At least a dozen coffee machines have passed through my test kitchen, but none has made a bigger splash than the one I'm currently testing, Terra Kaffe's impressive and fully automatic TK-02 (currently 38% off for Cyber Week.) It makes shots of espresso with decadent crema, perfectly balanced brewed drip coffee and frothy lattes and cappuccinos in seconds.
It's the single most impressive coffee maker I've put my fingers on, and I do mean fingers since this smart brewer makes all of those drinks -- and a few more -- with the same effort it takes to flip on a light switch.
The $1,600 do-it-all brewer has been making my morning drip coffee and afternoon lattes for four months and I'm hooked; ruined to all other, hopelessly analog forms of brewing. When I learned 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 Week, I couldn't keep the news to myself.
What the TK-02 does
close up of coffee machine touchscreen
All the options don't appear on one screen but you can scroll down for more. David Watsky/CNET
The TK 02 is an all-in-one automatic coffee maker, espresso machine and live-in barista (basically) that grinds beans and brews fresh coffee in seconds using filtered water. The TK-02 taps its in-machine frother to bring frothy cow milk or nut milk into the mix for Italian coffee house drinks.
espresso
The TK-02 makes creamy shots of espresso with none of the manual labor. David Watsky/CNET
And it makes just about every coffee drink you can dream up. The sleek machine brew shots of espresso, iced coffee and smooth americanos along with foamier coffee drinks including lattes, flat whites, macchiatos and cappuccinos. If you prefer classic American drip coffee it brews piping hot cups of it in about 2 minutes. And if you or a guest drink tea, it'll fill you up with hot filtered water using a dedicated spout.
foam on top of coffee
The TK-02 makes a respectable foam with no effort required on your part. David Watsky/CNET
Easy to operate. Like, really easy
That phrase gets bandied around but the TK-02 earns the moniker. I found the digital controls perfectly intuitive with no excessive settings or features and the navigation is clear and to he point -- exactly what you want in the morning. I never consulted the manual which isn't the case for every multipurpose coffee maker I've tested.
settings screen on coffee maker
I found changing the brew strength and grind size notably simple and intuitive. David Watsky/CNET
In addition to triggering your coffee drink, the built-in computer helps manage settings including grind size and the amount of coffee the machine makes when you ask for drip. If you want your lattes stronger, simply dial up the espresso to milk ratio and save the new settings.
There's an app (of course) for brewing coffee remotely from bed. I didn't find myself the app for making coffee, but occasionally for managing the brew settings, grind size and perusing cleaning supplies and replacement filters.
It's cleaner than most coffee makers
coffee maker water reservoir
The TK-02 lets you know when the water needs refilling or the waste bin or drip tray need emptying. David Watsky/CNET
The day-to-day maintenance is far less than a manual espresso machine or even most drip coffee makers. The TK-02 performs an automatic hot rinse after you've made your morning coffees and alerts you when the machine is due for a more comprehensive cleaning or an even more serious descaling, both of which are also done automatically. You can check the cleaning schedule easily to see how near or far the next one is and order the needed materials from TK-02 or elsewhere.
The individual parts are dishwasher safe, save for the top portion of frother chamber that houses the milk tube. But the frother gets its own hot flush after every few uses and mine has stayed clean in the several months I've been using it.
flat white
I start most mornings with a flat white or two. David Watsky/CNET
All coffee machines suffer splashes and stray piles of grinds but I didn't find the TK-02 made a noticeably big mess. When there was visible shmutz, it was no trouble to take the parts out and reassemble them after rinsing in the sink or running through the dishwasher.
Most impressive of all? The size
Perhaps most impressive is how the folks at Terra Kaffe managed to stuff all of those coffee-making smarts into such a compact machine (17.5x10x14) . Similar products I've encountered, mostly at the aforementioned fancy restaurant breakfast bars, 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?
coffee maker
$1,100 is a hefty sum for any coffee maker but if you're giong to splurge on one, the TK-02 packs a lot of bang in for the buck. David Watsky/CNET
Making coffee in a drip machine is simple enough and most quality espresso makers are easy to operate but having one machine that turns out drip coffee, creamy shots of espresso, lattes and hot water for tea with the press of a button is the dream.
The TK-02 made quick turning me into a devotee. Even so, it's tough to recommend it at the sticker price of $1,600. Not because of performance issues, but because there's no telling how long it will hold up. The machine comes with a two-year or 5,000 brew limited warranty but if I'm spending north of $1,500 on a kitchen appliance, I'm expecting 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 has been particularly good this year. And it is a splurge. Even on sale, this is by no means value buy and doesn't purport to be. But the TK-02 delivers elite coffee making skills and undeniable convenience that you'll feel from the first day.
While I wouldn't machines output up against the best coffees I've had -- the foam, for instance, doesn't get quite as dense as some I've had frothed by hand -- most of what I made was darn close close. Certainly better than what I would make, especially when in a hurry and uninterested in dosing espresso shots or taking the time to whip milk into foam.