Sage Barista Express Espresso Machine – Espresso and Coffee Maker, Bean to Cup Coffee Machine, BES875UK , Brushed Stainless Steel
Kitchen appliances designed to inspire people to produce perfect food and beverage results in their own homes with ease. From espresso machines to food processors, the innovation in each appliance delights. Sage makes the process a pleasure and the end result perfect, every time.
the Barista Express by Sage
True café quality, without the barista.
Create great tasting espresso – from bean to espresso– in less than a minute. The Barista Express allows you to grind the beans right before extraction, and its interchangeable filters and a choice of automatic or manual operation ensure authentic café style results in no time at all.
The 4 keys formula for third wave specialty coffee at home:
- Rich, full flavour
- Perfectly balanced taste
- Irresistible body
- Silky, velvety mouthfeel
The 4 keys formula for third wave specialty coffee at home.
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|---|---|---|---|
1. Rich, full flavourFull-bodied coffee with rich and complex flavours is created using the right dose of 19-22g of freshly ground beans. This dose allows the coffee to fully express the incredible aroma, intense flavours and distinctive character of the coffee, for a true cafe quality result. Anything less than the optimal dose results in a weak and watery taste experience. | 2. Perfectly balanced tasteSweet, delicious and nuanced flavour notes begin with precise control over water temperature. Digital temperature control (PID) technology precisely controls water temperature for a perfectly balanced coffee extraction, giving you the control and consistency for delicious tasting coffee every time. | 3. Irresistible bodyAn opulent, creamy and caramel-coloured espresso starts with low pressure pre-infusion that soaks the grinds, allowing water to pass evenly through the coffee during the high pressure (9 bar) extraction process, delivered via our 15 bar Italian pump. This results in a rich, sweet and viscous espresso. | 4. Silky, velvety mouthfeelSavour the silky taste and velvety mouthfeel of true microfoam milk. The milk is steamed with pressure that creates thousands of tiny bubbles, enhancing flavour and mouthfeel, while the temperature brings out the milk’s sweetness, exciting your taste buds, for a harmonious blend of rich, sweet milk and syrupy, golden espresso. |
Special Features of the Barista Express
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Dose-Control GrindingIntegrated conical burr grinder grinds on-demand to deliver the right amount of freshly ground coffee directly into the portafilter for your preferred taste with any roast of bean. | Precise Espresso ExtractionDigital temperature control (PID) delivers water at precisley the right temperature, ensuring optimal espresso extraction. | Micro-foam Milk TexturingThe steam wand performs at the level that allows you to hand texture micro-foam milk that enhances flavour and enables creation of latte art. | Hands-Free OperationInnovative grinding cradle allows any at-home Barista to grind directly into the espresso portafilter. |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interface | Button Control | Dial Control | Analogue Gauge Button Control | Analogue Gauge Button Control | Swipe & Select Touch Screen | LCD Screen; Button Control |
| Hands on like a barista | – | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | – | – |
| Cafe Quality Microfoam | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Precise Milk Temperature, Automatically | ✓ | – | – | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Built-In Grinder | – | – | ✓ | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Compact Footprint | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | – | – | – |
| 3 Second Heat Up | ✓ | – | – | – | ✓ | – |
| Weight: | 10.6 kg |
| Dimensions: | 31 x 40 x 33 cm; 10.6 Kilograms |
| Brand: | Sage |
| Model: | BES875UK |
| Colour: | Stainless Steel |
| Colour: | Stainless Steel |
Lovely bit of kit but opens a whole can of worms if you’re looking to make real genuine coffee.
You will only create a ‘real’ expresso with fresh coffee.
When I say fresh, I mean roasted in the last 4-21 days, not supermarket mass produced/roasted coffee.
You’ll need to buy little & often.
Old coffee will not make the necessary pressure for a genuine ‘creme’ expresso.
Watch the YouTube videos buy Sage before you buy to make sure you know what your doing first.
Enjoy!
Bought this for my husband for Christmas and he absolutely loves it.. Found setting it up a bit difficult but managed to find what he needed on YouTube.. Haven’t actually cleaned it yet as only had it a week but it looks pretty straight forward.
I think every household needs one 🙂
You genuinely have to learn about how to make decent coffee and you also have to love coffee. Not for total novices but also, not that hard to work out. We absolutely love i
Amazing easy to use easy to clean and the best results give an amazing smooth coffee!!
I’m very pleased with this coffee machine it is easy to use I can make coffee now just like Costa I like it because you got a built in Grinder The milk jug has got his built in temperature Gauge
Everything is great but it does take some time to get the right grind/tamp if you have no prior experience. Once you find the right mix, it makes great coffees. Love the machine
Fast delivery and great product. Makes a great cup of coffee, easy to use & clean.
Does the job fine, only makes expresso then you use that to make whatever. Has decent steam wand.
Fresh and almost professional coffee every day. After one year, I’m struggling to find coffee from coffee shops, better than what I can brew at home.
What’s not to like – great machine, easy to use, makes great coffee.
Milk jug is quite small but that’s the only criticism I have.
I’m now a home barista who’s keeps mhis wife happy with cappuccinos on demand.
Been looking at coffee machines for a few months and finally purchased this one off of a recommendation from my brother. Really loving it so far and it’s very easy to use.
Just my only complaint would be that it is pretty loud so can’t really use it early in the morning as it could potentially wake people up
Super happy with this machine – checked out numerous YT vids showing Tips and Tricks for using this machine and after 3 calibration attempts have started making better flat whites than I can buy in any shop. Slightly overwhelming at first making sure that the tamping and grind was on point (previous machine was auto in this respect) but once I nailed it (again using YT vids), it became very simple. Five stars, super high quality for the price.
This has raised the bar on home brewing coffee, great upgrade. Now it is dialled in anyone can make a perfect espresso at the push of a butto
Whilst this is not strictly a bean to cup machine, once you get used to using it and are setup with your beans of choice this machine produces a very good espresso, cappuccino and latte, etc. people moan about the filters but you can use other types of filtering and machine cleaners. For a not overly expensive machine I would recommend!
First off this product looks Amazing in any kitchen. I’ve given it a 4star but nearly a 5 star. I’ve had it a week now and have encountered a few issues. First off for some reason the grinder wouldn’t grind the beans for about 6 attempts, it would make the sound then I had to push the beans down which seemed a tad dangerous. It took me a whole 200g bag of coffee to get the blend/pressure right which was slightly annoying. Maybe it’s the beans I used??? I used Starbucks Espresso. I have double espresso and my wife has single and for some reason it doesn’t seem to do singles as well as doubles? I’ve tried adjusting coarseness with grind amount and seems to change every time I use it. It’s quite difficult getting it perfect every time but when the machine does it’s job correctly the taste is amazing and makes the whole house smell delicious. I’ll give it more time and keep at it. I would definitely recommend this machine to anyone.
One huge deciding factor was that decent money was spent for this machine and I wasn’t going to throw that down the drain and I had every intention of getting my moneys worth and tastes worth out of it from the get go and every good cup of espresso was only going to be as good as the attention I gave it before the machine even heated up. This is where anyone, I would suggest, who wants to have the relationship with good espresso over the longest period might want to get this mindset down to perfection. Wax on wax off, so to speak.
Making espresso, I soon discovered, is a performance. A performance of graceful manoeuvres, impeccable timing, exact measure, tamping mastery and, of course, the bean. Failure at any is failure of the whole and an extraction of a mud like sludge or watery sewage that wouldn’t deserve the u-bend of an Italian brothel and the avoidance of all is the embrace the ubiquitous coffee scale and timer. Get them, now! Most of any other technical know-how you will need to acquire can be obtained from the aforementioned YouTube videos and demonstrations after which, practice, practice and more practice will bring you to where you’ll need to be. You’ll also need to buy a lot of coffee beans to get as good as you need to be to justify the outlay. Sorry but that’s how this process goes.
Other ratings, especially the poorer ones on this espresso machine, aren’t about coffee quality or taste but about poor quality control or inadequate supply of parts etc. so, if this is an anxiety for you, be sure of your absolute right to send this sucker back if anything about it fails to deliver and is part of the guarantee. Otherwise, the care for The Sage Barista Espresso Machine is your responsibility and you’ll have to make time to do it.
I back-flush the system twice each week and plan to descale it every two months using a vinegar-water mix that I’ve used for other appliances. It works at least as well as anything that can be bought here but the back-flushing tabs are dirt cheap so I use them. Isopropyl alcohol is my preferred method of cleaning the brushed stainless steel exterior and it brings it all to a showroom shine every time. Neglect of any of these routines will ensure that somewhere down the road you will regret not doing it.
So, there you have it. This is my take on The Sage Barista Express Machine and there are lots of things I haven’t mentioned here because they will be all too apparent soon after you open the box it comes in which, by the way, you should keep in case the one star reviews become real for you. Otherwise, and with a fresh coffee in my hand, Use good beans, keep good discipline and get a real Italian coffee mug if you haven’t already got one.
ciao!
This is my second machine the last one gave me many years of service but I never cleaned it thoroughly and the jet hole in the frother clogged up causing damage
I would strongly recommend this machine
I was a little apprehensive ordering such an expensive product through Amazon but John Lewis had been out of stock for ages so went ahead. Arrived absolutely perfect so no issues there.
Love this machine, use it many times a day, lots of reviews make it sound really complicated but once you get used to it its just routine and produces great coffee. This was an upgrade from a Nespresso machine that died after many years. I wanted something that would let me use beans or grounds and this is perfect but to be honest I only ever use whole beans now – the grinder is top quality giving great results. Love it!
Bought during lockdown. Can’t fault this machine. Coffee making taken to the next level. Excellent coffee has become the norm. Two kitchen gadgets I now can’t imagine ever having lived without, this and a Dyson V7 handheld vacuum. The two are actually complementary. One is good to own, the Sage, however, is essential!
Best coffee machine that I ever bought!
Like my coffees and this machine makes me very happy.
For best results do use freshly roasted coffee, I have discovered an artisan roast that have a beautiful coffee and that is the best for a good coffee!
absolutely great piece of kit, took about 3 trys to great it nailed! great coffee machine and ideal for the kids hot chocolate.
I’ve put 5 star’s for flavour but that depends on your beans, tried 3 brands now and all is grea
Great machine, takes abit if getting use to but great coffee machine
Bought this after I had to return a Solis Grind and Infuse Compact machine for grinder fault.
They were both around 500. The only thing better on the Solis was the tamper. Everything else is in a totally different class on the Sage.
Love this baby, it has such pressure power that the espresso comes out smooth and rich. I’m using freshly roasted beans from Rave coffee (Signature blend No1) with Oat milk. Frother is also very good and the machine came with a temperature indicator which is very helpful. If you live in England you can find good espresso on the high street very rarely, it’s usually burnt. With this machine you will fall in love with espresso (and you’ll understand how it usually should taste). Highly recommend and do follow the instructions for good espresso on the machine manual or online workshops.
So overall this machine is fantastic. Owned for 3 months prior to writing this. So the steam wand is not that powerful which allows you more time to perfect your milk steaming. There are 16 outer and i think 8 or 10 inner grind settings. For the price i don’t think you can go much better. Unless you want separate machines for grinding and brewing. You do need to know what your doing. Be prepared to waste some coffee dialling the machine in. And you may want some digital scales too!
Bought this as a birthday gift for my son, he loves i
Great so far, not the best instructions, and still learning, could have done with a video tutorial. I just use the one filter, don’t see the point in the others. The pressure gauge needle doesn’t move so can’t see the point in that, but I could be doing something wrong. I’ve mastered my coffee despite lack of help. Great machine
Looks great, Makes a great coffee and is easy to use.
This is a fantastic machine. I am delighted with mine. A family member has the oracle touch which is a fully automated version. I feel that with this cheaper manual option you actually get slightly more control over how you make your coffees. I would recommend however the one with the automated tamp if you’re able to spend a little more as the grinding and tamping process can be a bit messy. Also really like the temperature control milk jug
Great coffee machine for someone who wants coffee shop quality drinks and doesn’t mind putting a bit of work in.
Speedy delivery on time.
Good quality product and is made a talking point on our house with family and friends.
All enjoyed the coffee
I’ve had a few machines previously, from a simple pod type to a slightly more expensive DeLonghi, but this SAGE machine wipes the floor with them.
Yes, it costs more but it’s worth the extra if you’re serious about the quality of your coffee.
As someone else mentioned, it does require a bit more effort to get the best from it, but there are so many guides and reviews around for the SAGE that you soon pick it up.
I’m still learning every time I use it but even after one week I’m getting really nice coffee from it.
I had my eye on this coffee machine for months and finally bought it in December last year. It’s the best! I was upgrading from another machine as I wanted a bean to cup one. It takes a bit of fiddling to get the coffee grind and amount right for your beans, but once you’ve got it, it’s good to go. It makes such a lovely cup of coffee and I use it multiple times a day for me and my boyfriend. Definitely worth the money, I love it!!
This is a amazing coffee machine. Would highly recommend it but not for newbie. This was the first coffee machine ive brought and there is a lot to get your head round just to be able to get a amazing shot of coffee.
We love this. Takes a few runs to get grind size and amount right but worth the effort as you then get really good flavour. Once set up it’s quick to use.
Amazing coffee machine. Takes a few days and several shots of coffee to be consistent but is well worth it.
This is my favourite thing in the world and if I had to save one thing in my house I’d choose this! Never let’s me down and made lockdown easier!
Excellent home coffee machine, the best I’ve ever tried. It takes a little work to get the dosing dialled in, but once that’s done the coffee is excellent.
This looks gorgeous and makes delicious coffee, it’s really fun to play around with and does take some getting used to but it’s worth it. the only downfalls are that you have to buy a new filter every 3 months and they’re expensive, and the tray of the black sesame machine got scratched up very quickly.
This has been my best lockdown purchase.. period.
Grinds the beans well. 1 thing I note is that it’s always reading high pressure no matter what i do when making a coffee.
Have flavour 1 star as I haven’t really tasted the machine itself, the coffee I put in it is tasty though
Could not have survived working from home without this machine. The first one started to leak after about 2 months and Amazon replaced it in 48 hours. This second one has had no problems and works a dream with all my localyl purchased fresh beans from Well Roasted Coffee, a gold mine of a one man band with the most fantastic freshly roasted beans.
Can’t really review this as I bought it for my daughter. But she says it makes great coffee and she and her partner love it.
Best thing in my kitchen. Upgraded from a Nespresso capsule machine, Took some time to master for my taste but so worth the effort.
This is the one!!! Pay the extra money. It’s worth it. Stop looking at other Makes too. That’s it. Buy it. You will not be disappointed.
Really pleased with the purchase. Yes it’s expensive but if you love decent coffee to start your day, you won’t regret it. I would point out the black version seems to scratch very easily and the paint chips/flakes off easily so be aware if you are choosing this black version.
I bought this coffee machine as an upgrade from an old nespresso one I had for years. It seemed professional, but still affordable. I can say I made a right choice, freshly ground coffee tastes infinite times better than pods! Also it looks very fancy in my kitchen 🙂
It takes some effort to set it up and adjust all the settings. Operating it also requires more effort than pressing a button, but if someone loves coffee, it’s worth it.
One thing I’d want to mention, it’s best to stem the milk before extracting espresso because it takes quite a while to do that. Ideally, you’d want to steam the milk at the same time as making espresso, but you can do only one at the time.
I used to drink pod coffee at home but could never get the real rich coffee flavour as when you go to a local shop. With Sage bean to cup I finally can enjoy a proper coffee anytime without paying premium or having to leave my home. Yes, the initial cost of the machine is high but I believe it saves me money long term and it looks great in my kitchen. I now just have to master my “coffee art” drawing skills but practice makes perfect and I am enjoying getting better every time. I also use the machine to make green tea or froth milk and make turmeric chai drink.
Coffee is an expensive habit but this thing changed my life. I use it everyday multiple times and has saved me so much money. Make sure you spend some money on some good beans from a good roaster though. Amazing espresso machine and easy to clean.
After plenty of research, I plumped for this and do not regret it. It took a few days of experimentation with grinding adjustments, but I now get great coffee every time
My husband and I are so pleased we bought this little piece of heaven.
You need good freshly roasted beans to really get the best from this machine (and get into the espresso range). You need to tweak the settings to get the right ground but after that it’s absolutely perfect. Well nearly! It’s rather loud so once you become addicted to the wonderful taste of fresh coffee you will wake everyone up (but you won’t care!!!)
Amazing machine, took a while to get the grind right. The pressure gauge only started functioning when the grind was set at 3, which is quite fine. Since then it has worked perfectly.
It took some time to find the right setting for grinding the coffee beans and the correct amount . Now I don’t alter it and it’s just right for us.
This is a great starting point for the home coffee hobbyist and will last for a long time due to it’s customisation options. You may never outgrow it and as such it represents great value because you get absolutely everything you need in one package. If you need spare parts, filters, cleaning tablets etc it is so easy to buy them in most places such is the popularity and size of this brand. Highly recommended.
It’s a great to use at home and the quality of the machine is amazing.
Also simple and intuitive, giving you control over the grind size no matter what type of bean you’re grinding.
After a bit of trial and error, soon got the hang of using this machine. Find a bean roast that you like, adjust the grind settings and you are away.
Easy to clean and keep clean.
Great barista coffee at home.
Good product- takes time to learn, but I enjoy to process. Coffees tastes great and I have no complaints. I prefer coffees with milk e.g latte, cappuccino rather than expresso so I cannot comment on straight expresso. Was a bit worried as there were a number of negative comments on coffee forums, such as grinder setting ect but for me this machine is fine. Would be tricky to make a number of coffees but as I make only 2 at a time no issues.
Best lockdown purchase. Really enjoying the coffee from this machine. It takes a little bit of getting used to but once you get the hang of it it’s really easy to make lovely coffee. We mostly drink Americanos and lattes.
Beautiful coffee and it didn’t take long using Sage’s online videos to learn how to make a good cup of coffee. One essential thing I learned is you’ve got to use freshly roasted coffee. If it doesn’t say when it was roasted don’t buy it.
I and my wife are regular coffee shop drinkers but what we made at home was a poor relation so I decided to take the plunge and buy this machine. I am pleased with the overall quality of the machine. It is robust where it needs to be and after a few experiments I have now got into a routine that produces excellent cappuccinos. I watched some You tube videos on frothing which helped. I found that the settings change if you change coffee beans so we have found a bean we really like and stick to it. It is not slow to make a drink but clearly a bit of time and effort is needed and you must clean as you use it. Its an event and enjoyable making coffee with it and have no regrets buying it or recommending it. I have had it a mnth , so early days but its had a lot of use so far .
Amazing coffee machine. Does everything I need it to. The milk steamer is a bit slow but it gives you more time to create good foam. Coffee tastes just as good or better than coffee shops in my opinion.
This is the best coffee machine in terms of value for money. Not overly cheap, but for the features included it should cost more. The quality of the brew matches the really expensive machines.
Great machine, we also have a Nespresso machine but that’s now for a quick take to work coffee. The sage is a great machine for grinding beans and making a coffee just how you like it. Takes a bit of getting used to, getting the right grind for the beans you use takes time. I now use a coffee distributor and tamp which I find takes away that factor of making coffee, that can also be found on Amazon.
The best coffee machine I ever have had, also the lost expensive one, it was a wee present for myself and I am really happy with it, plenty of accessories to make great coffee, and awesome quality finish
Just arrived – set up – coffee in – double made – frother used and i have just drunk an awesome tasty cappuccino. Hat’s off to Sage so far, so brilliant!
So far so good.
Coffee is amazing and it’s easy to change grind/amount to meet desired results. The steam is powerful enough to create the perfect cappuccino/latte/anything-yoy-like, although it requires some practice. Comes with everything you need to get started! 5 start for now!
It may take a while to get a hold of it but then it’s just amazing. Only down side is the tamper is not the best for such a good machine.
This is just a great machine. Was in my wish list for a long time, watched many youtube videos and caught the discount. We’d been using Delonghi Dedica before this machine but the difference between coffees is like day & night. Probably my most favorite item at home right now. I’d advise to any coffee lover!
My Bosch Tasimo finally gave up after heavy use during lockdowns therefore naturual step up from Pods were to go Bean to Cup.
Pro’s:
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– Real solid / heavy unit quality build
– Good water container capacity 2Ltrs
– Good sized bean hopper
– Quality filters / drip tray unit
– Straight forward operation grinding beans, water, steam delivery clean up etc.
– Taste and quality of the coffee it delivers is second to none its better than coffee shops!
– The Barista Express model is actually affordable and not 1000s of pounds…
– Well packaged, well documented and easy straight forward setup.
Consideration’s:
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– Its a fairly nosiy operation brewing / grinding and steaming so don’t expect silent mode.
– It takes a little bit of tinkering the grind depending on your beans, to brew the coffee into the esspresso range but the manual / guide instructs you on how to achieve a good brew result.
– You’ll embark on searching for the best coffee bean taste for your pallet so don’t expect instant great tasting coffee it’ll take a few bean tastings to find your desired pallet.
– Its not a 1 click instant coffee machine, its a unit of coffee making which will require you to master the art of basic baristaing. If you want an instant coffee machine look for a Tasimo or what not..
All in All i highly recommend this unit for anybody moving into Bean to Cup 10/10 recommending to everybody.
If you do have time for becoming a homemade barista, you can easily buy it and it will be a good choice.
It takes a bit of time to learn how to operate it in the best way but it is worthy!
After 4 months I am happy to have it and would recomend it to everybody.
Great piece of kit, took me a few weeks to dial in the machine with different beans…Once you have the settings/tamping pressure correct you’ll no longer need to go to Starbucks/Pret!
This machine is all you need to produce a coffee as good as the one you’d get at an italian bar. However, making coffee is not easy and this is not an automated machine in the sense that you grind some coffee and you get something amazing. Using this machine requires a lot of experimentation, practice and good quality coffee beans. It all comes down to the technique. If you’re not willing to experiment and practice a lot don’t buy it. On the other hand, If you are into learning then this machine will give you great satisfaction. It is also relatively expensive to maintain in terms of coffee beans which go down quite fast and also water filter and cleaning products.
I was deliberating about buying the Pro and a silver one, as there were comments about the black one chipping
The Express became available on Black Friday for an amazing price which forced my hand
It is the perfect machine simple and adaptable. It makes fantastic coffee and looks amazing in black as yet I cannot see how the finish could be damaged it is very durable!
I missed the Black Friday deal so I waited until the sale on Boxing day when it came down to 399 again . I quickly made the purchase and it arrived next day. 24 hours on and I’ve already dialled the machine in and making superb coffee, even using Aldi Espresso beans that have been in my cupboard for some time. I’ve ordered freshly roasted beans online so as soon as they arrive I expect my coffee to be another level. I’m particularly impressed with the steam wand, it textures the milk just beautifully and makes the coffee silky smooth. Overall very impressed with both Amazon and my new Barista. 399 very well spent.
Finally decided to buy a coffee machine and glad I went for this. Espresso is as good as our favourite independent cafe and now we are figuring out which coffee beans are our favourite.
Really pleased with it. It took me about 1 week to really perfect how to use it. You need to make sure you are using freshly roasted coffee beans and the correct amount of coffee grind. Once you have those two points correct you will get a perfect espresso every time.
I picked this up in deal of the day for 399 which is a bargain for this machine. Personally I think they’re are better machines out there for 600 however it’s fantastic for beginners
A fabulous coffee machine. I have absolutely no regrets buying it and recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone looking for amazing home brewed coffee. Make sure you buy good coffee to warrant this super machine!
here is more than enough reviews about this machine , and i’m really excited to have it , one thing you should know is , this machine needs a lot of practice and patience to get the best results.
So impressed with this machine. It took us a weekend of dodgy coffee while we practiced but it’s well worth it now we can make an amazing coffee. The smell of the coffee is just incredible. I would suggest the sage knock box which you can buy separately.
I like it so much, everything on is machine was amazing. no need to go outside to buy a cup of coffee if you would like to to have one for this machine! highly recommended.
You have to learn stuff first, then practice. Took me couple of months but definitely worth it. I suggest finding good roaster too, because having fresh beans makes it that much easier to brew with the required pressure.
An excellent piece of ‘kit’ but some trial and error is needed in finding grind amounts for whole bean brews. However, by changing the filters, both whole bean and ground coffees can be used (including decaffeinated varieties, if required).
Flavour is excellent, once you have found the right strength coffee – just like you would buy in a reputable coffee house or restaurant.
The steam wand is great for heating and frothing milk in order to make your preferred style of drink.
Of course, this does not give ‘instant’ coffee but the time taken to make it is well worth the effort!
If you want coffee shop quality coffee then this is the machine to get. It’s regularly on offer for 400-500 so don’t pay more, and that make it worth i
Only had this a few days, but so pleased with it so far. Looks great and more importantly makes great coffee. Key is sourcing decent, fresh beans. Not too tricky to use once you know what you’re doing – after a bit of tweaking you won’t look back. Load of video online to look at for any tips.
I bought this on Amazon Prime Day when it had a substantial discount and have been very happy with its overall performance. You can adjust the grind of your beans and the amount of coffee per cup and when you get it right the quality of the coffee is excellent.
You have a choice of 4 different baskets to take account of whether you are using the grinder or pre-ground coffee and for single or double sizes. I struggled getting the pressure right but after I spoke to Sage they suggested using a double basket and this sorted the issue.
The frother works extremely well and I can now produce a cappuccino that is as good as any you get from a coffee chain.
Overall very happy so far with product.
Update, one year on and 1500+ coffees, this is a very good machine and once you get the grind size right, the coffee is superb. I have had no problems with reliability and strongly recommend for people who don’t want to spend an absolute fortune but do want quality coffee.
Amazing coffee once you have spent the time perfecting the grind and the tamping. We measured it to fit under our kitchen cupboards and were disappointed to find that the measurements are incorrect and rather than 38cm high, it is more like 40.5cm. Does not fit where we wanted it too but it is definitely worth the money.
Get decent beans and the taste is superb. I take joy in playing about with settings to get things just right and that’s an important part of the process.
I’ve played with the Programmable settings but the default ones are fine. I just need to get the right Grind Size by altering the dial on the side, sometimes different for each type of beans – Fine for slower extraction to Coarse for faster extraction. I keep the Grind Amount dial set to minimum as that usually fills the single filter basket.
It’s easy, I had fun with it, never produced a bad coffee yet. The pressure guage will help you make the perfect coffee, you’ll get used to it and you’ll get it right yourself in time. I could make you a hot espresso within 2 minutes, way less if the machine is warm/primed. This machine makes hot or very hot espresso. If the hot water/coffee isn’t hot enough, it can go hotter. I tried it hotter but put it back to default! So that’s an excellent feature.
You don’t need to remove the water tank to fill it up, which is excellent, just pour water in (keeping away from the grinder). The grinder works great too, never had a problem with it, easy to remove and clean. The steam wand is easy to use once you get the hang of it. I just heat up the cups using that or the water pump, (and sometimes I partially heat milk in a microwave to speed things up). I don’t use the temp.controlled jug often.
It’s versatile and good quality – It’s had a few bangs here and there but no issues. It’s really easy to keep clean. The drip tray needs cleaned the most or the waste water absolutely stinks (like rotten eggs). But usually a quick wipe with soapy cloth then quick dry and it still looks as good as new except for the 100s of fine scratches on the stainless steel drip tray! I don’t clean the machine when it tells me to, I’ve got good water here so limescale isn’t a problem for me. I’ve run some warm water and vinegar through the machine a few times to clean it, but I don’t stress over it. The ‘Clean Me’ light has been flashing for 2 months now (bad, i know!) I’ll clean it soon – that’s easy too – just takes 5 minutes.
I did take out the extended warranty, expecting the boiler or a pump to die (they do eventually), but I’ve not needed it so far! You could say the machine has paid for itself, because I’ve not been to a coffee shop in 2 years. I can now make my own Great Coffee!
Buy It! You’ll love it.
Bought this for my barista husband. Reviewing a year on as it’s such a pricey buy. But it is SOOOO worth it. Amazing product and makes each morning feel like a luxury with each cup.
This machine is worth every penny, looks amazing in the kitchen and is really easy to use and clean.
Used with the right coffee beans it makes lovely coffee, also the hot water function is great for tea.
Purchased during Black Friday sales in 2019, having never owned a bean to cup before I followed all the sage barista YouTube videos and it’s just brilliant. I’d go as far as saying it’s been the best purchase I’ve made for a long time. Used every day and the coffee is so good it’s stopped me purchasing my morning coffee from the costa machine on the way to work. So it’s saved me money and everyone loves a coffee when they come to the house now.
This little gem really helped us get through lockdown!
I’m so pleased I bought this coffee machine! It took a couple of weeks to perfect my coffee but I use it every day since lockdown and can’t imagine life without it now!
I bought a Braville coffee machine on Amazon a few months ago and unfortunately the machine is not good and I can not get a good cup of coffee also cleaning the machine according to YouTube is not done properly I am 100 percent sure I got a bad machine asking for help. I have a limitation of English so it is difficult for me to talk only in correspondence I prefer waiting for a quick solution Thanks.
Have this a few months now. With the lockdown I snapped this up when it came on sale. The coffee is fantastic with the local beans I get from the roasters.
Forget your supermarket beans this needs fresh beans to get the most out of this machine really does make a fantastic coffee. Takes a bit of practice but easily done if you follow the instructions or there are loads of YouTube videos on this machine.
Looks good and makes excellent coffee. Takes a bit to adjust the grinding level and amount of coffee to personal preference but well worth it.
Had a ” no pressure problem” and contacted Sage.
Did all they advised to correct this to no avail. They arrange uplift and replacement. Job done.
Great service from Sage.
Fast efficient ordering and delivery from the seller.
Nevertheless, price aside, it is a very good device that probably suits most kitchens, and fits well on a worktop under most kitchen wall cupboards.
Note this is not a fully automated Bean to cup machine, where you just select a drink and press a button, despite some third party sellers labelling it as such. It does require involvement, and experimentation to get right. If you are not willign to learn some of the intrecacies of creating an espresso or other coffee drinks, but enjoy consuming them, then i reccomend you get a casule, or a fully automated bean to cup machine. However, if you are willing to learn this can potentially create far better and more satisying coffee drinks.
PROS:
– I like the fact it is easy to clean, and maintain. My old machine and grinder did leave a lot of mess, this is more contained.
– Its thermocoil is relatively more efficient in electricity than a more “professional” boiler/dual boiler type, as it does not need to heat much more more water than whats being used, and its ready to start within about 30 seconds from cold. its perfect for where there is one or two people living in a household, who drinks coffee 2 or 3 times a day.
It has a nice storage area for the spare baskets/cleaing tools.
– It also comes with both pressurised and unpressurised baskets on both sizes (4 total) which is very handy. Many machines only include either pressurised, or unpressurised, and whilst some home “baristas” dismiss the pressurised ones, they do have a use in certain situations (preground or old or dry beans), and also helps beginners to get a decent enough shot at first, before learning all the intricacies of an expresso machine to be able to successfully use the non pressurised baskets.
– It has a proper 3 way solenoid valve to release pressure.
– You can manually chose the dosage aount as well as automatic (some machines only give either manual or automatic, not both)
– likewise you can also manually do the preinfuse, and extract, or simply set up for 1 or 2 shot to let the machine automatically stop when a certain amount of water as flowed through. You can also problemthe automatic amounts.
– It has a hot water dispenser for americans and other long coffees.
– It has a professional steam wand (not a panarello one) which gives you more control over the steam creating process, however, does require some skill, as opposed to the panarello types, usually found on cheaper machines.
– There is enough clearance to fit a mug underneeth the spout.
– water temp seems very consistant (though see con below)
– pressure guage! the more expensive versions of the barista range (professional and touch) do not include this very usefull tool.
CONS:
– When you switch on from cold, you do need to run at least one or two shots through the machine with the portafilter empty to heat up the pipes and portafilter to a satisfatory. Whilst you may see some on people suggesting that you leave it on for 10 minuites before pullign the first shot, in my experiementation I have done, I find running one or two shots is better at stabilising the temp from the inital cold start, as well as heating the portafilter better, as well as heating the cup/mug.
– the baskets do fit quite snugly into the portafilter, and need a bit of work to take out. I carefully use a teaspoon to lever it out.
– Although more than capable of creating good steamed milk with great microfoam, the steam power is a bit low on this machine (similar to other thermocoil machines) and does take a while to build up. This does mean it takes a bit longer to steam/froth milk compared to more powerfull machines, however, it is also an advantage for newbies, as the slower steaming gives you time to adjust the wand accordingly during steaming, rather than messing up the milk because you were not able to react quick enough,, important considering it is a professional wand, as opposed to a panarello one , which does require a bit of technique. If you need more powerfull steam, look at the Sage Barista Professional.
– Being a single boiler, You cannot steam milk and brew coffee at the same time, as the boiler needs to adjust to the different tasks, which can take a few seconds. Not a big issue for a household makign coupel of drinks at a time, but probably more annoying when making many more, espeically waiting for the temp to change.
– like ANY proper espresso machines it does take time to master!
I have never used anything other than instant coffee or a pod machine at home before so was initially a little worried that this machine would be complicated. In fact, it was very easy to setup and use. Following the instructions, it went from in the box to my first coffee (a latte) in 20 minutes. It was delicious. Probably the only thing you need to know beforehand is the basics of coffee been roasts (light, medium and dark) and the strengths of the coffee been types. That is a general need if you like real coffee not about this machine and is all about personal taste. The general advice I was given ages ago was that if you like black coffee go for light roast (more flavor), only go for medium or dark roasts if you intend to add milk. I prefer a medium roast in most cases. Works for me but, everyone’s taste is personal of course. Enjoy!
I’m very happy that I bought this Barista Express. It has been already more than a year. No regrets at all. I was not sure about after reading some reviews but I wanted to give it a try and I’m glad I did. If you take care of the machine and periodically clean, it works really well. The only star I dropped down just because they only send me one water filter which had to be claimed 4 filters for your first-year usage. Other than that I’m happy with this purchase
keep it clean and it will be worth every penny.
Best coffee I’ve had from a home machine. Much, much better than costa and all other chains. I’ve not bothered with the filter in the tank but do clean cycle as soon as it starts flashing…this will prevent the machine from irreparable damage.
For coffee that’s as good and better than that made from a coffee shop, a nerdy machine for coffee enthusiasts…This is the one. It requires some time to be put into the craft, certainly not a “push button” machine, it’s a Manual and intricate machine which is more of a hobby. Can’t now go back to anything simpler…