Swan Retro Pump Espresso Coffee Machine, Grey, 15 Bars of Pressure, Milk Frother, 1.2L Tank, SK22110GRN
Create coffee perfection in your own home with the Retro Pump Espresso Coffee Machine from home-ware designer Swan. Never queue for a cappuccino again as you can whip up your own frothy beverage with this stylish new kitchen accessory.
Features
| | | | |
|---|---|---|---|
Everything You NeedA professional spoon and coffee presser ensures your caffeinated treat measures up to the highest barista standards | 1 or 2 Cups At OnceNever fear for a thirsty guest as this machine is capable of whipping up not one but two cups at once | Coffee The Way You Like ItWhether it’s a latte, cappuccino or the mysterious flat white you’re after, a traditional milk frother will have that delicious drink ready in no time | High Performance15 Bars of pressure and self-priming system means it’s always ready to use. Keeping it steaming with the steam pressure control feature so the froth is just how you like it. |
| Weight: | 3.58 kg |
| Dimensions: | 28.5 x 20 x 31.5 cm; 3.58 Kilograms |
| Brand: | Swan |
| Model: | SK22110GRN |
| Colour: | Grey |
| Colour: | Grey |
I decided that this year I was going to treat myself for my birthday! I have bought this beautiful machine hoping that it will be worth it and seriously it is!!! The machine itself it’s amazing but the coffee is even better! Creamy and delicious! I really love it and recommend it!!! Perfect for real coffee lovers!!
10/10.
I was amazed at the excellence of this coffee maker. Yes excellence !
The crema (even whilst using a decaf grind) is immense to say the least. The steamer makes the best foam I have ever made and that is saying a lot. Well worth this bargain price (in my opinion) and the size is perfect for a kitchen counter top.
Neat and tidy, effective and value for money. If you love coffee, don’t hesitate with this maker. You won’t be sorry !
When pulling it out to top up the water today I managed to jolt the water container off the connector so ended up with all the water on my work surface. This can be solved by sitting it on a tray to slide in and out easily. I also found the scoop is really annoying. It’s too big for the single espresso serving and too small for the large espresso serving. However, once that and the tendency of milk to cook onto the metal froth tube is overlooked, for a “real” coffee machine this is relatively simple to set up, use and keep clean. Yes, tassimo pods are easier but so bad for plastic consumption, and I like the flexibility of sizes and milk froth. I also used the milk frother to make the most luxurious hot chocolate. The green colour is elegant too.
Great coffee machine for the price. I am no coffee expert but dislike coffee pod machines and wanted to start the journey to having coffee shop quality at home and this provides it all.
Very easy to clean and the ease of use of button pressing makes it foolproof!
I f you like to drink a good coffee in a retro machine, then I recommend it
Also if you like to make your coffee , you have to wait a while for it to be warm
For me it’s a great pleasure to prepare it and then enjoy i
Great tasting, smooth professional tasting coffee. Easy to use machine. All fixtures appear to be of a sturdy professional standard. Look forward to each coffee, no need to stop at coffee shops anymore when I can have as good as at home!
Produces excellent coffee, easy to maintain but water jug lid rattles when in use.
Like:
price,
having a fresh cup of coffee
Being able to use oat milk
One touch cup of coffee
Dislike:
Small cups size
I didn’t realise that there is a version with a milk frother that can be used with a jug rather than an integral milk compartment.
For several years I have been using a coffee maker from a well known brand of proprietary coffee pods with high prices and pretentious advertising. Their machine broke down and when I discovered it had been designed to stop you from servicing it, I decided I wouldn’t buy from them again and bought this machine instead. The machine is lightweight and the filter arm is stiff. That’s the only criticism I can offer. The absolute jaw dropper was just how vastly better the coffee was from this machine compared to the aforementioned market leading coffee pod monger. My wife remarked immediately “nice to have hot coffee for a change”. I love how it makes a barrista quality cappuccino with no fuss whatsoever. 5 stars. If the filter arm went on and came off a bit easier it would be 6 stars.
My Gaggia Classic has broken it is 10 years old, and will be upwards of 150 to fix. So whilst I decide what to do as my regular repair man hasn’t replied to my emails( may be out of business) I bought this Swan espresso machine at half of that price. Obviously the build quality isn’t as solid as the Gaggia which was originally around 400. But what does one expect for 80? For me it’s about the espresso and my goodness, this Swan delivers! The Design is cool, as it says, retro.
The Photo attached Is my first brewed espresso and the Crema on it is spectacular. I used the same coffee Lavazza. Quite simply it makes excellent espresso coffee. What more do you want?
Please not not every part is stainless some parts of plastic that gives me worry I am not sure how long it will look nice also please don’t Put the part in the dishwashe
A great colourful addition to any kitchen. And it makes great coffee. The only criticism is that it feels slightly flimsy and I therefore do not expect it to last as long. Would have preferred it in metal, but this would have increased the cost, but in my opinion it would be a price worth paying.
I use this everyday and get a great cup of coffee. 2 problems- don’t expect to get a normal size cup underneath without removing the drip tray and quite difficult to clean in certain places. For the first few days tastes of chemical cleaner but this goes and then a good cup of joe every time.
We purchased this coffee machine for our glamping hut, and we are delighted with it. It had to be easy to use for guests, with minimal explanation. We take our coffee seriously, so it had to produce a good cup of espresso too.
Absolutely delighted with it, and genuinely surprised by the quality of coffee it makes for a machine at this price point.
Easy to use and clean. Great looking too.
Bought a few weeks ago and have been using pretty much every day, few times a day. Good quality and easy to use. overall very happy with the purchase.
Only drawback is that the pressure struggles to stay at a consistent level and has never reached its upper limits for our use. Sometimes that results in us frothing milk in a jug in two parts rather than straight away
We purchased this coffee machine for our glamping hut, and we are delighted with it. It had to be easy to use for guests, with minimal explanation. We take our coffee seriously, so it had to produce a good cup of espresso too.
Absolutely delighted with it, and genuinely surprised by the quality of coffee it makes for a machine at this price point.
Easy to use and clean. Great looking too.
We bought this, as we were spending too much in the local coffee shop. So far this has been the best purchase of this year. It makes a brilliant Macchiato, and with a little practice the husband is starting the rival the major coffee shops with his Caramel Mac!!! In the month we’ve had this, we have used it more than any other coffee machine we’ve owned and invariably don’t leave the house without a coffee every morning. It is easy to use and cleaning is quick and simple. The fact it takes ground coffee means we can choose the strength and flavour that we want, not ‘whats selected/provided’ in the pods. We really do love it, time will tell if the love affair lasts.
Easy to use and clean some.say steamer dont work after a while possible because dont clean properly.
Just like a miniature cafe machine
Carnt get mug under with drain in place disappointed with that
Metal taste even after quite a good run throughs ill see if get better witn time
Great cup of coffee
This is a great coffee machine to learn on, especially if you’re just starting up. It steams really well and the blending power is great. It’s very easy to clean (make sure to use filtered water only) and the rest of the equipment can just be washed like any other of your dishes.
The flavour of the coffee is limited to the power of the machine but still tastes great.
Quite an okay machine if you don’t want to spend hundreds.
I got it as my first espresso machine and even though the coffee doesn’t come out as creamy as I would have hoped, it’s not bad for the price.
Bought this as a present for my daughter who wanted a barista-style machine. She really loves it and it is exactly what she wanted. It makes good coffee, is very sturdy, is excellent quality and was at a reasonable price. Would recommend.
I am still trying to come to grips with the instructions for this machine. so far I have made 2 cups of luke-warm coffee. There is some time between you making it and being able to drink it with all the different procedures which one has to go through to get a frothy cup of latte. All I can recommend is that you put the coffee (black) in the microwave for a minute or so until the milk is ready. That way you will at least get a hot cup of coffee!!
Personally can’t stand coffee, bought as a present for girlfriend. It apparently makes good coffee, huge step up from instant or filter. Works exactly as we’d hope, easy enough to clean, water tank lasts at least a few days, and it’s simple enough to operate.
I’d read that you can’t really get an espresso machine at this price, and I’m sure the really fancy ones do it better, but a couple of months in we’ve no complaints.
This makes a great cup if coffee for the price point. So far ( 6 months in ) no problems has been easy to maintain and a little fiddly to clean but worth it. A word of caution , make sure you remove every single little piece of sticky plastic wrap on the machine. When I first used it I had a problem with it leaking like a beast. Turned out there was a small piece of plastic that was over the top of where the water canister fits in that was just stopping it making a full seal. Once removed problem solved and its been great ever since.
I had 1 of these and the water stopped going though so I got it replaced by amazon at no cost to myself and it happened again today with the new machine, the water wasn’t going through. This time I found a fix on google to do a steam setting and let the steam nozzle steam a cup of cold water. I did that and then it worked, not only did it work it made the coffee amazing and frothy like it used to be. I’d forgotten how good it used to be. So before asking for a refund or replacement please run a steam cycle. I did it twice though it worked after one steam cycle. My coffee machine before this broke in the same way, that was another brand. I will try this fix in the future from now on.
My other coffee machine broke after just under a year and amazon refunded my money and I bought this the same day. It arrived the next day with prime. It makes really lovely coffee. We use Lavazza expresso and the de caff expresso and it’s delicious. It tastes loads better than our last coffee machine. I have a double shot in each glass and it’s quite a small glass and if you put light evaporated milk in just before you pour the coffee then it’s perfect. I wake up and it’s the first thing I think about. Getting up to make it. In my defense lockdown has just relaxed so there wasn’t much going on in our lives before. 🙂
I also love how it looks, I have the purple one, It looks more expensive than it was and it makes a perfect cup every time. So happy with it.
I read a lot of reviews before I bought this espresso machine in December, some good and some bad. One review was particularly useful and gave some good advice on how to use it properly. 4 months later I can say I’m still really happy with it.
It’s very easy to use and to clean and is still working perfectly, being used daily.
Make sure you use the correct ground of coffee (for espresso not filter machines/cafetire) to get the best results and get a small milk jug for frothing as the steam nozzle is short.
It is quit light and can move when you push the handle round to lock the coffee holder in place which is why I’ve given it a 4 star rating.
It’s a great little machine for a really good price.
Makes a good cup of coffee quickly. Frother works well. Need to compress coffee well for a good cup. Easy to fill and empty water tank. Frother fairly easy to clea
Seems good so far. Decent tasting cup of mojo every time, easy enough to clean so long as you invest in a water filter. Don’t buy if you’re planning on using tap water – the thing won’t last 5 mins without needing a descale. Quick to turn on, great with pre ground coffee.
I use this expresso coffee maker several times a day and it’s got me to enjoy an expresso, something that I wouldn’t have before as I always drank coffee with milk. But the strong sharp taste really gives me a jolt in the mornings and whenever I need it as I’m working from home. It matches the colour of my kitchen walls is another boost.
The only thing is it’s a bit hard to remove the coffee stains from the tray, but perhaps I need instructions on how best to keep it stainless. It’s overall much better than the Gaggia and the Delonghi coffee machines I had before.
Swan brand has proved to be the best yet.
I love the look and so easy to use
Coffee is very good and you can make lovely cappuccino’s as well remember to use espresso cups and cappuccino cups as normal mug wont fit under. I truly recommend and make sure you use the proper coffe ground
10 /10
Bought to replace a De Longi unit that had expired due to old age. THis Swann unit was significantly cheapee than a replacwment DeLongi, but it was highly recommended by “Which”.
I am veey pleased with it. It is relatively quiet and quick to deliver an excellent cut of coffee.
Build quality not quite as good as some of the more up-market units, but no majpr issues and for my money better coffee. Excellent value, plus a 3 year warranty.
This is a good entry-level espresso machine. The coffee is smooth and it does give you a nice layer of cream at the top. The milk steamer is not very good and you need to “purge” it a few times before it produces a consistent amount of powerful steam for your milk.
I warm up the milk first to help the process a little bit.
I have been eyeing up a coffee machine for months and bought this with a gift voucher I received.
After a solid months use, I am absolutely thrilled with it. I wanted an espresso machine which would also steam milk separately, and this seemed to be on the cheaper end of the better reviewed ones out there. I am sooo in love with it. I use small batch pre ground coffee, and froth up some coconut milk to make myself the most delicious cuppaccino in the mornings. The machine is super easy to use and the guide comes with clear instructions and tips on how to make a variety of hot drinks. I had some builders round for 3 days working on my house and they were delighted to discover I could provide fresh, frothy coffees on tap! it held up great and can do two cups at a time.
It cleans easy; just give the steamer a wipe down and empty the coffee grounds right away after each use, or they get hard, and are difficult to bash out.
I adore it. Could not be happier with the product. Highly recommend for anyone who is looking to get an easy, small, cute and well made little machine!
I love this little machine. I have been looking for a coffee machine for ages. This goes perfectly with other pieces in the kitchen, and was a great price. If maintained well and cleaned after each use, there are no issues with staining or looking grubby. So if you want a good quality coffee machine, that can make help you unleash your inner Barista, but don’t want to spend a fortune, this is perfect.
Very pleased with this machine from swan, I bought a coffee machine from Curry’s costing twice as much and sent it back after one week, it just didn’t do what I expected from it for the price,this machine does a far nicer coffee for half the price.
I am completely impressed by this coffee machine. It quick easy to use. Takes ground coffee and the ESE pods. Which can be a good option if you don’t want the mess of cleaning out ground coffee granules. Just pull out the coffee pods and leave filter clean. I have used both. However tend to use more ground coffee now. Mainly due to strength of coffee and cost. The pods can be expensive depending on how much coffee you drink.if like me 4 every hour on average ( TRUE OFTEN TOLD I DRINK FAR TOO MUCH COFFEE WITH CAFFEINE ) it’s all I ever drink and I just love coffee. That’s where I find ground coffee cheaper. Although if I do buy pods Amazon’s own are pretty good but then so are there ground coffees depending on what you like. Overall I wasn’t sure about the swan. I chose it because of its retro looks but mainly because it’s got a 2 years guarantee. Plus I take extra insurance through Domestic & general . I have previously had 2 De’longies each one broke down just over a year old. Much more expensive machines, that spent more time being repaired also slower than this one plus this one doesn’t drip unlike the other 2. So why pay almost 3 times as much when this one is actually the better one I have had.
So with that said the machine is light enough to move around easily, it’s easy to clean and a large enough water tank to brew a good few coffees, the milk spout could be a little longer but it works and serves its purpose. My only down side with this machine is that it unfortunately doesn’t heat the water a great deal and if like me you enjoy a hot coffee then it may be a let down. Over all its not bad for the price but I have considered taking my nespresso back out simply for a hot brew.
Good for 1st Time Venture . Great small machine for worktop , easy to use but definate tip is to use hot water first to warm cups up. Comes with single & double shot coffee press. Due to its size the water container is quite small so we just about get 2x med cappuccinos or lattes from it.
Only drawback is , the steam wand is quite short so you can only use a small jug for the milk & not to steam too much otherwise froths over the top . There’s a Knack to it ! Otherwise a great home machine for cafe style coffee. Plus it’s easy to clean .
Like all other products we have from Swan, i expected the casing to be metal but it was plastic. Significant disappointment. Furthermore, it came, like most Swan equipment with hard PVC cable. Please supply all your equipment with arctic flexible cable.
Compact little machine for making espresso and flat white
Makes great tasting coffee with excellent crema
It does drip after switch off and can be a bit messy
Otherwise good value machine with 2 year warranty
I have just lost my beloved 3 year old 300 delonghi machine, and i didnt want to pay another 300 for just 3 years use so i plunged into the world of Swan… What can i say its better in every way. Quicker to heat up makes proper froth and there is a genuine 15 bar pressure. The Cappucino style is perfect making thick froth and a Latte is nearly as good, i say this as its hard to heat the milk without frothing it, if the steam nozzle was an inch longer this would be easy, but still makes a top dollar coffee, use dark roast espresso grind thats fresh you cant go wrong, the extraction is complete and a double shot will give you the caffeine buzz. Dont bother with ESE pods I tried 2 types and both were poor, the milk frother inside the outer tube is tricky to keep clean but apart from that100% buy this.
I normally can’t be bothered to write a review, but I actually have to for this one…. it’s awesome. I read the reviews before buying and saw a few negative ones. But, I saw this as simply human error. I’m glad I bought it. It’s so easy to use. Very light and a perfect size. It’s not bulky, like others that steal way too much work too surface. It fits in perfectly between the toaster, and kettle.
While making very yummy coffees (Costa blends I found the best) also lovely hot chocolates with the additional purchase of a metal jug to steam the milk in.
Great price, not disappointed at all. Which makes a change.
I Bought this espresso machine after my previous coffee maker died A popular bean to cup machine, after owning the machine for 8 years I decided not to attempt a repair. My understanding of the coffee making process mainly derived from studying the movie Black hawk down. I understand the critical part of the process is the grinding so a significant part of my budget was spent on purchasing a grinder the Sage Dose Control Pro Grinder 159.00 and in my experience of using an integrated milk Steamer I have found the process to be bothersome and not time effective so I also bought a VAVA Electric Milk Steamer 31.99. Our coffee making process is time efficient able to compete with making an instant coffee and makes a better coffee than my previous machine is far less effort to maintain and half the price of a replacement. We use the Spiller & Tait Signature Blend Coffee Beans – 1kg Bag at 17.95 It lasts us around a month and tastes fantastic. The Espresso machine part of the process is only let down by one thing, the depressurization through the partafilter after use takes several minutes and the shelf under the drip tray has two holes in it meaning extra time/effort has to be put in place when making lattes I use espresso mugs. overwise a very good machine It is fantastic for the process I have.
It is a nice coffee machine for the price.
Pros
– Good espresso coffee with a bit of cream on top (used lavazza rossa quality)
– The milk frother does also works very well with a small jug (300 ml, semi skimmed milk)
– the design is really nice
Cons
– obviously the exterior is plastic for that sort of price, but does not look cheap
– the water feeder mechanism is flimsy and the machine started leaking straight away, even when not in use. So I have returned my machine
I’m sure most machines will not leak like mine straight away, and overall it is one of the best I have seen /used at that price.
Personally I will spend a slightly more for a more robust machine.
Such a great coffee machine!
I got this lovely machine for Christmas to replace my much loved ancient 1 after it packed up.
It makes delicious coffee every time with plenty of crema and it’s lovely and quiet compared to my old one!
Easy to clean, simple to use, beautiful retro yet modern design, reputable make. Love it!
I was very surprised and didn’t have high hopes cause of the cheap cost, but I’m Very impressed with the retro design. Very simple to use and clean, yes it does drip a little after you stop making the coffee/espresso but I just use a cloth so no problem there.. The steam wand is ok, yes the pressure is a little low but it works, just follow the manual and give a 15sec blast of steam before you actually use it.. I bought this to replace a very expensive delonghi espresso machine and I have to say it’s just as good for half the price, swan have done a great job with this little gem. The plastic feel is different (if your not used to it) but it’s very strong. If you wash the water tank a few times before you first use it and run a couple through the machine with no coffee then the plastic taste that people have said about soon goes, in short take your time setting it up and running it through with fresh water before you first use it and you’ll be fine, also just take 2mins to read the manual, especially about using the steam wand and cleaning, and you will have many hours of fun making great coffees, espressos, lattes and cappuccinos. 100% recommend
Looks good in our new kitchen and receives lots of positive comments. Easy to use, steam pipe could be a bit longer because it’s a bit tricky getting the milk jug in place. Need two small cups when making two drinks at the same time but coffee is excellent.
If like me you have been seeking a replacement for a coffee machine after your old more expensive one as broken down! Look no further . This Swan certainly punches above its weight. I have had this for 3 weeks and used 5 it times a day at least. Of cause its plastic of cause its a bit clunky and not like your old one. But I have had resonable results with ground and bean coffee. What have you got to loose at this price and a 3 year warranty
It makes really good coffee. The “but” is the water container can leak if left full (fault with spring probably, same design as other water resevoirs so its this machine’s not a general fault,) + the coffee container is an absolute swine to remove from the holder after making a cup. It only slots in one way and the inner container can move making it next to impossible to line up the slots to remove it for another cup when hot. Burnt fingers are us!
Looks very pretty, makes great but not very hot coffee. For a cheaper espresso machine, it’s definitely worth it, but it has some quirks 5 months down the line.
The temperature decreases very quickly as you use it so if you’re aiming for an Americano, you get a lot of cooler water than is really ideal. The temperature also goes down again if you leave it heating up too long, though you can punch it back into life by turning the steamer on and off again. Steamer is good but randomly loses its punch and suffers from the same temperature stability problems, you have to stop and start to get a full jug of steamed milk. You have to sit and watch it like a hawk because it doesn’t turn off after one shot, you have to turn it off manually.
That said, it’s a great and very visually appealing espresso machine that has made coping with two lockdowns and moving to a town with no decent cafs bearable!
Really like the look of this and how easy it is to use. The only drawback for me is the milk frother is a bit awkward but I had been aware of this before buying due to a ‘Which?’ review that still recommended it as a best buy. Makes a wonderful cup of coffee. Would recommend especially for the price!
Love the look of this machine. Surprisingly light compared to old machine. Very easy to clean. Produces excellent coffee. Steam function works very well. Gets to temperature quite quickly. You can’t fit a huge mug underneath only a smallish coffee cup unless you remove the drip tray (which I do). I use filtered water to try and prevent any scale.
Looks fab in the kitchen. I’m very pleased with it.
Looks good and works well once you get used to the buttons and lights. As ever with coffee machines it’s about getting a blend you like and then knowing what strength you prefer. I think I’ve got it sorted with coffee bags (find a brand that doesn’t pack each bag separately). This also makes cleaning the machine much easier.
This machine looks well and so far (3 weeks) has delivered good coffee. My only gripe is that it is pretty cheap feeling – almost nothing on this is made of metal and it is difficult to keep the foam nozzle clean, even though that is made of metal. Not sure if it will last but it does have a 2 year guarante.
First impression: it’s plastic, but looks nice. My last 2 machines were much sturdier but only lasted a couple of weeks each, top filling machines seem to blow a fuse if water escapes. This machine has a large plastic jug at the back for the water which means less refilling and leaking. The wand didn’t look as good as the one on my other machine but works better and the coffee comes out with a proper creme. So far so good.
I bought this as a cheap back up, as I have a Francis Francis that I’ve had for 10years, and couldn’t bear not to have coffee, when I sent that to be serviced. I had read a lot of the reviews on here, so was expecting something pretty basic and plasticky, that might make an awful coffee. I was pleasantly surprised. It’s very easy to use and makes a decent coffee. I think to get the best out of it you need to be able to make a decent cup of coffee in the first place, it took me a while to be able to do this with my other machine, but now I know what I’m doing it’s much easier. I have a bean grinder so ground my beans to the same size I normally do, I have had a really good crema on every shot I’ve pulled on this machine. The milk has stretched nicely. One thing I would recommend, that I’ve done on any machine that I’ve used like this, is to take off the cover at the end of the steam wand, these do my head in, lots of these machines have these crappy plastic covers on the steam wand, and they just get dirty and annoying as they are super hard to clean. I found this to be the same on this machine, so took the silver end off the steam wand, and you could see straight away there was dried on milk under it, so I’ve left it off, and it’s much better, because you can properly clean it after each use. It’s made a decent flat white everytime. Minor points, the steam wand isn’t very long, so if you’re only doing a little milk, it’s a bit of an arse to get it in there (don’t get a big milk jug!) but for a 90 machine it’s very good value, maybe go watch some YouTube videos on how to make a decent coffee if you want to get the best out of it.
This machine doesn’t deliver an espresso like the one in a coffee shop or done with much more expensive machines, but the coffee is good and the machine works as expected, so considering the price, it’s a good purchase.
As a retired barista, after careful treatment and a lot of trial ‘n’ error, I can confirm it’s **fine for the money.**
Best for: deciding whether or not you have the time, space or need for an espresso machine in your life. I would recommend getting this, seeing how much you use it and putting the money you save on PSLs at Starbucks into a piggybank for a better machine at a later date.
Pros:
* The styling is on fleek
* It’s plasticky but reasonably solidly built.
* It’s relatively easy to make an ok cup of coffee.
* Cleaning the machine is fine if a wee bit ‘faffy’. Definitely a “weekend job” rather than something you can do in a rush before work. Also, be aware that If you don’t regularly clean you wand straight after use, it’s just going to stop working and cleaning it on this particular model is tough.
* The machine can cope with *all* the milks.
Cons:
* On average, it take 10-15 mins to make a cup of coffee end to end. On bad days, it’s taken up to 20 mins.
* The pressure in the machine regularly drops. This makes it very hard to control the milk, so if you have coffee art ambitions, you may need to leave them at the door or look elsewhere.
* Despite tamping experiments and trialling different coffee beans, I’ve never been able to get a decently strong espresso, two shots at a time or find a way to get a really satisfactory shot for long coffee from from the machine. Again, I think this is largely down to the machines ability to maintain pressure.
* It’s super noisy and it vibrates like a mofo. Kinda terrifying when you first get it, but it’s just the power of the pump in relation to the size of the machine
* Steam leakage can be a problem – especially from the dial.
* The steamer struggles with frothering alternative milky drinks, like hot chocolate or chai. You have to steam you milk, then whip in the powder or syrup separately.
Bought at the beginning of lockdown and have not been disappointed. Looks great and makes a really good cup of coffee. The steamer is good too. We use it every day. We had a delonghi one before this one and I’d say it’s just as good, maybe even better as I think it heats the water up quicker. Definitely a good choice
From being an instant coffee drinker mainly it was quite a big switch to go from that to a pump espresso machine. Thankfully the Swan Retro machine is very easy to use and comes with a handy guide, I’ve not used the steam frother yet as I already had an automatic frother machine. The two cup sizes are extremely handy also. I can honestly say that coffee in the house now trumps coffee at the coffee shops (at almost 4 a cup from the coffee shop it means a tremendous saving to my household long term).
Still getting used to it, only certain size mugs or cups will fit under which is not a problem for me.
Which the steamer was bit longer for a bigger jug but overall really easy to use.
Would Highly recommend for the price!
Easy and straightforward to use, and it works quickly, (important if you have several guests wanting coffees at the same time). I love the look of it, especially the retro temperature gauge and chrome buttons.
Just one small negative – compared to my previous machines it is a little heavy on the crema, I would have liked to see a bit more lovely black coffee before the crema starts. Overall, very pleased with my new coffee machine.
Great value. Works well considering the price. It tastes of plastic for the first few cups but if you rinse everything . … Quite a few times…. And run water through the system that disappears. Worth the money. Great frothy action and gives a good coffee fix.
Read a few reviews and it was suggested this was a great unit to own.
Certainly a month or so in can’t complain at all.
Lovely brew, great crema on each cup. Good pressure for knocking out 2 cups at the same time.
Perfect for our workshop to keep me and my colleague awake during the day.
I bought this as a surprise for fathers day. I really cant fault it. I am knew to coffee machines but it makes great coffee and the milk frother which was an important part to me works really well, the milk gets hot and has a froth. Perfect lattes and cappucinos
Lovely compact coffee machine with milk foamer. Comes with a scoop and tamper, portafilter and 2 different size portafilter baskets (the bit you put the ground coffee into) – 1 for a single espresso and 1 for a double espresso.
The coffee from this machine is smooth, creamy and delicious, the crema on top is just perfect.
We got this as a replacement to our Kenwood cafe retro which stopped working and I have to say that I much prefer this machine to the Kenwood.
The only negative I have is that the first machine I ordered did not arrive and it was a bit of a faff to cancel that order to get a refund to them be able to reorder it. When I reordered it I received it the next morning, so I think it was just a one off problem with delivery.
A reliable coffee machine – I bought this for my sister and she loves it, it works perfectly once you read the instructions – to make sure you set it up properly. So glad I bought this for her, as she loved it. I honestly loved this product so much that I even reviewed it on my blog. When it comes to the coffee making, in our opinion it makes fantastic coffee blend.
The positives – makes good coffee, looks good, milk frother works well, choice of sizes for coffee porta filter, easy to clean, considering the features reasonable value for money.
The negatives – the materials are a bit flimsy, the water reservoir at the back is a bit of a faff when refilling, you can only use a small milk jug to froth milk, I’m concerned I might break the unit when inserting the porta filter.
I’ve been used to a more expensive bean to cup machine for several years but replaced it with the Swan. It’s a lot more faffing around making a coffee but the price point was worth a try. Results thus far are good.
Overall, I love the small size, fits nicely in the kitchen; love the look and colour of it and easy to clean!
Anywho, we love this little machine. It’s perfect for a novice like myself and my husband. We’ve had it since January, I didn’t want to leave a review until we’d given it a good run. I think 4 months is fair amount of time. We had a pod machine before this and although we liked it the coffee was always very ‘blah’.
So, once you’ve had a good few runs with it and you have a routine down it takes no more than 5 mins to make a proper coffee and clean the machine before sitting down to drink your creation. Which in my opinion is well worth it when you’re getting a drink similar to one you’d pay a small fortune for. It’s not all about the machine, the coffee itself is everything. You put a cheap nasty coffee in your going to get a crappy coffee.. You don’t have to spend the earth to get good coffee, just do some research and read reviews. Discover what type of blends you like as well, it’s not 1 fits all, we all have different taste buds.
The frother is so good, it gets the milk so hot and what technique is used determines the type of froth you get. Coffee is an art of its own, your either into it or your not! My husband is way more into it than me, I’m happy with a flat white, he loves to experiment with it all.
It is honestly easy to use, it’s 3 buttons! You DO have to put some work into, I say work, it’s still very simple. It isn’t a pod machine with 1 button though so if you aren’t prepared to learn and work a little for your coffee just buy a pod machine!
Only slight downfall of the whole machine, the frother wand is just a tad short. If it was another cm or so longer it would be perfect. We still manage to use a larger jug when making more than 1 coffee at a time but it can take some time and doesnt reach the bottom so can sometimes not create that perfect froth. Use a small jug and the froth is perfect everytime!
All in all would 100% recommend this coffee machine for at home use, it’s well worth it’s money. In comparison to others it’s cheap, looks good and works brilliantly. We’ve raved about this to anyone who loves their coffee like we do
I’m really pleased with the look and performance of this coffee machine. Although it is quite light, as many of the other reviews have noted, this contributes to the machine being easy to clean and maneuver when needed. The instructions are clearly written for how to clean, prep, and brew your coffee, and I found that I was able to get a consistent and tastey cup of coffee on the first try.
It’s important to note that the instructions suggest warming the inside of the machine prior to making your espresso. This is because you’re making sure the cold metal and cold cup doesn’t cool down the water as it filters through the grounds/sits in your cup. You have to do this with pretty much any machine and it takes very little time to do, so if you’re finding this machine makes “drinkable, but not piping hot” coffee, do the warm up run first.
My first coffee machine – not a composer but I am really pleased with it. The only fault is that it does give a slightly odd tinge to the taste of coffee. Still can’t really figure out why. But it’s not too bad and I’m not fussy so it’ll do! Good value for money
I bought this at the start of lockdown because I NEED a decent coffee everyday. This machine is so good, it makes amazing lattes; however I agree with other reviews that you need to heat your milk a bit first in the microwave, which really isn’t a problem. It really is very easy to work, and the yes the little pipe that the steam come through does feel a bit flimsy, however 2 months in and I’ve no issues with it. It also looks amazing in my kitchen. Fantastic machine, especially for the price.
TL;DR: I love this coffee machine, it’s easy to use, quick to heat up and makes delicious coffee.
Long version: While I’ve quite enjoyed lockdown, I realised one thing I did miss was proper coffee. This review comes with the caveat that I am not a coffee snob at all, and my husband I have generally tolerated instant coffee till now – I would get my ‘posh coffee’ fix when out and about a few times a week. I didn’t fancy a pod machine, and couldn’t justify spending hundreds on a fancy piece of kit, so I settled for this model from Swan. And I have to say, it’s brought me so much joy. It doesn’t take up much room, looks great in our kitchen, and is really easy to use. We’ve made delicious cups of cappuccino, latte, hot chocolate and iced coffee, and it feels like a real treat. Yes it is quite obviously pretty cheaply made but honestly we’re so pleasantly surprised by the quality given the price point.
I’ve had it a few weeks now and use it loads. I don’t have a bad smell coming from it and it works well.
It cleans up well and I love the ease of filling the water tank.
My advice for anyone thinking of buying one is get a fairly small stainless steel milk jug as the steam wand is quite short. Make sure you clean the wand after every use taking the sleeve off to avoid clogging.
Get a good fine ground coffee or grind beans to max in your grinder and don’t overfill the pod.
I can’t fault it at all. It’s sturdy, cute, very functional and makes a lovely coffee.
I’m very pleased with it and would say for this price it’s well worth the money.
Really pleased with my purchase of this Coffee machine. Easy to use, nice retro look, brews a really nice coffee. Milk steamer easy to use, sure will take several attempts to get the desired milk for different style coffees ie flat white/cappuccino etc. Plenty of videos online that help with this! Overall one happy customer, would definitely recommend you purchase this coffee machine, excellent price as well! Also a great range of colours available – I ended up going for the grey to match my kitchen.
I don’t really bother steaming milk with it as the steamer is tiny and a little bit shoddy. I drink espresso anyway, but if I didn’t I would definitely be sending the machine back.
It didn’t come with instructions, but it’s really not that complicated to figure out the buttons. (Tip: don’t forgot to turn off the steamer button before you hit the espresso button or very hot water and coffee grinds will start overflowing from the group hand. Burny burny messy messy haha)
It’s a bit messy too, and even though it says you can make 2 cups of coffee at once, the amount of coffee it makes for just 1 cup is really not a lot. I like strong coffee so i usually have to do the process twice just to avoid a weak watery espresso.
In hindsight, I probably would have shelled out a bit more money for a better machine, but you know what? It does the job and it is really adorable! The retro blue is gorgeous.
Really easy to use machine, milk steamer creates a good amount of froth, coffee comes out nice & hot. Buttons are easy to push, and the water tank has a handle making it really easy to remove, fill & replace.
Doesn’t fit a full size mug & the ridge around the drip tray means it takes a bit longer to dry.
Really good value for money when comparing to similar quality machines.
Easy to use but I’d recommend doing some YouTube searches on how fine your coffee should be ground. It makes all the difference with how the machine operates and the result of the coffee coming out, but it only took a few tries to dial it in.
Update:
I’ve been using this unit daily since the Lockdown and I honestly think the coffees this makes are better than anything you can get from Costa/Starbucks (when they open anyway). I’m no expert and I’m probably still doing things wrong, but I’ve definitely learned from a few mistakes others can avoid. Here’s what I do which will hopefully help:
Grind your own beans, it’s worth it!! I tried soooo many preground coffees and none of them had more than a 1/3rd the flavor of freshly ground and espresso just doesn’t work right. I get my coffee beans from Rave Coffee because they roast to order (no paid promotion), but get whatever you like.
Don’t use a blade grinder!!! I bought one of these first and it was ultimately a wasted purchase. Blade-ground coffee is better than preground, but it’s not the best. I’m not sure what it is but some flavor seems to get lost/not transferred to the drink.
DO BUY A BURR GRINDER!! These things are insane and double the flavor I was getting from my blade grinder. My new grinder is a Andronicas Burr Grinder which inset to the finest setting and then scoop directly into the porto filter (handle-thing that holds grounds in the machine).
Do NOT burn the milk!! Man, it stinks. I bought a little milk steaming jug and thermostat for about 8 and they do the job, nothing fancy required.
I read online that if you heat milk to between 145-150F it goes through some process and begins to taste a lot sweeter. I tried it and it works perfectly!!! Soo… Welcome to Mthybusters.
It’s a little rumbly when you operate it but it makes a really nice brew. Took me a couple of operations to get the hang of it. Also definitely rinse the tank before use or you really will get a nasty burnt plastic taste in your brew as reviewed elsewhere. I’m very happy with this uni
This makes a lovely cup of coffee, warming up fairly fast and making the espresso very well. There are two annoying issues: one one that the steam wand isn’t very long. I’ve used a small jug and had the milk overflow. When I use a bigger jug, I have to use extra milk so the wand if fully submersed, and so waste a bit. Also the milk immediately dries onto the wand, so it can be hard to clean. The other small issue is that the water tank is not very wide, I have a shower head tap and makes a bit of a mess. It’s a good machine for the price.
makes a good coffee, also normal one, cappuccino good as well.
warming uptime very quickly under 1 minute
using it for 2 weeks now, wonder how long it will last
1 star off, cause that the seef is clogging easlily after one week, can take it apart with screwdriver and clean it.
Will buy a 1 bottem seef for i
Amazing value for money for the espresso.
Tips:
1) let the water run through for 5 secs before use so it’s fresh each time.
2) don’t bother with the milk steamer. It’s underpowered and a faff to clean each time. I just heat in a microwave and foam with a handheld foamer. Much easier and same outcome.
It is cheap enough if you are looking for a small test to start.
The steamer is not the best one but it will work if you find the sweet spot.
So light and easy to move and clean.
I recommend to get a tamper like the one I have in my picture. The plastic one with the coffee machine it’s quite bad.
Recommended for those coffee lovers!
Makes excellent coffee in a short time. Very good performance for such a keenly priced machine. I like the additional milk frothing function. It doesn’t grind the beans so there is less to go wrong. I bought this with a Porlex hand grinder.
The coffee that comes out of the machine is almost as tasty as the 4,000 professional machines.
The milk is froth to a good quality. Although it is not as easy to draw a design on the coffee as with a 4,000 machine, but it is doable with some practice.
Well worth the price, for a really good tasting coffee!
For the price a nice tidy product,very retro and simple to work looking at some of the negative reviews I feel there a bit unjustified considering what you get for under a 100,okay its plastic but it kinda adds to its charm.only time will tell if it lasts the pace in this cheap and cheerful throw away culture
What a lovely product. It’s far lighter and smaller than I thought and for me that is an advantage because my kitchen is very small. There is a single and double espresso facility. The water flow is entirely controlled by the operator. That appeals to my artistic flare. I was concerned it was going to be complicated to use but it is not. The flavour, of course, depends much upon the quality of the coffee but I was delighted. The steamer is very easy to use and the preheat facility is fast. Very fast in fact. I have no complaint. This product appears to be excellent value. The tools are great. One of the reasons I chose this style of machine was I didn’t want to use plastic pods as I was concerned about their environment impact. I’ve already saved money by ditching the coffee shop stop and think this gizmo will pay for itself in no time. Paired with my ice machine this thing rocks. It was gorgeous espresso martinis yesterday evening and iced lattes all summer.
Fairly easy to set up and start using. Unfortunately, first coffees had a plastic taste to them. Contacted Swan who assured me that this was very rare but not unknown. Suggested I use bottled water. I was using filtered water anyway so didn’t think this would make any difference. A run through with white vinegar and water mixture followed by thorough cleaning seems to have done the trick.
On the downside, the frothing wand is a bit too short to reach down into a 600ml jug so purchased a 350ml one which seems better. A longer wand would fix that. Also, when operating, the handle on the water container vibrates making it twice as noisy as it should be. These are fairly minor points but things like that can grate after a while!
On the positive side the machine looks great (we have other matching products in our kitchen) and it makes a decent expresso and of course other longer coffees by keeping the pump button on for as long as it takes to fill your cup.
Possibly a cheaper machine would do exactly the same job, and it might be a case of style over substance, but as I said, it looks good and that pleases my wife as much as she enjoys the coffee!
We sat down and everyone wanted one of mummy’s coffees!
The machine is quite light and I was concerned that it wouldn’t be robust, the wand on mine doesn’t seem to lock into place infront of you sits to the side and if I pushed it I wouldn’t be too sure it wouldn’t break. The water tank holds plenty for 4 coffee’s.
The machine heats up quickly, the little pods that you put the coffee into can be fiddly and hot to remove as you have to line up a tiny notch, the little handle bit on the wand is to prevent your pod escaping into the bin when removing the coffee used!!
The milk wand is quite short, I have a 600ml jug for heating milk and this is too large for the wand to reach the bottom. Although it heats up well but the steam has to build up each time, that bit was disappointing, you’ve made your coffee and it gets cool waiting for the milk to heat.
Cleaning tip remove the steam wand outer case as the milk builds up very quickly.
Overall a stylish machine that looks good on your kitchen side but could be a little better but for the cost, it gives the same reviews as the ones twice the price.
Water heats up fast
Milk wand is very good
I’d recommend i