One for the coffee bean connoisseur.
I am very much an amateur.
Had delonghi for years and my most recent siemens a bit disappointing. Looking to get a a Sage barista express.
Anyone got one that can confirm if this is a decent/reliable machine or alternative I can look at? Thanks.
Suprise, suprise - the pellet testing nerd has also done lots of shot testing for a bloody cup of coffee... I really am exhausting...
The Sage Barista Express is my daily driver, I got it for a song second hand (~£200).
If you like Espresso drinks, it is absolutely fine - but it's not an "end game" machine. This is a Kral Puncher of the coffee world, a name that means just enough, and reviews that usually always remark on how much value you get for the money.
The main issue with the Sage machines is that they are essentially unregulated. The "sweet spot" for pressure with Espresso is not tuned properly from factory, and you are really getting into the weeds if you decide to modify the machine yourself (tons of guides on youtube, it is pretty easy if you can mentally map out about 10-15 screws). I haven't done the pressure mod, and it does produce fine coffee - but I've never been truly satisfied that I'm getting the absolute best extraction, and the pressure dial on the front is totally useless unless you do modify the pump (always goes to max).
I would say, if you're going to do bean to cup, then the built-in grinder is not good enough. The adjustment settings aren't fine enough to really dial in your shot. I'm currently rocking a significantly modified Mignon Crono (another eBay purchase!) that I've 3d printed a number of parts for, swapped the burrs to espresso dedicated burrs, added some bellows. For bean to cup though, the grinder is significantly more important than the espresso machine. If, however, you're going to use pre-ground coffee, the pressurised basket (read the manual!) will do a good enough job - but I wouldn't bother with the Sage Barista if you're not going to be grinding your own!
If I was starting over - I'd go for the Sage Bambino and then use the money I saved to buy a dedicated single dose espresso grinder (probably another Mignon).
However, If money was no object....
But this compares a 9015 to a Rotex.
Do you have a bean preference? I really like the LaVazza Gran Crema (7/10 strength), but I've started trying a few of the cheaper alternatives, as I really didn't want to be spending as much as I was on coffee beans. I would also give services like Pact a miss, you never get enough beans to get the most out of the shot.
/nerd
! 
.
