Design Milk tries out KitchenAid's new Espresso Collection machines and finds out if they like what they hear as much as the taste.

KitchenAid isn’t a brand we’ve typically associated with espresso machines. The kitchen appliance maker’s reputation is built around its gold standard stand mixer, alongside a line of food processors, blenders, and a growing catalog of larger kitchen appliances. But the brand’s newly launched KitchenAid Espresso Collection arrives as an effort to change minds and coffee preparing habits. Built around a sleek modern industrial design outfitted with all of the conveniences and options associated with higher tier coffee machines, we put two of the KitchenAid Espresso Collection machines through the morning grind to see whether they deserved a place on our countertops. The KitchenAid Espresso Collection includes one semi-automatic model and three variations of a fully-automatic machine. \ Photo: KitchenAid
Before we get to user experience, we have to commend KitchenAid for updating these new espresso machines with a more contemporary look, feel, and controls compared to their previous model. Toning down the KitchenAid branding and shifting away from the iconic stand mixer aesthetic toward a more modern industrial design infuses the entire collection with the look and feel of premium espresso machines like those from European makers. We are not alone in bestowing accolades ? the four machine collection earned a Red ...