SageThe Barista Express - Bean to Cup Coffee Machine with Grinder and Milk Frother, Brushed Stainless Steel

This coffee machine really is les testicules de chien.The build quality is a joy to behold. Everything feels so well designed and well constructed; lovely and solid. It feels like a piece of engineering from a bygone age, compared with so much of the flimsy machinery you get nowadays. The instructions are comprehensive, it's easy to care for and clean, and it looks darn smashing on your workshop (while you want to hide ugly machines like microwaves). It's like a nice vintage car or something!Certainly, it takes a bit of faffing and experimentation to get your coffee right and achieve the desired crema, but it's all the more satisfying when you do. Personally, I enjoy the process, the steps, the theatre of it. I enjoy the sound and smell of the grinder, the grumbling of the machine when you switch it on and the deafening hiss of the milk frother. You can of course get machines that do everything for you at the press of a button, but I find this more satisfying that's it's not an instantaneous thing. A little effort (not much) is required. I couldn't justify all those little plastic pods on my conscience, so this machine felt like the right one. Definitely feel we made the right choice with this, and manual tamping is fine and part of the process for me, so I don't consider that a drawback. I also think the digital display of some of the more expensive models ruins the timeless aesthetic, for me anyway.And this from someone who doesn't really love coffee unless it's really nice coffee! Bloody great and very bonnie piece of kit. Definitely good value.

This isn't a one push button instant coffee machine. If that's what you're looking for, click away now.This coffee machine does most of the hard work for you. It will allow you to pour a bag of freshly roasted beans into the grinder and have it dispensed into a cup within a few minutes. There is some manual attention to detail required for best results. This can make awful coffee. This can also make some fabulous coffee. I'm not here to tell you the exact answer, because it's something you will learn through using it. I'm here to tell you that it's entirely possible to learn how to make great coffee within just a few weeks of using it and what I personally discovered.So, what did I learn?1. Buy fresh beans - no supermarket shelf stuff, not even M&S. It isn't fresh enough and your coffee will taste flat. Waitrose do a few types that have the roast date printed on the bag, if it's within a month, that'll do.2. The included levelling tool isn't all that precise - I always find that slightly above that mark is actually better3. The amount of pressure you tamp with has a huge impact on the pressure dial - you have to press quite hard, and ensure the level of coffee still sits high enough, yes you can add more and re-tamp.4. The best shot comes from the double filter with single skin - the biggest one with the most holes. Learn on this one as the single skin ones cheat a bit. They have a single hole which artificially maintains a set pressure so you can't really mess up. The trick is to learn from the start. The single one is very fiddly and easy to get wrong.5. Milk frothing is still quite hard for me, I think the best thing to do is get the wand deep in the milk to start with, then froth it when it's hot. Latte art is not as easy as the spotty weekend barista makes it look.Since using this, I don't buy coffee from shops anymore. I prefer my own. You can make whatever drink you want from it, single or double shot cappuccino, latte, frapawhatever. Be as pretentious as you want in the comfort of your own home. It also has a hot water dispenser for the green tea drinkers.Cleaning is a bit of a faff. Tray comes out in three pieces laced with coffee dust and water, but that's the price of fine art I guess. Keep it clean and it will keep making nice drinks. Also run the group head with nothing in it from time to time to clear it out. Changing the filter is absolutely vital if you live in a hard water area. Put it in your phone calendar or something.It's a nice product to have, changing beans keeps things fresh for me. I recommend an online subscription of some sort. I look forward to seeing your results on Instagram.

The media could not be loaded. If you want to experience the awakening smell of freshly ground beans and amazing coffee at home, this is one of the greatest options at this price point. I’ve owned quite a few espresso machines in my life, this is the more expansive I even had but it gives by far the best results. The difference in quality and taste is huge.Some advice: what the machine requires is some patience at the beginning or when you get a new coffee blend. You will need to adjust a bit the grind level, the amount of coffee, tamping and the time it needs for extraction. It might take a couple of not so good shots until you dial it in, but once you do you are good to go.I’ve been using it for 6 months now, and I have settled in a coffee blend I like, so I don’t need to dial the settings very often. The pro-tip here, is to get freshly roasted coffee (about a month, month and half should be fine). I also tried generic coffee beans from known brands, the ones without roasting date, but the results are not as good.When using the machine, the analog pressure gauge (I love this, feels so professional) gives you a good overview, so you can see and adjust for the next shot:Low pressure and coffee running too fast? Maybe dial the grind level to be more refined, or add a bit coffee if the portafilter can take it.Too much pressure and very slow extraction? Move the grind level dial to be more coarse.Once you play around a bit, you will be able to see what the espresso needs and you will adjust. There are many helpful online tutorials if you want to dive into the whole process, but in general one should be ok with minor adjustments and able to enjoy tasty, velvety coffee – given you use good quality coffee.If you don’t want to buy freshly roasted coffee, you can use the dualwall filters provided in the machine; they allow for some extra pressure control of the extracted coffee, but in my opinion, if you buy this machine, you probably want good espresso, so buy the good coffee as well :)In general the machine is very easy to clean, I pop the tray in the washing machine every now and then and has been looking like new, even though I’m working from home and I’ve been using it quite a few times per day.The provided milk jug, with temperature indicator is great for great cappuccino / latte foam.Overall, this has been an amazing purchase, if you enjoy a good coffee and you are willing to learn how to extract it, this machine will not let you down.