# Sage Barista Express have I made the wrong choice?



## MatthewBw (Sep 9, 2015)

I am far from an expert and on my newly found journey of coffee discovery.

Started with a simple espresso machine I got via air miles and progressed to a bean to cup.

I recently got a Sage BE which I am yet to open and use. I wanted something more manual than my current machine but easy to use. I had a go on one and found it fine.

Read a few threads on here which seem to speak poorly of it. Did I buy poorly? Should I take it back and stick with my Bean to Cup?

Matt.


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## Fevmeister (Oct 21, 2013)

Go the other way to a more manual machine and pair it with a good standalone grinder!

as I see it, with the 'semi-manual' sage BE, you are halfway to good coffee!!


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## risky (May 11, 2015)

@Fevmeister What do you mean by a more manual machine? I don't see how this Sage is 'semi-manual'?

Definitely don't go back to bean to cup! The main criticism of the barista express is the built-in grinder. Most people on this forum would rather have a separate grinder and machine. However it may be the perfect device for you. It depends how far you want to take your espresso making.

The most important question is: How was the coffee?


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## NickdeBug (Jan 18, 2015)

Sage BE will be a step up from your Bean to Cup machine. It is the exact same concept as a separate grinder and espresso machine but in a combined package. There are better stand alone grinders but the Barista Express is more than capable of producing good results if you feed it good coffee. Probably a match for a Gaggia Classic/MC2 combination.

I would stop worrying about other people's opinions (many of whom might not have even tried the machine) and start enjoying some tasty coffee.


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## Fevmeister (Oct 21, 2013)

risky said:


> @Fevmeister What do you mean by a more manual machine? I don't see how this Sage is 'semi-manual'?
> 
> Definitely don't go back to bean to cup! The main criticism of the barista express is the built-in grinder. Most people on this forum would rather have a separate grinder and machine. However it may be the perfect device for you. It depends how far you want to take your espresso making.
> 
> The most important question is: How was the coffee?


I I thought it was a dumbed down version of the oracle, having had a quick look it's not. I would class the oracle as a semi manual.


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## risky (May 11, 2015)

Fevmeister said:


> I I thought it was a dumbed down version of the oracle, having had a quick look it's not. I would class the oracle as a semi manual.


I thought the exact same thing until I read up on it. Reading a review it actually says the grinder is fairly good. Plenty of adjustment range on it.


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

The Sage grinder isn't too bad either, some complaints about it not going fine enough but not all seem to suffer this (I'm aware of the original batch being 'community tested' and a shim being added)

I would guess, perhaps incorrectly, that the grinder tech is similar across the safe range.

The only robbed with the Barista Express will be if you decided to hang around a forum like this and start reading about how much better a bigger and better grinder will make your coffee. If you had standalone items to begin with you can scratch this itch without having to buy a new machine.

If you don't hang around a place like this forum you will likely be happy with what the Sage BE kicks out. Not meaning it is bad, it's just a step on a tall ladder is all of which only a very select few are at the top.


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## h1udd (Sep 1, 2015)

as a first manual machine the Sage is good enough in my opinion.

there is a lot to be said for working your way through machines, start at the bottom and work yourway up as you get a better taste for coffee, more tollerance and an ever increasing bug for the perfect pour.

if my first machine had been a fully manual lever without a pstat ... I would have given up and drunk tea by now. ..... I started on some junk machines, and a blade grinder .... 15 years later I still dont have the "perfect machine" ... not sure there is one

edit: .. also there is a LOT of coffee snobbery in this game .... I rememeber one period in time where unless it was a naked PF 25 second shot of espresso then it was just junk, forget Drip coffee or pourovers or cold brewed, the ONLY way you can enjoy coffee is espresso









its a drink ... you might like 50/50 arabica robuster, you might like 90% milk, you might like it cold, stewed, turkish .. there is no correct answer.

so be happy with the sage ... BUT .. expect to sell it on in a years time when you suddenly feel the need for an HX with a grinder the size of a small child


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## MatthewBw (Sep 9, 2015)

Haha! Thanks everyone that's a great insight and lots of useful information to digest.

I got some pretty nice results even from the bean to cup and am excited to actually be able to decide how much coffee is going in for a change. I guess if I find the grinder poor I can use a separate one.

I hadn't taken it from the box but I'll have a good play with the machine tonight.

The more I learn the more I realise how much complexity there is to coffee and I get more fascinated. The course thread also looks good and I plan to check them out too.

Thanks again folks, much food for thought.


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## risky (May 11, 2015)

Dylan said:


> The Sage grinder isn't too bad either, some complaints about it not going fine enough but not all seem to suffer this (I'm aware of the original batch being 'community tested' and a shim being added)


Was this the grinder in the Barista express though? I'm aware of this complaint on the actual Sage smart grinder, but in the review of the barista express I read, the reviewer said she was able to choke the machine and was nowhere near the maximum fine setting.



NickdeBug said:


> I would stop worrying about other people's opinions (many of whom might not have even tried the machine) and start enjoying some tasty coffee.


This is key. Is there anyone on this forum who has actually used the BE? I'd be very interested to see it go head to head against some standalone setups in the same price range. Bearing in mind it can be had for £489, the only separates systems that come into this price range would be a used Classic or Silvia with a Mignon or SJ? I think the results may be surprising, and if the machine on the BE is good, there is nothing to stop you buying a separate grinder further down the line if they felt the need.

Is the Duo Temp the same machine as the BE but without the grinder? I know there was a thread on here where someone suggested that the Duo Temp should be the go-to beginners machine.


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

risky said:


> Was this the grinder in the Barista express though? I'm aware of this complaint on the actual Sage smart grinder, but in the review of the barista express I read, the reviewer said she was able to choke the machine and was nowhere near the maximum fine setting.


No, it wasn't, my point was that peoples mileage seemed to vary with the Smart Grinder Pro (which didn't come out until after they said they would shim all the non-pro grinders) with some saying it could choke their machine and others saying the finest setting wasn't fine enough.

I dont think anyone ever really found out where this variance came from, but as there was never an 'unshimmed' version of the Pro they should all be able to cover very similar ranges. If it is the case that they come with different minimum tolerances it is something that could be seen in the rest of the Sage range.

Or maybe not, either way if you bought an espresso machine not capable of an expresso grind it would be very easy to take it back and swap it.


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