Are you thinking about investing in a Sage coffee machine?
A Sage Coffee Machine can be a real investment into your home barista life, and as someone who has owned three different Sage Coffee Machines – I’m here to let you know if they’re worth it. I remember being desperate to get the OG Barista Express for the longest, longest time, and I finally made the investment in November 2023 as an early Christmas present to myself. I kept telling Jake that it was a good investment, not only for our home, but for my content creation too, and honestly… I wasn’t wrong. They’re not only beautiful looking machines, they really do mean that you can have exceptionally good coffee from the comfort of your own home. It’s just an added bonus that you can create the most gorgeous looking coffee station in your kitchen.
My Sage Journey
My first Sage Coffee Machine was the Barista Express, and it was love at first pour. I fully immersed myself in the coffee life, creating beautiful coffee (both in look and taste!) and learning the ins and outs of my coffee machine. I learned that fresh coffee beans are a must, and I invested in all the fancy equipment to perfect my puck. I was also desperate to learn latte art, not just for my socials, but just to prove to myself that I could do it. It took me almost a year but I did eventually crack it in the end. Not to blow my own trumpet but I can pour a really good heart or tulip these days – I do need practice on other designs though…
My coffee content did wonderfully on TikTok & Instagram, to the point that last year, I had Sage directly reach out to work with me, and it really was a dream come true. I’ve been down to Sage studios twice, the first time was for a personal invite, and the second time was for their exclusive influencer event. I learned all about the brand, made new friends and received a machine upgrade. As someone who truly loved my Sage coffee machine before all this, it’s been a really, truly special brand relationship for me.
So, let’s get down to the nitty gritty. Are you looking at investing in a Sage machine and wondering if you should make the splurge? Here are the machines I’ve owned myself and the things that I love about them.
Sage Coffee Machine: Barista Express
As I mentioned above, the Sage Barista Express is the first machine that I invested in myself. The Sage Barista Express is the entry level bean-to-cup machine into the coffee world. If you’re not looking to break the bank, but want café-quality coffee at home, then this is a great pick. It’s a hard one to compare it to other machines, because it ultimately depends on what you want out of the machine. The Sage Barista Express is the most basic of the larger coffee machine models, but this just means that you have to do pretty much everything manually. If you’re looking for a really hands-on experience, to improve your barista skills, this really is the perfect machine to start out with.
I loved learning everything there is to know about coffee with the Barista Express. Having this machine taught me how to dial in coffee beans, how to perfect my puck, use a bottomless portafilter, how to steam milk, and it really did teach me how to make a great coffee at home.
However, if you’re someone who isn’t really that interested in the ins and outs of the home barista life, and just wants to make delicious café-quality coffee without the faff, then the more expensive machines might be a better option for you. From my own experience, the more money that you spend on your Sage machine, the more things it will do automatically rather than manually. This is why I believe the Sage Barista Express is the perfect entry level machine, so that you can really learn how to make a good coffee at home.
Sage Coffee Machine: Barista Touch Impress
I upgraded my Barista Express for the Sage Barista Touch Impress when I first worked with Sage, and this is the machine that I personally asked for when I was offered an upgrade. It seemed like a great semi-automatic machine to go for that would make my morning coffee that little bit easier, with lots of great improvements on other elements of the machine, whilst still being able to do some parts myself.
The Sage Barista Touch Impress is very beginner-friendly, and has an upgraded grinder, assisted tamping system, and an automatic milk frother. It’s also a much more modern machine with a full colour touchscreen. I pick and chose when I wanted to use the automated features, but I just loved having the option of a less hands-on experience if I’ve got a busy, rushed morning.
It also has a thermo-jet heating system which is it’s biggest technical upgrade, this means that it heats up a lot quicker than the Barista Express machine (reaches brewing temperature in just 3 seconds!).
Shortly after I received this machine, Sage actually re-introduced it with an even bigger upgrade. They started selling a new and improved version of the Barista Touch Impress, with the added feature of being able to make cold brew drinks on it. I was really lucky and had mine swapped out for one with cold brew, and this made it even better. I loved the option for making lots of delicious cold brew coffee over the summer months. With lots of presets and the ability to add custom drinks, the variety of drinks that you can make on the Barista Touch Impress is great, and because there’s so many auto features, it’s a great coffee machine for anyone.
Sage Coffee Machine: ORACLE JET
The Sage Oracle Jet is the machine that I currently have, I was lucky enough to work with Sage for a second time and get another machine upgrade – pinch me! Now, I have to say, the Oracle Jet is the Sage machine that pretty much has it all. The Oracle Jet has a fully automatic system, it grinds, doses and tamps for you, leaving you with the perfect ready-to-go puck. It has a commercial sized portafilter which is 58mm, opposed to the Barista Express & Touch Impress which are both 54mm. It’s got a larger and much more customisable touchscreen and it even has Wifi with automatic updates. It still has the auto milk frothing feature just like the Touch Impress, but it’s much more powerful and takes less time to steam the milk.
If you’re looking for a coffee machine where you have to do the bare minimum, then the Oracle Jet is the machine for you. The price increase is down to all of the automatic features, a few tech upgrades, and ultimately paying for the convenience of having quality coffee made for you, and fast.
There isn’t really any need for a hands-on experience with this machine, however I still personally choose to use my puck tools, and manually steam my milk. I love that I don’t have to do this, but still can if I want more of a barista experience, whilst still getting to enjoy all of the other features and tech upgrades.
Summary
To sum it up, if you’re thinking about investing in a Sage, you really won’t regret it no matter which one you decide to go for. There is no wrong option, and every machine will make you exceptionally good café-quality coffee from your very own kitchen. Like I’ve said above, it really is simply all about how much you want the machine to do automatically, and how much you’re willing to invest.
Are you thinking about investing in a Sage coffee machine? Which one would you pick?
