing challenging and fun.One of my main requirements was to be able to shift out beans easily, as we have various preferences in our home. As you can see in the photo, you can purchase additional bean hoppers for this purpose. The one thing I want to note, though, is there is always some residual beans in the burr grinder, so if you truly need 100% decaf, or you ONLY like the taste of regular you are going to have to clear the grinder every switch and that can be a huge waste of beans - expensive.Also, dialing in a shot can take time and achieving a great, reproducible shot of espresso becomes tricky with switching beans and hoppers often, because the variables (humidity, roast, age of beans, origination of beans, brewing water temperature, what portafilter basket you use, tamper/tamping quality etc) are so many.So, my thoughts after using this machine for a bit, is it is fun, engaging and a challenge, but potentially not super cost effective if you want to change beans often, as you have to re-dial in each time. Redialing in with every hopper switch can waste beans, and quality bans are not cheap. My take is it would be best to use it for one bean, create a reproducible shot and leave it that way until you get a new bag of beans. This would create the least waste.Overall, I am loving it, as coffee/espresso brewing for me is an experience or ritual, so I am in it for that (also good coffee brings people together). Quality of the machine is notable. I would recommend. I am giving this machine 4 stars, because I think it is not for everyone, but that is purely based on how extensive the brewing capacity is on this model (semi automatic, meaning there are a lot of manual choices, which is fun if you know what you are doing.)