KitchenAid KF6 vs KF7 vs KF8: which fully automatic KitchenAid should you buy?

KitchenAid KF6 vs KF7 vs KF8 at a glance

Head to head

The better result in each row is marked, based on my testing and the manufacturer specs. Rows where the machines are identical have no winner.

Keep in mind that the tally is not my verdict. Some rows matter far more than others, and which ones matter depends on what you drink.

Design, size and build

Line the three up and you would struggle to tell them apart from across the room. They share the same heavy, metal-clad body, about 14.3 inches tall, 10.2 inches wide and 18.6 inches deep.

That build is the first thing you notice. At about 28 to 29 pounds, these are among the most solid fully automatic machines I have tested, with none of the hollow plastic feel common at this level.

The KF8 shares its metal-clad body with the KF6 and KF7, but adds the biggest tank.

The differences are on the front and the side. The KitchenAid KF6 has a 2.4-inch color screen with buttons, the KF7 a 3.5-inch touchscreen, and the KF8 a color touchscreen with the most drinks.

The KF8’s tank is the one to plan for. It lifts out from the top, so you need overhead clearance, and the milk container clips on the side, which adds to the width.

Depth on the counter

All three use the full depth of a standard 24-inch counter.

The removable bean hopper is a lovely touch on all three. It holds about 270 grams and lifts off, so swapping to decaf in the evening takes seconds.

Our tip: Measure the space above the KF8 before you buy, because its water tank lifts out from the top and needs clear overhead room.

Setup and the first week

Setup took about 15 minutes on each machine, and I didn’t need the manual once on the KF7. You fill the tank, set the water hardness, run a rinse and choose your first drink.

A coffee was ready about 40 seconds after I pressed start on the KF6, and the KF8 heats up in under 40 seconds. That is quick enough that I never felt the need to leave them on.

The first week is where the personalities showed. The KF6 rewarded a high dose straight away; the KF8 needed a day of profile setup; and the KF7 spent most of the week making me adjust settings in search of a better espresso.

Our tip: Order the milk container with the KF6 if you drink any milk coffee, because it is not in the box.

How these machines make coffee

Under the skin, the three share the same basic recipe. Water from the tank is heated by a thermocoil✕ThermocoilA heater where water flows through a coiled metal tube wrapped around a heating element. It warms water on demand and is ready quickly., pushed by a 15-bar pump through freshly ground coffee in the brew unit, and the used puck drops into a drawer.

Before full pressure, each shot gets a short pre-infusion✕Pre-infusionA short, low-pressure soak of the ground coffee before full pressure starts, so the water flows through the puck evenly.. KitchenAid calls this setting "body" on the KF7 and KF8, and on the KF6 it is an adjustable pre-infusion.

A longer soak gives a fuller, rounder shot, and a shorter one a brighter, lighter cup. On the KF6, the stronger body setting helped build the thick, mottled crema✕CremaThe golden, foamy layer on top of a fresh espresso. It forms when pressure pushes oils and gases out of the coffee. I saw on almost every shot.

The pump is rated at 15 bar, but the coffee itself sees roughly 9 bar during the shot, which is the classic espresso target. More pressure on a spec sheet does not mean better coffee.

Our tip: Change one setting at a time on a KitchenAid, because strength, body and temperature all affect the cup and it is easy to lose track.

Screens, buttons and profiles

The KitchenAid KF6 uses a 2.4-inch color screen controlled with buttons. It is clear and responsive, but scrolling through 15 recipes with arrows is slower than tapping a picture.

The KF7 and KF8 use touchscreens. The KF7’s 3.5-inch screen was a pleasure to use, and the KF8 fits its 40-plus drinks into tidy menus without feeling cluttered.

Profiles matter more than the screen in a shared house. The KF6 and KF7 keep four, and the KitchenAid KF8 keeps six, each with its own strength, temperature, body and size.

On the KF8, I saved the plant-milk setting into my partner’s profile, so every oat latte she picked used it automatically. That small detail made the KF8 the machine she asked to keep.

The KF7’s touchscreen was the most pleasant of the three to use.

Our tip: Create a profile for every regular coffee drinker in week one, because KitchenAid profiles store strength, body, temperature and size together.

Grinder and dose

All three use steel conical burrs✕Conical burrsTwo cone-shaped grinding parts, one inside the other. Beans are crushed between them, and the gap between the burrs sets how fine the coffee is. with 7 settings, and the KF8’s grinder is insulated for quieter running.

Seven settings is fewer than some rivals, but the range covered every medium and dark roast I tried. Light roasts were the only beans that left me wanting a finer step.

What separates them is how much coffee they use and how well they extract it. On the KF6, the brew unit took about 12 to 14 grams per shot at the higher strength settings, which is generous for a one-touch machine.

The KF6 rewards that high dose. Starting from high strength and working backwards gave me better results than starting weak and turning everything up at once.

Our tip: Grind one step finer only after you have tried the highest strength, because on KitchenAid machines dose changes the taste more than grind.

Espresso quality

This is where the three machines split most clearly, and where the price ladder doesn’t match the cup.

The KitchenAid KF6 pulled the most concentrated espresso I have measured from a one-touch machine. Shots of about 1.4 fluid ounces read around 5.5% TDS✕TDS (total dissolved solids)The share of the drink that is dissolved coffee. Higher numbers mean a stronger, more concentrated shot., and shorter shots reached 6 to 7%.

The crema was thick, mottled and stable for several minutes, and the body was dense and almost syrupy. It scored 9.0 for espresso, the highest of any KitchenAid.

The KitchenAid KF8 came next at 8.6. Its espresso was smooth and well made, not as concentrated as the KF6’s, but a lovely base for a cortado.

The KF7 was the disappointment. Its straight espresso often lacked richness and turned bitter, and changing strength, body and grind helped less than I hoped, which is why it scored just 6.8.

With the right beans its shots were drinkable, and in milk drinks the weakness mostly disappeared. As a straight espresso machine, though, I would skip it.

My espresso ratings

My scores out of 10 for body, crema, flavor and consistency.

The KF6 pulled the densest, most concentrated espresso of the three.

How hot are the drinks?

None of the three makes scalding coffee, and that is mostly a good thing for flavor.

On the KF6, espresso read about 167 to 170°F in the cup. On the KF8, espresso on high measured about 162 to 165°F in a warmed cup, and lattes finished at about 147 to 151°F.

The KF7’s lattes sat comfortably above 149°F, and its espresso on the high setting was as hot as I would want it.

A cold cup made a real difference on all three. A cold ceramic cup cost about 5 degrees on a small shot, so I rinsed every cup with hot water first.

Our tip: Rinse your cup with hot water before every espresso, because a cold cup cost me about 5 degrees on all three machines.

Milk drinks

All three froth milk automatically, but the systems and results differ.

The KitchenAid KF6 uses a hose with automatic frothing and rinsing, but the milk container is sold separately. Its foam was silky rather than thick, and cappuccinos always pour milk before espresso.

The KF7 includes a milk container of about 790 ml with a sealed lid, enough for four or five milk drinks. It can sit in the fridge door all day, and its milk drinks were good, which is why it scored higher for milk than for espresso.

The KitchenAid KF8 has the best milk drinks in KitchenAid’s range, scoring 8.9. It also lets you set the order of milk and coffee, which means proper layered latte macchiatos.

Its plant-milk mode is the real highlight. Oat milk often turns thin or bubbly on automatic machines, but with the plant setting on, my oat lattes were creamy and stable.

The KF8 also makes two milk drinks at once. There is a catch: when I set about 4 ounces of milk and chose two cups, each cup got roughly half.

The KF8 makes two milk drinks at once, but the milk volume is split between the cups.

Milk-drink ratings

My scores out of 10 for texture, temperature and ease.

Our tip: Use cold milk straight from the fridge on every KitchenAid, because warm milk gives big, loose bubbles that collapse quickly.

Americanos and long coffee

All three make a long coffee and an americano at one touch. On the KF8, my favorite was maximum strength, medium temperature, medium body, 2 ounces of coffee and 4.8 ounces of hot water.

That recipe gave a full, round mug with crema on top, and it became my default morning coffee on the KF8.

On the KitchenAid KF6, the americano benefited from the strong espresso base. Even with plenty of water, it never tasted thin.

The KF7’s americano was its weakest black drink, because it carried the same thin, slightly bitter edge as its espresso.

Our tip: Keep the coffee part of your americano short and add more water, because a short, strong shot plus water tastes rounder than a long shot.

Cleaning and upkeep

All three are easy to keep clean, with a removable brew unit✕Brew unitThe part that compresses the ground coffee, holds it while water passes through and then ejects the used puck. A removable one can be rinsed under the tap. you can rinse under the tap.

The KF7 scored highest for cleaning at 8.6. Its drip tray is dishwasher-safe and its sealed milk container goes straight in the fridge, though the tray is bulky to carry when full.

The KF6 scored 8.4. Its milk hose rinses automatically, and the full descale took about 45 minutes, most of it hands-off.

The KF8 scored 8.2, the lowest of the three, because its milk system needs a few minutes of attention every day. In return, you get the best milk drinks.

Cleaning scores

My scores out of 10 from my single reviews.

The KF7’s sealed milk container and dishwasher-safe tray make it the easiest to clean.

Our tip: Rinse the brew unit every week on any KitchenAid and let it air-dry overnight before sliding it back in.

Noise

These are some of the quietest automatic machines I have tested. The KitchenAid KF6 peaked just over 60 dB while grinding and sat around 55 to 56 dB while brewing.

Many automatic machines I have measured hit 68 to 71 dB, so the KF6 is gentle enough for a small apartment at 6 a.m. The KF8’s insulated grinder was one of the quietest I have tested too.

Grinding noise

KF6 measured with a sound meter in my kitchen. The KF8 was similarly quiet.

The KF7 was quiet as well. In a busy kitchen you would barely notice any of them, and in an open-plan home they are among the most considerate machines you can buy.

Our tip: Grind with the hopper lid on, because the lid helps muffle the grinder on every machine here.

Water, beans and supplies

The KF6 and KF7 hold about 74 ounces of water, and the KF8 about 84.5 ounces. All three hold about 270 grams of beans in a removable hopper.

The KF8’s bigger tank meant fewer refills for my family of four, but remember that it lifts out from the top, so plan for the clearance.

Water tank size

From manufacturer specifications.

Use fresh whole beans within a few weeks of the roast date. Medium and medium-dark roasts suited all three, and the KF7 was happiest with a medium roast rather than a very dark one.

Use filtered water if yours is hard. It cuts scale, keeps the thermocoil clean and means fewer descaling cycles.

Our tip: Keep a bag of decaf next to the machine and use the removable hopper, because swapping beans takes seconds on all three.

Four weeks with each: what changed

Living with a machine for a month shows things a spec sheet can’t. Here is how my time with each one went.

With the KitchenAid KF6, week one was about finding the high-dose sweet spot. By week two, my espresso was dense and consistent, and the only friction was waiting for the separately bought milk container to arrive.

The KF7’s first week was a honeymoon. The touchscreen, the fridge-friendly milk container and the easy cleaning made it the nicest machine to use, but by week three I had stopped making straight espresso on it and only made lattes.

The KitchenAid KF8 took a day to set up profiles, then simply worked. By the end of the month, it was the machine my whole family reached for, mainly because of the plant-milk mode and two-cup drinks.

None of these were serious, and all three machines rewarded small changes. The KF6 and KF8 got better the more I used them; the KF7 stayed the same, which for a latte drinker is no bad thing.

Our tip: Note your favorite settings on a sticky label inside a cupboard door, so you can restore them quickly after a descale or reset.

Real-life scenarios

Specs only go so far. These are the situations where one machine clearly pulled ahead during my testing.

For a shared kitchen, the KF8 was the machine everyone used.

My scorecard

These are my own scores out of 10, taken from my single reviews of each machine.

KitchenAid KF8

KitchenAid KF6

KitchenAid KF7

Overall, I rate the KF8 8.7, the KF6 8.5 and the KF7 7.6. The KF6 and KF8 are both excellent; the KF7 is a lovely machine let down by its espresso.

Which one should you buy?

It comes down to one question: is espresso your main drink, or do you want the best milk drinks for several people? If none of these is quite right for you, my guide to the best super-automatic espresso machines covers the rest of the range I’ve tested.

For a closer look, read my KitchenAid KF6 vs KF8 comparison, or see the full single reviews of the KF6, KF7 and KF8.

For espresso lovers, the KF6 is the KitchenAid to own.

KitchenAid KF6 vs KF7 vs KF8 specifications

From manufacturer specifications and my own testing.

How I tested and compared them

I used each machine as my everyday coffee maker for four weeks, making espresso, americanos, cappuccinos, lattes, flat whites and cortados with whole and oat milk.

I weighed doses, measured TDS on the KF6, measured espresso and milk temperatures with a probe, and measured grinding and brewing noise with a sound meter.

I ran every cleaning and descaling routine, then wrote up my notes and measurements together and compared them with KitchenAid’s specifications and owner documentation.

• Coffee: dose, strength, crema and temperature
• Milk: texture, plant milk and two-cup drinks
• Workflow: controls, profiles and recipes
• Ownership: noise, cleaning, capacity and footprint