Sage the Oracle Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine SES980BTR
1,799.00€
Sage the Oracle Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine, Bean to Cup Coffee Machine with Milk Frother, SES980BTR – Black Truffle
Brand: Sage
Product Type: Semi-Automatic Espresso Machin
Power: 2400 watts
Milk Frothing: Yes, equipped with a milk frother
Beverages: Capable of brewing espresso and other coffee varieties
Material: Stainless Steel
Color: Black Truffle
Dimensions (H x W x D): 14.65 x 16.1 x 17.83 cm;
Weight: 19.2 kg
Included Components: Sage the Oracle Espresso Machine, Milk Frother
| Asin | B07MKZMKGG |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Sage |
dsringo –
Crosswire –
I’ve used this for two years now – how time flies- and there is much I like about it:
1. It looks really nice, is well constructed and I don’t find the plate flimsy like many others here have mentioned ( see photos of the machine and plate, after ten months of use, below) There are some scuff marks, but , that is only to be expected
2. The Auto tamp is great, however,I was getting really consistent tamps with a calibrated tamper from Espro, so its no big deal.
3. The Auto grind and dosing is very convenient, but uses too much coffee
4. The Water level indicator and the LCD information display that tells you when the tank is empty is just fantastic
5. The hidden wheels and supply box : design is A+
6. Dual Boiler with PID for consistent temperature and simultaneous espresso and steam for lattes
7. Integrated grinder saves space, and the coffee storage is enough for one 250g pack. This will last 4-5 days at the most, with two uses per day,as this just eats beans, so you don’t have to worry about heat and losing bean freshness Update; May 2017: The single basket provided by Sage (free) , solved the bean consumption problem and that’s why I award the Oracle 5 stars now)
But, tell me, how is the &&**%^ coffee?!
Well, that depends on the beans, with fresh roast beans, the espresso is excellent. Much better than Starbucks and Costas, and good espresso translates to great cappuccinos and lattes. It’s a lot like a computer: Garbage in Garbage out
The crema is only 1-2mm, I tried really fresh beans too, but the crema thickness isn’t as good as you get in nespresso machines,
Update2019:
Nix that, I now get excellent crema, see below, the secret is fresh brand and a tight ramp, with the coffee flow starting at 8 seconds and lasting for 25 ml
See below
however the taste of the coffee is really good, if you use fresh beans
2019 Update, I got a really thick crema with fresh beans and a double tamp
And the espresso is better than any I have had from anywhere
It is an amazing machine!
Even if you use old packaged beans, I find the espresso substandard, but the cappuccinos and lattes still taste great- better than the large coffee chains, as the milk and sugar mask the inferior coffee
You only have to make adjustments on the grind size, as the tamp and the temperature are all adjusted just right. I find myself using 28-32 grind size these days with really good milk-based coffees
The dual boilers are great to have, but I never minded waiting a bit with single boilers
Now, to the downsides:
1. The coffee dosing is too much: 22 g of coffee each time means you finish a 250g bag in 11-12 extractions, thats 3-4 days for us! Maybe 5-6 days ,without guests.
2. You always have to use 22g, even if you select a single cup, it still grinds 22 g, so if you don’t use it as two shots, you are wasting even more coffee, (Update: with the single basket from Sage (sent free) this is largely ameliorated and I have no complaints)
3. The auto steam wand and auto purge are really convenient, but you can’t make decent latte art with it. I tried. Manual doesn’t work also
My cheap 120 quid Delonghi, with its underpowered thermoblock (not even a single boiler here) gave me better “art”, so if you want to make latte art, steer clear. I guess its because of the high tech design, thick stubby want with an inbuilt thermometer and all, but it is great for plain cappuccinos, not for art.
granted, I know the knob can switch from latte to cappuccino, but it doesn’t create the right velvet microfoam I need for art
4. It costs a lot, but then it does a lot:
Now in the coffee world,cost is a very relative term. You can spend a 1000$ on a grinder very easily. So when you look at what you are getting, great design, dual boilers, PID, Auto tamp, Auto purge, built in grinder, it isn’t all that overpriced.
What I mean is , you can get similar results for a lot less, if you are willing to learn a little.Here you are paying for the integration, the technology , the convenience and the quality of the finish.
Bottom-line:
If you want to make latte art and save money on the machine and also on beans: go for a Barista express or another grinder -machine combo instead.
If you want convenience and great coffee, if money is no object, and you don’t mind using 22 g of beans per session (one button press), then by all means, this is great!
Update: 6 months of use; I love the machine, the coffee is really good and the convenience is fantastic. The plate is holding up with mild scuff marks( see photos below) and Sage sent me a single basket , gratis, that has reduced the excessive dosing per cup. I have upgraded my rating to five stars.
Update 2021
The espresso is really good, the milk frother is not so good as it once was, but the machine has given us 5 years of better-than-cafe quality drinks… it was worth every penny… and still is
M Z –
I was coming from a Delonghi Dedica paired with a Sage Smart Grinder Plus.
The oracle is an extremely convenient machine with a ludicrous price tag. It is almost a superautomatic machine but delivers real espresso (all superautos use pressurised baskets). Also the Oracle is probably easier to clean. You need almost no espresso knowledge to use it, well you do need to learn to dial in and dose your output, but if you do that then people in your family can get decent espresso with no knowledge.
Outside of my review title, there are some serious issues with this machine.
– First is the price, you can get an outstanding espresso setup for about the same money (I moved to a Lelit Elizabeth + Niche Zero and this is a million times better FYI).
– Second, the grinder only works if the hopper is at least half full. The Sage Smart Grinder Pro has the exact same problem which prevents you from single dosing if you so wanted, but more importantly it makes the hopper kind of useless because you constantly need it full. My guess is that the design of these grinders requires the weight of the beans on top in order to keep a good bean feed rate into the burrs, without which any consistency in the grind goes. Needless to say, this will give you unpredictable espresso, normally 1/10 shots will be good and the rest crap, making you dial in back and forth in grind non-stop.
– Third, the retention of the grinder is just crazy. Again same with the Sage Smart Grinder Pro which I’ve owned and used for 4 years so I know inside out. Changing beans is either painful or wasteful, your choice, because of all the leftover beans in the burrs etc.
– Fourth, even with the hopper full I’ve found the espresso to be inconsistent occasionally. Sometimes it decided to flow super fast and I had to bring the grind down from like 30 to 20 so not a minor change. This was not due to beans aging. Something was going wrong and it’s hard to say what, it could have been the automatic puck prep, the grinder, (although I regularly cleaned and maintained these) or the machine simply not respecting the temperature or pressure (although I always fully preheated the machine and PF and basket to scalding point and it’s unlikely it would work improperly like this). The Sage Smart Grinder Pro required a high amount of WDT to produce decent espresso without channelling due to the excessive amount of clumps – I would definitely put my money in the puck prep being suboptimal but also this most likely varies with beans (I always used freshly roasted specialty beans) which might explain why some people don’t mention it. I did not have a bottomless PF then though, so I cannot confirm this.
So, actually the grinder is the biggest issue with this machine, but the point of the Oracle is the automatic puck prep (tamping) and well also the automatic milk frothing.
I do admit that the milk frothing is simply excellent. Even if you use a small amount of milk it is mind blowing that you can do latte art with the auto frothing. I never used it in manual mode since there was literally no point.
In conclusion and for the price, I would not recommend this machine for what it tries to achieve based on its own internal competition. I do not think the grinder is up to the task which entirely limits the performance of this machine. If this machine costed considerably less then it would be acceptable for it to perform this way.
But the primary reason for the 1 star is that the machine failed after the first descale. It would not go over 70° or so meaning it was entirely unusable (literally the machine was stuck in preheating mode). Please do your research online and you will find this is an extremely common issue with the Sage machines. It is frightening because of the extremely high cost, and needless to say you’re out of espresso until you find a replacement.
Luckily I had purchased from Amazon directly and they took it back as faulty and I got my money back, but it was a total hassle because I had to find my own courier to send it to the Scotland warehouse – the problem is most couriers won’t deliver something of this size or a kitchen appliance or coffee machine specifically. And fortunately I had kept the original shipping boxes!
So, frankly, do not bother. With a real espresso machine and grinder (not kitchen appliances like Sage) you can get excellent espresso with only a small learning curve, and they will last you for years and years as they can be serviced and repaired.
The one real step the oracle solves for you is the puck prep which it fails at due to its poor grinder, again with a grinder that gives you fluffy grinds (not the Sage) it’s as easy as distribute and tamp which anyone can do.
Just get a Lelit or another real machine and a good grinder (minimum Eureka Mignon) and you’re good to go for years to come.
Surfer96 –