Customer Reviews

KitchenAid KTA-KPES100PM Pro Line Espresso Maker, Pearl Metallic

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The KitchenAid Proline is an impressive and sincere attempt at solving the inherent problems of virtually all sub-$2000 espresso machines. Commercial espresso machines found in most cafes use (at least) two large brass boilers: one is kept at steam temperature for foaming milk and the other is kept at a very precise 200 degree stable brewing temperature. Unfortunately it is very hard to replicate or even simulate that kind of 1) steaming power and 2) brew temperature stability on a home machine. You'd still need two large boilers kept at temperature most of the day. Sub-$2000 machines (with the only prominent exception being the Expobar Brewtus for around $1700) operate using one boiler. All espresso machines currently for sale on Amazon operate this way, IF they have a boiler at all (many Krups and other machines don't have boilers, just heating elements). The boiler heats the water to brew temperature(around 200 degress) or steam temperature, depending on whether the "steam" button is pushed or not. You have to wait in between settings. Also, if the boiler is tiny (like on a Briel or Delonghi or Krups), good luck getting much steam pressure. You just can't replicate a 1 liter brass boiler under pressure.

The "best of the lot" of single boiler (non heat exchanger) machines are the Gaggia line and the Rancilio Silvia. The Silvia uses a reasonable sized brass boiler, giving good steaming pressure and good temperature stability, but with the problem that it takes some time (sometimes more than a minute) for the boiler to get from brew temperature to steam temperature, and that's a lot of time to wait when you've got three or four cappuccinos to make. The Gaggia uses a unique system of using a small aluminum boiler (instead of a standard brass boiler) which has heating elements fused into it: it can go from brew temperature to steaming temperature much faster, but once you are steaming, it does not have quite the steaming pressure of the Silvia, nor of a more advanced machine.

Some expensive machines between $600 and $1500 use a "heat exchanger" or "hx." I don't understand the physics of heat exchange, but crudely put, these machines use one large brass steam boiler, and they use a brass tube running through the bottom of the steam boiler to heat water to brew temperature. These machines have the advantage of near-commercial steam power (since they have a huge steam boiler!) and they actually have very good thermal stability for brew temperature, but many people find them very hard to get the hang of because 1) you need to flush out about 8 oz of water before pulling a shot, and 2) you kinda' need to leave them on for an hour to warm up.

Kitchenaid deserves a lot of kudos for jumping into this fray. Make yet another single boiler machine that has limitations? Make a $1300 heat exchanger machine that most people can't master? Nope, they actually tried to make a dual boiler machine (like cafes have) on a budget, so the Pro Line puts together two Gaggia boilers in one housing.

There's only one problem. The limitation of the otherwise remarkable Gaggia machines isn't overcome in the process! The problem with a Gaggia Carezza is that if you want to do a lot of steaming, the small boiler (which allows it to heat up quickly -- a benefit) runs out of power after one cappuccino. Since the Pro Line uses the same boiler for the steaming, it still runs out of power at the same point. In fact, the innovation of the Gaggia line is that they can steam only seconds after brewing, so it's not clear what the advantage is of having two boilers: a few seconds saved?

I think Gaggias are some of the best home espresso machines available. The Pro Line is as good, and perhaps more attractive, than the other Gaggias. But it really isn't any better, though it makes an innovative attempt at providing a dual boiler machine at an affordable price. More compelling would have been putting two Silvia brass boilers in one housing.

For this price range, a much, much better machine would be a Bezerra Pour Over. It varies in price here on Amazon, but often is less than $750. Item # B0006SG69U

I just purchased this "tank" for my wife for Valentine's Day! I bought it in red in deference to St. Valentine! This baby is simply beautiful! I'd give it a 10 on the form factor and I am not aware of any competition in this category.

When you see this cast metal concoction you'll be thinking Hummer, Ferrari, Ford GT. This is built like an appliance you might have found in your grandparents' or great-grandparents' kitchen. All of the major metal parts are die cast. No cheap stamping in this unit. The quality of construction is just fantastic. The paint job is marvelous and all of the silver colored parts are stainless steel. The water reservoir is plenty big at over two liters.

It is wonderful to touch and and a pleasure to operate. With two separate brewing and frothing boilers waiting is eliminated switching from brewing to frothing instantly. Sure, there are espresso machines out there with automated functions but none that have this quality of construction! Myself, I enjoy the process of making the espresso and cappuccino and this fine machine enhances the pleasure.

Functionally, it works like a charm. The manual says it takes 6 minutes to fire up, but it seems to me to be faster. My ONLY gripe is that the machine is louder than I would like. Whether you want a latte, espresso, or cappuccino this machine delivers. In functionality I'd give it a 10 as well - remember there are no automated functions.

This is the perfect gift for the coffee lover in your life, or splurge and buy it for yourself. Few of your purchases will deliver as much pleasure.

I had researched espresso machines for several months and finally decided on this one. The selling point? Continuous dual pumps and large water resevoir. I can pull an espresso shot at the same time I froth milk. Kind of unusual for machines under $1,000.

I can honestly say that my "at home" result is as good as any Starbucks I've ever had. I wasn't sure if I'd use the machine often enough to justify the price... but I have I used it daily (without fail). I'd buy this one again!

If you love espresso and want the convenience of having it at home whenever you want, you've undoubtedly been through several lower end units like me. I had wanted a professional quality espresso machine for some time but didn't want to invest lots of money in a brand I didn't know anything about. When the KitchenAid machine came out, I thought it might be just the right blend of Italian craftsmanship shored up by KitchenAid quality control. You will not be disappointed.

I love, love, love this espresso machine. It's heavy duty, has high quality components and looks great. It doesn't move around on the counter when you tighten or loosen the portafilter. I got perfect results on the second try, and steaming milk has never been easier! Just make sure that you purchase the Pro Line grinder as well because most home grinders (even my old Krups burr grinder) won't give you a fine enough grind. That's why it took me two attempts. My home grind wasn't fine enough, so I went to Starbucks and purchased 1/4 lb. of beans ground for espresso, and the machine worked beautifully.

It's a considerable investment, but you'll save $3 or $4 every time you don't have to buy take out drinks!

Purchase our proline espresso maker over a year ago and since then we have received three new ones. There have been many problems but KITCHENAID has been awesome. Read the warranty and they stand behind it. We have also purchased proline burr grinder and blender and soon waffle maker.We've not had any problems with any of our other proline equipment.

The espresso is about as good as it gets for an under $2k boiler and yes we are pickly coffee bean snobs.

Since we do not usually tollerate these kind of problems we addressed the "how can you afford to do this" question with kitchenaid and they have assured us the problems have been fixed with new models being shipped June 06.

We would HIGHLY recommed these kitchaid products even though our espresso maker is dead waiting for our new one to arrive some time in June.

I have had this machine a few weeks and it makes very good tasting espresso, far better than the low end Krups machine I used for 5 years. I love the look of it and have the matching grinder. The steamer/frother is also easy to use and clean.

The only drawbacks are that it has difficulty drawing espresso when used with grounds at the finest grind setting on their own burr grinder. The grinder says that even their finest grind is larger than a true espresso grind. I have not tuned it to grind finer like some have and which the manual explains how to do. The first several uses it could work with this fine grin (grinder set at 8) but won't anymore. I now use the 7 or 7.5 setting and it seems to work well for my tastes. The other drawback is that even though it has 2 boilers, if you steam at the same time as making espresso, the rate of espresso extraction drops in half then goes up again when you're done. This is not a huge problem, and I can heat the milk first until very hot, then draw espresso. The unit feels solid and grounds come out easily after use, while still holding in the filter. Overall, I get espresso that is better than most cafe's, and I look forward to using it each time.

I've owned one for the last two years, and it's a terrific machine. Makes great crema, had a large water reservoir--the separate boilers for espresso and frothing are also really nice. The customer service and support are really strong as well.

My first Kitchen Aid Pro Line espresso machine broke down after a year and a half, the espresso boiler stopped heating up. I called the Pro Line 800# and gave them my model and serial number and explained the problem. Without any hesitation they arranged to ship me a brand new unit and pick up the defective unit FREE OF CHARGE! Within less than one week the new unit was in my home and I was back in business making my favorites.
I highly recommend this espresso machine which is made in Italy and is made very substantially, it weighs at least 30 lbs.!

I bought a refurbished model in Empire Red a couple of months ago, and I have mixed feelings about it. I agree with all of the other reviews on this page, both good and bad.
The designers have incorporated all the elements of the KitchenAid stand mixer's enduring style in this machine; I hear that Gaggia themselves are responsible for the double boiler design.
However, like a previous reviewer, this machine cannot make espresso with the finest ProLine burr grind (unadjusted) number 8 and the recommended 30 lbs of tamping pressure. Backing down to grind #7 and 30lbs tamp gave a wonderful espresso with thick crema...and a puddle of water on the floor.
Heartbroken, I called KitchenAid, hoping to speak to the wonderfully helpful people I'd read so much about, and got a rather snippy woman who had no desire to talk to me about the machine or offer tips about how to use it. She said that they would replace it, immediately, only not with a red one, because they were out of stock (basically they don't make them in red any more it would appear). I had held out for and paid extra for a red one. I asked if I might get the machine repaired, which of course I'd pay for, since the leak was perhaps just a loose seal somewhere in the water pump that was failing under the high resistance of the hard-tamped coffee. She told me that KitchenAid did not repair anything - ever. I was stunned.
Even though 'refurbished' suggests that someone in KitchenAid's employ is fixing machines, it's not their policy to repair anything. You can pay nearly a thousand dollars for this machine and after the 2 year warranty expires, there's nothing you can do if something goes wrong with it. I've got a lot of KitchenAid stuff in my kitchen, because I've been trying to buy things that are built to last and I thought KitchenAid were famous for it. Their 5-ply stainless cookware is excellent.
However, when someone buys a machine at this price, new or refurbished (which is still $450-$500) I know that most people are hoping to have bought their last espresso machine. Things wear out: KitchenAid needs to provide a repair service for these ProLine items.
The speed with which KitchenAid replaced the machine was fast and they should be proud of that aspect of their customer service, however, the replacement - another refurbished machine - was in worse shape (both in appearance and performance) than the red one (which had miraculously stopped leaking while I routinely pulled creama-laden espresso shots on 7.5 with a reasonably light tamp, and delicious cappucinos with the milk frothed at the same time the espresso brewed). Naturally I kept the red one - mainly because it doesn't leak any more, and I was getting good espresso and...because it was red and in great shape.
My advice to KitchenAid - who perhaps have brought out this ProLine range on the strength of their stand mixer's reputation and style - is to be very careful they don't lose the consumer confidence they have won over the years.
The reviews I've read suggest that they've won people over on the design of this machine (and I love just looking at mine...) but the performance, which is why we all loved our stand mixers at the end of the day - needs improvement. People who've paid a lot for these machines need to get them fixed if they are broken, and that's all there is to it.

I just got this machine from Amazon and it's built like a tank.
The finish is just gorgeous and this beast is heavy at 30 lbs+.
The instructions are very straight forward and even comes with a DVD. I was able to make a very good cappucino on the very first try. It's definitely as good as Starbucks or better.

The caveats with this machine is to know when to turn off the espresso button so that the crema is done right. The other item is the steaming and frothing of milk. Both of these items take practice. Once you have gotten this down you will be brewing some amazing stuff. I am not sure about the reliability as I just got the machine, but the 2 year hassle free replacement warranty is comforting.

Highly recommended.