Sage the Barista Express Espresso Machine, Bean to Cup Coffee Machine with Milk Frother, BES875BSS - Brushed Stainless Steel

Product Information

The hot water dispenser will provide you with instant hot water, great for black coffees, while the 6 cup warming tray will make sure a cold cup doesn’t detract from your enjoyment.

The Thermacoil heating system includes adjustable temperature control, so you can keep the temperature in line with the coffee you want and prevent loss of flavour from overheating. If you ask me, the portafilter size is of little consequence to shot quality, all things considered – but, where I'd be more concerned is the availability of aftermarket accessories. All of the other machines in the range now, as far as I'm aware, use the Etzinger Burrs, which I believe mainly by reputation (as I've not done any blind taste testing) to have a slight edge over the original burr set mainly when it comes down to the burr geometry (the shape of the teeth).Anyway, the Razor tool is clever, It can't ensure that you're dialed in, but it ensures the same clearance from the top of the puck of coffee and the showerhead each time, and it ensures you have a level surface.

The only downside with the Barista Express is its identity crisis – it is a fairly manual machine and so not really an ‘express’ BTC coffee maker in my view. We do not accept liability for economic or consequential loss of any kind, including loss of profit whether arising from negligence or otherwise. If the coffee beans are very finely ground you will have a stronger taste and if the grind is coarser you will have a milder taste.

If hard water is used it is recommended to descale once a month, if soft water is used once a quarter is sufficient. If you want truly rapid, no-fuss coffee you would have to spend a fair bit more in my eyes and get a fully automatic bean to cup machine such as the Jura S8. Before using for the first time, please ensure that your electricity supply is the same as shown on the rating label on the underside of the appliance. Fill the water tank with cold water before sliding back into position at the back of the machine and locking into place. The added complication of integrated grinder machines as I mentioned earlier, is that you have the potential grinder issues and espresso machine issues in one unit, and the chances of suffering an issue with either your grinder or the espresso machine part of the unit within 3-5 years I'd say is fairly high.

The Sage the Barista Express BES875 espresso machine provides the ability to grind and brew coffee beans in one machine.

This machine can be used in manual mode too, the only thing is you have to use the touch screen, it doesn't have analogue buttons, and while changing to manual with the Express Impress is a button press, you have to go into the settings on the Touch Impress to toggle modes. Again, it’s a home machine, but I’d feel more comfortable using this machine in a business setting than the Barista Express, especially when it comes to speed to produce milkies. If you pull a shot as soon as the machine is warmed up, you'll probably find the result to be a bit off. If you think you might want to get into the home barista hobby, but you're not quite sure if it might be a bit too much faff for you, or if you might want to do that at the weekend or when you have more time, but not when you're in a rush on busy workday mornings, then the Barista Express Impress is probably the best alternative to the Barista Express. Adjustable grind settings and dosage control is simple and intuitive, giving you control over the grind size no matter what type of bean you're grinding.

I think that a huge percentage of the mainstream coffee drinkers who fall somewhere within the two extremes I've just described would probably be best suited to the Barista Express if they're looking for the best combination of cup quality and value for money. If you're looking for a home barista machine, which is what this machine looks like it is, personally I wouldn't recommend this or the Sage Barista Express, I'd recommend the Barista Pro. I tried medium roasted and medium dark roasted beans but unfortunately did not get the result I wanted. There are quite a few videos about this machine on Youtube, and most of them I watched and literally had applications. I also saw a short where you use the sage dosing funnel to wdt the puck before tamping, you removed the nozzle on the bottom.I always weigh my shots, even when using the razor tool, and the weight actually gives an indication of how well dialed in you are. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average.