Sage The Barista Express BES875UK Espresso Coffee Machine with Integrated Burr Grinder - Brushed Steel

Good value for money and was the right machine for us.

Want a classy coffee machine that makes good coffee then the Sage Barista Express is it. The BES875UK is not cheap, but you get what you pay for. Looks good with quality fittings and the espresso it produces is coffee shop quality. It’s not fully automatic and you need experience with the machine settings to get the best results, but I personally like being part of the making process than just pickup the cup

Out of the box this screams quality. Four filters (single and double pressurised and non), water filter, even a little scraper to ensure the coffee is at the right level. Although it is set up to grind and brew exactly what Sage/Breville deem to be a perfect amount, you can override defaults with ease. As this is an espresso grinder combi rather than an automatic bean to cup there are less moving parts to go wrong and more controllability (not to mention easier to clean and no residue to go mouldy) Down side...the steam wand not a patch on Melitta's patented one but not too bad all the same. Finally the coffee, comes out great...pressurised basket makes it spot on every time for the amateur...the pressurised can possibly get even beyyer results for a professional. If you drink a few cups of coffee a week i can certainly recommend this, it may be a touch ecpensive for someone who has one or two a week to justify.

With the first few uses of the machine I thought I'd made a mistake in buying it. Watch the YouTube video and persist with trying different settings (which sometimes contradict the recommendations). After a day and probably 20 attempts it is now making perfect coffee (for my taste) which is: 1/2 cup boiling water from the dispenser nozzle, grind coarseness 15, single cup size filter but double size cup extraction, top up with steamed milk to 65 degrees. Great.

Wow! not only does this machine look stunning in brushed stainless steel, but it makes the most amazing coffee I have ever tasted, I was a bit apprehensive that it might take a while get going with it but after reading the instructions it took about ten minutes to set up, the inbuilt grinder goes from whole coffee beans to espresso in under a minute! And then came the fun part, testing the grind size and amount to get the perfect extraction, then came the coffee tasting, the steam wand does a marvellous job at foaming the milk and all in all it is a fabulous looking piece of equipment that makes the most amazing tasting coffee, even my once non coffee drinking partner is enjoying playing with it and drinking the end product!! The machine also lets you texture your milk so I am now practising my latte art!, would definitely recommend this machine, the only downside is the sleepless nights after all this coffee tasting!!!

If you're into your espresso you'll not be disappointed.