Maintenance
EssentialDescaler
Limescale is what most machines die of, and vinegar attacks the seals. A liquid descaler declared suitable for espresso machines does the same job as the maker’s own branded fluid, usually for less.
€15.90
Go to bol
SMEG
ECF12
A fifties-style portafilter machine without a steam wand, with a separate milk frother
€329.99 in White
Price verdict from 5 DecWe have measured this price since 5 November (5 days). Lowest measured: €329.99 on 10 November. A price verdict follows on 5 December at the earliest, and only after 2 more readings.
Where to buy
Updated on 10 November 2026Updated on 10 November 2026
Daily price history
Last 6 days
Lowest €329.99Now €329.99
5 Nov7 Nov8 Nov10 Nov
View as a table
| Date | Lowest price that day |
|---|---|
| 10 November 2026 | €329.99 |
| 9 November 2026 | €329.99 |
| 8 November 2026 | €387.00 |
| 7 November 2026 | €387.00 |
| 6 November 2026 | €387.00 |
| 5 November 2026 | €387.00 |
Price alert
When the ECF12 drops
Espresso machines drop hardest around Black Friday and in the weeks before Christmas. Leave your email address and pick below what you want to hear about.
SMEG sells the ECF12 as a coffee set: a fifties-style portafilter machine and a separate automatic milk frother, which SMEG says makes hot and cold foam. The machine itself has no steam wand; it pulls a single or double espresso, from ground coffee or paper pods.
That is how it differs from the ECF02, in the same jacket, which has a steam wand and no frother in the box. Neither has a grinder; for espresso from fresh beans you stand a separate one next to it.
Who for: Anyone who wants the SMEG look and would rather froth milk in a separate frother than with a steam wand.
Compared with similar machines
Against 18 other manual espresso machines between €253.63 and €469.00, on the specifications the maker publishes.
- Width: 14.9 cm, narrower than most (usually 21.8 cm)
- Weight: 4.7 kg, lighter than most (usually 6.2 kg)
Same machine, different model number
These versions are the same appliance under another model number, often only a different colour. The prices differ considerably, so it pays to look at all of them.
- Crème (ECF12CREU)€329.99same price
This finish, priced as above: €329.99
Specifications
Making coffee
- Type
- Portafilter
- Grinder
- None, separate grinder needed
- Milk system
- None
- Portafilter
- 51 mm
Dimensions
- Width
- 14.9 cm
- Depth x height
- 32.9 x 33 cm
- Weight
- 4.7 kg
- Cord length
- 100 cm
Technical
- Pump pressure
- 15 bar
- Power
- 1350 watt
- Heating
- Thermoblock
Model
- Material
- Plastic
- Warranty
- 2 years
- Model number
- ECF12WHEU
This is what we know for certain. Dimensions and capacities the manufacturer or the shop does not state are left out rather than estimated. A measurement or a tank volume that is not there is one we do not have.
What does it cost a year to maintain?
A worked example, not a specification: 2 cups a day (730 a year), the intervals from the maker's manual, with the water filter the maker recommends, and the lowest price in our catalog today.
- Descaler
- Not stated
- The machine says when. SMEG gives no interval.
We cannot price anything for this machine: what the maker requires is not in our catalog, or the maker gives no interval.
How often you descale depends on your water hardness. Where the maker gives no interval for it, we leave it out rather than estimate it.
Beans, counted separately
6.57 kilos a year at 9 grams a cup: €108.34 with the cheapest kilo in our catalog, €445.45 with the dearest.
Frequently asked about the ECF12
- Is the ECF12 a bean-to-cup or a portafilter machine?
- The ECF12 is a portafilter machine.
- Does the ECF12 have a built-in grinder?
- No, the ECF12 has no grinder. You grind your own or buy it ground.
- How does the ECF12 froth milk?
- The ECF12 froths milk: it does not.
- How wide is the ECF12?
- The ECF12 is 14.9 cm wide. Check the height too if it has to sit under a wall cupboard.
- What is the ECF12's model number?
- Each colour has its own model number: ECF12WHEU in White and ECF12BLEU in Black. Compare on that rather than the name: makers sell near-identically named versions side by side, and the prices differ.
Accessories that fit this machine
Picked on what this machine does and does not do itself
Grinding
EssentialCoffee grinder
Without a grinder in the machine this is not an accessory but a second purchase. Budget something close to the machine itself. On pre-ground coffee no portafilter machine gives you what it can do.
€204.00
Go to Coolblue
Brewing
RecommendedKnock box
The puck has to go somewhere, and the bin clogs with wet coffee within a week. A box with a rubber bar is quieter than it sounds.
€21.95
Go to bol
Brewing
Can waitCoffee scale
Dosing by eye is why the same machine tastes better on one day than the next. A scale accurate to a tenth of a gram, with a timer, turns pulling espresso into something repeatable.
€44.95
Go to bolBeans for this machine
Every bean fits every machine. What differs is the order: on a bean-to-cup the 100% arabica beans come first, because dark-roasted blends carrying robusta give off more oil and that clogs a built-in grinder sooner.
Segafredo
Segafredo Intermezzo
€16.49per kilo
Lowest price we have seen€16.49 · 1 kg bag
A blend with robusta, made for the Italian bar. Full and bittersweet, and the kind of bean a bean-to-cup grinder gets through without complaint.
- Blend with robusta
- Blend
Segafredo
Segafredo Espresso Casa
€18.45per kilo
Lowest price we have seen€18.45 · 1 kg bag
Segafredo’s house blend, for anyone who also drinks their espresso with milk.
- Blend with robusta
- Blend
Lavazza
Lavazza Crema e Aroma
€19.99per kilo
Keenly priced€19.99 · 1 kg bag
The classic Italian bar blend: arabica with a good deal of robusta, which is where the thick crema espresso is known for comes from. Robusta is a cheaper bean than arabica, and that usually shows in the price per kilo.
- Blend with robusta
- Blend
Lavazza
Lavazza Espresso Italiano Classico
€23.99per kilo
Keenly priced€23.99 · 1 kg bag
All arabica as well, like the Oro. The middle path between the soft arabica blends and the firm bar blends.
- 100% arabica
- Blend
What differs
Often compared with
€253.63 in Pastel blue
Price verdict from 12 NovW 14.9 x H 33 cm · 1.1 l tank
With essential accessories€486.48
machine + descaler, milk jug, coffee grinder
€131.00 in Red
Price verdict from 12 NovW 14.9 x H 30.5 cm · 1.1 l tank
With essential accessories€363.85
machine + descaler, milk jug, coffee grinder