This futuristic espresso machine could be a great gift for your family — and it's $500 off for Black Friday

A coffee machine that can satisfy all your wishes is hard to come by. There are good options out there that do one thing very well (Nespresso brews a good shot or two of espresso, a coffee pot makes a decent cup of joe, a Keurig can make coffee instantly in your desired mug size), but it’s increasingly hard to find a hybrid machine that does everything you like to your high and specific standards. 

Also: The best Black Friday deals live now

So when Terra Kaffe sent me the TK-02, the brand’s superautomatic espresso machine (that’s on sale for $1,195 through Terra Kaffe’s website), I was eager to test it out and see if it could satisfy both ends of my coffee obsession — my latte-sipping side and my drip coffee devotion. The short answer? It did, with some caveats. Keep reading for the long answer. 

The TK-02 is equipped with lots of tech. The setup requires a Wi-Fi connection and the downloading of the Terra Kaffe app, where you can customize your drinks and schedule brew times. Inside the machine, you’ll find a proprietary auto-adjust grinder that will grind your beans for your desired beverage, a 16-oz hopper for pouring whole beans into, a chute for pre-ground coffee, a precision milk frothing dial, and front access components with MagSnap that secure everything into place. Attachments include the plastic square milk container for hooking up to the machine. 

You can buy the square machine in white or black, but both colorways give off a futuristic, office-like vibe. After a while, my roommates and I began referring to the TK-02 as “The Printer.” Look elsewhere if you want a cozy, nostalgic coffee machine. The TK-02 is modernist and minimalist to the fullest. 

The setup was fairly simple, even if the app’s connectivity faltered once or twice before finally joining the network. Over the course of a month, my three roommates and I used the machine to brew our coffees of choice. Testing with a variety of beans, I found the TK-02 works best with drip coffee and cold espresso drinks. It brews a rich and strong cup of drip coffee in an instant that is so simple and good that it makes me want to ditch my 10-minute pour-over routine. The espresso comes out rich with some signature crema, the foamy bit at the top of the drink. The reason I say the machine is great for cold espresso drinks is because the TK-02 fails to get super hot. It will produce above-luke-warm temperature espresso and, paired with the milk frother, you’ll have a not-hot latte on your hands. 

Also: This Nespresso machine brews barista-quality coffee — and it’s 30% off

I can see this machine best suiting a small office setting or large family because of its diversity and range of drinks it can make (and because of the in-app customization). Whether you’re frothing oat milk, almond, or dairy milk, the frother returns a fairly airy dollop of milk to your mug. The in-app customization and scheduling of drinks allow everyone in your home or office to get their signature drink just right every morning. 

From an efficiency standpoint, the TK-02 makes lots of sense. It satisfies the most amount of coffee preferences within one sleek design that will look cool on any countertop. Plus, it’s an espresso machine with a grinder attached (grinders tend to be additional purchases that don’t normally come with espresso machines) and it actually makes a good cup of drip coffee — that’s hard to come by. 

The machine is not without its flaws. The first is how regularly it will release steam, even when you think it’s turned off. Over time, this leads to a lot of wasted water and a few jumpscares in the middle of the night. The second is the drip tray design that holds excess coffee grounds and water, which you have to remove and dispose of. It’s a large tray that brims with water. Make one wrong move while bringing it to the sink (like not holding it exactly flat) and water and beans will splash onto the ground. 

The frother’s form factor could also be improved. The tube that transports the milk from the plastic square container into your drink is tough to clean and, if left unattended, could be a haven for bacteria. 

The TK-02 isn’t perfect, but it offers an opportunity for all sorts of coffee drinks to be made in one sleek device that also comes attached with a coffee grinder for the freshest possible drink every morning. I wouldn’t recommend this to an individual, but I think it’d be great in a small office or large family environment where you’re dealing with all sorts of coffee preferences. Some design flaws and the lukewarm temperature of milk-based drinks makes this not worth the full price. Luckily it’s on sale. You can get $500 off of the TK-02 right now, bringing the price down to $1,195. 

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