Two Years With Sage Barista Pro

It's been two years since I purchased the Sage Barista Pro coffee machine, and long story short, it sucks.

Don't get me wrong, it's a decent machine if you only make milky drinks. But like me, if you want to make a cup of Americano where you taste the notes consistently, every day, twice a day, you'll get frustrated quite a lot.

Pros

• Fast startup & heating, no need to wait for it to warm up
• Simple use with digital screen, no need to be an expert barista

Cons

Oh, boy. Where to we start?

1- Terrible, Terrible Grinder

The inbuilt grinder of this machine is simply terrible. I've never been able to get a cup of coffee that isn't sour or burnt. I adjusted the grind size relentlessly, even adjusted the burr's own settings, but either the coffee gets too watery, or simply takes too long and burns. There is no middle ground with this thing.

It also screams like a banshee when it's grinding.

If I hadn’t purchased a Niche Zero, I would've thrown out this machine out the window. I now replaced the hopper with a flat stopper I got from Etsy, and I don't use the grinder at all.

2- Small Water Tank

The machine heats up fast, but for it to reach a good extraction temperature, you still need to run an empty shot. I configured the one-cup button for this, so I do it every time before my actual shot. You also need to run water after you're done to rinse the shower head and the portafilter.

With this much water usage, a full tank only lasts to make 2 coffees (maybe 2.5). The tank is difficult to remove and put back on without spilling water all over, and you need to do this almost every day.

3- Inconsistent Extraction

As I mentioned, I have a Niche Zero, which is an incredibly consistent grinder. But the espresso machine isn't. If you make two coffees with cold start, let's say one in the morning and one in the afternoon, I guarantee you they would come out wildly different. The same settings, the same amount of coffee, same coffee beans from the same jar, but if one comes out perfectly the other one will be either too watery or too slow.

Especially if you time your shots to hit the 28-second mark with 2x coffee extraction (20g in, 40g out), you'll notice the time will fluctuate every single time. One shot will be 28 seconds, the other is 25, the next is 31.

Ironically, it's very consistent in being inconsistent.

4- Loud

I mean, if you use the inbuilt grinder, you would probably hear it from the next town over. The grinder is that loud.

But the machine itself is loud, too. When it's making the espresso, it probably produces the same amount of noise as the Niche Zero, which is ridiculous. I don't store anything on top of the machine, and it's on a solid kitchen worktop with no wobbles. So, why the hell is it making that much noise?

5- Accessories Aren't Good Enough

Another thing made an improvement was to use an IMS filter basket with a bottomless portafilter (Normcore 54mm). The original filter is inconsistent, but the portafilter is actually quite solid. Unfortunately, IMS filters won't fit into the original portafilter, so I had to buy a bottomless one.

Final Words

It took me 6 months to get a decent cup of coffee out of this machine. Until then, I drank a lot of sour americanos.

If you unhappily have this machine but don't want to throw it out, I can suggest the following:

• Buy a decent grinder. Not a Sage one, a proper one that gives consistent amount of ground coffee every time. I recommend Niche Zero if you switch between different coffee beans frequently.
• Buy a bottomless portafilter and IMS baskets. I have a 20g basket with a Normcore portafilter.
• Don't use the tamper that comes with the machine. Buy a proper one. Not necessarily a weighted one, but a proper one.
• Buy a stopper lid from Etsy for the inbuilt grinder, and replace the hopper with it. You'll have more space on the machine.