Smarter coffee machine review

• Read our full guide to the best bean to cup coffee machines

What is the Smarter coffee machine like to use?

The machine arrived ready-built. You can choose from white, black and grey changeable front panels of the machine to match your kitchen. Also included in the box is a 1500ml glass measuring carafe, into which the coffee drips.

A quick setup guide leaflet is included, but it's sparse on information, mainly because there's little set-up to do. It walks you through connecting to the app, while a second manual leads you through the 'before first use' set-up. The user needs to fill the tank fully to the maximum 12-cup level and run a full cycle on filter option not just once, but three times. This process takes 10 minutes for a full 12-cup jug. Care and cleaning instructions and troubleshooting advice is also included.

If controlling the machine manually (as opposed to via the app), bean, four cups and strong are the options available for manual selection by button. Grind coarseness is also manually adjustable by dial.

Downloading and connecting to the Smart 3.0 app was a simple process. Once in, you create your account and are required to enable location settings for home. It also needs connectivity to your wi-fi network. It's a bizarre connection routine, requiring you to place your phone with the camera against the coffee machine's flashing light – at this point, you get an unusual but incredibly important epilepsy warning.

At no point in the set-up process are you shown where or how to fill the water tank. It's very easy to overfill it, although there's a water tank level indicator on the side. The water release hole is positioned, confusingly, above the oven cord connection. It's also at plug height, so could release water onto your countertop if you're not careful. We had one major flooding incident when testing.

Smarter coffee machine performance

The app is simple and intuitive to use. Select your cup number, the keep-warm time, strength of brew, brew type and preheat time. Then the machine preheats very quietly. Once finished, you don't get a notification. it just switches from brewing to keeping warm.

Its four-cup setting produced 500ml of coffee which equated to two standard mugs. The strength is adjustable from low to medium and high and when tested on high, was packed with rich, intense flavour.

We were impressed by the machine's ability to heat the water. Our thermometer recorded 85-degrees straight after brewing and 80-degrees after 20 minutes of the keep-warm function.

Steam is released via a small vent, although a small amount does seep through the back. The machine's digital display also shows you the time-remaining, unlike the app, which instead, tracks progress with a small slider arrow.

Is the Smarter Coffee machine worth your money?

Having a wi-fi-enabled coffee machine may seem a tad extravagant. But as we modernise our homes and update our kitchen kit, there's a real pro for convenience that comes with appliances that are both simple and sophisticated. Bean-to-cup filter coffee doesn't get much easier, or tastier, than this.

Specifications:

Serial number: Smarter coffee machine (2nd Gen)
Wattage: 950-1050W
Functions: 4-12 cups, low, medium, high strength
In the box: 1.5-litre glass carafe, three interchangeable colour panels
Compatibility: iOS & Android
Wireless: 802.11 b/g/n
Security: WPA/WPA2

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