Expert review KitchenAid 5KES6503ECA
KitchenAid 5KES6503ECA Candy Apple Red
- You get a separate tamper and milk pitcher with the machine.
- The portafilter has a flat bottom, so you can evenly press your coffee.
- The machine is compact and doesn't take up a lot of space.
- Due to the compact size, you have to empty the small drip tray often.
- After you've made your coffee, it'll continue to drip for a while.
First impression of the KitchenAid piston machine
The first thing I noticed is the striking KitchenAid Candy Apple Red color. The piston machine and bean grinder have the exact same color. This makes both of them eye-catchers on your counter. The piston machine is very compact and doesn't take up a lot of space. Because of that, the drip tray is also very small. I'm curious to see whether the brew group doesn't fill up too quickly when you rinse it. The piston machine comes with a separate tamper and milk pitcher. You also receive 4 filter baskets for in the portafilter to make single and double espressos with.
Easy controls
You can operate this semi-automatic machine with only a few buttons. This makes it very well-organized. There are 4 buttons you need to press. You choose between coffee, steam, or water with the first button. With the second button, you choose between 1 or 2 espressos. The third button is for cleaning, and the fourth is the start/stop button. Once you know which button is which, you can easily operate it.
Flat portafilter
A large advantage of the machine is the flat portafilter. Many piston machines have a spout under the portafilter. This one only has holes through which the coffee flows out. This makes preparing coffee much easier. You won't tamper at an angle and can press your ground coffee evenly.
Easily make an espresso
What I'm very pleased about is that I make an espresso very easily. Once you have the right coffee grind in the portafilter, you simply press the coffee and place the portafilter in the machine. You then press the button for 1 or 2 espressos and choose play, and the machine will get to work. The coffee is brewed within half a minute. I think it's unfortunate that the coffee still drips. This causes a mess on the counter. After you've made your coffee, you empty the portafilter and briefly rinse the brew group.
Froth milk with the steam wand
You can easily attach and detach the steam wand. This makes cleaning a breeze. The steam wand has 2 functions, steam and hot water. Within a few seconds, the steam wand heats up and becomes ready for use. The steam wand is very flexible, which allows you to place it in different positions. This way, you can find the best angle to froth the milk.
Without matching bean grinder
As a tip, I'd like to suggest that you buy the matching bean grinder. Freshly ground coffee is very important for a piston machine, after all. It largely determines the flavor of an espresso. It also looks stylish on your counter, and both machines work about the same. They have the same start/stop button, for example.
Conclusion
This KitchenAid piston machine really surprised me. It doesn't take up too much space and is very user-friendly. Even if you have no experience with a piston machine, you can easily make an espresso with it. I do recommend that you buy a bean grinder right away, because you can grind your own coffee this way.
