I make coffee better than Starbucks with the easiest machine I

Coffee is a big part of my day, and I’ve tried plenty of coffee machines over the years, with some being wonderfully easy to use and others requiring a little more patience. I love being able to make a proper coffee at home because it saves me money compared with buying one from the shop every day.

I’ve tried machines at different price points with very different ways of making the beverage, so I was interested to see how the KitchenAid Fully Automatic KF4 would compare. After spending time using it, I can see why a fully automatic machine like this appeals to anyone who wants good coffee without having to become a home barista.

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The first thing that stands out about the machine is its design. It has the sleek, premium appearance I would expect from KitchenAid, but it doesn’t look excessively complicated sitting on the kitchen worktop.

It is also designed with convenience in mind. Rather than having to weigh coffee, grind beans separately, tamp the grounds into a portafilter, and then work out whether you’ve extracted your espresso correctly, the KF4 does most of the work for you.

That’s the main appeal of a bean-to-cup machine like this, as you can have freshly ground coffee without all the faff that comes with a more traditional espresso machine.

The KF4 has an integrated burr grinder and KitchenAid’s IntelliGrind Technology, which adjusts grinding and dosing based on the beans and roast. It also has an iced coffee and iced espresso function, which is a particularly nice addition if, like me, you enjoy a cold coffee as much as a hot one.

One of the things I liked most about this machine is how straightforward it is to use. The touchscreen makes the whole process feel much less intimidating than some coffee machines.

You simply choose the drink you want, make any adjustments to things such as the strength, size or temperature, and then let the machine do its thing. KitchenAid also allows you to save personalised settings to one of four user profiles, which is particularly handy if you have more than one person using it.

Instead of changing the settings every time, this feature proved helpful in my household, where we all like to consume different strengths and temperatures.

It also has more than 20 pre-programmed hot and iced recipe options, so there’s plenty of choice without having to manually build every drink from scratch.

You can opt for basics such as an espresso, or choose milk-based drinks and iced options. The dedicated iced coffee and iced espresso settings are useful because the machine brews these at a lower temperature, helping to retain a balanced flavour when it’s poured over ice.

I’ve found this particularly helpful because making iced coffee at home can be tricky. If you pour a hot espresso straight over ice, you can end up with a very watery coffee.

You can also pick between flat white and cappuccinos, which I've never been able to master at home. Thanks to the KF4, I have been able to, and it couldn't have been easier.

The KF4 comes with a milk container, a lid, and a hose. You simply fill the container with your chosen milk and connect the hose to the machine when you want a milk-based drink. This container can then be kept in the fridge between uses.

The slight problem I encountered was that we all drink different kinds of milk in my household. For example, I drink oat milk, and my partner drinks dairy, so we were always switching between milks or trying to guess how much each would use so we wouldn't overfill the container.

It isn’t particularly difficult, but it does make the process a little less seamless than it would be with a milk frother on hand.

It’s also a great machine if you’re someone who likes to stick to one bean for a while. But if you want regular decaf one day, a dark roast the next and a completely different bean at the weekend, this machine isn’t the one for you.

However, I like to stick to the same bag and have always used the same variety, so this isn’t an issue for me.

Ultimately, of course, a coffee machine can look beautiful and have a fantastic touchscreen, but it’s the actual coffee which is important.

I’ve used a range of beans on this machine, and I’ve been impressed by the consistency of the coffee it produces. One of the benefits of having the machine is that I don’t have to think about grinding and dosing each drink, which is incredibly useful when I’m in a rush.

For an appliance which offers this many functions, it doesn’t feel huge in the kitchen. It’s by no means a small coffee machine, but KitchenAid says its compact KF2, KF3 and KF3 machines have a footprint that’s 25% smaller than other models in the range.

The KF4 provides prompts for cleaning cycles, including milk rinsing, and the machine can guide you through a deeper cleaning when required.

I find it’s much easier to maintain this machine than the others I’ve used, which leave coffee grounds everywhere.

It's rated 4.4 stars on the KitchenAid website, with over 70 reviews from buyers. One review said: "An incredibly good coffee machine—sleek and stylish, yet very easy to use from start to finish."

Another read: "A truly amazing coffee-making experience at home delivered by this machine. Flawless in all departments, from an espresso that's both flavourful and tasty to milk and coffee options delivered instantly and perfectly, with an overall user experience that's super intuitive. So happy with this choice, never going back to other brands."

However, one review states that the water tank was delivered damaged, while a fourth said that the iced coffee function doesn’t “live up to expectations”.

KitchenAid currently lists the KF4 at £899, putting it firmly in the premium end of the home bean-to-cup market. It can also be purchased from John Lewis at the same price.

If you are someone who buys a coffee from a cafe every day, the machine can eventually pay for itself through the coffees you no longer buy. But there’s no getting around the fact that it is an incredibly expensive machine.

If you want the cheapest possible route to a decent coffee at home, this might not be the machine for you. If, however, you want something sleek, convenient and genuinely easy to use, with plenty of drink choices, it’s a great option.

There are lots of machines on the market at varying prices, including the De’Longhi Magnifica Start, which retails for £320 on Argos. It offers one-touch drinks and integrated grinding, with reviews raving about the price.

If you are willing to be a little more hands-on, the Sage Barista Express Impress is a semi-automatic machine. That means you have more involvement in making your coffee, which can appeal to someone who enjoys the process and wants more control. It looks the part and is currently reduced to £599.95 from £729.95 on the Sage website.

If you like the idea of using a pod machine, which takes the hassle out of making coffee and lets you try different varieties each time, the Nespresso Vertuo Next has been a staple for me over the years.

It’s quick, convenient, and the separate milk frother allows seamless transitions between dairy and non-dairy alternatives.

This is one of the more affordable options on the market, reduced to just £79 from £149 on the Nespresso website, available in a variety of colours.