Espresso machines · SES880

Sage Barista Touch

Name: Sage Barista Touch
Brand: Sage

SES880

The Sage Barista Touch (SES880) is a semi-automatic espresso machine with a built-in 30-setting burr grinder, a touchscreen café menu and an automatic steam wand that textures milk hands-free.

3 s1680 W220–240 V

Reviews 29 Videos 4

29 original reviews to read 4 video summaries Good to know

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Overview
Good to know
Reviews
Videos
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Specifications
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At a glance

The Sage Barista Touch (SES880) is a semi-automatic espresso machine with a built-in 30-setting burr grinder, a touchscreen café menu and an automatic steam wand that textures milk hands-free. Owners praise how approachable it is and how good the milk drinks are, and many say it rivals coffee shops. You still tamp by hand and need to dial in grind and dose, especially when changing beans, and a minority report lukewarm coffee, leaks or blockages. It suits espresso newcomers who want guidance and great milk without learning to steam, and who will do some hands-on work. Buyers wanting one-touch bean-to-cup convenience, or assisted tamping and a larger hopper (Barista Touch Impress), should look elsewhere. Independent long-term reliability data was not available.

Strengths

Touchscreen with pre-set and saved drinks plus tutorials makes it easy for beginners.
Automatic steam wand gives silky, hands-free microfoam with adjustable temperature and texture.
Integrated 30-setting conical burr grinder and fast ThermoJet heat-up with PID control.

Show all (5)

Widely discounted in the UK to around £800, about £250 below its former price.
Attractive design with a modest footprint.

Things to consider

Manual tamping and grind dialling bring a learning curve; early shots can be weak or inconsistent.
Some owners report faults (leaks, blockages needing descaling, start-up problems) and lukewarm drinks.
Small 250 g hopper and no cup warmer; minor niggles such as a stiff portafilter and spitting purge.

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Some owners consider it pricey relative to rivals.

Who is it for, and who is it not for?

Good for

Espresso beginners who want guided drinks and automatic milk texturing but are happy to tamp and adjust the grind.
Households that drink milk-based coffees such as lattes and flat whites daily.

May not suit

People wanting fully automatic, one-button bean-to-cup coffee with no tamping.
Enthusiasts wanting absolute manual control over every variable.

See alternatives

Before you buy

Good to know

What the features mean in everyday use.

Grinder

Built-in conical burr grinder with hardened steel burrs and 30 grind settings. Beans are ground straight into a 54 mm portafilter.

Technical fact · See source

the Barista Touch™ – Sage Appliances UK

Tamping

Tamping is manual with a removable magnetic tamper. The newer Impress models add assisted tamping, which the SES880 lacks.

Technical fact · See source

Heating

ThermoJet heating with PID temperature control. Sage claims it is ready in 3 seconds.

Manufacturer's claim · See source

Milk

Automatic steam wand textures milk hands-free, with adjustable temperature (40–75 °C) and 8 texture levels, and purges itself after use.

Technical fact · See source

the Barista Touch™ – Sage Appliances UK

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Interface

Touchscreen menu with 5 pre-set café drinks and saved custom drinks (6 customisable settings per the specification table).

Technical fact · See source

Capacity

2 L removable water tank and 250 g bean hopper. Rated power is 1680 W.

Technical fact · See source

Ease of use

Owners most often praise how easy the machine is to use, citing the touchscreen, on-screen tutorials and suitability for novices.

User experience · See source

Drink quality

Many owners say the espresso and milk drinks match or beat coffee-shop drinks, and single out the silky milk from the automatic frother.

User experience · See source

Learning curve

A recurring caveat is the need to dial in grind size, dose and tamping, especially with new beans. Several owners had weak or inconsistent shots at first.

User experience · See source

Reliability

A minority of owners report faults: leaking from day one, blockages that needed descaling, and an intermittent start-up fault that emptied the tank into the drip tray. Amazon's own summary also flags mixed feedback on reliability.

User experience · See source

Coffee temperature

A few owners complain that drinks are not hot enough even at higher temperature settings.

User experience · See source

Value

Opinions on value are split. Some owners call it an investment that stops coffee-shop spending; others find it pricey or say it offers little more than cheaper rivals.

User experience · See source

Design

Owners like the look in the kitchen, and some note a smaller footprint than expected.

User experience · See source

Minor niggles

Isolated complaints: a stiff portafilter, the steam wand spitting during auto-purge, an occasionally unresponsive swipe display, no included tamping mat or knock box, and a drip tray that fills quickly.

User experience · See source

Availability

Sage UK still sells the SES880, while its successor page (Impress SES881) says that model is discontinued. On Amazon.co.uk only a used unit was offered, and the Black Truffle listing was unavailable.

Technical fact · See source

Expert review

Expert Reviews (UK, 2019) gave it a best buy badge. It found it approachable and consistently good, but said it is pricier than fully manual machines and not for people who want absolute control.

User experience · See source

Sage by Heston Blumenthal the Barista Touch review – Expert Reviews

Guarantee

Comes with a 2-year manufacturer guarantee; Currys and AO offer 30-day returns.

Technical fact · See source

Who it suits

Combining the guided touchscreen, automatic milk and manual tamping, the machine suits newcomers to espresso who will spend some time dialling in. It is less suited to buyers wanting push-button bean-to-cup convenience or full manual control.

Inference from the sources · See source

Show more (16)

Heating

ThermoJet heating with PID temperature control. Sage claims it is ready in 3 seconds.

Manufacturer's claim · See source

Milk

Automatic steam wand textures milk hands-free, with adjustable temperature (40–75 °C) and 8 texture levels, and purges itself after use.

Technical fact · See source

the Barista Touch™ – Sage Appliances UK

Interface

Touchscreen menu with 5 pre-set café drinks and saved custom drinks (6 customisable settings per the specification table).

Technical fact · See source

Capacity

2 L removable water tank and 250 g bean hopper. Rated power is 1680 W.

Technical fact · See source

Ease of use

Owners most often praise how easy the machine is to use, citing the touchscreen, on-screen tutorials and suitability for novices.

User experience · See source

Drink quality

Many owners say the espresso and milk drinks match or beat coffee-shop drinks, and single out the silky milk from the automatic frother.

User experience · See source

Learning curve

A recurring caveat is the need to dial in grind size, dose and tamping, especially with new beans. Several owners had weak or inconsistent shots at first.

User experience · See source

Reliability

User experience · See source

Coffee temperature

A few owners complain that drinks are not hot enough even at higher temperature settings.

User experience · See source

Value

Opinions on value are split. Some owners call it an investment that stops coffee-shop spending; others find it pricey or say it offers little more than cheaper rivals.

User experience · See source

Design

Owners like the look in the kitchen, and some note a smaller footprint than expected.

User experience · See source

Minor niggles

User experience · See source

Availability

Sage UK still sells the SES880, while its successor page (Impress SES881) says that model is discontinued. On Amazon.co.uk only a used unit was offered, and the Black Truffle listing was unavailable.

Technical fact · See source

Expert review

Expert Reviews (UK, 2019) gave it a best buy badge. It found it approachable and consistently good, but said it is pricier than fully manual machines and not for people who want absolute control.

User experience · See source

Sage by Heston Blumenthal the Barista Touch review – Expert Reviews

Guarantee

Comes with a 2-year manufacturer guarantee; Currys and AO offer 30-day returns.

Technical fact · See source

Who it suits

Inference from the sources · See source

User experience

What do reviews say?

See the common points first, then read the original reviews yourself.

Summarised from the 61 reviews we read. A review can mention several points, so the theme counts can add up to more than 61.

Store ratings

Amazon

Brushed Stainless Steel · 296 ratings

16 reviews read

4.3 / 5

Rating shared with other models at this store

45 reviews read

4.9 / 5

Currys

Rating shared with other models at this store

4.9 / 5

Each store’s rating and rating count are its own; ratings are not combined. “Read” is how many of that store’s reviews we read for the summary.

Go to the original reviews

Owners mostly find the Barista Touch easy to live with. The touchscreen and tutorials make it approachable for espresso beginners, and the automatic steam wand gets frequent praise for silky, hands-free milk. Many say their drinks rival coffee shops and that it soon pays for itself. The main caveat is the learning curve: getting grind size, dose and tamping right takes trial and error, particularly when changing beans. Smaller groups report lukewarm coffee, leaks or blockages needing descaling, and minor niggles such as a stiff portafilter or a steam wand that spits while purging. Some owners feel it is expensive for what it offers compared with cheaper rivals.

What buyers like

Easy to use, with helpful touchscreen guidance; good for novices27 reviews
Coffee and milk drinks of café quality; silky microfoam from the automatic wand29 reviews
Looks smart in the kitchen; compact footprint12 reviews
Worth the investment; cuts coffee-shop spending10 reviews
Customisable, saved drink settings8 reviews
Easy to clean5 reviews

Common complaints

Learning curve dialling in grind, dose and tamping16 reviews
Pricey or not much better than cheaper rivals5 reviews
Faults such as leaking, blocking or needing repair3 reviews
Minor usability niggles (stiff portafilter, spitting steam wand purge, unresponsive swipe)3 reviews
Coffee not hot enough2 reviews
Manual tamping or missing accessories (tamping mat, knock box)2 reviews

How was this summary made?

Summarised from 61 reviews. The summary is drawn from opinions that recur in the reviews read; each theme shows how many reviews mention it. These counts are not a rate and do not apply to every unit.

61 unique text reviews: 45 English SES880 reviews from the newest 100 entries of the pooled AO/Currys Feefo feed (s8; de-duplicated by author+date+text; 5 Impress, 33 non-English, 17 rating-only excluded) and 16 UK top reviews from two Amazon.co.uk colour listings. Amazon AI summaries used only as a cross-check. ratings_total = Amazon 296+154 plus AO/Currys 192.

Show reviews (29 of 61)Read the texts as published by the store

29 original reviews can be listed on this page. The number of reviews analysed may differ.

J*** 5/5 19 August 2026 ao-retail-ltd (Feefo) AO, SES880BSS

Great product easy to use and keep clean
D*** 5/5 12 June 2026 ao-retail-ltd (Feefo) AO, SES880BSS

It’s great but we find the portafilter is VERY stiff to lock into the group head. I hope it will get easier over time
K*** 5/5 24 May 2026 ao-retail-ltd (Feefo) AO, SES880BSS

Fabulous machine, it is so easy to use, I’m a total novice and you can’t go wrong with this. I absolutely love it!! Also it is very fast, I was surprised by how quick it was ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
S*** 5/5 26 April 2026 ao-retail-ltd (Feefo) AO, SES880BSS

Look great in our new kitchen. Lots of functions and easy to use. Really pleased we invested
B*** T*** I*** G*** 5/5 24 March 2026 ao-retail-ltd (Feefo) SES880BSS

Fantastic machine. I've long been a user of the very same machine in our IT office. … The coffee is awesome. Once you get it dialed in, you won't be disappointed.
Customer 5/5 17 February 2026 ao-retail-ltd (Feefo) Currys, SES880

Took a bit to get going but now really good
A*** 5/5 23 December 2025 ao-retail-ltd (Feefo) Currys, SES880

I really like the Sage machine, having used it elsewhere before buying it myself. It’s very consistent with a number of coffee styles, it’s easy to use, easy to clean etc. although it is a bit pricy in a competitive market.
D*** 1/5 28 July 2025 ao-retail-ltd (Feefo) Currys, SES880

Hasn’t worked properly from the day I got it - leaking water - not what I expected for the price
C*** 4/5 12 May 2025 ao-retail-ltd (Feefo) SES880

Only recently got this but easy to use just a case of slight adjustments for how to personalise your coffee to your own taste . It was easy to set up and it has useful tutorials. It is also easy to clean.
S*** 5/5 11 April 2024 ao-retail-ltd (Feefo) Currys, SES880

A great machine. Not 100% sure it is worth the money. On the plus side we have not brought a coffee from any shop since this purchase. …
D*** 4/5 27 February 2024 ao-retail-ltd (Feefo) Currys, SES880

Great machine and it makes lovely coffee. Only regret is I would hade liked a machine that also pressed the ground coffee rather than having to use the tamper manually as it takes a bit of practice to get it even each time - this is very minor issue though.
J*** 5/5 3 May 2023 ao-retail-ltd (Feefo) Currys, SES880

Good Points: Makes lovely coffee. Looks good in our kitchen. The coffee is as good as buying one in coffee shop. Improvement Points: You have to fiddle around with the grind size and brew time when trying different beans but is fine once sorted as you can save each drink.
I*** 5/5 23 February 2023 ao-retail-ltd (Feefo) Currys, SES880

Good Points: If you know what you are doing it makes great coffee and the automatic milk frother is a great timesaver. Improvement Points: There is a learning curve, which I knew before buying it, but you need to spend some time understanding how to make expresso - grind size/duration etc.
K*** 5/5 31 January 2023 ao-retail-ltd (Feefo) Currys, SES880

Good Points: This machine is so easy to use and makes fantastic tasting coffee varieties. The foamer is top notch giving a creamy consistency instead of like some machines that make it as just froth! Define recommend
S*** 5/5 14 January 2023 ao-retail-ltd (Feefo) Currys, SES880

Good Points: Love it all Improvement Points: Sometimes it is difficult to swipe display
S*** A*** 4/5 7 January 2023 ao-retail-ltd (Feefo) SES880

It’s an amazing machine, nothing to fault. However it doesn’t offer that much more than it’s rival products which are a fraction of the cost.
M*** 5/5 26 October 2022 ao-retail-ltd (Feefo) SES880

Really enjoying making the different types of coffees and also the customisability of it means you can save your own settings to adapt to your taste or make things not on the machine (currently trying to perfect a mocha). The milk frother is just amazing, no effort needed at all. The only thing that can take some time initially is dialing in the grinder to get the right extraction.
M*** 5/5 27 September 2022 ao-retail-ltd (Feefo) Currys, SES880

Good Points: Personalised settings, quick heat up time, relatively quiet. Not too big. Improvement Points: A bigger water tank would be nice.
E*** 5/5 26 September 2022 ao-retail-ltd (Feefo) Currys, SES880

Good Points: Simple touch screen with easy to follow controls and a good range of things to update and customize. Improvement Points: Stream wand spits when purging on auto clean, not a massive issue but can make a small mess. Very little of the discharge goes into the designated hole on the drip tray.
Customer 2/5 30 August 2022 ao-retail-ltd (Feefo) Currys, SES880

Good Points: It looks really nice. Improvement Points: All coffee is cold regardless of how hi the temperature is increased.
N*** 5/5 2 August 2022 ao-retail-ltd (Feefo) SES880

I did plenty of research as to which bean to cup machine to go for and finally chose the Sage Touch, which is quite an investment, but I haven’t been disappointed. Straight out of the box it was producing barista quality coffee just as good as any coffee shop I’ve been to. …
H*** 1/5 21 February 2019 Amazon Brushed Stainless Steel

…the water coming out of it was no where near 200F. With a thermometer I measured it at 140F (60C)… Not fit for purpose, it creates bitter coffee… The grinder is messy and spews granules everywhere. The only thing this machine has going for it is it's great milk frother. That's it.
D*** 4/5 20 July 2019 Amazon Brushed Stainless Steel

…Great machine, would recommend. However, -1 star because certain accessories are NOT included when they should be. A tamping mat… Also a bin for the spent coffee grind… The first: sage customer service are terrible… Secondly; the drip tray fills up very quickly…
C*** W*** 5/5 10 January 2020 Amazon Brushed Stainless Steel

…Could not get it to stop flowing like water even on the finest grind setting. Watery, weak, rubbish coffee… The milk frother is brilliant and gives the most silky smooth microfoam…
A*** B*** 5/5 8 May 2023 Amazon Brushed Stainless Steel

…there is a learning curve for the amount of tamping required for the coffee once ground, but by the 3rd cup, I was as happy as could be, perfect coffee!… Completely satisfied customer, enjoying coffee shop quality drinks from home.
y*** 5/5 9 June 2023 Amazon Brushed Stainless Steel

…Milk fothering is amazingly good, it has a temperature sensor for the milk and it is very hard to distinguish between it and an expert barista … U will have some learning curve if u have not done this before...
S*** D*** D*** 4/5 26 May 2025 Amazon Black Truffle listing

…Just requires a bit more maintenance than I expected to keep it up and running. The other issue I find is that the grind size is stepped or too hard to dial in… Seems to block easily - had to descale to get flow working again…
K*** 5/5 30 March 2021 Amazon Black Truffle listing

It's amazing. Easy to use (if you read the manual) and really looks the part! All four of us use it… It was a very expensive purchase… but this is definitely worth it. Prefer our coffee than going out!
N*** 5/5 18 June 2020 Amazon Black Truffle listing

…The only thing I'm struggling with is perfecting the right grind to pull an expresso that ranges between 20-30 seconds. Either I'm pulling over-extracted or under-extracted…

Go to the store's reviews: Amazon · AO · Currys

See it in use

Video reviews and key moments

Read the summaries; tap a moment to watch the video from that second.

4 videos · Timestamped summary

YouTube · Review

Sage (Breville) Barista Touch Review - Is it worth £1,000 and bean to cup VS Nespresso.

The Sage Barista Touch produces exceptional, café-quality coffee with rich microfoam and offers extensive customisation through an intuitive touchscreen. It requires noticeably more effort and time to brew and clean than a pod machine, and has suffered a steep price rise. Nonetheless, for coffee lovers willing to pay the price, the resulting drinks and build quality are outstanding.

Key moments

More key moments (3)

YouTube · Review

Breville Barista Touch is the BEST Espresso Machine for BEGINNERS

The Breville Barista Touch is highlighted as an ideal, beginner-friendly espresso machine that produces café-quality drinks at home. It features automated milk texturing with temperature sensors and straightforward touchscreen controls for grind settings. However, it is quite noisy during grinding and steaming, and the touchscreen can feel slightly sluggish.

Key moments

More key moments (3)

YouTube · Review

Breville Barista Touch Review: Is It Worth it?

The Breville Barista Touch is an accessible, high-tech espresso machine designed for beginners who want quality milk-based drinks at home without a steep learning curve. It features a responsive touchscreen with step-by-step tutorials, a three-second heat-up time, and an impressive automatic steam wand. Whilst it may be too automated for espresso purists seeking granular manual control, it offers great convenience and value for everyday coffee drinkers.

Key moments

More key moments (3)

YouTube · Review

Breville Barista Touch Review | Do you need a screen?

The Breville Barista Touch combines the chassis of the Barista Express with upgraded ThermoJet heating, 30 grinder steps, and an intuitive touchscreen. While its automatic steam wand textures milk quickly and conveniently, those looking for fine microfoam control for latte art may prefer manual steaming.

Key moments

More key moments (3)

Video summaries and timestamps were taken from the videos with AI (Gemini); the video itself is the source.

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