Changing the brewing temperature of the Barista Express

This morning I was curious to change the brewing temperature of my Barista Express, and so I consulted the manual. The process for finding out what temperature setting your machine is currently on, and changing the temperature setting, is very quick and straightforward. With the machine off, simply hold down the programme button and then

Review of the Sage / Breville Barista Express

There are quite a few reviews of the Barista Express out there, and the general consensus is that it’s a pretty good machine with some very thoughtful design features. One criticism that is often levelled is that the machine is not exactly a snip to use – the Barista Express is often incorrectly referred to

Barista Express or Duo-Temp Pro and a Separate Grinder?

Sage’s Duo-Temp Pro is essentially a Barista Express without the built-in grinder (with a few other notable differences as you will see below). Of course, if you already have a good grinder, then the Duo-Temp Pro should suit you if you’re looking for a low-cost and easy-to-use espresso machine capable of producing cafe-quality coffee drinks.

Home Espresso is an Expensive Hobby (and some more love for the Barista Express)

I think the most important piece of advice I could give to someone who is thinking of taking the initial steps towards equipping themselves to make espresso at home, is that home espresso is an expensive hobby. There’s no way of getting around it, or doing it in half-measures. In my review of Sage /

Using the Barista Express – 54mm Portafilter

The Sage / Breville Barista Express comes with a 54mm portafilter. This is the same portafilter as accompanies all of Sage / Breville’s smaller footprint machines – the Duo-Temp Pro, he Barista Pro, Barista Touch and Bambino Plus. Sage / Breville’s larger, dual-boiler machines all use the more universal 58mm portafilter size. 58mm portafilters are

Using the Barista Express – Grinder steps too far apart

Since I started using the Barista Express, I have found that my shots can choke the machine on one grind setting, and result in an under-extracted shot on the next setting up. Sure, I can’t absolutely guarantee that all other things are equal between the two shots, but more-or-less. The upshot is that I have

Using the Barista Express – Optimal Espresso Pressure Range

The Barista Express, like The Dual Boiler, has a pressure gauge on the front panel. These machines have both now been around for a few years, and are mature product lines that are unlikely to receive further updates or iterations. Sage / Breville’s newer machines, such as the Barista Pro, do not feature the pressure

Baked Goods #1 Banana Bread

This is my go-to recipe for banana bread, which is from the BBC Food website. Even though it is called banana bread, it is really a cake (though I nonetheless have it for breakfast without guilt because I’m a renegade). Toasted under the grill, and with a generous spreading of salted butter (and a dollop

Sage/ Claro Swiss Water Filter BES008

I bought my Barista Express in January 2019 – it is the BES875 variant, which supersedes the BES870. It came with the Sage / Claro Swiss water filter (BES008), which I understand was introduced some time in 2018. Prior to the introducion of the new filter, the machine was designed to use a smaller charcoal

Sage Masterclass

Sage have recently been running masterclasses at coffee shops around the UK, in order to school Sage machine owners in how to get the most out of the machines. I had booked onto my local Masterclass in Birmingham, which was to be hosted at 200 Degrees Coffee in the city centre at the beginning of