Smeg ECF02 Espresso Machine review: Great espresso, not-so-great everything else

As an ex-barista at Starbucks, I really care about coffee. I love using the best espresso machines and seeing which one has that true cafe-at-home taste. When I was given the chance to test out the Smeg Espresso Machine, I was so excited. An espresso machine that looks this cool? Well, it must be fantastic.

Cue grimace. If you love waiting 10 minutes for your coffee machine to stop overheating so you can pull shots, you’re in luck. However, I don’t love that, so this was a somewhat disappointing machine to use. Don’t get me wrong — when it works, it extracts espresso shots with fluffy crema (because of the dual-walled portafilter baskets) and a lovely kick of sweetness.

Despite this major complaint, if you’re a fan of drinking straight espresso, this could be a coffee maker worth considering. I loved the balanced, layered, and full-bodied taste of this machine’s espresso. But is it reliable? Is it worth over $500? Find out the full story in this Smeg ECF02 Espresso Coffee Machine review.

Smeg ECF02 Espresso Machine: Cheat sheet

• Who is it for? Beginner coffee enthusiasts who want a stylish machine for espresso and not much else
• What does it do well? It extracts espresso pretty nicely, perfect if you’re just a black coffee or espresso drinker
• What are its weaknesses? The steam wand is incredibly poor, and making multiple drinks is laborious
• What should you use it for? Ideal for black coffee fanatics or no-frills-espresso guzzler — or those who just want a pretty kitchen accessory that barely works

Smeg ECF02 Espresso Machine: Specs

Smeg ECF02 Espresso Machine review: Price & availability

The Smeg Espresso Machine is the cheapest in Smeg’s cafe lineup. It’s $529 at Amazon in the US, and £399 at Amazon U.K.. Smeg also has an Espresso Machine with Grinder ($1,100), and Mini Pro Espresso (U.K. only — £1,399) automatic machine. I tested the pastel green version, but it’s also available in red, black, white, cream, pink, pastel blue. If you feel like spending an eye-watering amount of cash for no reason, Smeg also makes the ECF02 in a Dolce & Gabbana skin for the (oh-so reasonable) price of £1,249.

Smeg ECF02 Espresso Machine review: Design

As with all Smeg products, the Espresso machine has a sleek, retro design, with a pastel body and silver flourishes. It looks like something from the 1950s, and matches any other Smeg products you might have. If we were to base our review on looks alone, this is a 5/5.

The machine has four buttons: single shot, double shot, steam wand, and a + for activating long shots. Each button offers decent resistance, so you won’t accidentally activate the wrong one. The buttons light up and flash to tell you certain things, such as you need to descale the machine, or the steam wand is heating up, or the machine is overheating (which, unfortunately, I was met with every single time I tried to make a drink — more on that later).

The ECF02 comes with three basket sizes: single shot, double shot, and pod. The portafilter handles feel a little flimsy, not as sturdy as the handles on the KitchenAid Semi-Automatic ($699) machine I was testing at the same time. The provided plastic scoop/tamper tool is thin and flimsy, but you can buy a tamping kit from Smeg for just $89. How kind!

Removing the portafilter baskets is pretty easy with a thin butter knife or fingernails. Based on looks and (superficial) ease of use, this is a great machine. However, once you get brewing coffee, some issues become apparent.

Smeg ECF02 Espresso Machine review: Espresso

As you hopefully read in the ‘Cheat sheet’ section, this would be an ideal machine for those who love black coffee, or just straight-up espresso. I noticed the problems occurred once the machine had to extract multiple espresso shots or froth milk before or after pulling a shot.

This is what a double shot of espresso looks like, immediately after extraction.

The crema is nice and full, the body of the shot is a lovely caramel brown, and the heart of the espresso is a deep, dark brown. This is a well extracted espresso shot, but there is a catch. Smeg ships only dual-walled portafilters with the Espresso Machine (you get single and dual-walled with the Espresso Machine with Grinder), which are a bit of a ‘cheat code’ to achieving attractive espresso shots like this. A dual-walled portafilter effectively aerates the espresso as it brews, which gives it this light, creamy color without and requiring the sweet-spot 9 bar pressure for extraction.

So while this is a superficially attractive, yummy-looking espresso, it’s actually not perfectly extracted. It tastes decent, but not as nuanced as a single-walled portafilter would brew.

Smeg ECF02 Espresso Coffee Machine review: Milk

However, the milk is where the problems with the Smeg Espresso Machine lie. As you might have read in my intro, I’m an ex-Starbucks barista, so I like to think I know more about making coffee by someone who hasn’t spent multiple years of their life making coffee all day long.

The steam wand on the ECF02 is quite poor. When you want velvety textured milk, you need to create a vortex in the middle of the milk, with minimal hissing sounds. Unfortunately, because of the lack of pressure here, it’s practically impossible.

On top of those issues, the steam wand overheats after every single use. Before you can extract another shot of espresso, you need to purge the wand for about 40 seconds. And this isn’t all steam — it’s hot water that’s built up inside the machine, so you’ll need to put a container under the steam wand to collect the excess water. The steam wand purged about 3 ½ fluid ounces every time I had to do this.

As you can imagine, if you want to make multiple drinks, being forced to purge an inch of water from the steam wand before being allowed to extract espresso is rather frustrating. If you’re making coffees for more than one person, expect it to take you at least ten minutes.

Smeg ECF02 Espresso Coffee Machine review: Storage & maintenance

Thankfully, the ECF02 machine is really easy to clean. The drip tray is removable and mostly plastic so isn’t prone to staining. The water tank is removable too and small enough to clean in my kitchen sink, so likely will fit in yours too. The machine is supposed to tell you when it needs descaling — I descaled mine upon receiving it and it was a mostly pain-free process, but did take about forty-five minutes.

Smeg ECF02 Espresso Coffee Machine review: How does it compare?

As this isn’t a particularly cheap machine ($529, to be exact), it’s fair game to compare it to similar ~$500 machines. The Breville (Sage) Bambino Plus is $499 and our best coffee machine. This machine looks much sleeker, with the shiny buttons and stylish black finish — but that’s my personal preference. In testing, the Bambino Plus didn’t feature the same steam wand overheating error I was plagued with on the Smeg. The milk frothed by the Bambino Plus was gorgeously silky and smooth, whereas the Smeg’s milk was bubbly and over-aerated.

The KitchenAid Semi Automatic Espresso Machine is only $170 pricier than the Smeg ECF02 at $699, but comes with a grinder, and made a flawless coffee without requiring much skill. If you don’t already have a decent grinder, I’d recommend spending a little more for a machine with an included grinder.

If you want to spend a little less than $500, the Casabrews Espresso Machine is only $140 and our best budget option. Its steam wand was a little tricky to use and the tamper was flimsy, just like the Smeg — but it’s almost $400 cheaper, so it is more justifiable. For the price, the Smeg ECF02 Espresso Machine isn’t as robust, well-made, nor enjoyable to use.

Smeg ECF02 Espresso Coffee Machine review: Verdict

If this machine was a few hundred dollars cheaper, it could be a good option. However, at over $500, this is not priced as a budget machine, so it should not be evaluated like one. The espresso pull is great, yes, but that’s pretty much where it ends. I didn’t enjoy how the steam want over-aerated milk, nor how flimsy the group handle, scoop, and tamp were. The most frustrating aspect of the machine is its inability to make drinks in quick succession. The steam wand overheated every single time I used the machine, rendering it useless for all but solo brewers.

The bottom line is this: if you just want espresso and a good-looking machine, this is for you. But if you want to do anything with the steam arm, you’re better off elsewhere.