Which Sage Espresso Machine Should You Buy? A Roaster's Guide
We now stock Sage home espresso machines and Baratza grinders. Here's a roaster's honest guide to choosing the right one, which beans to start with, and how to pull your first great shot.
In this article
We roast coffee for a living, and the question we get asked most often isn't about coffee at all. It's “which machine should I buy?”
So we've started stocking Sage home espresso machines and Baratza grinders, chosen from the range we'd actually recommend to friends. Here's how to pick the right one, and how to get the best out of it once it's on your kitchen worktop.
Why we're selling machines now
The best beans in the world won't taste great through the wrong machine, and a great machine is wasted on stale coffee. We'd rather help you get both right than leave you guessing.
We chose Sage because they make machines that work properly in a normal kitchen. They heat up fast, they're well supported in the UK, and they give you real control over your espresso without needing a café-sized budget. Every machine comes with a 2-year manufacturer's guarantee and free delivery to UK mainland addresses.
First question: how hands-on do you want to be?
Every machine in the range makes proper espresso. The real difference is how much of the process you want to do yourself.
- Hands-on: you grind, dose, tamp and steam your own milk. It takes a little practice, but you learn a lot and you get a lot of control.
- Guided: the machine helps with dosing, tamping and milk, so you get consistent results from day one with less to learn.
Neither is better. It depends on whether you see your morning coffee as a hobby or simply want a great flat white before work.
The machines, and who they suit
Sage Bambino Plus
Compact, ready in about three seconds, and steams milk hands-free. It's ideal if you're short on space and mostly drink flat whites and lattes. It has no grinder built in, so pair it with a separate burr grinder like the Baratza Encore ESP. For the size and price, it's hard to beat.
Sage Barista Express
The classic all-in-one, with a built-in grinder, so you go from bean to cup in under a minute. If you want to learn the craft of espresso properly, this is the best place we know to start.
Sage Barista Pro
Our pick for most home baristas. It's still hands-on, but it heats up in seconds and has more grind settings and a clear shot display. Those extra grind settings make a real difference with lighter, sweeter roasts like ours.
Sage Barista Touch Impress
Assisted dosing and tamping, touchscreen guidance and hands-free milk. It's brilliant for households where several people make coffee, because it takes the frustration out of the first few weeks and still lets you make the coffee yourself.
Sage Oracle Jet
The closest thing to a café machine you can put in a kitchen. It grinds, doses and tamps for you, uses a full-size 58mm café portafilter for extra body and sweetness, and steams milk hands-free. It's for people who make several drinks a day and want the best results with the least effort.
Baratza Encore ESP grinder
Freshly ground coffee is the single biggest upgrade you can make at home. The Encore ESP is a simple, reliable burr grinder that goes fine enough for espresso and still grinds coarser for filter. It's the natural partner for the Bambino Plus.
A quick way to choose
- Small kitchen, mostly milky drinks: Bambino Plus with an Encore ESP grinder.
- Want to learn espresso properly: Barista Express or Barista Pro.
- Several people using it, little time to learn: Barista Touch Impress.
- Want the best result with the least effort: Oracle Jet.
Which beans to start with
A new machine deserves fresh coffee. Look for beans roasted within the last month, and buy whole bean if your machine has a grinder.
- Momentum Espresso: our award-winning house espresso, and the one we'd start everyone on. It's sweet and balanced, and it's forgiving while you dial in.
- Magnitude Espresso: a sweeter take on Momentum, lovely in milk.
- Melody Espresso: a fruitier option for people who drink their espresso black.
- Mascot Espresso: our darker roast, for those who like a bolder, more traditional cup.
- Mellow Decaf: for the evening flat white.
Getting your first shots right
Every machine needs a little dialling in when it's new, and every new bag of coffee does too. A simple starting point:
- Weigh your dose. Around 18g of ground coffee is a good place to start for a double shot.
- Aim for roughly double that weight in the cup, about 36g, in 25 to 35 seconds.
- If it runs too fast and tastes sour, grind finer. If it runs too slowly and tastes bitter, grind coarser.
- Change one thing at a time, and taste as you go.
Our espresso at home guide and grind size guide go into more detail.
Black Friday and Christmas offer
From Black Friday week, two of our favourite machines are on special offer:
- Sage Barista Pro: £629.95 (usually £729.95), from 26 November to 23 December.
- Sage Barista Touch Impress: £999.92 (usually £1,199.95), from 26 November to 27 January.
After that, prices go back to normal. If you've had your eye on one, or you're planning a very generous Christmas present, this is the time. Offers run while stocks last.
Questions? Ask a roaster
Not sure which machine is right for you, or how to get it dialled in with our coffee? Get in touch and we'll help you choose. Coffee is what we do all day, and we're always happy to talk about it.
Written by Lynsey HarleyWe roast every coffee in small batches at our roastery in Glenrothes, Fife.
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