$450 single serve coffee maker causes double takes

KitchenAid's red-hot pod coffeemaker vies for space on the counter

Published: December 04, 2014 01:45 PM

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The Italian brand DeLonghi has long dominated the top ranks of our pod-coffeemaker Ratings with three Nescafé Dolce Gusto machines—until the Starbucks Verismo 600 broke in with comparable speed and other attractive features. Another brand, KitchenAid, now wants in. But even with brewing speed that rivals the big boys, the KitchenAid Nespresso KES0504 could have on uphill climb to woo consumers thanks to its $450 price.

At 22 pounds, the KitchenAid Nespresso KES0504 is among the heaviest coffeemakers we've tested due to its all-metal, die-cast construction. If anything, it looks durable and, admittedly, it's eye-catching. The Bloomingdale's-exclusive version we tested is candy apple red, but other colors are available, such as the medallion silver model sold at Williams-Sonoma. The Bloomingdale's model comes with a milk frother. All take a choice of Grand Crus coffee and espresso pods (about 24 flavors in all), a selection of which sometimes come with the machine.

KitchenAid Nespresso KES0504

The KitchenAid Nespresso KES0504 appears to have a shot at our list of picks, but our results won't be complete until we conduct our taste tests. But the scores so far are promising. It matched the $130 DeLonghi Nescafé Dolce Gusto Genio EGD455T and other recommended models for swift first and subsequent cups and kept temperatures consistently hot across multiple servings.

We tested two other pod coffeemakers, the $200 Keurig 2.0 Brewer K550—which we'll be covering in more detail soon—and the Mr. PODhead eBox, $130. But if you're shopping now, you can choose a fully tested model from the results of our tests of 30 pod coffeemakers, along with coffeemaker Ratings of more than 85 drip machines. Be sure to check out our coffeemaker buying guide before narrowing your choices.

—Ed Perratore (@EdPerratore on Twitter)