Meet the coffee machines in luxury hotel breakfast bars that make for perfect photos espressoPerfectly brewed drip coffee and frothy lattes and cappuccinos in seconds? I’ve always imagined a team of small baristas working behind the wall, but it turns out the technology is real and packaged in a take-home version for your kitchen.
I’m talking about the TK-02the most impressive decaffeinated home coffee maker I’ve ever laid my hands on. And I mean fingers, as this fully automatic brewer makes all of these drinks, and more, with the same amount of effort it takes to turn on a light switch.
Testing kitchen tools for a living, my counters are an ever-changing array of new kitchen, oven and beverage technology, but the TK-02 has by far attracted the most admiration and envy from friends and family that happen there .
The $1,600 brewer has been making my morning drip coffee and afternoon coffees for four months now and I’m hooked; ruined to all other forms of brewing, hopelessly analogous. When I found out it was on sale for $1,095 when you sign up for a bean subscription or $1,195 for the machine without a subscription during Cyber weekI couldn’t keep the news to myself.
what does
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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. The TK-02 takes advantage of its in-machine frother to add frothy cow’s milk or nut milk to the mix for Italian cafe drinks.
And it makes almost every coffee drink you can imagine. The stylish machine prepares espresso lattes, iced coffees and smooth americanos along with frothier coffee drinks such as 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 drink tea, it will fill you with hot filtered water with a special spout.
The TK-02 makes creamy shots of espresso without any manual labor.
Easy to operate. Like, very easy
That phrase gets thrown around, but the TK-02 earns its nickname. I found the digital controls to be perfectly intuitive, without excessive settings or functions and the navigation is clear and also precise, exactly what you want in the morning. I’ve never consulted the manual, which isn’t the case with all the multi-purpose coffee makers I’ve tried.
I found changing the brew strength and grind size very simple and intuitive.
In addition to activating your coffee drink, the built-in computer helps manage settings, including grind size and how much coffee the machine makes when you order the drip. If you want your lattes to be stronger, just dial in the ratio of espresso to milk and save the new setting.
There’s an app (of course) to make coffee remotely from your bed. Couldn’t find the app for me doing coffee, but occasionally to manage brew settings, grind size, and check on cleaning supplies and replacement filters.
cleaning
The TK-02 lets you know when to refill the water or when to empty the trash can or drip tray.
Daily maintenance is much less than a manual espresso machine or even most drip coffee makers. The TK-02 performs an automatic hot rinse after you have made your morning coffees and warns you when the machine should be cleaned more thoroughly or evenly. more serious descaling, which are also done automatically. You can easily check the cleaning calendar to see how far or near the next one is and order the necessary materials from TK-02 or anywhere else.
The individual parts are dishwasher safe, except for the top of the foam chamber that houses the milk tube. But the skimmer does its own thing after every few uses and mine has stayed clean for the months I’ve been using it.
I start most mornings with a flat white or two.
All coffee machines suffer from splashes and stray piles of grinds, but I didn’t find the TK-02 to make a noticeably big mess. When there was visible shmutz, it was no problem to remove the parts and put them back together after rinsing them in the sink or running them through the dishwasher.
Most impressive of all? the size
Perhaps most impressive is how the folks at Terra Kaffe managed to cram all that coffee-making intelligence into such a compact (17.5x10x14) machine. Similar products I’ve found, especially in the luxury breakfast bars mentioned above, are double or triple the size. Even an average espresso machine is the same size or larger.
Is the TK-02 coffee maker worth it?
$1,100 is a hefty sum for any coffee maker, but if you’re looking to splurge on one, the TK-02 offers a lot of bang for your buck.
Making coffee in a drip machine is simple enough and most quality espresso machines are easy to use, but having a machine that produces drip coffee, creamy espresso tops, lattes and hot water for the tea at the push of a button is the dream.
The TK-02 he quickly made me a devotee. Still, it’s hard to recommend it at the $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 limited warranty, but if I’m spending more than $1,500 on a kitchen appliance, I expect more than two years of service.
At $1,095, where it currently sits for Cyber Week, the TK-02 is easy to endorse and a splurge I’d make for myself or as a gift for a coffee-loving person who’s been particularly good this year And it’s fun. Even on sale, this is in no way a value purchase and is not intended to be. But the TK-02 offers elite coffee-making skills and undeniable comfort you’ll feel from day one.
Although I wouldn’t do the output machines against the better coffees I’ve brewed (the foam, for example, isn’t as dense as some I’ve brewed by hand), most of what I brewed was pretty close. Definitely better than what I would do, especially when I’m in a rush and not interested in dosing espresso cups or taking the time to froth milk.
