Before the Barista Express was launched, the only option for the beginner home barista was to buy a stand-alone traditional espresso machine and grinder setup.
There was quite a big chunk of the market, in particular people who really wanted to get into home espresso but didn't have the space and/or the budget for a stand-alone setup.
So when the Barista Express came along it was an instant hit, it quickly became one of the best-selling coffee machines in the world across all categories, and the best-selling traditional espresso machine in the UK and several other countries.
There’s quite a bit of competition for integrated grinder machines these days, but the Barista Express is still one of the best-selling espresso machines in the UK.
Features and Benefits
• 2.0 L Water Tank
• 30 Second Ready Time
• Low Pressure Preinfusion
• PID Temperature Control
• 9 Bar Espresso Extraction
• Standard + Pressurized Baskets
• Hot Water Button
• Dimensions 32 cm wide & 31 cm deep, 40 cm tall
The Barista Express is the original integrated grinder espresso machine, not to be confused with bean to cup coffee machines, however, this is a traditional espresso machine with a built-in grinder.
In my opinion, the only real contenders when it comes to similar alternatives, are other Sage machines, namely the new Barista Express Impress and the Barista Pro.
When it comes to many of the competitors to the Barista Express, most of them struggle in the following areas:
• Few grind settings
• Unstable temperature
• Higher than 9 bar brew pressure
• Inflexible shot volumes
• Poor steam pressure
Grind Settings
In my opinion, integrated grinder machines are good for “ballpark” grind adjustment. If you’re looking for ultimate precision with the grind size, then you’ll need to go for a stand alone setup.
Not having a mega about of control over the grind doesn’t mean you can’t dial in the shot, by the way, it just means you have to rely a bit more on other variables in order to balance the shot.
The Barista Express does have 16 grind settings, and you can grind halfway in between the steps so you could, I suppose, argue that it has 32 settings.
In my opinion, this is workable for most people. Some competing built-in grinder espresso machines (DeLonghi La Specialista for example) have as few as 8 grind settings, so this is one of the areas in which Sage integrated grinder machines excel.
Temperature Stability
One of the keys to great espresso quality is temperature stability, and one of the reasons that many of the lower priced espresso machines struggle where consistently good espresso quality is concerned, is due to instable brew temperature.
One of the things that all of the Sage coffee machines have in common, is that they have better than normal temperature stability for the price points they occupy.
They do this with a PID (proportional integral derivative) which is a fancy term for a feedback loop to keep the temperature in check.
It’s fair to say that the temperature stability of the Barista Express probably isn’t as incredible as the Sage Dual Boiler for example, or the Sage Oracle which is based on the Dual Boiler, but when compared to similarly priced integrated grinder coffee machines, the Barista Express is about as temperature stable a machine you’ll find.
Programmable Shot Volumes
The Barista Express has a single and a double shot button, which are both very simple and straightforward to program, you can also pull shots fully manually if you prefer.
Most other integrated grinder machines will claim to have this feature, but it’s not always quite as it seems.
With some competing machines, there’s actually a fairly big minimum espresso volume which, when you do the calculations, you’ll work out is not “espresso”, strictly speaking, which means they only actually have lungo shot buttons.
The Barista Express allows you to program the shot buttons ristretto (1:1) ratio shots, normale (1:2) espresso and lungo.
Powerful Steam Pressure
If you’re wanting to make the cafe favourite milk beverages, cappuccino, latte, flat white and so on, you’ll need sufficient and consistent steam pressure.
Like most integrated grinder machines the Sage barista express doesn’t have a boiler, it has an on demand water heater known as a thermocoil.
Thermocoil heaters are fairly good when it comes to consistent steam, but what some are not so good for is steam power. The thermocoil on the Barista express is the original thermocoil, not the newer, faster “thermojet” that you’ll find on the Barista pro, but it delivers plenty of steam power.
It doesn’t reach steam ready time quite as quickly as the machines with the newer thermojet heater, but steam is ready quicker than with most similarly priced machines, and the steam power is more than adequate.
In fact, Sage machines are among the best for learning to properly texture milk, as they’re powerful enough, but they’re not so powerful that they make the learning process difficult.
Overall, the Barista Express is a great option for people who want an espresso machine & grinder in one unit, with the potential for great espresso, Americano & cafe quality milkies.
Just be aware that the Barista Express doesn't offer any assistance, so home barista skill is required. If you want to develop home barista skills, then the Barista Express is a great choice at the entry-level price range.
If you were looking for something that would offer some assistance to negate the skill requirement, however, then check out the newer Barista Express Impress.