It's bean to cup, but made so easy - Smeg's Fully Automatic Coffee Maker is my pick for fuss-avoiding coffee lovers

The Smeg BCC02 bean to cup coffee machine took me by surprise. When I heard about it, I expected it to look retro and curved, in classic Smeg style. This almost futuristic coffee maker is a modern take on Smeg's style and I like it. 

You don't need to know anything about coffee to make an excellent brew. I would recommend this to everyone from coffee novices to baristas, because whoever uses this will be able to make a simple espresso or café-quality cappuccino with the Bambino. 

As a barista, I find it hard to step back from machines like this. I was itching to get involved, but I wasn't needed. When I took this to our test kitchen, it brewed up some coffee delights.

As a sleek and stylish machine, it ticks a lot of boxes. It's certainly one of the best coffee makers on the market. But it isn't without it's quirks.

Smeg fully automatic bean to cup: Key Info

• Colors: black, red, white, taupe, emerald green, black
• Dimensions: 13.25 x 7 17 inches
• Pressure: 19 bars
• Weight: 11 lbs
• Water tank capacity: 47 fl oz
• Power: 1470 W

Smeg fully automatic bean to cup: First impressions

The brushed stainless steel finish of Smeg’s bean to cup machine pairs beautifully with the clean-cut smooth silhouette of this appliance. The addition of some muted lights make this look like the luxury hotel of coffee makers. It looks durable, premium and would complement wooden and granite surfaces for a natural ambience.

Compared to other coffee makers, this doesn't take up a lot of room on the countertop. It still requires some space, but I wouldn't have a problem clearing my countertops for it.

Making coffee in the Smeg fully automatic bean to cup

This machine was easy to set up. Smeg provides a cleaning brush, water hardness test strip, and steam wand cleaning needle, but not a stainless steel milk jug. This is an extra that I would normally expect, but it will only cost around $10 if you pick a good-quality one from Walmart. Before making coffee, I filled the water reservoir, using the useful handle and filled the bean hopper. After that, it was ready to go.

My standard test for any espresso machine is how well it can make an espresso, an Americano, and a cappuccino. I started with the simplest, an espresso. I pressed the button, placed my espresso cup underneath and in fifteen seconds I had a close to perfect espresso. The thick crema was a visual indication that my coffee was well extracted, but the flavors told me so much more. The beans I used - which are these from Amazon - have quite zesty notes and this extracted those perfectly. It was a light, delicate shot, which is ultimately faultless.

The next button for my Americano made similar promises and it didn’t disappoint. The head adjusts its height, so that coffee doesn’t splatter inside the cup too much. There was a bit of a delay as the water came out and some coffee did splash up the sides, but it was faster than if I went to my local coffee shop. 

I thought it came out quite hot, so was worries that the coffee would taste acidic. It was a little bitter, but not a disaster. I made another one which came in at 190 degrees Fahrenheit, two degrees cooler than the first, so put the first one down to adjusting.

Steaming milk in the Smeg fully automatic bean to cup

To make a cappuccino, I used the steam wand. It's quite short, so I was concerned that it might be difficult to use. It also only rotates 180 degrees in one direction, which isn't as slick as other professional models. 

However, when I was frothing both dairy and oat milk, I didn't have any problems. If you wanted to make some more exotic coffees with microfoam, you might struggle, but for the basic coffee enthusiast, this won't be a problem.

Should you buy the Smeg fully automatic bean to cup?

If you’re willing to splurge for style, this is an excellent machine. There are other bean to cup machines that will make you a better tasting cup or coffee, but only by a margin. They also won’t look as good as this one will. 

I would buy this if I was new to coffee and wanted to design a coffee bar in my kitchen.

Laura Honey

Laura is the eCommerce Editor for Homes & Gardens. Before joining Future, she studied English at Oxford University. Alongside her studies, she qualified as a barista and worked with coffee for over three years. Outside of caffeine kicks, Laura writes about design and interiors at Homes & Gardens. She's always looking for stylish ways to integrate appliances into your home, but is also passionate about home fragrance. As a trained Master Perfumer, she has experience working within the luxury perfumes, so she always prioritizes quality and style over quantity and fads. 

We take all of our coffee makers to our test kitchen where our team of experts tests every feature of the product. We have experience with all the machines on the market, so we can make comparisons and we know what to expect.

Laura, a former barista, took the Smeg BCC02 to our test kitchen where she used it to make a range of functions. She took notes on the whole process, from unboxing to cleaning up, so that she could tell you everything you need to know about this machine.