# Sage Oracle Touch



## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

HAs anyone invested in one of these? I have looked at a few online reviews and they seem to go down well enough (but what would you expect if they sell them!). I am downsizing and if it all goes ahead, may have no option but to consider something like this dues to space considerations. I liked the DB once I had owned and used one properly and I feel my days of changing kit every few months are well behind me now......but whether I am really ready for a b2c is yet to be determined!


----------



## ronsil (Mar 8, 2012)

Apart from more 'teccy' stuff, which makes absolutely no difference to the coffee produced, can't see what more the Touch gives you over the base Oracle.

If I needed tempting which I do not, I maybe would be looking at a 'Decent Espresso' which appears to offer much more for similar money on their basic Machine. Apart from the wait of course.

Are you going to have another 'play' then David?


----------



## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

ronsil said:


> Apart from more 'teccy' stuff, which makes absolutely no difference to the coffee produced, can't see what more the Touch gives you over the base Oracle.
> 
> If I needed tempting which I do not, I maybe would be looking at a 'Decent Espresso' which appears to offer much more for similar money on their basic Machine. Apart from the wait of course.
> 
> Are you going to have another 'play' then David?


I might through space limitations, have to go for a b2c or something with a built in grinder, but do not really look forward to making that decision! There are other machines with built in grinders but impressions are on the whole they are naff! I admire Sage for what they have brought to the market and think the Oracle is a really good machine


----------



## kennyboy993 (Jan 23, 2017)

I've always admired the oracle - I see it as the machine with the best 'hassle to drink quality' factor.

Doesn't the touch automate a little more than the previous Ronsil?


----------



## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

as far as I know, the Touch does 2 things: firstly it removes all buttons and knobs except fro the grind control know, and secondly, everything is dictated by the touch screen that lets you control and adjust to your hearts content. The trouble is every review makes it sound like the bees knees and the question must still remain over longevity.

I have seen people say you can manually over ride the whole system and others say you cannot. The milk frothing seems to have no manual over ride but it seems to make such a good job of it, who cares?


----------



## ronsil (Mar 8, 2012)

Just had a 'hands on' with a Touch.

As I said before 'teccy' but IMO not worth the difference in cost to the original.

However I noticed two downsides as opposed to the original which I think are important:

1 - Cannot adjust the tamp pressure. Something I use a lot.

2 - No manual control on the steam only does auto. I wouldn't like that.

Maybe there is but I didn't see any manual over ride


----------



## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

dfk41 said:


> as far as I know, the Touch does 2 things: firstly it removes all buttons and knobs except fro the grind control know, and secondly, everything is dictated by the touch screen that lets you control and adjust to your hearts content. The trouble is every review makes it sound like the bees knees and the question must still remain over longevity.
> 
> I have seen people say you can manually over ride the whole system and others say you cannot. The milk frothing seems to have no manual over ride but it seems to make such a good job of it, who cares?


The older oracle has a manual over ride for the milk although tbh in auto mode it did a really good job .

The grinder was a very early sage grinder , they are what they are , ill leave it at that .


----------



## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

after careful thought, I do not think I could turn to one of these, no matter how good or bad they are. If space is a premium, I have a Niche on order and am thinking about a Cremina or Xenia, but until my house sells, it really is not an issue!


----------



## kennyboy993 (Jan 23, 2017)

What draws you to a Xenia dfk?


----------



## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

kennyboy993 said:


> What draws you to a Xenia dfk?


I do not know its dimensions but it appears small. I have asked them to confirm this and whether they can supply to the uk


----------



## craigsalisbury (Dec 8, 2017)

dfk41 said:


> HAs anyone invested in one of these? I have looked at a few online reviews and they seem to go down well enough (but what would you expect if they sell them!). I am downsizing and if it all goes ahead, may have no option but to consider something like this dues to space considerations. I liked the DB once I had owned and used one properly and I feel my days of changing kit every few months are well behind me now......but whether I am really ready for a b2c is yet to be determined!


As im in the market, would you recommend the DB? I don't plan on changing for a good few years.


----------



## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

I have had a couple of db's. The truth is, if you are newish to coffee, then you will make a better cup from a decent b2c than a manual machine for quite some time as there is a steep learning curve. But, depending on how interested you become in coffee, you will soon make a better cup on a manual machine, if you want to!


----------



## JonR (Aug 21, 2017)

I have a Sage Dual Boiler coupled with Mignon Eureka - and this seems quite a common pairing. I am still learning but I think I'm getting on ok with it. At some point, if I find an expert barista, I may ask them to confirm what I am doing well and identify what I can do better.


----------



## craigsalisbury (Dec 8, 2017)

im thinking to pair either the DB or an apartamento with the SJ, ultimately it will come down which the wife finds prettiest so i dont spend time on the sofa. Both seem to be great machines and the DB seems to be an easier option to start with than the rocket.


----------



## thewanted (Dec 19, 2017)

Hey everyone,

We're in the market for our first coffee machine, and after doing a lot of research we've decided not to go with the espresso machine + separate grinder combo due to the steep learning curve required. I don't think I have any time or inclination left for learning how to brew espresso since I BBQ all the time (6+ hour cooks) and we have a Roccbox pizza oven which is awesome, but requires a lot of time and effort to perfect. I have decided that not everything in my life needs to be super complicated









We were fairly set on the Melitta Caffeo Barista TS until we stumbled across the Sage Oracle Touch. I initially ignored it since it costs 2.5x more than the Melitta, but my girlfriend is quite smitten with it. The Sage has a distinct advantage for us since she is lactose intolerant, and wants to make coffees with oat or almond milk. Since the milk doesn't pass through the Sage, we don't have to rinse/clean the machine when I want a dairy milk coffee after she's made hers.

I haven't found any other machines that are comparable to the Sage Oracle Touch, but I have only been researching for a few days. For those that have bought one, which other machines did you consider? For those that haven't, which other machines should I be looking at?

Apologies for the long-winded first post, but hopefully it gives a bit of context as to why we are willing to spend this much. Thanks!


----------



## kennyboy993 (Jan 23, 2017)

I don't think there's any direct competitor to the oracle touch - apart from the original oracle of course.

For your requirements I think it's hard to ignore if you can stomach the initial outlay.

I must admit if I was starting all over again I'd give it serious thought


----------



## thewanted (Dec 19, 2017)

kennyboy993 said:


> I don't think there's any direct competitor to the oracle touch - apart from the original oracle of course.
> 
> For your requirements I think it's hard to ignore if you can stomach the initial outlay.
> 
> I must admit if I was starting all over again I'd give it serious thought


Thanks, that's what I figured. I couldn't find any competing machines when I was having a look last night.

I wish it was possible to get a demo of the Oracle Touch in the UK. It's a *lot* of money to spend without a test drive first


----------



## pgarrish (May 20, 2017)

They sell them in the big John Lewis' - maybe you can try there?


----------



## thewanted (Dec 19, 2017)

pgarrish said:


> They sell them in the big John Lewis' - maybe you can try there?


Yeah I am going to get down to the JL store in Oxford Street next Wednesday for a demo. The Sage Facebook page confirmed that they have a machine there and that they can make coffee with it


----------



## Roobarb (Jan 8, 2018)

Steamer Trading do Sage demos. Their posh sister store for the London areas is Divertmenti in Knightsbridge / Kensington area. I imagine that they could demo the machine for you.


----------



## thewanted (Dec 19, 2017)

Roobarb said:


> Steamer Trading do Sage demos. Their posh sister store for the London areas is Divertmenti in Knightsbridge / Kensington area. I imagine that they could demo the machine for you.


Thanks for the tip







I did have a demo of the Touch at JL in Oxford Street between Xmas and New Year. It was nice but the lady wasn't very confident and didn't know nearly as much as I did about the machine. I don't mean to sound arrogant, but I research everything to the N'th degree before I buy, and the gaps in her knowledge were very noticeable.

It produced a nice cup of coffee but didn't really blow me away. The automatic tamping left holes in the grind which is concerning given that this is half the point of buying this particular model.

We decided that the Touch was just too expensive given the lack of innovation over the Oracle, so if the Oracle goes back down to ~£1150 then we'll probably pick one up.


----------



## Tsangpa (Nov 26, 2017)

The Oracle is down to £1,291.50 on Amazon at the moment https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sage-Blumenthal-BES980UK-Espresso-Semi-Automatic/dp/B00KNXNS7G

You could also see if Lakeland would price match Amazon as they give a 3-year warranty on them


----------



## Tsangpa (Nov 26, 2017)

Or if you fancy chancing your arm you can go for a manufacturer refurb from ebay with a 12 month rtb warranty and some minor scratches for £880

https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/Sage-BES980UK-10-Cups-Coffee-Maker-Silver/216941950?thm=2000


----------



## The Asgard (Aug 1, 2017)

I would say if you must go for the Oracle go for the original, less to go wrong.


----------

