# Sage Oracle - A sensible upgrade?



## Rickster1978 (Jan 12, 2019)

So I've had a Barista Express for quite a while now and I managed to get (in my opinion) a very good deal on a new Sage Oracle. I've bitten and gone for it but I'm undecided if it's the best option as an upgrade to my current Sage.

It would be great to hear from anyone who has one. It's not the Touch version and I've paid £890 for it so I think the price is good. It's due to be delivered tomorrow and I have the tracking reference so fingers crossed it's all fine.

My other option is to sell it on and go down a separate grinder / coffee machine route.


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## Dalerst (Jan 22, 2020)

In my honest opinion, i would of gone down the single grinder and machine route, but that would cost you more than you have paid, at £890 it will still be a good buy. The Oracle will have the same grinder in as your BE, so still has its limitations as thire not the best, which im finding out when it comes to light roasts etc.


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## Rickster1978 (Jan 12, 2019)

For some reason I had it in my head that the grinder was better in the Oracle. I know it's got a lot more grind settings than the BE but didn't realise it was the same grinder.


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## Dalerst (Jan 22, 2020)

Rickster1978 said:


> For some reason I had it in my head that the grinder was better in the Oracle. I know it's got a lot more grind settings than the BE but didn't realise it was the same grinder.


 It has more setting, they go to 30 now instead of 15, but I never go above 12 on mine.


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## daveandmairi (Jul 22, 2020)

I'm pretty happy with mine. Like you I got it for a bargain price. Mine was used but when I got it it looked brand new so I was very happy right from the off.

I'm fairly new to the 'coffee as a hobby' thing so don't have a ton of experience with other machines to compare against. Auto bean to cup for a while then a basic manual machine and a cheapish grinder.

I've found the extraction times and volumes to be pretty consistent which I gather is key. I was excited to expand my horizons beyond the illy beans we've used for years but I've struggled with lighter roasts (tasting really sour). I ended up getting the barista at the roaster I've been getting my beans from to pull me a couple of shots of the same bean variety I was struggling with and his was what I would describe as sour too. So maybe it's not me or the Sage after all! Maybe I'm not ready to jump away from illy yet.

As soon as I got it I started tinkering with all of the settings (brew temp, shot volumetric rather than timed, steam temp/pressure, tamp force and duration, coffee dose etc.) but frankly I just ended up doing factory resets. Turns out the people at Sage know more about making coffee than me. Who knew!!!

The main benefit for me is that I now have a machine that my wife likes too. She couldn't be bothered with the effort involved in grinding in a separate machine, transferring to the PF, spilling some, tamping, wiping up the spilled grounds then brewing. And then there's the auto frothing. It's certainly more convenient than manual frothing but I can't do world class latte art yet, so maybe my machine is defective :c)


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## Adam.f (Apr 9, 2020)

IMO it is not an upgrade an upgrade is going for a separate machine and grinder something like a ACS Minima, MaraX, a E61 group head machine. The Express, Pro, Touch, Oracle can product a good drink, I have a Pro and the upgrade for me was to upgrade the grinder so I got a Niche, first way to improve coffee is good quality fresh beans and a good grinder and I have not looked back, it products a very good cup.


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## TomHughes (Dec 16, 2019)

The Oracle produces the most average drink of any I've ever had from a machine costing more than £200 or so.

The grinder is a massive weak link.


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## Rickster1978 (Jan 12, 2019)

Oh my life this has become a minefield!!

The Oracle has arrived but I've left it sealed in the box as I may just sell it on at cost as I think my mind has been changed.

I saw the Niche Zero on some posts and I think I have fallen in love with it. Thinking of partnering it with either a Sage Dual Boiler or Lelit Elizabeth. However part of my is dying to just save and save and get a Decent DE1+. I come from a Product Design background and I just love the tech side of the machine but it's a serious amount of money.

Im not in a mad rush as I can make do with the Barista Express until I can get the correct machine for me


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## lhavelund (Dec 28, 2018)

Rickster1978 said:


> Oh my life this has become a minefield!!
> 
> The Oracle has arrived but I've left it sealed in the box as I may just sell it on at cost as I think my mind has been changed.
> 
> ...


 You would do very, very well with a Niche and an Elizabeth - and they'll both be worth a lot more than an Oracle when you finally decide to splurge on a DE1+!


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## daveandmairi (Jul 22, 2020)

TomHughes said:


> The Oracle produces the most average drink of any I've ever had from a machine costing more than £200 or so.
> 
> The grinder is a massive weak link.


 I hear this 'weak link' comment often What would you suggest would be an equivalent standalone non-Sage grinder? How much do you think I would need to spend on a standalone to taste the difference?

Cheers

Dave


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## daveandmairi (Jul 22, 2020)

Rickster1978 said:


> Oh my life this has become a minefield!!
> 
> The Oracle has arrived but I've left it sealed in the box as I may just sell it on at cost as I think my mind has been changed.
> 
> ...


 What did you do in the end?


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## ImthatGuy (Dec 4, 2015)

Rickster1978 said:


> So I've had a Barista Express for quite a while now and I managed to get (in my opinion) a very good deal on a new Sage Oracle. I've bitten and gone for it but I'm undecided if it's the best option as an upgrade to my current Sage.
> 
> It would be great to hear from anyone who has one. It's not the Touch version and I've paid £890 for it so I think the price is good. It's due to be delivered tomorrow and I have the tracking reference so fingers crossed it's all fine.
> 
> My other option is to sell it on and go down a separate grinder / coffee machine route.


 Speaking as someone who recently bought the Barista Pro, after much thinking about the Express and Oracle as alternatives, I'd describe the Oracle as a good upgrade in terms of convenience, but not in terms of pure coffee production. I picked the Pro because it had somewhat more than the Express (more grinder settings and better controls) without a huge price increase. The Oracle didn't provide enough extra to justify the higher price.

All that said, the cost of a good espresso machine and grinder is likely to be quite a bit higher than the Oracle.


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## Rincewind (Aug 25, 2020)

Rickster1978 said:


> ...Im *not in a mad rush* as I can make do with the Barista Express until I can *get the correct machine for me*


 Hi @Rickster1978, July has been and gone...did you change your setup or not ?


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## Rickster1978 (Jan 12, 2019)

Rumpelstiltskin said:


> Hi @Rickster1978, July has been and gone...did you change your setup or not ?


 I got the Niche and that's going well. I've also sold a house so waiting to get in the new place before biting the bullet on a Lelit Elizabeth. Definitely decided that's the one for me.


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## stingray (Aug 4, 2020)

Rickster1978 said:


> I got the Niche and that's going well. I've also sold a house so waiting to get in the new place before biting the bullet on a Lelit Elizabeth. Definitely decided that's the one for me.


 good move


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