Smeg ECF01

The Right Way to Froth – I experienced the same as Lucy. While the machine makes great coffee with great crema, I found the frother unmanageable. It frothed too much, the temperature was 39 degrees at best and the foam was very coarse. However, after thoroughly reading the manual I found the solution. You MUST dispense a blast of steam before and after use just as they do in any good Cafe. Problem solved. Show reply

Fantastic Machine – Can't fault our coffee machine. We've had it for over 1 1/2 years. So easy to use, clean & takes up little space on benchtop. Just bought another 1 as we don't want to be ever without. Thanks Smeg. Show details

Filter Basket Clogged, Gasket Leaking - Totally Useless After Just A Few Weeks – My unit is faulty after just a few weeks use - maybe 30 coffees. This was definitely a new learning curve for me - after a few watery failures & messes, I persevered, read a bit & watched a few videos about making good coffee & quickly got to the point where I felt I was mastering the machine - understanding the quirks of the buttons & becoming… Read more ·  3

efficient in the process of making a great tasting coffee comparable in my opinion to a barista made coffee, but not as hot. Even though I adjusted the coffee temperature setting to max, I was only able to get it very warm where you could drink it all straight away. However, after more practise with the steam wand moving the cup up & down I've been able to get hotter coffees. I would have given it 4 stars up until this point.

But now, the double shot filter basket doesn't pour properly anymore - the basket just fills up with pressure that can't escape, causing coffee to splatter everywhere when the filter holder handle is released. It's as if the (double walled) pressure metal filter basket has super fine particles clogging the inside.

I have always rinsed the filter basket & filter holder handle separately after every use. I don't overfill the basket & I always tamp down the coffee to a correct level so it doesn't foul the screen above on the machine. I do a fine expresso grind with a Breville Dose Control Pro set to 10.

Sticking a needle in the single hole of the filter basket as suggested in the manual didn't work so I tried boiling the basket for 10 minutes to no avail. I tried running the machine with an empty filter basket but the basket just fills up with hot water & leaks everywhere from the gasket seal. When I detach the filter holder handle, water under pressure splurts out everywhere making a huge mess.

I am annoyed at the prospect of having to go & purchase another filter basket (not cheap!) especially since it lasted only a few dozen coffees.

I am also dreading having to waste my time undergoing the annoying process of going back & forth to a service department to get it fixed under warranty & dealing with phone calls & emails with customer service. I just hope it's easy & stress free.

EDIT Match 2023 I'm happy with the temperature of the milk now. It just took a bit of practise with the frothing wand. I'm using a slightly coarser fine grind & the replacement 2 shot basket is working well. For a strong mug sized coffee I find the 51mm diameter basket undersized, so I fill the 2 shot basket & push the 2 cup button & let it pour, then push the 1 cup button for a final pour. If you wanted large & strong coffees with less mucking around I would go for a coffee machine with a 58mm basket. I have changed my rating from 1 star to 4 stars since the machine is working well but I still am annoyed that the pressure basket clogged up so easily & that there wasn't any guidance in the instructions about fine grinds being an issue

Whats the lifespan of a Blue Smeg? – I have been very happy with my blue machine and the coffee it produces. I am the only coffee drinker in the house so it only gets used each morning. Lately I,ve found the filter baskets blocking up so changed to the spare single one, the pump also seems to be not pumping as well as it used to. Is there anything I can do to make it flow fast again.? Show details

Very disappointed – We bought this machine purely because we loved the look, the coffee machine ,toaster and kettle all together. The fact it took up little space on the bennch .How wrong we were. We should of spent time researching. Im sorry smeg as I love your products but the only thing I like about the machine is the look . The milk wand is terrible , it never… Read more

gets hot enough.,the button process to even get the frothed to work . The extraction process I find not strong enough. I would not recommend this product to anyone. Perhaps the fault is mine ,although 3 other people have used it and find it the same, so instead I hand over my $ to the local coffee shop each day . But use your own judgement and research before you buy .

Milk frother no good – Whilst this Smeg machine makes excellent coffee, the milk frother seems to have too much pressure. It bubbles up the milk before it even has a chance to heat the milk, a bit like a milkshake. I've watched videos on how to use the milk wand, which is quite different to other milk frothers. Using the technique shown in the video helped a bit, but… Read more

still too bubbly. I like my milk to have a more velvety texture and for this price you would expect to have a decent milk frother.

Terrible machine – Terrible machine, doesn’t work well. We regularly descale and clean but the coffee only drips out to about 2ml and then stops. The coffee is watery. Frothed is rubbish. Tried different coffee but still the same results. Very disappointing Show details

Reliable, consistent and excellent value for money – As a coffee snob who couldn’t afford professional grade machine at home - this has been an excellent purchase for us. We have used it for over 5 years and have never had an issue with it. Not one. Very consistent (if you have a good grinder of course) and the steam wand works just as well as any other machine we’ve used - we are no milk experts… Read more

and so don’t fuss with if much. On the less important side - it’s nice and lean so take up minimal space on the counter.

Smeg coffee machine – My machine has just started to play up. Only a small amount of water comes through either the single or double shot . I have descaled, cleaned the baskets and changed the grind on coffee beans . At a loss as to the problem Show details

Best Coffee Machine ever!!! – We have had this coffee machine for 5 years making at least 2 coffee’s per day and it has not skipped a beat! We removed the frother as it made too much froth for my liking however is perfect without it! We take it on every holiday and everyone always comments on how great the coffee is! Show details

Very very disappointed – I have this morning donated my new machine to an op shop for free. Nespresso makes 10 coffees in a row with no problem. This can only make one coffee at a time before overheating. The manual says the frother cannot be used for more than 60 seconds. The frother is so slow and ineffective that it takes more than 60 seconds. Then the machine… Read more

overheats after one cup. The frother stem is too short and too close to the machine. A particular type of container has to be found to make it work.

Was happy, not now – Machine used to make one coffee per day and broke down two years after purchase, No assistance given by the Australian (brought in Australia) or the NZ agents. We thought we had brought a quality product and a reputable brand but it appears we were mistaken. Show details

Good machine for the size – Solid reliable machine that encourages regular cleaning, more than I would normally, so that's a good thing. The controls are not intuitive and confusing to new users, but I've gotten used to them now. Overall a nice compact bench top unit that doesn't hog to much space and delivers the shots as required. Show details

Milk frother terrible – Coffee machine looks great and the coffee tastes good however the milk frother is terrible. I have been practicing for months now and trying different techniques and it’s not getting any better. I have had other milk frothers previously with no issues. With this machine the milk doesn’t get overly hot, and just fills with air bubbles. Not happy.  Show details

The customer care was amazing – The customer care was amazing & sorted the initial issue. The machine works well with a few initial hiccups. Not a big fan of the frother but it does the job. Thanks Show details

Great coffee machine – I Love my Smeg coffee machine, makes consistent great coffees, it looks great, is simply easy to use, easy to clean as well. Good value for the price, highly recommended.

Not Happy – Hi we bought a Cream one from Harvey Norman three years ago which in use the Descale Indicator came on after a week, returned it to Harvey Norman, was given a Black one that Did Exactly the same problem, return it to Harvey Norman, machine was checked and they Contacted Smeg for advice and we got another Black one which we have till now, this… Read more

has Been good until recently giving us Bitter coffee and the Descale procedure has been difficult With the buttons not turning on the descale without repeating the process also it won’t go To factory settings adjust Coffee Temperature setting or the Shut-off Time. We do think a Machine like this that even has an Eighteen hundred Dollar version Should last longer than This without problems of this nature. I find it difficult to recommend this Product. Malmac

From DeLonghi to Smeg! – Just purchased the Smeg version (Feb ‘21) after ten years of the DeLonghi, everyday use. These are the same machine with cosmetic differences. Once used to adjusting the settings to get the coffee temperature right this is a set and forget machine. I use it for one to two coffees at a time, occasionally four. Brilliant coffee every time. Thanks… Read more

to the Barista from Melbourne and the tips on swirling the milk without the cylinder attached for lattes, good move. I trust i will get another ten years out of the Smeg, great little machine, love the Retro look.

Horrible machine - danger hazard – Purchases this machine in April 2020. Contacted smeg in June and spoke with a Tom or Steve to complain about the milk frother not heating the milk up properly. He said he would get back to me, send me a video of how to heat the milk up which wasn’t required because I am aware of how to do this. I told him it still wasn’t working and then I never… Read more

heard back from him. I emailed them a couple of times after that and never heard back. Now my machine is making weird electrical sounds and I have been too scared to use it. Clearly a waste of money.