Sage Bambino, Barista Express or Barista Touch: which to choose
In the CoffeeSpecs catalog the Sage thermocoil machines run from just over €500 to almost €1,300 list price. Here you can see where the line falls between them and which one makes sense for your budget.
Sage thermocoil machines are where many people start with portafilter espresso. The catalog has eleven entries in this category: seven Sage and four Decent, which share only the type of heating with Sage. Here we deal with the Sage machines. The data comes from our entries: list prices, dimensions, power supply. We haven't tested them in a lab and you won't find hands-on impressions: you'll find where the numbers separate one model from another and how I read their meaning.
The starting point: the Bambino Plus
The Sage Bambino Plus (code BES500, entry sage-bambino-plus) has a list price of €529.90 and is the cheapest Sage we have a price for. It draws 1300 to 1600 W. If you want to get into portafilter espresso while spending as little as possible, it's the logical choice. But work out the total, not just the price of the machine: if you also need a grinder, that cost has to be added.
You won't lack options here: the catalog has around twenty espresso grinders, so the "machine plus separate grinder" route is one you can follow with some method.
The price step: the Barista Express
The Sage Barista Express (BES875, entry sage-barista-express) is at €729.90: €200 above the Bambino Plus. It measures 31.8 × 35.1 × 40.4 cm and draws 1560 to 1850 W, a higher maximum power than the Bambino Plus.
It's the machine to consider if the extra €200 buys you something you'll use every day. Check the entry for what it offers that the Bambino Plus doesn't, and ask yourself whether you'd use it: if the answer is no, that €200 is better spent elsewhere, for example on a grinder you choose yourself.
For a direct comparison we have the Bambino Plus versus Barista Express page (sage-bambino-plus-vs-sage-barista-express): today it is text generated from the data, not a test, and it flags only two real differences between the entries. Treat it as a summary of the numbers.
The Impress version: €100 more
The Sage Barista Express Impress (BES876, entry sage-barista-express-impress) costs €829.90, one hundred euros more than the Barista Express, with the same power range, 1560 to 1850 W. The data we have tells us nothing more about its dimensions. A hundred-euro gap is an amount that needs to be justified by a feature you will really use: if you can't name it, stay with the base version.
At the top: the Barista Touch Impress
The Sage Barista Touch Impress (BES882, entry sage-barista-touch-impress) is at €1,299.90, and is the most expensive Sage with a catalog price. It measures 36 × 34 × 41.5 cm and draws 1430 to 1700 W. Compared with the Barista Express Impress that's €470 more. It makes sense only if the extra features are really useful to you; for someone who just wants good espresso, the sum is hard to justify.
Barista Pro and Oracle Jet: no price
The Sage Barista Pro (BES878, 1380-1650 W) and the Sage Oracle Jet (BES985) are in the catalog, but without a verified list price. The Oracle Jet measures 42.2 × 36 × 37.8 cm and weighs 12.1 kg: it is the widest of the Sage machines for which we have measurements. Until there is a price, I won't tell you whether they're worth it: check current prices through the buy button on the entry before deciding.
How I would choose, by budget
- Up to about €550: Bambino Plus, allowing for a separate grinder if you don't already have one.
- Around €730: Barista Express, if the differences from the Bambino Plus really matter to you.
- Around €830: the Impress makes sense only if you know why.
- Over €1,200: the Barista Touch Impress, and before signing, ask yourself whether that money would be better spent on a different type of machine.
A benchmark: the Decent machines
In the same catalog category there are the Decent Espresso machines: the DE1PRO is at €3,179, the DE1XL at €3,523 and the DE1XXL at €3,866, while the DE1+ is discontinued. They aren't competitors of the Sage machines: they cost between two and three times the Barista Touch Impress and speak to a different audience. You need them only to understand that "thermocoil" doesn't mean a price bracket.
Before you buy
List prices were updated in September 2026 and they change: the price you pay is set by the shop. Check that the model code matches the one you're offered, because similar codes, like BES875 and BES876, indicate different machines. If you're interested in a higher tier, the catalog also covers dual boilers (35 entries) and heat exchangers (28): they are more demanding machines, and with a Bambino budget they don't concern you yet.
