Bean to cup machines aren't for espresso perfectionists, they're for the “normal” coffee drinker, most of whom will be more than happy with the coffee that these machines produce, as a more sensitive palate and a greater interest in a wider range of tastes are things that tend to develop along with home barista experience. Usually only found on commercial machines, The Oracle also features an Over Pressure Valve, a function that limits pressure during extraction to ensure there are no bitter flavours. It also has true low pressure pre-infusion to ensure the grinds expand gently for a smoother taste.

Sage Oracle Review - Does It Live Up To The Hype? - Home Grounds Sage Oracle Review - Does It Live Up To The Hype? - Home Grounds

You certainly can, although the oracle is capable of very consistent great quality microfoam, you don't have to use it. You can use the steam wand as you would any other pro steam wand, the only main difference is that the steam wand isn't on a ball joint, so you don't have much flexibility over the jug position, and also the thermostat in the tip means you get a realtime temp on the screen as you're steaming, whether doing it manually or on auto. What Coffee Beans Can I Use With the Sage Oracle? The Oracle is a lot of money which it's worth to me for the convenience (with a price match rather than at full rrp), if you want to extract the very best rather than one of the most convenient espresso's then, for the same money and buying used, you could get a fantastic set up which would possibly last a lifetime (spend more on the grinder than the machine is the mantra and the Oracle ignores that).

This is key for getting consistent and hot results time after time. You also get a weighty-feeling 58mm portafilter (Sage’s cheaper models use smaller 54mm ones) which means you can swap in a 58mm portafilter from any number of professional-class machines. There’s a decent-sized 480ml stainless steel milk jug included in the box, too. All you need to add is coffee beans. And milk, depending on your tastes. I didn't quite have the same enthusiasm for the Oracle Touch, to be honest, and my wife was no stranger to this fact either ;-), as it annoyed me every time I came to use it that I had to swipe the screen first to tell it what coffee I wanted before it would let me start grinding. As I mentioned, though, this just comes down to whether you're the only person using the machine or not, if you're not then the convenience of being able to select your drink with your preferred settings is probably going to be something you'll find helpful, but if you're the only person using the machine this step may become slightly irritating.

SAGE the Oracle BES980UK Bean to Cup Coffee Machine - Currys SAGE the Oracle BES980UK Bean to Cup Coffee Machine - Currys

Its drinks are also far more intense and punchy than those delivered by most other machines we’ve tried in this class. It’s an automated machine that feels like it is made for real coffee enthusiasts – something of a rarity. Basically, someone using the Oracle gets to look and feel like a home barista, and enjoy that quality of coffee, without actually developing or using the usual skills associated with this type of machine. Dual Boilers Making a cappuccino or latte is just as easy. Simply fill the supplied stainless steel jug with milk and place it under the wand. Rather cleverly, the machine is capable of frothing milk and extracting espresso at the same time. While it didn’t make the silkiest froth (it was a bit too bubbly for my liking), it was more than adequate. Sage Oracle Touch: the taste test

Sage by Heston Blumenthal The Oracle – Design & Features

But the interesting thing is that while I'm the same Kev, several years later I'm a very different person where espresso machines are concerned. I've never encountered a true bean to cup machine that delivers true flat white. Some coffee machines do some form of justice to the name “flat white” where intensity is concerned, but the microfoam texture required for a flat white is usually something that the auto milk frothers aren't capable of producing. The Oracle and Oracle touch, however, produces amazing milk texture, and gives you a great amount of control over it, allowing you to gradually tweak the texture until it's perfect for you. The Oracle uses an espresso machine-style grounds holder that has two homes in the machine: one sits under the grinder and the other is under the actual water output. If you want a coffee machine that will make you a latte with the press of a single button, the Oracle isn’t for you. Nope. Well, you can I suppose, you can do whatever you like – but if you're asking if you should, then the answer is definitely no. This is a high quality espresso machine with standard, traditional espresso baskets, it doesn't come with pressurized (dual walled) baskets, so it's intended for freshly grinding coffee via the integrated grinder. If you're thinking about using pre-ground decaf – just buy high quality freshly roasted decaf, keep it in air-tight storage, and switch beans when someone wants a decaf. This leads nicely to: Is It Easy to Switch From One Bean to Another With the Sage Oracle & Oracle Touch? If you're an Americano drinker, you'll love this. Both the Oracle machines have a one touch Americano button – just press this, and you'll get a double shot & then a programmable amount of water delivered through a dedicated water spout. Personalise your own coffees

Sage Oracle vs Oracle Touch | Coffee Forums Sage Oracle vs Oracle Touch | Coffee Forums

You’re comparing a traditional old-school single-boiler espresso machine with a state-of-the-art, super high-tech bean-to-cup machine, and there are pros and cons for both. What you’re referring to are some of the cons of going for a machine like this – vs a machine like that – it’s not a Sage issue. You can adjust the steam temperature and the amount of foam you want in the milk. Then you position the milk jug under the wand and let the machine work its magic. There is a sensor in the tip of the wand that indicates when the desired temperature is reached so you can shut off the steam. Or you can take full manual control of the entire process. It’s up to you. Coffee Quality & Versatility – 4.5/5 The Oracle is a dual boiler machine, it has a brew boiler for the espresso and a separate steam boiler. The fact that it is a dual boiler is partly responsible for its exceptional temperature stability which is one of the things that ensures great tasting espresso.Indeed, there is no bean-to-cup machine we’ve found that can compete with the sheer depth of flavour or the flexibility of a good manual espresso machine. The Oracle Touch’s appeal is that it takes both the guesswork and some of the work out of the equation and allows even absolute beginners to produce a very fine array of coffees. The downside? It’s not as flexible as fully manual machines and, once you’ve got the hang of things, you may begin to crave more control.

Sage Oracle Touch review: Stunning espresso with less faff Sage Oracle Touch review: Stunning espresso with less faff

There is no point people comparing grind setting between different users as there are a number of reasons why they will vary for the same grind coming out. Changing the top burr setting doesn't change the grind. It just changes the number for the same level of grind, It's best left as it comes as the grinder will have been calibrated, That can only be done to a certain accuracy which is one of the reasons for variations between grinders. The Oracle uses a 58 mm stainless steel portafilter to brew the espresso. But all you have to do is fix the portafilter in position and hit a couple of buttons. The machine automates the grinding, dosing, and tamping. I've had numerous machines and grinders, the Oracle doesn't match some of them in the cup, I suspect this is down to the grinder being at the lower end of what's available and nothing to do with the other bits of the machine, however, it doesn't require the same degree of precision to get a decent shot with the Oracle which may be ideal if you're a novice and don't want to spend much time exploring the rabbit hole and subsequent warren of espresso fundementalism . The Oracle was basically the world's first (that I'm aware of) almost fully automated home barista espresso machine, meaning that it'll deliver true barista-quality espresso and espresso-based coffees with the convenience of a bean to cup machine.

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The grinder is one of the other most important pieces of the puzzle where espresso quality is concerned. A steel milk jug is included and, since it uses a dual-boiler system, milk can be prepared at the same time you’re preparing the coffee. If you don’t want frother automation then the manual mode outputs a consistent stream of milk for a more traditional approach. So, no, the Sage Oracle isn't going to make pouring latte art easy, but it will give you consistent milk texture, and that will make it easier to learn. The process of making a coffee couldn’t easier. Simply swipe your finger along the scrolling list and choose your preferred style of coffee. Now clip the empty portafilter into the grind outlet on the left hand side and either tap ‘grind’ on the screen or push the handle to the right. The machine will proceed to grind the beans and then cleverly deposit the powdered coffee into the portafilter before tamping it down to a perfect consistency ready for brewing. It should be noted that the noise it makes while performing this process is extremely irritating and loud (think one hundred squeaking mice scratching their claws on a chalkboard at the same time). Using the buttons on the front of the Oracle, you make your selection from single/dual-shot espressos, a long coffee or just hot water. Here we appreciate the two separate outputs: one that puts water through the coffee arm and a separate output for hot water whose stream falls just behind. Many espresso machines don’t have the facility to output hot water, or do so from the steam arm.