What is Smeg?
Smeg is a well-known electronic device manufacturer best known for its sleek, classic, timeless style. They make various home appliances, such as refrigerators, cookers, and ovens. Still, the brand is best known for its stylish small appliances, such as toasters, blenders, and kettles, which add an elegant touch to any kitchen.
They’ve also recently entered the coffee machine market, with a drip coffee maker and an entry-level espresso maker. As one would expect from true coffee connoisseurs, we also want to know if the coffee tastes good as much as we admire the brilliant design.
If you plan to invest in a coffee maker by Smeg, but you don’t know if the coffee hit will meet your requirements. We will tell you all we really like in this elegant machine and check its efficiency, functionality, and taste coffee brews.
Smeg was founded in 1948 by the Bertazzoni family as a well-known high-end domestic appliances company in Italy. Their range includes refrigerators, washing machines, stoves, and smaller appliances such as microwave ovens and kettles. And now coffee machines are also being manufactured by them for the general public.
The brand is admired for its distinct style. It was created in collaboration with design professionals and their products’ modern technology. Although the Italians are renowned for their love of fashion and attention to detail, they are also famous for their passion for coffee.
Review of the smeg drip coffee maker
Although the Smeg devices only have the features of a simple entry-level coffee machine, they aren’t cheap. Let’s see if buying a Smeg drip-coffee machine is a smart buy. We’ll also look at its capabilities as well as its drawbacks.
Design
This coffee machine’s most appealing feature is its exquisite style. The vintage style and pastel colors are designed to be the focal point of your kitchen. They come in four colors: mint green, cream, light blue, or black, and can be paired with other Smeg appliances, including kettles and toasters.
But we don’t just want to worry about appearances. The machine is also robust and strongly constructed of high-quality materials and slightly larger than intended. You’ll need a more usable kitchen area due to its odd design. It’s also an excellent way to check your room dimensions before buying if you think it’ll be a bit cramped.
Functionality
The functionality of the Smeg coffee maker is simplistic but adequate. When preparing coffee, the machine gives the option of choosing the strength of aroma between a “standard” or an “intense” brew.
The Smeg is easy to operate. The LED display shows details such as water levels, water hardness quality, and a digital timer.
The 1.4-liter water tank isn’t the largest on the market, holding just about 4 cups. However, we don’t consider this a drawback. We’d instead brew a new batch than drink coffee that’s been lying in the pot for a long time.
Taste
Let’s get to the root of what true coffee aficionados care about: how does the coffee taste? It doesn’t matter how pretty a coffee machine looks to us, and it certainly doesn’t matter to you if it makes subpar coffee.
Since the coffee beans you use determine so much of the flavor, it’s critical to invest time and effort in carefully selecting beans and grind them fresh in the proper grinder. The coffee made with the Smeg coffee machine, on the other hand, tastes terrific and smooth when you check all the essentials with your beans.
Features and details
One of our favorite functions is the automated switch-on capability which you can use to begin to brew at a predefined time. You can enjoy your perfectly brewed cup ready when you hit the early morning alarm clock.
The noisy activity with loud pulses during the turn on and turn off, as well as a difficult-to-open water reservoir, are two typical annoyances.
Some people hate that the keep-warm function only holds the coffee hot for 20 minutes before turning it off. But this is an intelligent feature from Smeg that keeps the coffee from being burned and tasting bitter. And, let’s face it, with this coffee machine’s simple service, there’s no excuse not to make another batch whenever you need it.
Care and maintenance
The Smeg drip-coffee machine isn’t the easiest to keep up with. It necessitates regular minor changes and descaling, all of which are shown on the LED monitor.
The coffee maker is also vulnerable to water quality. It alerts you whenever the water is too hard to brew with and when the machine needs descaling. That happens much too often for our preferences. All of this can be aggravating over time.
The DCF02 Upgrade
Since there are two models of this coffee maker, there are minor differences in specifications among independent comments and websites.
Smeg has reflected on concerns posed by users when creating the latest updated edition, DCF02. The new version expands the “keep warm” feature, keeping your coffee warm for 60 minutes instead of the initial 20 minutes.
Other changes include the ability to turn on and off the tone, as many users considered the activity and beeping to be too noisy. The improved version has a lid that is easier to open and the choice to select between a 12-hour and 24-hour clock.
Advantages
- The machine is a fantastic example of a beautiful retro design that will never go out of style.
- This machine is suitable for a coffeehouse because it produces drip-brewed coffee with a rich flow and consistent taste quality for home or office use.
- The operation is effortless, which makes it perfect for your kitchen.
- Auto shutoff and turn-on functions are convenient to use.
Disadvantages
- The machine is bulky and has a wide dimension.
- The pot size is small, so you can not make coffee in bulk for a gang of friends or family in one go.
- It requires constant descaling and maintenance.
- Limited upgraded functions are available to enhance the taste of your brew.
Our verdict
You can’t deny that the Smeg machine is thoroughly designed with your household in mind. We needed to be objective about the product’s features and what the cup of coffee produced by Smeg tastes like.
We are delighted to confirm that the drip coffee machine produces a delicious cup of coffee. It’s straightforward. It has good taste, keeping coffee warm, too, with the keep-warm function.
