Terra Kaffe - TK-02

TK-02 and you’ll never look back.

Your first sentence is your problem. They do have frictionless marking.  You can search the sub for tk feedback there are employees on here that will hype the brand.  If you prefer weaker drinks it could be just fine for you (I had the tk02). It can't compete with a KitchenAid kf6 for $800. Delonghi will offer 3 year warranty this time of year too

The feedback on their website is highly curated.  You should contact them and see what the coffee dose size is.  The thing about the smaller machines is you have a smaller dose.  The smaller dose means smaller drinks. Tk02 has a poor grind which meant weak drinks even with a 15g dose. The other thing about smaller machines is they have smaller Water tank and drink tray capacity so they need a lot more hands on. What other machines have you looked at?  You can get gaggia refurbs around $500.  

The gaggia is the same as your philips, it can grind a little finer and give you a bit of a better cup but it's not like getting a full size jura. Your space restriction is hamstringing a real upgrade. You'll see a big difference with a 15/16g dose machine. The TK will be a downgrade if not a side step from the Philips guaranteed.   The Ena will be a bit of a upgrade the grind is better. The jura won't bug you more than any other machine. If you can change the size restriction you'll see a big bump up in the kf6 for $800. There's the jura e4 or e6. 

Promise not a KA bot - as someone who made over 3500 cups with the TK01 and then upgraded to the TK-02. My recommendation is the KF7. Got it back in November and really loving it. For whatever reason could not dial in TK2 as I would like compared to the 01. Regret trading the 01 in, but really do enjoy the KF7.

Been ripping shots on my TK-02 for over a year and touching on 3,000 shots. Love the unit. Mainly brew straight espresso shots or use their drip coffee. Saw they also just launched a full coffee pot so you can brew a full pot of drip, but haven’t got the new carafe yet. https://preview.redd.it/fv38szszmihg1.png?width=3019&format=png&auto=webp&s=eccaa9438855e066ea36d2a364503f55032cc0c4 Also, clearly I need to wipe my screen lol

Terra Kaffe all day for me. Got 2,400 brews on my machine and counting, still pulling great shots.

Have seen the same thing on this sub, just find it funny at this point lol. Love my Terra Kaffe machine too! Personally, didn't need to get the Demi since I have the TK-02 and it looks like it does all the same drinks + milk, but I bought the Demi for my buddy who works in coffee and only takes his coffee black. He just got it and is only a few brews in but sounds like he loves it. But I'll report back what he's saying after a few more weeks and probabl, at his pace, a couple thousand brews lol

I was in the same camp as you, I don't give a shit about any of this I just want my drink and I want it easy. Bought a TK02, no regrets. Does everything I need, and it doesn't look like steam punk machinery from 1850 lol

It's apparently faster than my TK2, which is the only thing I would improve so that's good lol. I know I don't need one, but it's so cute and small 😭 Also be prepared for the haters, there are certain jobless people who literally shit on TK no matter what even if you're just asking questions in my experience. I bought mine before I discovered this fact and I'm glad because I might not have.

I think it'll depend on how much work she wants to do. I have a TK-02 which isn't the machine for her (like all superautos) milk isn't that hot. That being said, I tried my friend's Demi also from Terra, he just got it, and it's WILDLY hot. So I'd check that out for ease of brewing the coffee side of things, and then look at a standalone frother. Terra is releasing one but I don't know when, it was mentioned by a reporter, but there are a zillion on Amazon etc. That would probably be the least amount of work. If she's open to more work, the semi-auto Breville models are great - actual quality of coffee and milk temp is about the same across all of them, the rest is just bells and whistles. That being said, make sure she's down for some amount of manual work before you actually purchase. There is also a learning curve, but no doubt she could get it down.

Terra Kaffe TK-02 is the move. Had mine coming up on two years and I joke that it's my child. I've used more and less expensive machines, and this one takes the cake

So happy to be helpful! So I've had pretty extensive experience with superautos, including Jura, TK-01 (Terra Kaffe's first generation), now TK-02. I've also used a few others at work and at friends' homes. My first SA was a Jura Z10 (I know, crazy one to start with), but tbh, I ended up reselling it because it didn't meet my expectations for the price. TK-01 I had for a few years and I honestly can't even remember how I first came across them, it would have been like 2019-2020, probably an Instagram ad or something. When they did the TK-02, I ended up upgrading, but my TK-01 to my knowledge is still chugging along at my sister in law's house. I LOVE my Tk-02. FWIW, a superauto sounds like it makes sense for you. The whole point is that you don't have to know a ton about coffee, because the machine does all the work for you. This subreddit is intense, but don't let it intimidate you. Re: your original post, in my experience, it's not worth going over 2K, unless you're looking at manual machines, which it sounds like you're not. IMO, my current TK-02 matches my Z10, and it's a lot nicer to look at.

Not sure if you're asking specifically about the Demi, as some comments sound like, but I can speak to my experience with the TK-02, which I've had and loved for two years. Tbh, I do NOT own the Demi, but my friend does, and I've now used it on two separate occasions, and am actively convincing myself not to buy one (because I really don't need multiple espresso machines). Whoever is saying you can't change settings is misinformed, I follow Terra Kaffe on social media and they posted a video of the settings you can change, so...? From my experience with my TK-02 in my home and my more limited experience with the KA, the drinks they make are pretty similar in terms of quality, but I like the bigger amount of customization on the TK-02 plus the connected features. I have been spoiled and will never again buy a machine that cannot make a drink for me before I'm even awake.

I don’t own a Demi but have used my friends. I do own a TK-02 that’s a bit over two years old and has served me well at a few thousand shots so far. Obviously not as much experience with the Demi but IMO it makes solid espresso. I also like Terra Kaffe as a company, nice to just see anyone trying to make these typically ugly ass machines look like something I actually want in my kitchen.

Ive used the Demi only a few times (my friend just got his earlier this week), but I’ve had a TK-02 for two years and absolutely love it. Prior to that one, I had a TK-01. So Terra has definitely been around for at least 5-6 years, because that’s how long I’ve had their machines. Not sure how long they were around before I discovered them. Happy to say more on my TK-02 if you want, but that’s not what you asked about. For Demi - which like I said I’ve only had a few brews from since it’s not mine lol - the drinks are great. Wildly wildly hot, which really surprised me give super autos are typically not that hot. It’s very sleek, really easy to use, and the drinks I had (two shots of espresso and one drip) were great. My friend was using beans from Intelligentsia, black cat I think, if that matters. As another user said, there are a few people on this sub who come to hate on Terra every time they’re mentioned (as seen here) and it’s super sketch. One of them has like $10K+ worth of espresso equipment, which I can’t see as much other than someone affiliated with a competitor who is bitter about a new company seeing some degree of success. If you’re interested in the Demi it’s probably worth trying. You’re probably going to have a hard time finding a lot of people with firsthand experience given it just started shipping a week or two ago. As noted, my friend got his earlier this week and said he was one of the first to preorder. But since this isn’t Terra’s first machine, actually their third as far as I’m aware, it’s probably as good if not better as their first two.

I don't have a Demi, so I can't say for that one, but my TK-02 goes up to 15 or 16 ounces for drip. I like it stronger personally, so I usually set my drip servings to 2 and then do 2 smaller drips in a row to make one huge super strong one.

Do not buy a Terra Kaffe!!! I had one and it’s complete trash. Chinese knockoff of another brand. Leaked after a year of use an when it returned from the repair place it was put back together haphazardly and ended up leaking again within a couple months. Not only that, but it produced subpar coffee. I ended up getting a KitchenAid K7 that I’ve had for over a year and have had zero problems. Do yourself a favor and just go with the KitchenAid. You will not regret it.

Another vote for Nespresso, we have a vertuo model. I typically just have a coffee pod but I have the espresso (single and double) and use the frother if I want something more fancy. I’ve had more expensive machines (ie. Terrakafe..do not buy even though it looks great on your countertop!) and the Nespresso is much better and so much simpler!

I spent months driving myself nuts over what I wanted, I narrowed it down to Terra Kaffe and Gaggia. But people seem to be fiercely loyal to Delonghi.

I got one a couple of days ago and I like it. I had a Terra Kaffe prior, and hated it. This machine is easy to use and clean. Not complicated at all.