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 seem very similar but when compared they are completely different machines. In this comparison you will get a better understanding About the two machines and the important differences to help you choose which one is right for you.

Short About Sage Barista Touch

Barista Touch is a machine of Sage which focuses on allowing the customer to get the best coffee at home possible with features that facilitate and simplify the espresso brewing process, which can otherwise be perceived as complicated and difficult. Barista Touch as the name suggests has an easy to navigate touchscreen 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 boiler 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 has more control over the brewing process and can therefore produce coffee drinks that are much tastier than fully automatic espresso machines. Something that Barista Touch stands out from the crowd with its 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.

Short About 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 touchscreens are missing. Barista Express focuses only on the essentials 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 a hot water outlet for tea and Americano and a manual steam wand for your coffee drinks with milk. Everything you need for a perfect cup of coffee.

Sage Barista Touch vs. Barista Express: A complete comparison

Now we will 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 can grind freshly roasted beans and brew a coffee beverage that is almost as good as a barista would do. Since 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 set the grinding degree according to the beans. Both have the same grinder but the touch offers 30 steps of adjustment while the Express has 18 steps. This means in practice that with the Touch you can get finer adjustments.

Ease of use

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

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

Which Barista Express's shortcomings are the simple touchscreen that gives you an overview of your brewing but because Barista Express has only two programmable buttons, making it very simple and easy to use. Barista Express allows you to set the grinding level in 18 steps. As Barista Touch allows you to grind the coffee directly into the portafilter and with tamper which can be attached to the left of the machine using a magnet, the whole process is very smooth. Using the knob on the front of the machine, you can select the amount of coffee to be ground and choose About it is for single/double espresso.

When it comes to user-friendliness, both machines are very simple and easy to use, but Barista Touch is ahead with its touchscreen where you can easily change various brewing parameters. The disadvantage of Express is that it can be a little 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 put a lot of weight in your decision based on this aspect.

Adaptability

 To help you, espresso machines usually have a certain degree of customizability, such as saving your favorite drink. This feature can be good to have. About you often change beans and want to be able to save settings to quickly return to previous beans. When it comes to customizability, 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 way you like. Barista Express, on the other hand, only has two programmable buttons and therefore does not have such a function. Should you need to change beans, Barista Express is programmed About after the new beans for best results.

Which Barista Express has the advantage of a manual brewing function. By pressing the 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 provides even more control over the brewing process itself.  

Milk frothing

When it comes to milk frothing, Barista Touch one advantage with its automatic milk frothing function where it can froth the milk to a customized texture and temperature. Barista Express has a manual steam wand where you can learn how to froth milk with the right texture and maybe even learn how to make latte art. If you want to froth your own milk hands-on with Barista Touch so 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 steam pressure. This is something that is very remarkable with 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 bean container that holds 250g. Both espresso machines also come with a 480ml 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 depth and 400mm height

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

Design

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

Guarantee

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

Price

The price difference between these two machines is quite large, even though they don't look that different in appearance. The reason is precisely that Sage Barista Touch has a large touchscreen, much faster operation and more efficient internal components that heat the water in 3 seconds while the Express takes more towards 60 seconds. Also, the Touch has better customizability and an automatic milk frothing function.

What do others say?

Regarding the opinions of previous customers, the majority are very satisfied with Barista Touch. Users are particularly pleased that they get very good coffee with the machine. Assuming that good quality beans are used. One of the aspects that customers are very satisfied with is the quality of the milk that Barista Touch also has a modern look along with the stainless steel exterior panels that give a luxurious feel. Something that customers have mentioned as a negative point is that it can take some time before you understand and get the best results 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 base. Many mention About how good coffee Express can brew and that many people love the retro design that Barista Express has. Something that customers often mention is that this machine does not fit About you are looking for an automatic machine but that About is willing to learn About espresso brewing can Barista Express delivers extremely good coffee.

One negative aspect mentioned is that the drip tray is quite small and that the machine needs to be cleaned often as it quickly becomes dirty and messy 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 touchscreen, automatic milk frothing and is very fast with its upgraded internal boiler that has a heat-up time of 3 seconds. 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 The Touch, however, loses out on all the extra features and only has the essentials such as a manual steam wand for milk frothing, two programmable buttons with manual brewing mode. Thus, the Express is recommended for people who are willing to have a more hands-on experience.