SAGE THE BARISTA EXPRESS IMPRESS
A sightly more expensive machine, but boy do you get what you pay for
It’s the perfect machine for lovers of cappuccinos and flat whites
Despite still being relatively affordable, this machine is a big step up from the other two, and we would urge you to consider splashing that extra cash on The Barista Express Impress if you consider yourself a proper coffee lover.
While there is nothing wrong with the Breville or the De’Longhi machines – they’re both excellent – everything about the Sage is better. Everything. The build quality is way more substantial; the grinder is more precise and appears much better made; the steam wand is miles better – the only problem you’ll have with this one is that it’s almost too powerful. Heating and texturing your milk in a fraction of the time of its rivals, it’s the perfect machine for lovers of cappuccinos and flat whites.
Most importantly, this Sage machine simply extracts more flavour from coffee beans. So if you want a really strong cup, it can do that, but it will also give you more of the nuances of different types of bean. We tested all these machines with Sage’s own ‘Beanz’ coffee subscription service, and the individual characteristics of each new bag of fresh beans shone through brightest and clearest on this one.
The auto-dosing portion of the Express Impress is simply the best we’ve ever encountered. It dispenses exactly the right amount of coffee every single time and also auto-tamps with little effort required from you.
Other than the additional expense, it’s worth noting that this semi-pro machine is also bigger than its rivals, takes longer to warm up, and makes more alarming hissing and rumbling noises when you’re using it. It’s by far the closest of these three to what you’d find in an expensive coffee shop. We also seemed to get though beans more rapidly with this one – the portafilter is noticeably wider than the others and we were probably using a finer grind.
However, the coffee from this machine is such a pleasure to drink, we didn’t begrudge any of that. For its ease of use and excellent performance, this is truly a star performer, for those who are willing to pay that bit extra.