Every Sage espresso coffee machine uses the 4 Keys formula, optimising each aspect from grind to extraction and microfoam milk texture. Our espresso machines are designed to use the right dose of freshly ground beans, ensure precise temperature control, optimal water pressure and create true microfoam milk to deliver a harmonious blend of golden espresso and velvety textured milk. I don't have a Q-grader's palate, as I've not trained to that level, but I believe my palate is more sensitive than the average coffee drinker, and I doubt I'd be able to notice the difference in a blind taste test, but I will be testing that theory in the future. These machines will produce stonking latte art worthy microfoam, so if you're someone who wants to make cappuccino, latte, flat white etc., via a Nespresso machine, I don't think you can get better than the Creatista machines. To be fair to Sage, they probably made the decision based on the fact that they know most people don't use the razor tool, anyway! The design principals between the two heating elements are similar, but the Pro’s heating is just… better. -Seattle Coffee Gear

The espresso quality isn't impacted at all, but I just like a nice quality portafilter. With the Bambino Plus you can buy the nicer portafilter for the Barista Express & Barista Pro, and it's compatible. For some reason the Bambino doesn't work with that portafilter, it seems to fit but pressure escapes the group, so it clearly doesn't quite fit for some reason. The Barista Express takes slightly longer (20 seconds or so) to get up to steam ready vs the thermojet machines which start almost instantly, and it's slightly slower to steam milk than the machines with the thermojet. It does a great job of milk texturing, it just does it a bit slower than the Barista Pro. The Barista Express and the Barista Pro are both single boiler coffee machines which means you can’t be brewing and steaming at the same time. But, unlike the Barista express, the Barista Pro has a new ThermoJet heating system that allows the machine to heat up to its optimal temperature in just 3 seconds compared to 30 seconds on the Barista Express. If we're comparing to the Barista Express, the Barista pro is just a tad bigger, it has a slightly more modern looking finish, an LCD screen vs a pressure gauge, 30 grind settings vs 18, the Etzinger burr set vs the original Full Nice burrs in the Barista Express, 9 bar OPV, and it has the newer Sage Thermojet heater vs. the original Sage Thermocoil, and a four-hole steam tip vs a single hole tip. This is one of Sage's least sketchy machine in terms of longevity and repairability out of warranty period, as there's just so little in terms of electronics or non-standard parts, but the Gaggia Classic is very difficult to compete with where longevity and durability is concerned. They last decades, as I know as mine is 20 years old.What are they? These are traditional espresso machines with a level of assistance that makes them ultra-convenient and user-friendly. Who are they for? Anyone who wants to make coffee shop favourites but with the convenience of a Nespresso machine The Oracle is another choice if one or more of the above applies to you, but the Express Impress is a lot cheaper, and similarly to the Oracle Touch vs the Barista Touch Impress, it's the same grinder only with less grind adjustments than the oracle. As an experienced barista with over a decade in the coffee industry, I know how crucial it is to choose the espresso machine that best suits your needs.

Menu: Pre-sets for all the usual plus babyccino, hot chocolate, tea with 2 temp options & 8 customisable drinks If you like to split a shot for two cappuccinos or lattes as I've just mentioned, then this will allow you to create two slightly more intense drinks without pulling two separate shots, in which case you may see this as a pro. The Bambino is the base level version of the Bambino Plus. It's currently the lowest-priced machine offered by Sage, and it's the lowest-priced traditional espresso machines on the market that comes with standard baskets and a 9 bar OPV out of the box. This is made even more confusing given that the UK Breville brand are selling some machines that look quite similar to some of the Sage machines, and have similar sounding names, so I do hear from people who made the assumption that they'd basically found great deal for a sage coffee machine. I class the shot quality potential of the Oracle & Oracle Touch to be about on parr with that of the Sage Dual Boiler paired with the Sage Smart Grinder Pro, which is good – but not as good as if you paired it with a more premium espresso specialist grinder costing 2-3 times the cost of the Sage Smart Grinder Pro.

Nespresso Machines

The Barista Touch Impress makes more sense to me than the Barista touch. I used to say when talking about the Barista Touch, that I just didn't quite get why someone who would want a touch screen would want assistance on the milk side of things, but not where espresso is concerned.

Unfortunately your average home barista doesn’t have that long to wait in the morning so Sage developed a 3 second heat up time to optimum temperature so you can pretty much turn on and go. Who are they for? These machines are best suited to people who want to get into the home barista hobby, and who see a coffee machine as more than just means to an end. Many people who buy one of these Sage coffee machines think they're buying a machine with at least partial assistance, which can cause frustration, as there's no assistance. The only difference between these and standard traditional setups is that the grinder is integrated. These machines work differently, and the espresso they produce is different. It's actually closer to cafe crema, a very popular drink in Germany, Austria & Switzerland, which may be why bean to cup coffee machines are hugely popular in these countries in particular. The Barista Pro boasts a sleek stainless-steel body, giving it a premium look and feel. Its streamlined interface features an intuitive LCD display, simplifying the brewing process. The integrated coffee bean grinder and large 2L water tank contribute to its compact design. Sage Barista Express Nonetheless, it does come with a control panel which is the gauge. You won't find it in the Barista Pro. It helps you know your machine's temperature and even when to switch between brewing and steaming.The size of each Sage Barista model is a significant difference between them. For example, the Barista Pro has a larger dimension of 35.4 x 34.3 x 40.6 cm compared to the Touch, which is 32 X 32 X 41 cm and the Express, which measures 31.8 x 35.1 x 40.4 cm. This makes the Pro the biggest. I previously worked at a leading espresso machine brand called Sanremo. I spent over six years in the sales and technical departments, recommending high-end espresso machines to a wide range of businesses, so I'm familiar with the coffee industry. Neither is this just a hobby for me.

This means it takes the Express 30 seconds to heat up against the 3 seconds it takes the Touch and Barista Pro. Most people who have worked in a speciality coffee shop will know that commercial machines take at least 20 minutes to heat up and start operating at a decent level. These things are relatively small, and overall if the Barista Express cost the same as the Barista Pro, I'd probably say the Barista Pro is the better choice. Who are they for? As with integrated grinder espresso machines, this kind of machine is best suited to people who want to develop home barista skills. You can reduce the skill requirement by using the dual walled baskets they all come with as well as the traditional baskets, but if you don't want a learning curve, you'd be much better looking at the assisted machines.

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I quite often hear from people who've clearly done this, who have ended up being what I refer to as “set and forget” users, which means they're attempting to use Sage integrated grinder traditional espresso machines as if they're bean to cup machines. Using a Sage coffee machine like this will cause hit and miss results with each bag of beans, especially when people select to use the single walled baskets because they hear that they're the best. There are people who buy Sage coffee machines because they've heard that they make better espresso than other bean to cup machines, but the point is, they're not bean to cup machines. Most people are more than happy with the cappuccino, latte and Americano these kinds of machines will make, and if you are, there's absolutely nothing wrong with bean to cup machines, they can be a very cheap, convenient and reliable way to drink great quality coffee shop favourites at home. The Bambino Plus is the more premium version of the two Bambino machines, and it's one of Sage's most popular coffee machines, certainly one of their most popular stand-alone espresso machines. This was Sage's first machine in this category, it's their most expensive coffee machine, and it really is a premium machine. It's based on the Sage Dual boiler, my home espresso machine, in my opinion one of, if not THE best espresso machine on the market at anywhere close to what it sells for, at least where performance and flexibility is concerned.