KitchenAid Metal Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine - KES6503, Empire Red

This is a very good espresso machine for what it is which is simple. It’s beautiful to look at, especially if you have other KitchenAid products to match it to. It works well, makes a good espresso drink and steams milk well and quickly. Someone told me the best machines grind and then brew espresso at the same time as steaming the milk and this does not do that.

I love this Espresso Machine, I've had it for a couple weeks now and I've made MANY lattes!! My keurig machine has not been used in days I actually want to get rid of it because my drinks from my Kitchen Aid espresso machine are way better. The kitchen aid espresso machine is great quality , it's heavy , durable & pretty. It's super easy to use the buttons to make a espresso shot & to froth the milk. My espresso shots come out with a beautiful color crema after & I like how I froth my own milk manually because I like to make my milk extra hot. I also use milk alternatives like coconut or almond milk and I like how I froth it myself so I can get the perfect amount of froth for my preferences. The damper is heavy & great quality, so is the handle that holds the grounds- it's so heavy it feels so high quality. I once had a delonghi completely automatic espresso machine that is priced at like $900 something and I love this espresso machine way more. I returned the delonghi one because I wasn't satisfied. With kitchen aid semi automatic espresso machine I'm 100% satisfied & I'm keeping this thing! Only complaint is water tray at bottom fills up fast , like every 3 lattes about.... still over all love & reccomend (

Buying this machine was my first step into the world of espresso. From my experience, there is a bit of a learning curve with espresso, milk steaming, and this machine in particular. You'll need some time, patience, and maybe a few extra accessories to get the most out of it. After a few months of pulling inconsistent (sour/bitter) shots and watching a lot of videos, I am finally able to make some tasty drinks with this machine. Overall, I am satisfied with the KitchenAid machine for the price point. I'd recommend purchasing one, but wait for a sale. Lessons Learned: Grinder/Beans - To get the most out of this machine, you will want to have a nice burr grinder (> $100) and a scale. It will take a little bit of tweaking to dial in the correct grind size for your beans. My OXO grinder has worked okay, but I wish it had a bit more nuance with the finer espresso settings. I pre weigh my beans (18-18.5 grams) on a scale before grinding. I usually need to shake and restart the grinder to get all of grinds out. I've personally had much better results with medium-dark roast coffee (Illy, Peet's) than the specialty light-medium roast coffee that I use for pour-over/drip coffee. Use freshly roasted beans for the best results. Puck Prep - While the included tamper is fairly nice, I found that my puck prep was creating the greatest inconsistency. I had a hard time getting the grinds evenly distributed/flat and I'd often spill some of my grinds while prepping. My finished puck would sometimes turn out soupy or I could very clearly see evidence of channelling in the puck. I eventually decided to order a few accessories to help with my puck prep and they have been a game-changer! Now every puck is perfect, the espresso tastes much better, and my group head is staying much cleaner! I purchased a 58mm Espresso Tamper Set (Spring-loaded Tamper, Adjustable Depth Distributor Leveler, Magnetic Dosing Funnel, Reusable Puck Screen) and a 9 x 0.40mm WDT Tool on Amazon (linked below and pictured). Both are fairly inexpensive. KitchenAid should consider including tools like these in the box (and adjust the price as needed) because it make a huge difference with your end result. My opinion of the machine and experience completely changed after using the extra puck prep tools. - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CCKWXPKP?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CC248XG1?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details Water/Temp - One of the first things I adjusted when I got the machine was the water temp. I turned mine to the hottest setting (see manual). I found the default setting was not hot enough. Before I pull a shot, I typically run a cycle of water without the portafilter attached. This gives me a chance to warm up my glass/cup and make sure the group head is warm and clear of any grinds. Some people recommend pre-warming the portafilter as well for best results. I also run a cycle of water after pulling my shot to keep the group head clean. Milk Steaming - This has also taken a lot of practice and I still have a ways to go with my latte art, but I feel like I've recently turned a corner. The steam wand is probably the weakest part of the machine. It is not super powerful, uses one hole, and requires the most skill/technique. I'd recommend using whole milk and I've personally been able to texture the milk better when using less than the recommended amount of milk in the pitcher. You'll want to watch some videos to get a better handle on the technique, but keep in mind most people are using more powerful steam wands in their videos.

SECOND, DEFECTIVE UNIT received! The first machine had a faulty steam wand and internal water leak. The replacement machine failed after the first use, exhibiting the following defects: Steamer instability: The steam function quickly reverted to sputtering hot water instead of consistent, dry steam, causing milk foam to collapse. After a couple of uses the machine entered a critical failure state with all indicator lights continuously blinking, requiring a complete power reset on the first day of operation. After 10 min reset, it worked, but I lost complete trust in its long-term reliability. Seeing consistent and serious internal component failures on two separate machines, I highly recommend against buying this machine now. -------------------------------- First machine review: It took me few days to understand it wasn't my fault of some sort. The coffee function itself is excellent, but: - Machine received was defective straight out of the box. - The steam wand failed entirely to produce stable foam; milk rose, but foam collapsed immediately (tested and found wet steam VS dry steam necessary to produce frothed milk). - During steaming, the machine exhibited a loud, struggling pump noise and a long delay before activation. - A internal leak was present: using the steamer just twice filled half of the drip tray with diverted water. - Conclusion: The core brewing feature (steaming) is broken due to a clear internal component failure. Requires immediate return, which is nuisance but will likely order another one as I do like overall design… - On a positive note, I like solid metal materials of the machine, the portafilter is heavy and feels good resembling good sturdy quality that lasts, there are 4 baskets for coffee 2 single and 2 double walled ones, with no rubber or plastic parts that wear out quickly on other machines. - From User experience perspective - the controls could be a bit larger or different - for someone older it is hard to see if you're on coffee, steam or water setting. Or whether you're on single or double shot. Very small indicators aren't friendly to those with poor vision. Especially when you have the small dot lights on they're tiny bit blinding! - the packaging is terrible if you have to re-package it to send it back! I am fairly detailed and usually would not have a problem with this task, but had to separately add this here as bad as it is.

I am a huge Kitchenaid fan and have countertop and major appliances and have continued to purchase this brand. However I regret to say I should have listened to the reviews. Out of the box - it didn’t work. All lights flashing and trouble shooting guide (manual) and online video says to unplug aloft ten minutes and restart. Various this out three times without success. Video and manual says it needs to be returned and to contact customer service. This experience was mentioned in a couple of other reviews and I wish I’d listened. What a shame. I will look for a more traditional espresso manufacturer that has decades of engineering behind them and try again.

I'm rating this machine relevant to its advertised ability, not some pie in the sky expectation that I have. First of all, this is semi-manual so don't expect that you'll be able to just make perfect espresso without knowing about the basics of coffee grinds, tamping, pulling shots etc. The machine comes with two different types of baskets, one set for pre-ground coffee and one for freshly ground coffee. Know when to use which. Once you dial in the machine and your grind, the pull ends up being consistent and you'll have great tasting espresso with nice separation. There isn't anything to complain about here, you get all the tools you'll need to make this happen, just learn how. The steamwand/frother is indeed good enough to make nice microfoam and latte art, but you need to be experienced or be willing to learn proper technique. It does not have the panarello adapter that comes with lower end machines to make the process easy, you actually have to do it yourself. Pressure here is obviously not as good as high end machines, but it IS just good enough that with good technique you can get the job done, and I don't know many machines at this price point that even have the ability to do this without a panarello, so good for kitchen aid. Build quality is classic KA, the thing is a metal tank. The water bucket has a nice volume, and the built in handle makes it easy to take off and refill. Buttons are not flimsy, and all thr accessories with the machine are also metal and feels very sturdy and very robust. It's easy to clean and maintain, which is important. The hot water function is also great for making tea and hot drinks, but if you're a tea connoisseur you'll want a water heater with fine temperature control, this machine only has 3 temperature settings, but again, it's not advertised as a pro tea making machine. All in all, this machine has it all the for semi-manual crowd. If you know how to dial in a machine and your grind, and you can use a proper steam wand, then you'll be happy with this machine for the price point. It's built well, it looks great, and makes delicious espresso. It's fun to use as well, because you have to be active and "drive it" and the better YOU are, the better the coffee will be, and that is rewarding for some people, whereas others just want to press a button and have good tasting coffee. If you're that person, don't buy this machine. It's a bit more like driving a manual transmission, but it's more fun too, and you'll win the race if you know how to drive.

I bought a refurbished coffee maker that never worked. Not sure who did the “refurbishing” but I was not impressed with the results. And the machine itself seemed to be mostly plastic. It does not seem to be well built.