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Many a coffee machine I went through CNET’s labs and my own lab — my kitchen. But none impressed me more than the one I’m currently brewing with: the impressive and fully automatic Terra Kaffe TK-02 with built-in foam. It grinds fresh beans and makes any coffee drink I could ever want in seconds, and it’s currently 38% off after the holiday sale.
It’s the single most impressive caffeine machine I’ve laid my fingers on, and I mean fingers, as this uber smart coffee maker makes espresso, latte, coffee and more with the same effort it takes to turn on a light.
A fancy do-it-all brewer has been making my morning coffee and afternoon coffee for four months now and I’m 100% hooked, ruined for all other, hopelessly analog forms of brewing. When I found out that on sale for $1,095 (normally $1,600) when you sign up for a bean delivery subscription or $1,195 for a machine without a subscription during Cyber WeekI couldn’t keep the news to myself.
What does the TK-02 do?
Not all options appear on one screen, but you can scroll down for more.
The TK-02 is an all-in-one automatic coffee maker, espresso machine and barista (basically) that grinds beans and brews fresh coffee in seconds using filtered water. TK-02 taps his frother in the machine to infuse frothy cow’s milk or nut milk into the cafe’s Italian drink mix.
TK-02 makes creamy espresso without any manual work.
And it makes almost any coffee drink you can imagine. The sleek machine brews espresso, iced coffee, and smooth Americanos, along with frothier coffee drinks, including lattes, whites, macchiatos, and cappuccinos. If you prefer classic American coffee, it brews a hot cup in about two minutes. And if you or a guest drink tea, they will fill you with hot filtered water using a dedicated spigot.
The built-in foaming device produces a respectable foam without any effort on your part.
It is easy to handle. Like, really easy
That phrase is getting around, but the TK-02 is getting a nickname. I found the digital controls to be perfectly intuitive, with no excessive settings or functions, and the navigation clear and to the point – exactly what you want in the morning. I never consulted the manual, which is certainly not the case with every coffee maker I’ve tested.
I found changing the beer strength and grind size to be extremely simple and intuitive.
In addition to starting the coffee beverage, the built-in computer helps manage settings, including grind size and the amount of coffee the machine makes when you request a drop. If you want your lattes to be stronger, simply increase the espresso to milk ratio and save your new settings.
There’s an app (of course) to make coffee remotely from your bed. I didn’t find to use the app for making coffee, but occasionally to manage brew settings, grind size and inspect cleaning supplies and replacement filters.
It is cleaner than most coffee machines
The TK-02 notifies you when the water needs to be topped up or the waste bin or drip tray needs to be emptied.
Daily maintenance is far less than a manual espresso machine or even most coffee machines. The TK-02 performs an automatic hot rinse after you brew your morning coffee and alerts you when the machine needs to perform a more comprehensive cleaning or even more serious descaling, both are also done automatically. You can easily check the cleaning schedule to see how close or far the next one is and order the necessary materials from TK-02 or elsewhere.
The individual parts can be washed in the dishwasher, except for the upper part of the foam chamber where the milk pipe is located. But the foamer gets its own hot wave after every few uses, and mine has stayed clean for the few months I’ve been using it.
Most mornings I start with a flat white or two.
All coffee machines suffer from splatter and stray piles of grinds, but I didn’t notice the TK-02 making a noticeably large mess. When the smudge was visible, it was no problem to remove the parts and put them back together after rinsing in the sink or running through the dishwasher.
Most impressive of all? Size
Perhaps most impressive is how the folks at Terra Kaffe managed to cram all these smart coffee-making goodies into such a compact machine (17.5 x 10 x 14 inches). Similar products I’ve encountered, mostly at the aforementioned fancy breakfast bars, are double or triple the price. Even the average espresso machine is the same size or larger.
Is the TK-02 coffee maker worth it?
$1,100 is a lot of money for any coffee maker, but if you’re going to splurge on one, the TK-02 has an awful lot for the money.
Making coffee in a drip machine is simple enough and most quality espresso machines are easy to operate, but having one machine that dispenses drip coffee, creamy espresso, latte and hot water for tea at the push of a button is a dream.
The TK-02 quickly managed to convert me into a devotee. Even so, it’s hard to recommend at its $1,600 sticker price. Not because of performance issues, but because you don’t know how long it will last. The machine comes with a limited warranty of two years or 5,000 cooks, but if I’m spending north of $1,500 on a kitchen appliance, I expect more than two years of service.
Priced at $1,095, where it currently stands for Cyber Week, the TK-02 is an easy to justify and an expense I’d make for myself or as a gift for a coffee lover who’s been especially good this year. And that is showing off Even on sale, this is by no means a value buy, and it doesn’t pretend to be. But the TK-02 delivers elite coffee-making skills and undeniable comfort that you’ll feel from day one.
Although I wouldn’t put the output of the machine against the best the coffee I’ve had — the foam, for example, doesn’t get as thick as hand froth — most of what it made was pretty darn close. Certainly better than what I could make, especially when I’m in a rush and not interested in dispensing espresso or taking the time to froth the milk.
