Retro coffee is back on the menu – and nobody does chic quite like Smeg

Drip coffee is quietly reclaiming its place on our kitchen counters and not in the burnt, office-break-room way you might remember. Today’s machines are far more precise, better engineered, and, in Smeg’s case, genuinely good-looking too.

Smeg has long been known for making some of the most stylish, best coffee machines you can buy, and its drip model is no exception. With its soft curves, glossy finishes, and chrome detailing, the Smeg DCF02 is undeniably charming. I’ll admit, as a former barista, drip coffee wasn’t my go-to before this review, but spending time with the DCF02 was enough to make me seriously reconsider, if nothing else, for how good it looks perched on the counter.

To see whether style was matched by substance, I put the Smeg DCF02 through its paces: using the keep-warm plate, setting up delay brew for early mornings, and testing both flavour settings across different beans and ratios. This is so much more than a machine that's made to be admired.

Smeg DCF02 Drip Coffee Machine review

Who would the Smeg DCF02 Drip Coffee Machine suit?

Before getting into the finer details, it’s worth asking the big question: is the Smeg DCF02 your cup of coffee? Drip coffee is a very different beast from barista-style espresso. It’s brewed through a filter, lighter in body, and generally more mellow. If you enjoy drinking multiple cups through the morning without the intensity of espresso, drip coffee is a natural fit.

The Smeg DCF02 is also a particularly friendly place to start. Its two flavour settings (delicate and intense) let you ease in gently or dial things up a notch. The delicate mode is genuinely light, making it well suited to anyone who’s coffee-curious rather than fully committed, while the intense setting offers enough depth to keep regular coffee drinkers satisfied.

Where the Smeg really shines is on style. With its retro curves and wide range of colour options, it’s made to be admired, not tucked away. On the counter, it makes a confident style statement and feels every bit as well made as it looks, though it’s worth checking the height if you have low-hanging cabinets, as it won’t fit neatly into every kitchen setup.

That said, you are paying a premium for design. The DCF02 focuses on doing the basics beautifully rather than offering advanced brewing controls, and there are less stylish drip machines that deliver similar results for up to £100 less. If aesthetics, ease, and a softer introduction to drip coffee matter to you, the Smeg is easy to recommend; if you’re chasing maximum control per pound, it may not be the most economical option.

Unboxing the Smeg DCF02 Drip Coffee Machine

Smeg always nails first impressions, and the DCF02 is no exception. The machine arrives in the brand’s signature pale blue box, which feels reassuringly robust and does a great job of protecting everything in transit.

Inside, the machine is securely packed with polystyrene: effective, but something I’d love to see Smeg swap for a more eco-conscious alternative in future iterations. That aside, everything is neatly organised and easy to unpack.

In the box, you’ll find a glass carafe with lid, a reusable filter, a filter basket with an integrated anti-drip valve, a coffee scoop, and a user manual. It’s a refreshingly simple setup, but thoughtfully complete, with the scoop being a particularly useful inclusion for beginners.

Once on the counter, the Smeg DCF02 looks the part. It has a reassuring weight to it (3.1kg), which immediately signals quality and stability, and it feels solid enough to withstand daily use. There are some plastic exterior finishes that slightly undercut the premium feel, though they’re well-finished and unobtrusive in use. Practical details, like the anti-slip feet, help keep the machine firmly in place, not that it feels especially prone to moving, but it’s a sensible touch that adds peace of mind.

What is the Smeg DCF02 Drip Coffee Machine like to use?

The Smeg DCF02 arrives pretty much good to go. Setup is minimal: set the clock, adjust the water hardness using the side lever, and familiarise yourself the four front buttons: power, flavour strength (intense or delicate), capacity, and clean. Everything else, including the keep-warm plate, kicks in automatically once brewing finishes, which keeps things blissfully low-effort.

The fixed 1.4-litre water tank sits at the back and is a little awkward to fill, though it’s still generous enough for most morning routines. As with any drip machine, I’d recommend running a full cycle of clean water through before your first brew. No one wants a side of factory dust with their coffee.

Brewing itself is refreshingly straightforward. The reusable nylon mesh filter and basket slot neatly into place, and the included scoop measures around 10g of coffee, a sensible starting point before you start fine-tuning to taste.

You can brew either four or ten cups per cycle, though it’s worth noting that Smeg defines a cup as 150ml, so if you’re a big-mug person like me, you’ll want to up your quantities.

In my tests, the four-cup cycle wrapped up in just under five minutes, while the ten-cup setting averaged around nine minutes. A soft beep signals the end of brewing (which you can switch off), and while a little steam briefly fogs the control panel mid-brew, it clears quickly and remains easy to read.

I found the DCF02 to be a consistent and simple brewer. It doesn’t offer pre-infusion or a fancy shower head, but water distribution is even and repeatable, making it easy to experiment with beans and ratios. The delicate setting produced a lighter, gentler cup, ideal if you’re caffeine-sensitive, while the intense mode had more body and better flavour definition. Nutty and chocolatey notes came through particularly well, which is about as good as it gets from a drip machine.

The reusable filter does allow a touch of fine sediment into the cup. I didn’t mind, but if you like your coffee crystal-clear, paper filters are worth considering as a simple upgrade for your coffee station set-up.

One small but mighty detail is the anti-drip valve beneath the filter basket. This seals when the carafe is removed, preventing coffee from dripping onto the hotplate, a feature you don’t realise you need until you’ve smelt burnt coffee lingering in the kitchen (once is enough, trust me).

And finally, my favourite feature to test was the delay start. Load the machine the night before, set your time, and wake up to freshly brewed coffee. Honestly, it’s a luxury that makes mornings feel kinder. It’s impressively quiet too; I measured just 45dB during brewing, barely louder than a library. If ever a coffee machine knew how to keep things low-key, this one does it without making a song and dance about it.

Cleaning the Smeg DCF02 Drip Coffee Machine

Generally, the Smeg DCF02 Drip Coffee Machine should stay pretty clean. The valve at the bottom of the filter holder solves the problem of burning coffee on a hot plate and the outside is easy to wipe down too.

Smeg says that the filter and filter holder can go in the dishwasher, but if you can make the time to clean them by hand, I would really recommend that you do. They'll last a lot longer and stay in better condition as a result.

My one gripe is that you can't remove reservoir to clean it, which makes giving the whole machine a deep clean a little fiddly. It's doable and you shouldn't need to clean the water reservoir more than every six months, but it's worth noting nonetheless.

How does the Smeg DCF02 Drip Coffee Machine compare?

It’s hard to beat the Smeg DCF02 on looks alone, but if you’re willing to trade Italian glamour for engineering pedigree, the Technivorm Moccamaster KBG Select is the obvious point of comparison. It’s more boxy and utilitarian in design, but comes in a wide range of colours and has a 1.25-litre capacity. Where the Moccamaster really earns its reputation is under the hood: it uses a copper boiling element to heat water rapidly and precisely, maintaining the optimal 92–96°C brewing temperature throughout extraction — one of the key reasons it’s certified by the European Coffee Brewing Centre (ECBC).

In use, the KBG Select offers excellent control and consistency, with a simple switch that adjusts water flow for either half or full carafes (four to six cups, or six to ten), helping to avoid over-extraction on smaller brews. It’s hand-built in the Netherlands and backed by a five-year warranty, which partly explains the higher price tag. Baristas often hold it up as the gold standard for drip coffee, but that doesn’t make the Smeg a poor choice, just a different one. If you prioritise aesthetics, ease, and a softer learning curve, the Smeg feels more approachable; if absolute brewing precision is your north star, the Moccamaster still sets the benchmark.

Should you buy the Smeg DCF02 Drip Coffee Machine?

I love the Smeg DCF02 Drip Coffee Machine as a style statement, simple drip coffee machine. There's no denying that it's one of the most attractive models on the market and, whilst the controls seem basic, they cover everything the average family would need. So, if you want to add some charm to your coffee set up, and, indeed, your kitchen, you're in good company.

How we test coffee machines

At woman&home we have a series of standardised tests that we put every coffee machine though. Drip coffee machines are a little less diverse than our other models, because they don't texture milk. Instead, I make repeated batches of coffee in smaller and bigger batches to check consistency, flavour, clarity, and temperature. I'll look at whether the keep warm plates work and will also think about how the controls suit different kinds of users.

Once the physical, technical, taste tests are done, I'll look at how the model compares to others in the market. This should give you a sense of whether it delivers good value for money and whether it would suit your home. After all that, if you still have questions, don't hesitate to email me. I'm always happy to chat about all things coffee . Or, you can look in more detail at how we test coffee machines on our dedicated page.