Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine EGF03 review: a style over substance retro coffee maker

In T3’s Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine review, I put this espresso maker to the test to see if it was more style over substance. Its iconic design, attachments and ease of use win it serious points but the Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine might be style over substance for many.

Smeg announced in early 2023 that it was adding to its collection of the best espresso machines with the Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine + Pump + Grinder EGF03RDUK. A manual coffee maker with an integrated grinder and milk frother, the Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine promises to make delicious espressos and milk-based coffees that suit your personal tastes and needs.

With more and more espresso and bean to cup coffee machines arriving on the market, I’ve tested out my fair share and can tell which ones are worth the investment… and which ones might not be. After testing out the Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine for a few weeks, I can confidently say that it will appeal to beginner and expert coffee lovers, but its price and bulk could be holding it back. Keep reading for my full Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine review.

• Buy the Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine at Smeg

Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine review: Unboxing and set-up

The Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine arrived in a large cardboard box with lots of recyclable packaging which always wins big points with me. The coffee machine and its contents were slightly heavy to move while in the box, so that’s worth keeping in mind if you have issues with that.

Inside the box is the Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine with its built-in bean grinder, rotating steam wand and water reservoir, portafilter, tamper and four different sized coffee filters. In classic Smeg style, the Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine is available in six colours including black, cream, white, red, pastel blue and pastel green – I tried the red version which added a fun pop of colour to my kitchen.

Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine review: Design and features

The Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine is designed to perfectly deliver true Italian espresso with its 20 bar pump power for consistent espresso extraction. It has a built-in grinder that blitzes freshly ground coffee beans instantly and has four extraction temperature levels and four pre-infusion profiles for versatile and personal coffee making.

Looking at the different parts of the Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine, it has a water reservoir at the back of the machine, and the on/off button is situated on the left side of the machine. The top of the machine has the bean hopper and grinder, and a stainless steel upper tray at the top which warms up your mug and can hold all your coffee machine attachments, like the filters and tamper. On the right side of the machine is the milk frother settings which you can customise for extra heat and foam.

The front of the machine has all the coffee making mechanisms, including the grinder and rotation steam wand. The interface is easy to use with four buttons situated underneath the Smeg logo which lets you choose between single and double espresso. When turned on, the buttons will flash white as it heats up and is ready to go in minutes.

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Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine review: Performance

As the Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine is a manual coffee maker, it allows you to be more involved in your coffee making process. That being said, if you’re expecting to pop your cup down and have a latte automatically appear, the Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine takes a bit more work. Using the Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine is easy and straightforward, and I appreciated the simplicity and versatility of the buttons. Because of this, I’d say the Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine could easily fit into anyone’s home, whether they’re beginners or experts.

To use the Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine, you fill up the water tank at the back, turn on the machine and press the grinding button to blitz the beans into the portafilter. Next, you use the tamper to press down the beans before attaching to the coffee machine and selecting the amount of coffee you want. After your espresso has been poured, you can use the rotating steam wand to heat or froth your milk.

While the process is extremely easy, I’d say using the Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine is a messy process. I found the portafilter hard to balance under the grinder and removing it caused coffee to spill everywhere which made the coffee maker extremely messy and dirty quickly. Aside from that, the steam wand for milk doesn’t rotate a huge amount but it does move around nicely so you can fit your milk jug in, although it does make an ear piercing amount of noise!

The design of the Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine is beautiful and colourful which is something many people (including myself) love about the Smeg brand. However, it’s an incredibly big and bulky machine so if you have a small kitchen, this coffee maker might not be for you. Some mugs are too big to sit on the coffee maker, too.

In terms of taste, the Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine makes delicious espresso and that’s what it excels in. While it can make tasty milk-based coffees, the espresso is what makes the Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine stand out amongst other coffee machines. 

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Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine review: Price

The Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine + Pump + Grinder is £849.95 and available to buy at Smeg. Compared to other espresso and bean to cup coffee machines, the Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine is quite expensive, and I was shocked by the price compared to its performance. I think it could be a bit cheaper but it’s expertly designed and manufactured, and will appeal to Smeg fans especially.

Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine review: Verdict

The Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine makes delicious espresso and milk-based drinks, plus it’s easy to use and nice to look at. While it has many positives, its negatives are quite prominent and I think it could use some improvement, particularly with its price, size, bulk and mess.

Overall, I enjoyed using the Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine + Pump + Grinder but found it to offer style over substance. Is it attractive and expertly designed? Yes. Does it make good espresso? Definitely. Would I recommend people to buy it? Absolutely… but there are other models on the market that are cheaper and perform better.

Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine review: Alternatives to consider

A good alternative to the Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine is the Sage The Bambino Plus. As the Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine is best at espresso drinks, the Sage The Bambino Plus is a 5-star espresso maker that takes up hardly any room, is easy to use and is significantly cheaper.

If you’re after a bean to cup coffee machine, the Beem Espresso Grind Profession has a similar look and design as the Smeg Espresso Coffee Machine but is more budget friendly.