Sage Barista Express, Bean to Cup Machine, Black Truffle

This isn't a one push button instant coffee machine. If that's what you're looking for, click away now. This coffee machine does most of the hard work for you. It will allow you to pour a bag of freshly roasted beans into the grinder and have it dispensed into a cup within a few minutes. There is some manual attention to detail required for best results. This can make awful coffee. This can also make some fabulous coffee. I'm not here to tell you the exact answer, because it's something you will learn through using it. I'm here to tell you that it's entirely possible to learn how to make great coffee within just a few weeks of using it and what I personally discovered. So, what did I learn? 1. Buy fresh beans - no supermarket shelf stuff, not even M&S. It isn't fresh enough and your coffee will taste flat. Waitrose do a few types that have the roast date printed on the bag, if it's within a month, that'll do. 2. The included levelling tool isn't all that precise - I always find that slightly above that mark is actually better 3. The amount of pressure you tamp with has a huge impact on the pressure dial - you have to press quite hard, and ensure the level of coffee still sits high enough, yes you can add more and re-tamp. 4. The best shot comes from the double filter with single skin - the biggest one with the most holes. Learn on this one as the single skin ones cheat a bit. They have a single hole which artificially maintains a set pressure so you can't really mess up. The trick is to learn from the start. The single one is very fiddly and easy to get wrong. 5. Milk frothing is still quite hard for me, I think the best thing to do is get the wand deep in the milk to start with, then froth it when it's hot. Latte art is not as easy as the spotty weekend barista makes it look. Since using this, I don't buy coffee from shops anymore. I prefer my own. You can make whatever drink you want from it, single or double shot cappuccino, latte, frapawhatever. Be as pretentious as you want in the comfort of your own home. It also has a hot water dispenser for the green tea drinkers. Cleaning is a bit of a faff. Tray comes out in three pieces laced with coffee dust and water, but that's the price of fine art I guess. Keep it clean and it will keep making nice drinks. Also run the group head with nothing in it from time to time to clear it out. Changing the filter is absolutely vital if you live in a hard water area. Put it in your phone calendar or something. It's a nice product to have, changing beans keeps things fresh for me. I recommend an online subscription of some sort. I look forward to seeing your results on Instagram.

This is a great coffee machine if you want cafe-style drinks at home. It is not a press one button and done machine, so you need to learn a bit, but it is worth it. The built-in grinder works well and the coffee tastes much fresher compared to using pre-ground beans. I noticed a big difference right away. The steam wand is strong and makes nice foam for lattes and cappuccinos. After a few tries, I could make pretty good milk drinks. There is a small learning curve. You need to adjust the grind size and amount, and it helps a lot to use good fresh beans. Once you find the right settings, the coffee turns out very good and consistent. The machine looks great on the counter, especially in the Black Truffle color. It feels solid and well made. Cleaning takes a bit of time because the drip tray fills up fast and the parts need regular wiping, but that seems normal for this type of machine. Overall, I am very happy with it. If you want real espresso at home and do not mind learning a little at the start, this is a very good choice.

I’ve had this machine for almost 3 years now. It’s the stainless steel version. For making coffee, it is perfect with plenty of options for your specific preference. The build quality is good, but you’ll need to keep the outside clean (wipe off any water spots or any other marks) otherwise the brush stainless steel will tarnish. Don’t be tempted to scrimp on replacing the water filter cartridges regularly. Caring for your machine is essential: descale and also use the cleaning tablets frequently, especially if you live in a hard water area. Limescale buildup inside these machines affects performance, flavour, and your pressure gauge will stop working if you don’t keep on top of it. I’ve owned a variety of coffee machines over the past four decades, and this is by far the best. I have no regrets and would buy it again. The price point is fair for this machine, but the filter cartridges, and cleaning consumables are expensive. There might be slightly cheaper alternatives to the Sage Barista on the market, but you get what you pay for, and in this instance that’s a machine that will get the best out of your beans.

If you want to experience the awakening smell of freshly ground beans and amazing coffee at home, this is one of the greatest options at this price point. I’ve owned quite a few espresso machines in my life, this is the more expansive I even had but it gives by far the best results. The difference in quality and taste is huge. Some advice: what the machine requires is some patience at the beginning or when you get a new coffee blend. You will need to adjust a bit the grind level, the amount of coffee, tamping and the time it needs for extraction. It might take a couple of not so good shots until you dial it in, but once you do you are good to go. I’ve been using it for 6 months now, and I have settled in a coffee blend I like, so I don’t need to dial the settings very often. The pro-tip here, is to get freshly roasted coffee (about a month, month and half should be fine). I also tried generic coffee beans from known brands, the ones without roasting date, but the results are not as good. When using the machine, the analog pressure gauge (I love this, feels so professional) gives you a good overview, so you can see and adjust for the next shot: Low pressure and coffee running too fast? Maybe dial the grind level to be more refined, or add a bit coffee if the portafilter can take it. Too much pressure and very slow extraction? Move the grind level dial to be more coarse. Once you play around a bit, you will be able to see what the espresso needs and you will adjust. There are many helpful online tutorials if you want to dive into the whole process, but in general one should be ok with minor adjustments and able to enjoy tasty, velvety coffee – given you use good quality coffee. If you don’t want to buy freshly roasted coffee, you can use the dualwall filters provided in the machine; they allow for some extra pressure control of the extracted coffee, but in my opinion, if you buy this machine, you probably want good espresso, so buy the good coffee as well :) In general the machine is very easy to clean, I pop the tray in the washing machine every now and then and has been looking like new, even though I’m working from home and I’ve been using it quite a few times per day. The provided milk jug, with temperature indicator is great for great cappuccino / latte foam. Overall, this has been an amazing purchase, if you enjoy a good coffee and you are willing to learn how to extract it, this machine will not let you down.

I’ve been using this machine for a couple of months now, mainly to cut down on daily coffee shop spending, and overall I’m glad I bought it – but it’s definitely not a plug-and-play experience. The first thing to be aware of is the learning curve. A lot of people say you get great coffee straight away, but in my experience it takes time to dial in the grind, shot timing, and milk steaming. Until you’ve learned it properly, you may actually find yourself drinking less coffee simply because making one takes more effort than expected. This isn’t a reason not to buy it, just something to go in with eyes open if you’re expecting instant café-quality lattes. Visually, it’s a beautiful machine. The stainless steel looks fantastic on the counter and the dials and controls feel solid and well designed. That said, the finish is a fingerprint and splash magnet, and it shows mess very quickly. If you like a spotless kitchen, expect to be wiping it down often. Milk drinks are where the process feels slowest. The steam wand works well, but it takes longer than I expected to heat up, which can make the whole routine feel a bit tedious if you’re in a rush (comedically slow in some cases). Along similar lines, the water tank empties faster than I thought it would, so you’ll be refilling it more often than you might expect. One small frustration I’ve noticed is around water drainage. After using the steam wand or hot water function, some water is meant to drain into the drip tray, but I’ve found it can sit on top or sometimes make its way into the rear storage area rather than draining cleanly. It hasn’t caused a problem so far, but it’s something I keep an eye on. Size-wise, it’s also worth noting that this machine is quite large. If you have limited counter space, it will take up a noticeable amount of room. Would I buy it again? Yes – but with more realistic expectations. Functionally and visually it’s a very capable machine, and once you invest the time to learn it properly, I don’t think most people would be disappointed. Just don’t expect effortless café coffee on day one.

This is by far the best entry level coffee machine for an enthusiastic home barista that you can get. The previous one I purchased (after attending my first London coffee festival) lasted me 10 years and is still in perfect working order! It took me around 50 failed latte arts to master my brewing and frothing skills, but for the last 9 years, I have been making top-quality, independent coffee shop style coffees at home. I would say you only need good quality coffee beans (freshly roasted) and milk! It has an excellent grinding performance, easily adjustable brewing time, and I have had no issues with descaling. Definitely great value for money, especially considering how long it lasts. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Do not even think twice - just get it!

Update 13/1/2026 About a month after my latest update, I decided to go for the Sage Barista Pro, I had it for 6 months or so and the Grinder decided to stop working. So I think I will go back to the Barista Express again when my refund is sorted out. Update - 04/06/25 I knew I would Jinx it. It has just this week started to leak water from the back of the machine, So at the moment every two or three cups of coffee I have to lift the whole machine up and wipe away the water underneath it. Given I bought the machine for £429 6 years ago, I will still keep it at the 5 stars as its done me well and I would still recommend it. I have 2 chocies at the moment, Try to get it fixed "and it could cost more than its worth" or just buy another one. Update - 14/04/25 I dont want to jinx this machine but its still going strong. I update reviews when things are going good or bad. Just thought I would let you know as a buyer. Update "26/2/2023 I have now had this machine for 3 years and Im glad to say its still going stronge to my amazment. Reading through the bad reviews, I must have been lucky but I will say to you all, the key is cleaning it on a regular bases. I know its not always easy but the true key to having great coffee is fresh beans, not the store bought beans as you just dont know how long there were stitting on the shelf. Initial Review. I say to record the batch code before you set the machine up as its on the bottom of the machine and its very very hard to read. This is for Registration Purposes. I have to admit, this machine is great. The stainless steel version looks so classic in my opinion and ties in well with our kitchen. Now if your new to making espresso`s, lattes, cappuccino`s etc on this machine, you will think that its lukewarm and that might be because your obsessed with keeping it clean or trying too hard to get it right first time and so on “i.e. latte art” as you might have seen a few videos online prior to getting the machine. This happened to me when I got my first Bean to cup machine years ago. The Sage model also heats the milk faster as well. I think the drip tray maybe could have been deeper though as it seems to fill up faster. The Sage also fits on the counter perfectly as I was worried it might be slightly high to reach under the cupboards but it was lower and wider than my old machine. Another small niggle thought, if you have it at the corner of your countertop, it’s hard to get at the water tank to pull it out but I open it from the back and just keep topping up the water. I love my coffee and the only way is fresh beans for me. Prior to getting machine I ordered 4 different type beans in a sample packs and ran a test from pack 1 to 4. I wrote down each bar pressure “when I got them correct”, grind, pour time, mild roast, dark roast etc. Each time when I ran them again and checked my finding from the first run and it went back to what the bean said “or very close” from 1 – 4 if you know what I mean. So it really does depend on the bean folks. There are higher models and more expensive than the Barista Express and yes they look good but I simply like doing it all myself and that’s part of the fun in my opinion. This machine is now in the price range for anyone who really loves the smell, freshness and fun of making your own coffee`s. I mean let’s face it; it will pay for itself eventually. Also my advice is don’t buy your pre-packed beans your local big supermarket as you don’t know how long they have been there. Order them from a good online store where you know there fresh and try different blends.

I am a coffee addict! If Coffee Anonymous existed, I'd be a member! :) I had a filter machine with a little espresso one-cup part, and could never be bothered filling up the system for one cup. This bad boy! Oh wow! Fill it up in the morning with 2l of clean fresh water, and 1.75l later, which is a LOT of cups of coffee, fill up again. There's a water filter built in, but I live in Birmingham, UK and we get lovely Welsh water (thank Wales!) which is very soft and doesn't really need filtering (IMO). It comes with 2 sets of filter baskets. 1 set for ground coffee and newbies. If you use these baskets with the Dual Wall, you'll almost always get a nice espresso with a good crema, but it can seem a little aerated. So the other filter baskets are better to use, but you have to get the right tamp and coarseness of the bean to get a nice crema, so those baskets take a bit of time to master. But when you do! And it's only 3 settings! 1. Grind amount, 2. Grid coarseness and 3. good tamp, but not too hard! It makes great coffee! I take a note of the 2 settings, the one on the site (coarseness) and the amount on the front, for each different type of beans I buy, so I can remember which are the best settings for each beans! All beans are different! So then it comes to the Milk Steamer. It's good, a bit slow, and I've tried to adjust the temperature, but it does the job, and to know the temperate on the jug and start to feel the temp without seeing it, you start to get better and better. But it's a skill and this I'm no where near mastering yet! Would be nice if the jug was just a little bit bigger, but it makes a good size mug! The hot water that comes out the pipe not as steam, is reasonably hot. Again I've tried increasing it, but I suppose it's good for Coffee, but not brilliant for a cuppa Tea! Cleaning the product is a doddle, by running a cleaning programme and buying tablets to use. Clean the steamer after every use and I clean the product every few days! Emptying the tray is nice and clear with a little Empty Me sign that pops up when its full up. I use this in combination with a good old fashioned Kettle! :D Boil the Kettle to get Half a cup of Hot water, a double espresso from this machine, bit of milk, and that's what I live on! Cost wise. I buy 1Kg bags of coffee beans and drink like a fish. compared to the cost of buying Instant this will eventually be cheaper with the savings per week on not buying Instant and buying bulk coffee beans. If you start charging your guests as the coffee is that good ;) $tarbucks eat your heart out, You'd be quids in before you knew it! :D

اخذتها بسعر ممتاز عملية ويكيفك انها ساج

I go to bed excited bout that cup of coffee I’m going to have in the morning

I love my espresso/cappuccino machine! Simple enough to use after reading instructions and watching a few videos. Delicious coffee, and it the machine looks nice too.

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