Sage Barista Express Impress SES876BSS - Brushed Stainless Steel

The Sage Barista Express Impress (SES876) is an assisted manual espresso machine with an integrated conical burr grinder and a built-in tamping system. It is built for home brewers who want hands-on control over extraction, without the day-to-day inconsistency of dosing and tamping by hand.

The Impress Puck System

Three things happen before you ever pull a shot. The grinder doses automatically based on your last grind. The assisted tamp lever applies a constant 10kg of pressure, finishing with a 7° barista twist that polishes the puck surface and keeps loose grounds off your worktop. A gauge then shows whether the dose sat high or low, and the machine corrects it for next time. Get it dialled in once and it stays there.

From that point on, extraction is yours. Manual shot control, manual milk texturing, no automation between you and the cup.

Extraction and temperature

A thermocoil heating system with PID control holds brew water at 93°C. Low pressure pre-infusion expands the coffee bed gently before the 15 bar Italian pump delivers a 9 bar extraction. The 54mm stainless steel portafilter is built around an 18g dose in the dual wall basket, and a single wall basket is included for when you want to work with your own grind settings and unpressurised extraction. Our house blends are roasted for espresso and forgiving enough to dial in on, which is what you want while you are learning the machine.

The integrated conical burr grinder offers 25 settings, with an adjustable upper burr if you need to extend the range for lighter or denser coffees.

Milk and setup

The manual steam wand runs at 130°C for microfoam dense enough to pour, suited to flat whites, lattes and cappuccinos. Setup runs through the BILT app with 3D interactive instructions, or the printed manual if you prefer.

Part of the Sage range at Ozone Coffee.

• Model: SES876BSS
• Pump: 15 bar Italian pump
• Extraction pressure: 9 bar
• Heating system: Thermocoil with PID temperature control
• Brew temperature: 93°C
• Grinder: Integrated stainless conical burr, 25 grind settings, adjustable upper burr
• Bean hopper: 250g
• Portafilter: 54mm stainless steel
• Dose: 18g
• Milk frothing: Manual steam wand, 130°C
• Water tank: 2L, removable
• Power: 1850W
• Dimensions: 33cm (W) x 38cm (D) x 41cm (H)
• Weight: 10.98kg
• Finish: Brushed stainless steel

• 54mm stainless steel portafilter
• Single wall and dual wall filter baskets
• 480ml stainless steel milk jug
• Water filter and filter holder
• The Razor precision dose trimming tool
• Cleaning disc, cleaning tablets, descale powder
• Steam wand cleaning tool, cleaning brush, Allen key
• Instruction manual

The Barista Express Impress comes with a 2-year limited manufacturer's warranty for private household use, covering repair, replacement or refund at Sage's discretion. For full details, visit sageappliances.com/uk/en/support/sage-guarantee.html.

Is the Barista Express Impress a bean-to-cup machine?

It is often listed that way because it grinds whole beans and brews in a single unit, but Sage classes it as an assisted manual espresso machine and that is the more accurate description. A true bean-to-cup machine makes the drink for you at the press of a button. Here the machine handles dosing and tamping, then hands over. You control shot length and texture the milk yourself.

How is it different from the standard Barista Express?

The Impress adds the Impress Puck System. Where the standard model gives you a tamper and leaves the pressure up to your arm, the Impress applies a constant 10kg through a lever and finishes with a 7° twist. It also measures how your dose landed and adjusts the next grind automatically, which removes the most common source of shot-to-shot variation. The extraction hardware is otherwise closely matched, so the choice comes down to how much you want to control tamping yourself.

Which coffee should I use?

Any whole bean coffee will work, though espresso is unforgiving of stale beans in a way that filter brewing is not. Buy fresh, buy often, and keep the hopper topped up rather than full. Our house blends are the easiest starting point, and single origins are worth exploring once you are confident dialling in.

Can I use pre-ground coffee?

Yes. Add pre-ground to the basket and use the tamp lever as normal. You will lose the benefit of the intelligent dosing, since that works from the grinder, and pre-ground coffee stales quickly once opened. If you are buying this machine, the grinder is a large part of what you are paying for.

Will it fit under my kitchen cabinets?

The machine stands 41cm tall, 33cm wide and 38cm deep. Standard UK worktop to wall unit clearance is usually enough, but you also need headroom above the machine to lift the bean hopper out for cleaning and to refill it, so measure before you order.

Does it come with everything I need to start?

Yes, aside from the coffee. The box includes both filter baskets, a 480ml milk jug, the water filter, the Razor dose trimming tool and a full cleaning and descaling kit. You will want a set of scales at some point, but nothing is required on day one.