Smeg Espresso Machines

A Smeg espresso machine is a design purchase first and a coffee purchase second — and as long as you know that, the ECF01 is a perfectly decent little machine wearing a museum piece's outfit. Is Smeg any good? At looking good: world-class. At espresso-per-dollar: you can do better for less.

Smeg is an Italian company from Guastalla, famous for retro-futuristic 1950s styling — the pastel fridges, the dome-shaped kettles, the whole Mad Men kitchen. The espresso lineup is basically the ECF01 in a parade of colors, plus a grinder and a milk frother sold separately so the set costs more than a Breville Barista Express Impress that out-brews all three combined.

What's worth it: the ECF01, if the machine will live on your counter as decor and you drink a latte a day. It has a thermoblock heater, three preset temperatures, and pressurized baskets that make consistent, forgiving, slightly-ceiling-capped espresso. What to skip: buying the matching grinder and frother out of color loyalty — that's how a $500 decision becomes a $1,000 one.

The honest weaknesses: you're paying a real design tax — comparable guts cost noticeably less wearing other badges. The pressurized baskets flatter cheap pre-ground coffee but cap what great beans can do, the small portafilter locks you out of standard accessories, and there's no PID-grade temperature control. Smeg sells joy at the point of glance. The point of sip is merely fine.