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Sage Barista Express Espresso Machine UK Review 

 October 8, 2017

By  Enda McLarnon

This is my long and detailed review of the exceptional Sage Barista Express Espresso Machine. These machines are made famous by the popular and extravagant Heston Bumenthal, the TV chef.

As of the time of writing this review, this is the cheapest of his range of 3 bean to cup machines. It is also the biggest seller in the range. He also does a dual boiler machine, and a semi-automatic machine.

For now though, I am reviewing the Barista Express, highly rated and with a high RRP of £599.95. It is however possible to get good discounts online as we shall see below.

Sage Barista Express Espresso Machine Review
Sage by Heston Blumenthal the Barista Express Coffee Machine and Grinder Black

As you can see from the images above, this barista express comes in a silver colour or in a black colour. Please click on the images if you would like to see a larger version of them.

Like any bean to cup machine, this one is designed so that you pour your chosen coffee beans in the hopper at the top, and get amazing coffee out of the spout.

It uses an automatic feed, which delivers the precise amount of ground coffee, to make your favourite brew. All of that is achieved by pushing one button. That is pretty impressive!

If you own a machine of this calibre, then you can make any type of coffee that you will ever need.

Sage are considered to be a high end appliance brand. These appliances range from espresso machines, ovens, kettles and right through to food processors. They are known as a highly innovative company.

They are part of the Breville Group, and they work with the chef Heston Blumenthal to advertise many of their products. This company offer a full support service by telephone (08 081 781 650) or online.

How Buyers Rate the Sage Barista Express

80%
Buyer Satisfaction

One of the things that I do when I am reviewing a product is to always make sure that I have used it. I don't have this one at home though there are times that I wish I had.

I did however get to use this one a lot at my sister in law's coffee shop. 

I also like to read everything that other buyers have to say. That allows me to accurately summarise, how good this coffee machine really is. So here is what I found.

Overall buyers rated this at 80%, which is an excellent rating. Personally I would have rated this one even higher, as it is such a good machine. However I do like to reflect what the majority of buyers had to say.

The Pros & Cons of the Sage Barista

The Cons

I will start with the negative things that people said after they had bought and used the machine. Those were really about one issue, and the percentage of these was low at around 4% of buyers.

Essentially they said that their machine stopped working, anywhere between 9-18 months, and they had to get it replaced under warranty.

For me, the only other con is the price tag, but I guess you get what you pay for.

The Pros

This coffee machine looks amazing, and it has been made to a very high standard. This machine actually uses a low pressure that initially soaks the coffee, just prior to it being hit with the higher pressure for full extraction.

For me anyway, that does wonders in terms of increasing the quality of the coffee.

The Actual Taste of the Coffee

I have made a lot of coffee using this machine, and I mean a lot. Almost everyone commented on just how good it tasted. If you like to drink what I call "coffee shop quality coffee," then it will take a machine of this quality to make it.

Feature Packed

Usually I am not a huge fan of having too many features. That can actually put people off as the learning curve is just too hard. I remember changing to my first iPhone, and how long that took.

This one has a ton of features, but not too many to distract you.

Video Review of the Sage Barista

Sometimes it is better to see than to read. Why not let the man himself, Heston Blumenthal walk you through this one.

So as you can see from whole beans, to espresso in under one minute. Now that's what I call efficient. This bean to machine does come with a milk frother and jug, that allows you to turn your espresso into a latte or cappuccino.

My Verdict On the Sage Barista Express

I don't think you will be too surprised that I highly recommend this impressive machine. I do understand some people had issues when it stopped working. Thankfully those problems were fixed under warranty, and the percentage of problems was very low.

The most difficult thing for me is the high price point. If you can afford this machine, then you should buy it. This is a high quality and well engineered coffee machine, that makes amazing coffee.

If this is not the bean to cup coffee machine for you, then check out our top 5 list of bean to cup machines, by clicking here.

This Barista Express is about as good a machine as money can buy.

Enda McLarnon


Enda McLarnon has a Business Management Honour's Degree and applies his professional insight, to analyse and write helpful product reviews with tips and useful advice. I am also a coffee lover and enjoy tasting all of the coffee types the world has to offer.

Enda McLarnon

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