7 Best Sage Espresso Machines (Top Picks and Reviews)

When you buy an espresso maker you want to invest not just in a good machine, but in a good brand. Have you heard of Breville? Established in 1932, Breville manufactures some of the best small kitchen appliances on the market. They are an award winner for creating innovative products that are affordable and quality. However, in the UK and much of Europe, we know them as Sage, as that is the local brand name.

Let’s take a look at the best Sage espresso machines for your needs.

TOP PICK

BES870XL Barista Express

Equipped with a grinder, a steam wand, and other awesome features, this machine gets you the power of a lower-priced automatic that will take your espresso-making prowess to the next level.

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Why Choose Sage?

Guaranteed one-year warranty: Sage offers a one-year limited warranty on all products – meaning while you get to know your machine you’ll have no fear of showing it some tough love.

IMAGE	PRODUCT	DETAILS
	Sage Oracle Espresso Machine	Hybrid (semi AND superautomatic) Smart espresso machine Easy to clean and use	SEE ON AMAZON
	Sage Dual Boiler Espresso Machine	Semiautomatic machine Twin boilers for coffee and milk save time PID temperature control makes for optimum extraction	SEE ON AMAZON
	Sage Barista Express Espresso Machine	Semiautomatic machine Built-in conical burr grinder Manual steam wand creates micro-foam milk texture	SEE ON AMAZON
	Sage Infuser Espresso Machine	Manual machine Pre-infusion of grounds Hot water on demand for brewing tea, making Americanos, or warming the cup	SEE ON AMAZON
	Sage Duo Temp Pro Espresso Machine	Manual machine 1600W thermocoil system for fast heating PID digital temperature control perfects temperature for brewing AND steaming milk	SEE ON AMAZON
	Sage Cafe Roma Espresso Machine	Manual machine 15-bar pump sufficient for quality espresso Steam wand for making milk-based espresso drinks	SEE ON AMAZON
	Sage Barista Touch Espresso Machine	Automatic machine Touch-screen display Hands Free Milk frothing for cappuccinos, lattes, etc.	SEE ON AMAZON

• Excellent customer service: Customer service representatives are ready to answer any and all questions you have 7 days a week – now that’s handy!
• Easy to use features: Sage designs products with features for the espresso beginner to espresso expert. Not only are the features easy to use, but they allow for the perfect cup of coffee every time.
• High-quality products: Most of Sage’s appliances are manufactured using stainless steel, a durable, easy to clean material, meaning quality is second to none! Their espresso machines always make a few appearances in lists like this along with their competitor, DeLonghi. (Here’s where we compared DeLonghi and Sage espresso machines.)

The Best Sage Espresso Machines

Enough about the brand. You’re here to get the low down on the best of the best when it comes to Sage espresso machines, right? We’ve assembled reviews of the seven best Sage coffee machines which are consistently rated as their best on the market.

The Sage BES980XL Oracle

Specifications

• Dimensions: 16.2″ x 15″ x 18″

• Weight: 20.5kg
• Water reservoir capacity: 2.5L
• Built-in Coffee Grinder: Yes (680g capacity)

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The Italian inspired Oracle is a world-class example of expert manufacturing and high-tech features in the home espresso maker space. It’s like having that barista who knows exactly what type of coffee you want without you even having to ask – in your kitchen.

The Oracle is a ‘hybrid’ between a semi-automatic and fully automatic ​​machine. This means you can use it as an automatic machine and let the Oracle do it all. But you can also use it as a semi-automatic machine and adjust the settings to your taste. For this reason, it’s a good match for beginners and experts alike.

Read our in-depth Sage Oracle Review here. (And if you want to see the fully automatic version, the Oracle Touch, click here.)

The Oracle Features:

• Choose from super-automatic mode and press a button, or use it in semi-automatic mode and play around with the variables like a barista would (have fun!)
• Smart technology allows you to program settings (1) for the perfect drink – and it will remember those settings for tomorrow.
• A high level of automation makes everything easy. It will grind your coffee beans, dose and tamp your portafilter, and steam your milk for you.
• Dual boilers, meaning you’ll get your coffee fast. One boiler extracts your coffee, while the other heats and steams your milk.
• Amazing build quality – brushed stainless steel body, dual stainless steel boilers, and Italian pumps. Stainless steel materials are durable and can be easily cleaned, allowing the machine to be used year after year.

The Sage BES920XL Dual Boiler

Specifications

• Dimensions: 14.7″ x 14.8″ x 14.7″

• Weight: 13.6kg
• Water reservoir capacity: 2.5L
• Built-in Coffee Grinder: No

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The Dual Boiler lets you create great espresso and steam milk for your cappuccino or latte at the same time. The espresso boiler is PID controlled and includes an over-pressure valve (OPV) so the extraction (2) is always at the ideal temperature and pressure, preventing bitter flavours in the cup. And the second boiler for steam means never having to wait for your espresso to finish pouring before you froth your milk.

MIcro-foam milk texturing gives fine, uniform bubbles that make your cappuccinos and lattes extra creamy. And flexible shot control puts you in charge of how much coffee flavour you want in your drink, with a shot clock for timing the extraction.

Or you can simply select from single or double shots with the push of a button. And the coffee dose is selectable from 19 to 22 grams per shot, putting your preferred coffee taste at your fingertips.

There’s a dedicated hot-water outlet for preheating cups or preparing Americanos. And you can set an auto-start time to make sure your Dual Boiler is ready to go when you wake up.

Read our Sage Dual Boiler review to learn more.

The Dual Boiler Features:

• PID temperature control reduces temperature fluctuation during extraction, for consistently delicious flavour.
• Dual boilers, meaning you’ll get your coffee fast. One boiler brews your coffee, while the other heats and steams your milk on demand.
• Low-pressure pre-infusion to wet the grounds, then 9 bars of pressure for extraction, means ideal espresso flavour every time.
• Brew temperature, pre-infusion pressure, and duration are all programmable for maximum customisation.

The Sage BES870XL Barista Express

Specifications

• Dimensions: 13.25″ x 12.5″ x 15.75″

• Weight: 10.4kg
• Water tank capacity: 2L.
• Built-in Coffee Grinder: Yes (680g capacity)

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The Barista Express is a bit more hands-on than some of the other offerings on this list, but that’s not a bad thing, especially at the price. We’ve done a full review of this machine here.

One genuine plus: the Briasta Express comes with an integrated conical grinder, meaning that once you load the bean hopper, you can dispense ground coffee directly into the portafilter for maximum freshness. And if the standard settings for single and double shots aren’t quite right for you, the Grind Amount dial lets you control how much or how little you dispense for each shot.

It brews with Sage’s familiar pre-infusion and 9-bar extraction protocol, thanks to the PID control that keeps the 1600-watt thermocoil heating system (3) operating at the optimum temperature for consistent flavour and strength.

The milk frother generates Sage’s signature micro-foam milk texture for rich, smooth cappuccinos and lattes, and there’s a hot-water function through the steaming wand.

The Barista Express Features:

• Built-in burr grinder with easy grind amount dial that dispenses right into the portafilter.
• Removable 2-litre water reservoir for easy refilling.
• PID temperature control reduces temperature fluctuation during extraction, for consistently delicious flavour.
• Low-pressure pre-infusion to wet the grounds, then 9 bars of pressure for extraction, means ideal espresso flavour every time.

Watch our video review for more details:

SEE ALSO: Sage Barista Pro Review: An Upgrade to the Express?

The Sage BES840XL/A The Infuser

Specifications

• Dimensions: 13.7″ x 11.5″ x 13.2″

• Weight: 7.7kg
• Water tank capacity: 1.8L
• Built-in Coffee Grinder: No

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Like the discontinued ES800ESXL, the Sage Infuser is all about balance. It incorporates features from some of Sage’s most popular espresso machines as well as accessories like single and dual wall filter baskets. Want to perfect your barista skills? The single-wall filter basket will help you master grinding and tamping. Just want beautiful crema? The dual-wall filter basket handles that for you.

The Infuser ranks in the middle ground as far as price range goes but still gives you what the more expensive models do, especially the PID digital temperature control. You also get pre-infusion (with a name like Infuser, you’d think this would go without saying), an important key to making the best coffee consistently.

Some of the unique features include accessories for cleaning, a steel jug for milk frothing, and a plastic insert for the portafilter that reduces heat loss during brewing. You also get volumetric controls with preset, manual override, or programmable shot volumes, espresso pressure gauges designed to balance grind and water pressure, and an auto-sleep off mode that shuts off the machine automatically after three hours.

Read more about the Infuser here.

The Infuser Features:

• PID temperature control for consistent, optimal brewing temperatures
• Pre-infusion of grounds, followed by a gradual rise in pressure to the optimum 9 bars
• 1.8 Litre removable water reservoir to reduce refilling (and make it easy when required)
• Hot water on demand for brewing tea, making Americanos, or warming the cup

The Sage BES810BSS Duo Temp Pro Espresso Machine

Specifications

• Dimensions: 10″ x 11″ x 13″

• Weight: 5.9kg
• Water capacity: 1.8L
• Built-in Grinder: No

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First, let’s make it clear that the Duo Temp refers to different temperatures for pulling the espresso shot versus frothing milk. This is a good thing, common to all Sage machines with PID, which the Duo Temp has. And in a way, this sets the tone for the Duo Temp: it makes a good cup of espresso (single-shots and double-shots), lets you produce micro-foam milk froth for cappuccinos and lattes, and doesn’t have a lot of extra features like the higher-priced Sage units.

At the Duo Temp’s price point, that’s enough for a large number of shoppers. You still get low-pressure pre-infusion, a 1600W thermocoil heating system, Sage signature stainless steel material, and maintenance indicators to let you know when it’s cleaning time. You even get the 1- or 2-wall filter baskets, so you can use freshly ground or pre-ground coffee beans. Like its fellow compact machine, the Sage Bambino Plus, the Duo Temp has no built-in coffee grinder, so this could be an important feature.

All in all, the Duo Temp is a good way to get Sage quality at a lower price. Read our Sage Duo Pro temp review to learn more.

The Duo Temp Features:

• Low-pressure pre-infusion, to optimize flavor during extraction
• 1600W thermocoil system for fast heating
• PID digital temperature control keeps water temperature on target for brewing AND provides high temperature for steaming milk

The Sage ESP8XL Cafe Roma

Specifications

• Dimensions: 9″ x 9″ x 12″

• Weight: 5.9kg
• Water capacity: 1.2L
• Built-in Coffee Grinder: No

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The Sage Cafe Roma is a great manual espresso maker if you want to take your first step into the world of Sage without spending a fortune. Its 15-bar pump produces sufficient pressure for good extraction, and the built-in steam wand means you can make cappuccinos, lattes, and other milk-based espresso drinks (in the included stainless-steel frothing jug) with ease.

Some users report that the wand spits a bit of hot water before developing a good head of steam; the best way around this is to begin steaming into an empty cup, then switch to the milk jug once the steam is consistent.

The 1.2-litre (40.6 oz.) water s is enough for a couple of dozen shots of espresso, and the dual-wall portafilter gives rich crema even with pre-ground beans.

If you’re a coffee lover of simple needs and modest means, the Cafe Roma could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Read our full Sage Cafe Roma review.

The Cafe Roma Features:

• Dual-wall portafilter allows for use of pre-ground or freshly-ground coffee beans
• 15-bar pump sufficient for quality espresso
• Steam wand for making milk-based espresso drinks

The Sage BES880BSS Barista Touch Espresso Machine

Specifications

• Dimensions: 14.5″ x 16.7″ x 17.6″

• Weight: 11.6kg
• Water capacity: 1.2L
• Built-in Coffee Grinder: Yes (680g capacity)

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The Barista Touch demonstrates what there is to love about an automatic espresso maker. You select your drink from one of five cafe favourites displayed on a touch screen. Press the Grind icon and the integrated conical grinder prepares your coffee to the perfect grind size. (You can also customise the dose for your taste.)

Lock the portafilter into the brew unit and press the Brew icon (don’t forget to put a cup under the portafilter). The Touch pre-infuses your coffee before stepping up the pressure for the perfect, PID-controlled extraction. If you selected a milk drink from the touch screen, place the steaming pitcher under the milk wand and press the Frothing icon on the touch screen, then stand back because the Barista Touch froths your milk, using micro-foam technology, to the programmed temperature and texture for your drink.

Need to customise a drink – more coffee, hotter milk, something else? You can program up to 8 custom drinks, then name your drink to enjoy any time.

All the usual Sage features are here, with some nice upgrades, like the ThermoJet heating system that reaches the optimum extraction temperature in three seconds. Three. Seconds. It takes us longer than that to twist the portafilter into place if we haven’t had any coffee yet. Read our Sage Barista Touch review to learn more.

The Barista Touch Features:

• Touch-screen display lets you select a drink, then tap icons for each step of the process – grind, brew, and milk.
• PID-controlled ThermoJet heating system reaches extraction temperature in three seconds.
• Five pre-programmed cafe drinks plus up to eight custom drinks mean great flexibility.
• Milk frothing for cappuccinos, lattes, etc. is hands-free – put the pitcher under the steam wand and the Touch does the rest.

VERDICT

The hallmark of the Sage espresso maker family is quality construction for consistently delicious espresso. Whether you choose the entry-level Cafe Roma, the luxurious Oracle, or something in between, there’s something here for everyone looking beyond the ordinary coffee maker.

But if we had to choose just one, the BES870XL Barista Express strikes an almost ideal balance between features and cost, and between adjustability and automatic performance. Its dose-control grinding lets you change the amount of coffee in your portafilter, and the built-in conical grinder simplifies the brewing process. Most of the cost seems to have gone into technology that makes your coffee taste better: PID digital temperature control, micro-foam milk frothing, and the grind size dial all promise – and deliver – great-tasting espresso and cafe drinks.