Sage has several different models and we often get questions about the differences between the two models Barista Express and Touch. In appearance, the two may appear very similar, but when compared, they are completely different machines. In this comparison, you will get a better understanding of the two machines and the important differences to help you choose which one is right for you.

Briefly Sage Barista Touch

Barista Touch is a machine of Sage which focuses on letting the customer get the best coffee possible at home with functions that facilitate and simplify the espresso brewing process, which can otherwise be experienced as complicated and difficult. Barista Touch as the name suggests has an easy to navigate touch screen with pre-programmed coffee drinks and has an automatic milk frothing function where you can easily choose the temperature of the milk and the amount of foam.

Sage Barista Touch comes with an integrated coffee grinder and with a kettle that only has a heating time of 3 seconds.

This espresso machine is a hybrid between a fully automatic espresso machine and a manual one but, on the other hand, has more control over the brewing and thus can produce coffee drinks that are much tastier than fully automatic espresso machines. Something like Barista Touch stands out from the crowd is the touch screen where you have control over brewing temperature, brewing time, milk temperature and foam, as well as being able to save up to 6 of your own coffee drinks where you can name them anything.

Briefly Sage Barista Express

Sage Barista Express is a perfect espresso machine that can introduce you to espresso brewing and is fully capable of creating coffee drinks as good as the other more expensive models of Sage but the auxiliary functions such as automatic milk frothing and integrated touch screens are missing. Barista Express focuses only on the essential parts of espresso brewing and is one of the easiest espresso machines to work with. Barista Express comes with an integrated coffee grinder, two programmable buttons single and double espresso as well as hot water outlet for tea and Americano and a manual steam stick for your coffee drinks with milk. Everything needed for a perfect cup of coffee.

Sage Barista Touch vs Barista Express: A complete comparison

Now we go through all the aspects where the two machines differ from each other.

Type of espresso machine

Both offer a unique bean to cup experience and within minutes can grind freshly roasted beans and brew a coffee drink almost as good as a Barista would do. Because the beans are ground on site, you get a unique opportunity to get all the good aromas, flavors and quality out of the beans. The grinder has stainless steel conical grinders and both machines have a knob on the left of the machine where you can adjust the degree of grinding according to the beans. Both have the same template but the touch offers 30 steps of adjustment while the Express has 18 steps. In practice, this means that with Touch you can get finer adjustments.

Ease of use

There is no reason to own an expensive espresso machine if it is far too complicated to use. With that in mind, the ease of use of a machine is very important and thus features, navigation of a machine can play a big role.

Sage Barista Touch has a well-designed touch screen that is very easy to navigate and use. The menu is divided into three steps; milling, brewing and milk frothing. The touch screen allows you to easily change parameters such as brewing time, temperature, grinding time, the texture of the milk and the milk temperature. To make it even easier, you can grind the coffee directly into the partafelt for brewing. The degree of grinding can be adjusted with the knob on the left and the setting is shown on the screen clearly.

Something like Barista Express lacks is the simple touch screen that you have an overview of your brewing but because Barista Express has only two programmable buttons, it is very simple and easy to use. Barista Express allows you to set the degree of grinding in 18 steps. As Barista With Touch, you can grind the coffee directly into the portafilter and with tampers that can be attached to the left of the machine with the help of a magnet, the whole process is very smooth. Using the knob on the front of the machine, you can choose the amount of coffee to be ground and choose whether it is for single/double espresso.

When it comes to ease of use, both machines are very simple and easy to use though Barista Touch is ahead with its touch screen where you can easily change various parameters for brewing. The disadvantage of Express is that it can be experienced as a bit more complicated when you want to change certain parameters such as brewing temperature, but it is something that changes very rarely and therefore you should not place a lot of weight in your decision based on this aspect.

Adaptability

 To help you, the espresso machines usually have a certain degree of adaptability, so for example you can save your favorite drink. This feature can be good to have if you often change beans and want to be able to save settings to be able to quickly return back to previous beans. When it comes to adaptability has Barista Touch a big advantage over Barista Express. With Touch, you can save up to 6 of your own drinks with customized brewing settings and milk texture and be able to name them any name you like. Barista Express, on the other hand, only has two programmable buttons and thus does not have such a function. Should you change beans need Barista Express is reprogrammed according to the new beans for best results.

Something like Barista Express has to its advantage the manual brewing function. By pressing program once then holding down the single or double espresso button, you have a fully manual pre-infusion function. Pre-infusion is a term used in espresso brewing where the coffee puck receives low-pressure brewing water to saturate the puck before the actual 9 bar brewing pressure arrives. This usually gives better results and tastier espresso but requires a little more. Barista Express can be recommended to people who want a hands-on experience with the espresso machine where everything is done manually but thus gives even more control over the brewing itself.

Milk frothing

When it comes to milk frothing has Barista Touch an advantage with its automatic milk frothing function where it can froth the milk to customized texture and temperature. Barista Express has a manual steam stick where you can learn to froth milk with the right texture and maybe even learn to make latte art. Should you want to skim your own milk hands on with Barista Touch and you can also do that too. Something that should be considered when choosing an espresso machine is that Barista Touch has a stronger boiler and thus does not have to wait for the boiler to build up the steam pressure. This is something that is very remarkable Barista Express where you need to wait about 30-45 seconds after brewing for the boiler to recover and build up to the correct steam pressure.

Capacity

Both espresso machines have the same capacity when it comes to the removable 2L water tank and the 250g bean container. Both espresso machines also come with a 480 ml milk jug.

Size

Barista Touch has the following dimensions:

Width 322 mm, depth 394 mm and height 407 mm

Barista Express has the following dimensions:

Width 325mm, 310mm deep and 400mm high

Both the Express and the Touch have similar dimensions but something that is notable is the depth where the Touch is 84mm deeper than the Express. Thus, if space is an important aspect for you, the Express is guaranteed to take up less space than the Touch.

Design

When it comes to design, both espresso machines are very similar. Both have stainless steel outer panels that give a luxury feel. The difference is that Express has a more classic and retro design with a pressure dial placed centrally in the machine, while touch has a large touch screen.

Guarantee

When you shop with us, you get a 12-month warranty for all of our espresso machines. Read more about our warranty conditions.

Award

The price difference for these two machines is quite large, although in terms of appearance they do not differ much. The reason is precisely that Sage Barista Touch has a large touch screen, much faster use and more efficient internal components that heat up the water within 3 seconds while the Express takes more towards 60 seconds. Also that Touch has better adaptability and an automatic milk frothing function.

What are others saying?

As for previous customers' opinions, the majority are very satisfied Barista Touch. The users are particularly satisfied that they get very good coffee with the machine. Assume good quality beans are used. One of the aspects that customers are very satisfied with is the quality of the milk which Barista Touch also gets the modern look together with the stainless outer panels that give a luxury feeling. Something that customers have mentioned as a negative point is that it can take some time before you understand and get the best result with the machine. Which is also something to expect with a semi-automatic espresso machine. If you buy an espresso machine from us, we will guide and help you get started. Another factor that some have mentioned is that the drip tray is small and needs to be emptied regularly with regular use.

Sage Barista Express has received a lot of positive feedback over the years and has a very large customer group. Many mention how good coffee Express can brew and that many love the retro design that Barista Express has. Something that customers often mention is that this machine is not suitable if you are looking for an automatic machine, but that if you are willing to learn about espresso brewing you can Barista Express deliver extremely good coffee.

A negative aspect that is mentioned is that the drip tray is quite small and that the machine needs to be cleaned often as it quickly gets dirty and greasy with coffee grounds and spills.

Summary

In summary between Sage Barista Touch and Express is that both can create equally good coffee drinks that offer different benefits that suit different types of customers.

Sage Barista Touch comes with an easy to navigate touch screen, automatic milk frothing and very fast with its upgraded internal boiler that has a 3 second heat up time. These factors determine the price difference between the two espresso machines.

Sage Barista Express gives you the opportunity to brew coffee drinks as good as Barista Touch but loses all extra functions and only has the essential functions such as manual steam stick for milk frothing, two programmable buttons with manual brewing mode. Thus, Express is recommended for people who are willing to have a more hands-on experience.