Chefman Coffee Station Pro review: ambitious all-in-one brewing with mixed results

TechRadar Verdict The Chefman Coffee Station Pro makes coffee so many different ways, but some of them come out better than others. Use your own ground beans and make a carafe of drip coffee or an espresso drink. You can even use K-Cup pods and Nespresso capsules, but results with the latter were disappointing. Reasons to buy +Extremely flexible with many coffee options +Use ground coffee, K-cups, or Nespresso capsules +Not overly large for how much it does +Includes milk frother +Can adjust brew strength and volume +Has a delay brew feature +Has a keep-warm feature +Fairly easy to use +Separate hot water spout Reasons to avoid -Doesn't include a bean grinder -Some of the coffee brewing methods just aren't good Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you're buying the best. Find out more about how we test. Jump To: Two-minute review Price & availability Specs Design Performance Should you buy it? Also consider How I tested Chefman Coffee Station Pro: two-minute reviewThe Chefman Coffee Station Pro is a great idea. People like their coffee brewed in different ways, and it's easy to end up with two or even three coffee machines on the counter to accommodate households with multiple coffee drinkers. For example, my husband usually drinks drip coffee, but occasionally likes an espresso. I rotate between drip, espresso, and iced coffee, depending on my mood and the weather. I also like my Nespresso machine, since the capsules are available in some interesting flavors I occasionally enjoy. I also drink a lot of tea, so an instant hot feature is welcome. We don't often drink lattes or cappuccinos, but when our kids or guest come to visit, they often do. We could easily end up with three different coffee machines (plus a frother and a tea kettle) in our coffee nook, but the Chefman Coffee Station Pro can do all that and more.Sounds like a dream, but unfortunately it doesn't do everything well, or even acceptably. For example, it doesn't brew Nespresso capsules fully or correctly, resulting in a weak and tiny brew. If you don't need every single feature, this machine might be a perfect fit for you because it does a lot of things well. I tested everything and found that it did some things far better than others. (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)Chefman Coffee Station Pro: price and availabilityAvailable on Chefman's website and other retailersRetails for $399.99 (about £300 / AU$570)Just one colorway, black and silverYou can buy the Chefman Coffee Station Pro on Chefman's website as well as brick-and-mortar and online retailers like Best Buy and Target. The retail price is $399.99, which is about £300 / AU$570, though it's not currently sold in the US and Australia.Latest Videos FromTechRadarChefman Coffee Station Pro: specs Swipe to scroll horizontally Name Chefman Coffee Station Pro Type Semi-automatic Dimensions 13 x 11.7 x 13.9 inches / 33.02 x 29.72 x 35.31 cm Pressure (for espresso brewing) 20 bars Brew styles Espresso, single serve, drip, cold press, cold brew Milk frother Yes Connected device No Chefman Coffee Station Pro: designSmaller than you might expect Has storage for accessoriesTen in one machine The Chefman Coffee Station Pro is designed efficiently so it has a lot of features in its reasonably-sized footprint. The machine provides ten different brewing methods: espresso (with grounds or Nespresso capsules), cold press espresso, latte, cappuccino, milk frother, K-cup pods, carafe of drip coffee, drip over ice, cold brew, and instant hot water. You control everything with a touch-screen interface.It comes with everything you need to make all of the beverages listed above. The big 100-ounce water tank fits onto the back of the machine. On the coffee side, you get a coffee filter holder and a reusable coffee filter basket. If you prefer, you can use paper filters instead. There is also a K-Cup adapter for brewing K-Cups. The glass carafe holds anywhere from four to twelve cups of coffee and it rests on a warming plate (which has a "hot" indicator light.) When you're brewing a single serve K-Cup rather than using the carafe, there is a fold-down cup platform with a removable rubber trivet for resting a mug.On the espresso side, you get a portafilter with three different filters you can put inside. There's small filter for brewing single espresso, a larger one for double espresso, and an adapter for Nespresso capsules. You get a two-sided espresso tool, one side is a measuring scoop and the other side is a tamper. The included 16-ounce milk reservoir can be removed when not in use.The Chefman Coffee Station Pro stores its own accessories cleverly. It has a hook on the side to store the portafilter and a compartment on top to store other accessories.Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inboxSign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future) When you first set up the Chefman Coffee Station Pro, you'll want to set the clock for the correct time. There is a Delay Brew feature so you can set the machine up when you go to bed and you'll have a hot carafe of drip coffee waiting for you in the morning. The Keep Warm feature will keep your carafe hot for up to two hours.There is a hot water spout, which runs separately from the coffee so you don't have to worry about stale coffee taste mixing with your hot water. This is perfect for making hot chocolate, tea, and other hot beverages with ease. I suppose you could even use for making instant ramen or really anything you might need hot water for. It's worth noting that it's hot but not boiling.As with any coffee machine, it does need to be cleaned regularly. Since this one has so many features, there's more cleaning that needs to be done. Every time you use it, you'll want to wash any accessories you use, run a clean cycle on the milk frother wand, and wipe down the exterior as needed. Of course you'll want to remove the milk reservoir and refrigerate any unused milk right after use.On a weekly basis, empty and wash out the water tank, empty and wash the milk reservoir, run a clean cycle on the espresso side, and flush the frother system if you're using it daily. Every month or two, you'll want to do a deep clean of the frother's internal parts.Roughly every 100 cycles (or 50 for hot water), you'll need to descale the coffee, espresso, and hot water systems. The owner's manual included detailed instruction on how to do all of that, plus you can find videos on Chefman's YouTube channel for guided instruction. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future) Design score: 4/5Chefman Coffee Station Pro: performanceFairly easy to useMost of the features work wellSome features don't result in good coffeeIn my testing, most of the drinks I made came out really well. Some came out ok, and some came out actually undrinkable.Espresso The espresso came out fine and it had a nice crema. It was pretty easy to do, just measure your grounds with the provided scoop, pour your grounds in the portafilter with the appropriate filter inside. Use one scoop in the smaller filter for a single espresso or two scoops in the larger filter for a double espresso. Tamp them down firmly with the included tamper, and then twist the portafilter into place. Select your drink from the touch-screen menu and you'll have espresso in just a minute or so. I used a carefully measured flat scoop, and found the espresso to be rather weak, but your tastes may vary. Image 1 of 8 (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future) Espresso with Nespresso capsuleUsing the Nespresso capsule basket in the portafilter, you can brew any Nespresso or Nespresso-compatible capsule. Note that this is only for the small original line capsules, not the larger Vertuo line capsules.This was a big fail, in my opinion. The capsule was only pierced partway, there was water left in the portafilter, and the resulting brew was sour and weak and had very little crema. It was not worth drinking. Image 1 of 6 (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future) In the photo gallery below, I compare the results of brewing the same kind of Nespresso capsule in both the Chefman Coffee Station Pro and my actual Nespresso machine. In both machines, I brewed it as a small or single espresso. The Nespresso machine results are on the left and the Chefman on the right in both photos. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future) Latte and cappuccinoTechnically, a latte and a cappuccino are pretty different. Though they are both espresso drinks with frothed milk added, the proportions are different. A cappuccino is one third espresso, one third steamed milk, and one third milk foam. Image 1 of 3 (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future) A latte is one-third espresso and two thirds steamed milk with a light layer of milk foam on top. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future) You can probably tell from my photos above, they don't look all that different. They didn't taste all that different, either, though they were both delicious.I also tried just frothing some milk and then brewing an espresso separately and putting them together. Again, it just made a lovely foamy milky beverage. Image 1 of 4 (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future) Cold-pressed espressoThis was just a fail, in my opinion. It was so weak that I couldn't even drink it. Again, that's just my taste, yours may be different.Note that pretty much every time you do a cold-pressed espresso brew, the machine will prompt you to run a cooling cycle on the carafe side first in order to prime the machine for cold press. It's not a big deal, but you'll have to factor in the extra time and place a container under it to catch the flushed water. Image 1 of 3 (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future) K-CupUsing the included K-Cup adapater on the carafe side of the machine, you can make any K-Cup you like. I actually thought the Chefman Coffee Station Pro did a great job with this one. I'm not generally a fan of K-Cups but this machine brewed it as well as any Keurig machine I've tried. Note that unlike a Keurig machine, you are using a separate adapter part that you'll probably want to wash each time you use it before putting it away. So it is an extra step. Image 1 of 4 (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future) There is also an option to brew the K-Cup pod as cold brew. But I can't recommend it, unless you like a super weak iced coffee. I used the same kind of pod, but look at the difference. Image 1 of 3 (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future) Drip coffee in carafeThe drip coffee came out great. It was easy to do, just like any traditional drip coffee machine. I used the metal and plastic reusable filter, but you could use a paper filter if you prefer. You have the option to set up a delayed brew, so you can get everything ready the night before and have a hot, fresh carafe of coffee when you wake up. The metal plate under the carafe can be set to keep your carafe warm for up to two hours, and an indicator light will let you know that it's hot. Image 1 of 5 (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future) Cold Brew The Cold Brew feature brews your coffee slower, cooler, and with less water in order to extract the most flavor and give you less ice melt. This came out very well. It does take longer to brew, and it does usually require running a cool cycle first, but the results are tasty. Image 1 of 4 (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future) Over Ice (in carafe)The Over Ice funtion is a little different from the Cold Brew. It's brewed into the carafe just like regular hot coffee but a bit stronger to compensate for ice melt. This worked fine, and it wasn't watered down too much. However, it was less smooth than the Cold Brew method and more bitter to my taste. Image 1 of 3 (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future) Hot WaterHot water comes from a separate spout, not through the coffee system. It works fine and just tastes like pure water with no hint of coffee taste.I selected maximum temperature setting, but water measured just 163°F/73°C. So, it's certainly hot enough to make hot cocoa, certain delicate teas, and perhaps your instant ramen. But it's not that all that close to boiling water, which would be 212°F/100°C. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future) Performance score: 3/5Should you buy the Chefman Coffee Station Pro? Swipe to scroll horizontally Chefman Coffee Station Pro score card Attribute Notes Score Value The price is similar to other multi-functional semi-automatic machines 4/5 Design The clever design allows for many functions in a not-too-huge footprint 4/5 Performance This was very much a mixed bag; some types of brew came out great and some definitely not. 3/5 Buy it ifYou have a multi-coffee-drinker householdThe Chefman Coffee Station Pro does it all: espresso, latte, cappuccino, drip coffee, cold brew, iced coffee, K-cup, Nespresso capsule, and even hot water on demand.You don't have space for many machinesWhile this isn't a small machine, it's certainly a lot smaller than separate machines for all of the different functions.You want lots of options for guestsEven if your household doesn't need all of the features, it's nice to have just about any coffee option available for guests.Don't buy it ifIt's out of your price rangeYou can get a simple espresso machine plus a drip coffee machine and a basic frother for less than this all-in-one.You want all of the features to be greatThough there are a lot of ways to brew coffee beverages with this machine, not all of them produce a great result.You have extremely limited counter spaceConsidering how many features it has, the footprint isn't that huge. But it's still quite a bit bigger than most coffee machines.Chefman Coffee Station Pro: also considerNinja AutoBarista Pro Fully Automatic Espresso Machine This machine lacks the drip coffee carafe function and doesn't accept pods, but it has most of the other functions. Plus it has a built-in coffee grinder and comes with two different hoppers you can easily swap out.Read my Ninja AutoBarista Pro Fully Automatic Espresso Machine reviewTerra Kaffe TK-02No pods here but you can make excellent drip coffee and espresso with just a tap. Use the built-in grinder or the ground coffee chute. The attached milk frother expands this machine's repertoire to six figures. Yes, you read that right. The Terra Kaffe TK-02 connects to an app (and Alexa!) so you can start your brew before you get out of bed.Check out my Terra Kaffe TK-02 review.How I tested the Chefman Coffee Station ProI brewed and drank every kind of coffee beverage the Chefman Coffee Station Pro makes. I brewed a Nespresso capsule and a K-cup. I brewed espresso from grounds, both hot and cold-pressed. I frothed milk (barista-style pistachio milk) and added a shot of espresso. I made latte and cappuccino. I brewed a carafe of drip coffee. I made cold brew and coffee over ice. I used the hot water feature, tasted it, and measured the temperature.First reviewed September 2026 Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Karen is a world traveler, writer, teacher, family woman, and occasionally a movie extra. She has been writing about Apple, consumer tech, and lifestyle products since 2010 for various publications including TechRadar, CNET, Tom’s Guide, iMore, Macworld, AppAdvice, and WatchAware. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.