Sage - The Barista Touch Impress - Bean to Cup Coffee Machine with Grinder and Milk Frother, Brushed Stainless Steel

I did loads of research before opting for this machine. I have moved from capsules to beans and boy oh boy the difference of fresh coffee is night and day and I save all that waste with the pods. Highly recommend the ease of making freshly ground coffee that this machine offers. As a complete novice, this machine takes all the hassle and learning out, as it guides you through the process depending on what drink you prefer from expresso to lattes and more. Highly recommend it. It’s not cheap but worth it so far.

Only brews double shot expresso volume of 1.3 ounces and grind size doesn't affect this too much. Using Coffee with roasted on date of 15th Feb 2024, and is Italian medium roast.I've tried multiple grind sizes however nothing seems to change brew volume that much.I've reported issue to Sage Customer Service however they don't appear too interested in talking to me. Maybe there's a long Que.Anyway will return to Amazon in next couple of days if Sage can't tell me how to increase brew volume to 2 ounces for a double shot.

I previously had the Barista Express Impress but after a couple of weeks I found it too much of a hassle to make just one cup of coffee twice a day. Although more expensive The Touch Impress is a giant step forward and a pleasure to use. I have now been using it for many months without regret.

Having done a lot of research, as I’m prone to doing for anything I buy, I’m really impressed by this machine!Research done, the idea was sold to my partner that the old machine was really past its best and it was time for a Bean to Cup upgrade. She baulked at the mention of a £1200 machine, but was soon sold when I mentioned it could be our Xmas present to each other!I waited for Black Friday deals and seemingly for 1 day only managed to bag this machine for £999.96. Appreciate at the time of writing this a few months on its likely sitting at well under that now…Anyway, a lot more research on Coffee, Beans, Dialling In, tamping and all the other stuff that comes from upgrading to a Bean to Cup machine, my key learning was that if you want a decent coffee, then you’d better be using and paying attention to the roasted on date on a bag of beans! If you’re in the UK, then I’d recommend following ‘Coffee Kev’ or his blog ‘CoffeeBlog.co.uk’ solid all round advice on Coffee and Machines and some great reviews on how best to use said machines. I also started by buying a starter pack of beans from him to try smaller bags and different types.Setting up of the machine is very easy and hassle free, great instructions and plenty of YouTube content. Use the Intelligent brew set up when loading in new beans and make sure you’re using the right portafilter basket depending on the freshness of your beans. The last part is important! If you’re always using freshly roasted beans in the last 30 days, you’ll be fine sticking with the same portafilter basket!Interestingly, my younger brother bought the Sage Barista Pro machine and ended up returning it last month. They just couldn’t get it dialled in correctly to produce good espresso. I suspected user error, poor beans, but after 45 mins, I also really struggled! Ultimately too much faff for them and they’ve gone back to Nespresso Vurto machine. Me praising the simplicity of this machine, Intelligent brew setting doing it for you wasn’t helpful! 😂Now, my only real complaint, is the coffee temperature. I just made a coffee before writing this, on my custom stored cappuccino setting, where I have both coffee and milk at a higher than standard setting and I do wish it was hotter for longer. When I make an Americano for instance or long black as some say, I’m now just using it for the double espresso and boiling the kettle for the hot water.Milk frothing part is brilliant, the no touch aspect to it, does indeed buy you some time as you hurry to get out the door in the morning.Overall, a very solid machine, very easy to use, reasonable value for money, looks good, touch display is pretty damn good and pretty easy maintenance wise. 1.5 months of using this machine and both very happy with the choice! My only other advice would be to bring anyone else that’s going to be using it along on the education journey, the more they understand the less chance of any frustration!

The best ever

I suspect mine is either faulty or they just have a design flaw. Customer services are impossible to get hold of so I’m stuck with a paperweight.Worked fine for a month or so but started getting intermittent problem with low volume extraction. I only get a few grams of cold undrinkable espresso.I’m using very fresh roasted beans and I’ve been through descale / group head cleaning.

Quality coffee machine, excellent beverage making.