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Build Quality
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Features
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Value For Money
If you love the flavor of pour-over coffee as prepared by your barista, but you lack the time or inclination to stop by the coffee shop every time the craving hits you, or if you simply want to save money by making your coffee at home, then this Kitchenaid KCM0802CU Review is for you! Kitchenaid has a well-deserved reputation for manufacturing top-quality kitchen appliances, and this easy-to-use machine delivers the flavor of hand-poured coffee automatically.
The KCM0802CU is a high-end machine that comes in a range of colors. If you are considering purchasing one as a gift, you can’t go wrong with the Contour Silver, as it will fit in with any décor and any color scheme.
Specifications and Features
The Kitchenaid KCM0802CU intermittently delivers the water to your coffee grounds, ensuring that the best flavor is extracted from your beans. It features a roast selector, so you can have your coffee brewed at the strength you prefer. It is easy to use, and the coffee is indistinguishable from that delivered from a barista.
Other features include:
- Advanced heating technology heats water 198-204 degrees at top of brewer so heat loss is minimized.
- Choose between 2 temperature selections.
- Brew basket clip holds filter in place.
- Programmable up to 24 hours in advance.
- Cup selector.
- Progress bar lets you see each step of the brewing process.
- Machine pre-wets the grounds (a process called “blooming”) and then delivers the water at timed intervals, as your barista would do.
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The Good
- Pre-infusion blooming saturates the grounds and prepares them for brewing.
- Pulse brew releases water automatically, mimicking the water flow that a trained barista would use.
- Programmable.
- Two brew settings.
- Brew pause – Remember, though, that you shouldn’t use it for very long, since that defeats the purpose of creating a barista-quality brew.
- 1-year warranty.
The Bad
- Some users dislike the slow brew time – about 12 minutes.
- Takes up quite a bit of counter space.
- No way to turn off the warming plate without unplugging the machine – it will stay on for an hour, but if you want to turn it off sooner, you’ll have to reset the clock timer when you plug it back in.
- Programming is a bit complicated – no “auto” button, so the machine has to be adjusted every time you use it, using the “menu” and “set” buttons.
KitchenAid KCM0802CU Review – The Verdict
The KitchenAid KCM0802CU does exactly what it promises – it delivers a pour over cup of coffee that tastes exactly as if a barista made it. You won’t get your coffee as quickly as you would with other types of automatic coffee makers, but then you’re not getting the same type of coffee. We think the users who complain about the 12-minute brew time are off-base, since that’s about how long it’s going to take a high-end barista to make your coffee.
The inability to turn the unit off without unplugging it is a bit problematic, but realistically, it’s only going to stay on for an hour anyway, so we think this is something you could overlook. The machine is also a bit on the high side price-wise, but again, that’s in comparison with conventional coffee makers. If you’re in the habit of hitting Starbucks at least once a day for your coffee, this machine will pay for itself in no time. We recommend the KCM0802CU without reservation.
