Sage Barista «Express Impress»: a clean entrance into the barista world
18/11/2022
Sage promises stress-free, clean coffee enjoyment with the «Express Impress». Ground coffee is pressed by a closed system that also measures the amount of ground beans. But it’ll cost you.
First things first: I understand the need for portafilter machines with integrated grinders. They mean that there’s only one appliance in your kitchen and no separate grinder next to the otherwise space-consuming coffee machine. That would be really useful. However, the manufacturers of combination devices usually save somewhere to be able to compete in the attractive price bracket under 1,000 francs. This is no different with the «Express Impress», but more on that later.
Sage has given its new portafilter the meaningless name «Express Impress». It kind of reminds me of the ‘80s song «S-Express». But there’s nothing retro about this. The machine automatically doses ground coffee into the portafilter, then the coffee only has to be pressed after grinding. So almost nothing gets spilled. I put the portafilter in a slot under the grinder, press the button for grinding and then use a lever on the left to «tamp» (that’s the technical term for pressing ground coffee). The machine automatically measures whether there’s too little or too much ground coffee in the portafilter, which I can then adjust later. The next time you make coffee, the system remembers this setting and then grinds exactly what’s needed.
After grinding, I can clamp the portafilter and pour the coffee with a button for single or double espresso. Here too, the «Express Impress» does the dosing on its own. This is amazing on paper and is perfectly adequate for your first steps in the world of portafilters. After several attempts and measurements, though, the device is a bit too imprecise for me.
Automatic mode
I get the scales out to test the machine properly. My goal is to get a double espresso with a 1:2 ratio. So, if I have 18 grammes of ground coffee, I want to extract 36 grammes of coffee in about 25 seconds. 1:2 and 25 seconds are settings you learn in every barista class. For the beans, I’m going with the ViCafé house blend, which I always use with my Profitec Pro 300.
I let the machine determine the amount of coffee and the duration of the coffee automatically, which means that I can only influence the result via the degree of grinding. There are 25 levels, and I take a chance, starting with level 10. The Sage determines how much ground coffee falls into the portafilter as soon as I press the lever to tamp once. Then I can see on a display whether there is too much or too little ground coffee in the portafilter. If there’s not enough coffee, I press the button again to draw a little more. If there’s too much coffee in it, I don’t do anything. The machine levels itself out the next time you use it, which works perfectly.
One level higher at 11, automatic mode worked for over 30 seconds and ultimately brewed too much coffee. The result was better, but not perfect. The «Express Impress»’s automatic function is by no means unusable. I got good coffee. The coffee gets even better, however, as soon as I override the automatic system and manually adjust the coffee grinder to around 18 grammes at grinding level 10 and stop the reference at 36 grammes of coffee. That was at just over 30 seconds, resulting in a round, full-bodied coffee. Experiment successful.
This is also where I see the purpose of this machine: for less than 1,000 francs, you gain entry to the world of portafilters. If you leave everything on automatic, you can make great coffee after relatively little fiddling around with the degree of grinding. If you want to go one step further, you can achieve even better results with scales and manual mode. However, you’ll reach the limits of the machine and long for better (and inevitably more expensive) equipment.
Four baskets for full flexibility
Otherwise, Sage will give you four sieve inserts:
- A single-walled sieve for 9 grammes
- A single-walled double sieve for 18 grammes
- A double-walled sieve for 9 grammes
- A double-walled sieve for 18 grammes
According to the manufacturer, you use the single-walled insert for freshly ground coffee and the double-walled insert for pre-ground coffee, which makes sense. Double-walled inserts mean more pressure, which results in a crema even with coarsely ground coffee. The coffee will then look nice, even if it won’t taste as good as freshly ground coffee. Pre-ground coffee is much too coarse; meaning that too little coffee is extracted. The result is then similar to that of a fully automatic machine. What’s really great, though, is that you can store the sieve inserts behind the drip tray. Design details like this set Sage apart from the competition.
Speaking of the competition, DeLonghi included double-walled sieve inserts with the last generation of their Maestro machine and single-walled ones with the latest version.
Fast heating, slow frothing
The Sage heats up in no time because it doesn’t have a boiler; it works with a thermoblock. This means that the water is brought up to temperature by a heating rod as it flows through. The disadvantage of systems like this is the steam used to froth milk, which doesn’t come through the steam lance quite as hot or powerful. It also takes about ten seconds for the steam to be ready. With a bit of practice, however, you can create quite decent foam.
Verdict: almost a resounding success
The «Express Impress» comes pretty close to being the perfect entry-level machine. There are clear deductions for the grinder, which has 25 levels, but that’s not enough to make fine adjustments. The automatic tamp system is great, and even absolute beginners will soon be able to make decent coffees. Fortunately, the automatic mode can be overridden, which even advanced baristas can experiment with. If you’re not sure whether you want to venture into the world of portafilters, the Sage Barista «Express Impress» is a machine that allows you to experiment, but also prepares coffee semi-automatically and easily. Compared to the previous model, the surcharge is worth it just for the more finely adjustable grinder and the automatic tamp system. Nevertheless, for my taste, the grinder would have to have twice as many levels to achieve perfect results.
Simon Balissat
Teamleader Editorial
Simon.Balissat@digitecgalaxus.chWhen I flew the family nest over 15 years ago, I suddenly had to cook for myself. But it wasn’t long until this necessity became a virtue. Today, rattling those pots and pans is a fundamental part of my life. I’m a true foodie and devour everything from junk food to star-awarded cuisine. Literally. I eat way too fast.