My Beloved Coffee Machine Makes Everything but the Bed and It’s Never Been Cheaper

You know those coffee machines in fancy hotel breakfast bars that churn out perfect shots espressoperfectly brewed drip coffee and frothy lattes and cappuccinos in seconds? I always imagined a team of small baristas working behind the wall, but it turns out that this technology is real and has been packaged in a version that you can take home to your kitchen.

I’m talking about TK-02one of the most impressive home coffee makers I’ve stuck my undercaffeinated fingers on. And I mean fingers, because this fully automatic brewer makes all of these drinks—and more—with the same amount of effort it takes to flip a light switch.

My kitchen-tool-testing-for-life boards are an ever-changing array of new cooking, baking, and beverage-making technologies, but the TK-02 has garnered by far the most admiration—and envy—from friends and family who have passed .

A $1,600 do-it-all brewer has been making my morning drip coffee and afternoon latte for four months now, and I’m hooked; it destroyed all other, hopelessly analogue forms of brewing. When I found out it was on sale for $1,095 when you sign up for a bean subscription or $1195 per machine without a subscription during Cyber ​​weekI couldn’t keep the news to myself.

What does it do

The TK 02 is an all-in-one automatic coffee machine, espresso machine and barista (basically) that grinds beans and brews fresh coffee in seconds using filtered water. The TK-02 squeezes its frother in the machine to bring frothy cow’s milk or nut milk into the Italian cafe drink mix.

And it makes almost every coffee drink you can dream of. The sleek machine prepares espresso, iced coffee and smooth americanos along with frothy coffee drinks including lattes, flat whites, macchiatos and cappuccinos. If you prefer classic American drip coffee, it makes hot cups in about 2 minutes. And if you or a guest are drinking tea, it fills you with hot filtered water using a special spout.

Simple operation. Like, really easy

The phrase gets thrown around, but the TK-02 earns its nickname. I found the digital controls to be perfectly intuitive with no redundant settings or functions, and the navigation was clear and meaningful too – just what you want in the morning. I’ve never read the manual, which isn’t the case with every multi-purpose coffee maker I’ve tested.

In addition to starting the coffee drink, the built-in computer helps manage settings, including grind size and the amount of coffee the machine will make when you request a drip. If you want your latte to be stronger, simply adjust the ratio of espresso to milk and save the new settings.

There’s an app (of course) to make coffee remotely from your bed. I didn’t find the app for me creation coffee, but occasionally to manage brew settings, grind size and view cleaning supplies and replacement filters.

Housekeeping

There is much less daily maintenance than a manual espresso machine or even most drip coffee machines. The TK-02 performs an automatic hot water rinse after you brew your morning coffee and alerts you when more comprehensive cleaning or even cleaning is needed. more serious descaling, which is also done automatically. You can easily check the cleaning schedule to see how close or far the next one is and you can order the necessary materials from TK-02 or elsewhere.

The individual parts are suitable for the dishwasher, with the exception of the upper part of the foaming chamber, in which the milk tube is located. But the frother gets its own burst of heat every few uses and mine has stayed clean in the months I’ve been using it.

All coffee makers suffer from splatter and stray piles of grinds, but I haven’t found the TK-02 to make a significantly large mess. Once the shmutz was visible, it was no problem to remove and reassemble the parts after rinsing in the sink or running them through the dishwasher.

Most impressive of all? Size

Perhaps most impressive is how the folks at Terra Kaffe managed to cram all that smart coffee-making stuff into such a compact machine (17.5 x 10 x 14). Similar products I’ve encountered, mostly in the aforementioned upscale restaurant breakfast bars, are double or triple the size. Even the average espresso machine is the same size or larger.

Is the TK-02 coffee machine worth it?

Making a drip coffee machine is easy enough and most quality espresso machines are easy to operate, but the dream is to have one machine that makes drip coffee, creamy espresso, lattes and hot water for tea at the touch of a button.

The TK-02 he quickly made me a devotee. Still, it’s hard to recommend at its $1,600 sticker price. Not because of performance issues, but because there’s no telling how long it will last. The machine comes with a two-year or 5,000-cooking limited warranty, but if I’m spending $1,500 on a kitchen appliance, I expect more than two years of service.

Priced at $1,095 right now during Cyber ​​Week, the TK-02 is an easy pass and a splurge I’d make for myself or as a gift for a coffee-loving person who’s been especially good this year. And it’s a waste. Even on sale, it’s by no means a value buy, nor is it supposed to be. But the TK-02 provides elite coffee-making skills and undeniable comfort that you’ll feel from day one.

Although I would machine output against the best coffees I’ve had – for example, the foam isn’t as thick as some I’ve brewed by hand – most of what I’ve made has been pretty darn close. Certainly better than what I would do, especially when I’m in a rush and not interested in dispensing espresso shots or taking the time to whip the milk.