I was one of the first to try out Sage's new coffee machine - here's why it might be their best launch ever

Sage produces some of the most coveted coffee machines on the market. Balancing sophistication with a Barista-worthy design, the brand excels when it comes to keeping both coffee lovers and houseproud users happy.

The Sage Barista Touch Impress is the latest iteration of Sage's 'Impress' line, which updates top-rated machines including the Barista Express and now the Barista Touch with a smart grinding and tamping system that will give a smoother brew with a lot less mess. In theory, it's a serious win-win.

I've tested dozens of the best coffee machines in the market, and as someone who works from home and needs at least two brews before logging on at 9am, it's fair to say that the Sage Barista Touch Impress has been very thoroughly tested in advance of our first look at it.

I first attended a press briefing about the product a few months ago, and was sent home with my own machine to test in advance of its September launch date. The Barista Touch Impress retails for £1,199.95, meaning it's not the sort of purchase most people would make without serious consideration. So, is this mess-free smart machine worth the splurge?

Sage Barista Touch Impress specs

• Dimensions: H41.7 x W33 x D33.1 cm

• Capacity: 2 litres

• Weight: 10.3lbs

• Capacity: 340g Bean Hopper

• Model: SES881BSS4GUK1

Who tested the Sage Barista Touch Impress?

First impressions of the Sage Barista Touch Impress

I got a great first impression of the Sage Barista Touch Impress when I went to Sage's HQ to get hands-on with the latest tech. The touchscreen technology is straightforward and attractive, much like a bean-to-cup coffee machine, but you still get all the charm of grinding and brewing your drink by hand.

Another major selling point is the automatic steaming wand. This makes it easy to texture milk completely hands-free, and it even flushes itself out after every use to keep the wand from getting dirty or blocked over time.

Let's be honest, a big appeal of a Sage coffee machine is how classy they look on a kitchen counter. Regardless of the finish you opt for, each machine feels very high-quality and are easy to keep clean over time. I liked the addition of a ribbed plastic bean container with the Sage Barista Touch Impress. Very in-keeping with a lot of the trends we're seeing in the interiors space right now, which shows that Sage cares about making attractive machines as well as high-quality brews.

Making espresso with the Sage Barista Touch Impress

To brew your coffee, you need to pop your portafilter into the holder that sits directly underneath the grinder. Your coffee will grind directly into your basket, pausing for you to tamp before determining if you've got the right amount of coffee for an ideal shot. It determines this using the pressure detected by the tamper when you press down on the lever. A small complaint is that this lever sometimes doesn't detect when you press down, which means you need to press quite hard to guarantee that the Impress Puck System works.

Once you've got the green-light, your puck is ready to go. Sage recommended that you tamp a couple of times to really secure your puck in the portafilter. Once that's done, you simply slot your portafilter into the brewing basket and press the middle section of the touch screen, which will activate brewing.

This can be adjusted too if you press the button underneath the image of your coffee shot. You can do a double serving of coffee, or choose to go manual. My partner likes a long black coffee in the morning, and often does a 'double cup' of this setting to get the perfect amount of coffee for him.

As your coffee brews, the machine will time how long this takes and use this to determine whether your grind size is right. If your coffee is too slow, it suggests you increase the grind size to allow the water to pass through your grounds more easily. If it's too fast, the reverse is recommended. You can adjust the grind size using the dial on the side of the machine, and it has a total of 30 sizes to choose from.

I did find that there was a bit of trial and error when switching between beans or changing grind size. To prevent wasting coffee, your machine will grind smaller amounts at a time and I would sometimes have to tamp about five times to get to the right amount of coffee. The good news is that the machine will learn and adjust for the next time you brew, so in theory it will only need to go through this process the one time. That is, unless you need to increase or decrease grind size to perfect your brew, in which case you'll have to go through the ordeal again until you pull a perfect shot. This ultimately results in a better coffee, it just takes a bit longer if you switch between smaller bags of specialty beans on a regular basis.

Steaming milk with the Sage Barista Touch Impress

The included milk jug has minimum and maximum level lines, and it sits on a sensor that detects the temperature of your milk while it's steaming. This will prevent it from burning, and the foam level will be adjusted depending on the drink you choose, although you can also adjust manually. One of my favourite parts of this machine is that it has settings for different types of plant-based milk.

I switch between dairy and oat milk on a regular basis. Sometimes I really enjoy an oat milk coffee, but this milk can be harder to steam because it has a lower burning point than dairy milk. The Sage Barista Touch Impress has a dedicated setting for different plant milk types, and it's easy to toggle between these on the control panel when you select your coffee. My oat milk latte was seriously smooth and at the perfect drinking temperature, and while I won't win any latte art competitions any time soon, I had some of my best ever results when using the milk texturing system. Is that cheating? Maybe, but I'm ok with it. And if you do want to steam by hand, you can do that, too.

Cleaning the Sage Barista Touch Impress

The cleaning process is made easy by the instructions provided by the touchscreen.  I appreciated the included water-hardness strip that let you input your water type. This will adjust the frequency needed for descaling the machine. For me, that's pretty often!

On a daily basis, you'll need to wipe clean the milk wand after each use and lower it so it expels excess milk into the waste water container. As with other Sage machines, a warning appears when it's time to empty your water.

I opted for a stainless steel finish, and it did get marked with the odd splash of coffee or fingerprint. Cleaning it with a microfibre cloth takes just a minute and keeps the machine looking brand new.

How does the Sage Barista Touch Impress compare?

There aren't many coffee machines like the Sage Barista Touch Impress on the market, and the ones that are are made by Sage or De'Longhi. I tested the Barista Express Impress last year. The first launch of this Impress Puck System, it totally blew me away by combining easy-to-use features with a reasonable price, and a mess-free design. It retails at £729.95, and the main difference is that it's lacking the touchscreen. I also found that it grinds a lot faster and less sensitively than the Barista Touch Impress, and generally requires a little more interpretation to get that perfect brew. For example, you'll have a pressure gauge telling you if you're getting your grind size right, rather than a timer that then informs you how to improve your next coffee.

And of course, there's the earlier version of this machine, the Barista Touch. It's only £150 cheaper and you'll miss out on the smart grinding and tamping tech. Upgrading is a no-brainer if you're trying to choose between the Touch and the Touch Impress, I think you get a heap more for your money.

Should you buy the Sage Barista Touch Impress?

The price is gulp-worthy. Anything over than a grand will always require a bit of consideration, but for what it's worth, this is the sort of coffee machine I'd consider saving up for. It combines everything people love about home brewing with the convenience of a smart machine that will take the guesswork out of every espresso you pull. And in the manual coffee machine market, the Sage Barista Touch Impress is surrounded by similarly-priced rivals.

During my months of testing, I was consistently impressed by how well this machine steamed my milk and turned out some seriously tasty espresso. If you're someone who wants the best of the best, and doesn't mind a more mindful process, you'll love how finely the Sage Barista Touch Impress adjusts depending on your specific bean and brew type. If you like the idea of the Impress system and would like to steer clear of the £1000+ mark, the Barista Express Impress is an outstanding alternative that's just that little bit less clever.