Sage Oracle Review Updated, Plus The Oracle Touch.

By: Kev
Updated On: March 14, 2024 at 12:52 pm

I first wrote my Sage Oracle review several years ago when Sage Appliances very kindly sent the Sage Oracle to me on loan for a couple of weeks. This post has been completely rewritten now that I know so much more about espresso machines and coffee in general.

Before I get on with the review (and this is a review of both the Sage Oracle and the Oracle Touch, by the way) I'd just like to explain what happened back then, because I think it helps to paint a picture of what Sage are like as a company.

Coffeeblog.co.uk now gets over a million readers per year, and my YouTube channel currently is also growing really well, they've just sent me the “2 million views” icon. So I'm in an amazing position now where, usually, when I contact a brand and say that I'd like to review their machine, there is no issue getting a demo unit sent to review, and I'm very grateful for that.

At the time I contacted Sage, though, I was a completely unknown entity, they must have known that the blog at that time had about four readers, and one of them was my mum!

They also can't have known anything about me, including whether they could trust me with their very expensive coffee machine. They were really nice, they took me seriously, sent me their Sage Oracle, and let me tell them when I'd done the review so they could have it collected (as they were sending it to someone else for review).

Not all brands were quite that approachable, in fact, some of the other big brands didn't get back to me at all, not that I'm surprised, as they can't have known whether they'd be wasting their time with me, and to be completely honest, at that time I didn't know if they would be either ;-), at that time I didn't know that what was a little hobby would literally take over my life and become my new career!

Overall my initial experience with Sage gave me the impression that they're a nice bunch of people, despite the fact that they're one of the biggest coffee machine brands in the world, and my dealings with them over the past several years have confirmed this to be the case. Yes I say a lot of nice things about Sage machines, so there's no reason for them to not want to work with me by sending me machines to play with and so on, but they treated me no differently when they didn't know me from Adam, and I think that says a lot about them as a company.

Sage Discount Code

If you're thinking of buying any product from Sage Appliances, I have an active discount code that works (UK & most of EU) so you might want to drop me an email. Click here to join my “Brew Time” mailing list, and then email me (kev@coffeeblog.co.uk).

Sage currently have a number of deals, the discount code applies on top of these deals, PLUS there's currently up to £200 cashback available!

This doesn't tell you anything about the Sage Oracle & Oracle Touch, true, which brings us nicely to:

Sage Oracle & Oracle Touch Review

Sage Oracle

 

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Sage Oracle Touch

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Sage Oracle & Oracle Touch review in a nutshell

There's a lot to say here, and not everyone wants war & peace when reading a review on a coffee machine they're thinking of buying, so if you want the succinct version, here you go, if you want the much longer version, then make yourself comfortable and enjoy my more in depth review, below.

Really brief Sage Oracle nutshell review

If you want the convenience of bean to cup machines but the cup quality of traditional espresso machines but without the usual skill requirement, the Sage Oracle is a solution unlike almost any other.

An enhanced (the tricky bits are automated) version of Sage's flagship espresso machine the Sage Dual Boiler, the Oracle has an amazing quality traditional espresso machine at its heart. This isn't an entry-level home espresso machine with expensive bells & whistles, it's one of the best home espresso machines on the market with automation.

Will it produce good espresso? Yes!
Will it produce great milkies (cappuccino, flat white, etc)? Yes!
Will it produce good Americano? (Yes!)
Is there any other machine on the market that offers the same cup quality and convenience? Not quite, but see my notes below on the Barista Express Impress.
What's the catch? The price and the potential maintenance cost outside of the warranty period (see below).

What about the Oracle Touch?

I'll go into more detail on the touch a bit later on in this review, but for this really brief nutshell version, I'll just say that the touch is the touchscreen version of the oracle, a bit more flashy to look at, a bit easier to use initially, although in the long term once you find your feet with it, I think the standard Oracle is just as easy to use.

When I say “almost” like any other, this is because Sage released the Barista Express Impress.

I'll talk about this more in the more detailed section of the review, but this is Sage's first “assisted” machine. It achieves more or less the same aims as the Oracle, but it does it with assistance instead of automation, which makes it a lot more affordable. For more, see:

Sage Oracle In-Depth Review

Traditional espresso machines paired with capable grinders are capable of producing great espresso in the hands of a capable home barista. The problem is, most “normal” coffee drinkers aren't home baristas and have no desire to become one.

If you do fancy yourself as a home barista, by the way, see:

Best Home Barista Espresso MachinesBest coffee beans for espresso

So the usual option for anyone who wants espresso and espresso-based coffees made with freshly ground coffee beans is a bean to cup coffee machine. These machines have an integrated grinder, usually with a very limited number of grind settings, and they have a brewing unit, which handles all of the coffee brewing.

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.

Breville Worldwide, known as Sage in the UK (the Breville brand name was sold here in the 80s, so the “Breville” we know of here is a completely different thing) developed their flagship traditional espresso machine, the Dual Boiler, a few years back.

This is a brilliant machine capable of fantastic espresso and espresso-based coffees, paired with a decent grinder and in the hands of someone with some barista skills, See my review:

Sage Dual Boiler Review

At this point, they didn't have a machine for the “normal” coffee drinker, only the espresso enthusiast also known as the home barista.

Instead of going down the usual bean to cup machine route to serve this market, they used the Dual Boiler as the base for the Oracle, and in doing so they created something completely new.

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.

When I say “almost fully automated”, it's automated where it really matters, which is dose, tamp, and milk texturing (you can steam manually but it does a brilliant job of texturing on auto).

There are some tasks for the user, but they don't require much skill, it's just inserting the portafilter in the grinds cradle, initiating the grinding, locking into the group, pressing the shot button, putting a jug of milk under the steam wand and pressing the steam lever, or putting the cup under the water spout if you're making a long black or Americano.

Many people will enjoy this because while it takes away a lot of the home barista faff, it delivers a far more authentic home barista experience than a bean to cup coffee machine.

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

Most bean to cup coffee machines don't have boilers. You may think I'm wrong, as quite often you'll read “boiler” used in marketing blurb, but nearly all bean to cup machines I'm familiar with, have thermoblocks which are on-demand water heaters, not traditional brew boilers.

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.

This also means that, like a professional barista, with the Oracle, you can steam milk and produce espresso at the same time, which means you have your coffee faster.

Grind Adjustment

While bean to cup machines usually have a grinder with 5-10 grind adjustments, the Oracle has 45, all within the espresso range, which gives the ability to “dial in” which is something you can't really do with the usual 5-10 grind settings.

Dialing in means tweaking things, namely (but not only) the grind size, in order to get the optimal flavour from the beans you're using.

Auto Dosing & Tamping

This is among the most tricky part of espresso-making, and this is handled for you with the oracle. You just put the portafilter into the grinding area, and the correct amount of coffee will be ground and dosed into the portafilter, and then automatically tamped.

Auto Milk Texturing

When it comes to bean to cup machines & milk, it depends, really, on what kind of texture you're after. If you want bigger bubbles, for what I refer to as “old school” cappuccino, then you're in luck as this is the kind of texture these kinds of machines usually produce.

If you want microfoam, though, for a really velvety flat white and the more modern “third wave” versions of cappuccino & latte, then this isn't something one-touch bean to cup machines will usually produce.

The Oracle, though, has a steam wand with a thermostat, with digital controls which allow you to tell the machine exactly how you want your milk, in terms of both texture and temperature. So this machine will produce milk exactly how you want it and give you the control to make fine-tuning adjustments until you're happy with the milk texture for each drink.

The Oracle Touch

The Touch screen version, imaginatively named “The Oracle Touch” ;-), has touchscreen controls, allowing the user to select their drink by image and name.

So, for example, if you want an Americano, you'd swipe through until you see the photo of an Americano and the “Americano” text, and you'd select that.

There are five factory pre-set coffees, which you can fully adjust, and 8 spaces for your own completely custom coffees.

So, that's the nutshell version of the review, now to get more in-depth for anyone who wants more of the nitty gritty, starting with:

What kind of coffee machines are the Oracle and Oracle Touch?

This is a good question, because they are not really bean to cup coffee machines, and they're not really traditional espresso machines either. In case you're not familiar with these terms, here's an explanation:

Bean to cup coffee machines

These are about convenience above all else. They produce espresso, but they don't do it in the traditional way, with a portafilter, filter basket, manual tamping & so on.

Instead, bean to cup coffee machines have what is called a brewing unit, which works with the pump and the integrated grinder. So the coffee is ground into the basket, the brewing unit tamps the coffee, the water is pumped into the basket, the shot is pulled & the used puck of coffee is dumped internally.

All the user has to do, is press a button, fill the water tank and bean hopper, and empty the used coffee pucks from the internal dreg drawer.

Bean to cup machines are perfect for the vast majority of people, for two main reasons.

The first reason is that for most people, a coffee machine is simply a means to an end, the end being coffee, and most people who have a “mainstream” relationship with coffee want their cup of coffee as quickly and conveniently as possible, and you can't get much more convenience where freshly ground coffee is concerned than bean to cup coffee machines.

The second reason is that the coffee produced via bean to cup coffee machines is more than good enough for most normal coffee drinkers. While it may not be good enough for espresso purists, most people aren't espresso purists, and for most people what bean to cup machines produce is very enjoyable.

 

Traditional espresso machines

Traditional home espresso machines are based on professional, commercial espresso machines you'll see in coffee shops, only they're smaller, and they usually are tank fed vs being plumbed in.

What they share with pro espresso machines, is that they do have the potential to make great espresso and espresso-based coffees, but only in the hands of someone who has developed the necessary skills.

They also require a grinder, although there are some traditional espresso machines that have an integrated grinder, just keep in mind that having an integrated grinder doesn't make them a bean to cup coffee machine. If it has a portafilter, then it's a traditional machine with an integrated grinder.

There are some people who're purely bean to cup machine users – they just want to walk up to a machine, press a button, and walk away with their coffee, and they're not all that fussy about perfection. These are the people bean to cup machines are made for.

If that's you, also see:

Best Bean to Cup Coffee machines

Then, there are people who either have a keen palate where espresso is concerned, for whom nothing but well extracted “true” espresso will do, or they just love the idea of being able to produce great quality espresso regardless of whether they currently have the palate to enjoy it (this was me several years ago).

Whether you're already an espresso connoisseur or like me when I jumped down the home barista rabbit hole, you want to be able to produce great espresso and you're hopeful that your palate will develop as you go along so you can enjoy the fruits of your labours (this will happen, by the way, almost every home barista I know, including myself, has a much better palate than they did when they got started).

If this is you, see:

Best Traditional Espresso MachinesBest home espresso machines and grinders review

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But what if you fall in the middle? You really are fussy about cup quality, you want as close to perfection as possible, but you also want the convenience of bean to cup, and you don't want to take on a new hobby.

These are the people that the Oracle & Oracle Touch are made for.

Before the Oracle machines, there wasn't really an option for these people. They were either forced to put up with the best that bean to cup machines can offer, begrudgingly enter into the home barista hobby, or forget the idea of home espresso altogether.

Is the Sage Oracle Worth It?

The Sage Oracle (and even more so with the Sage Oracle Touch) is not cheap. It's not the most expensive espresso machine on the market, but when it comes to home coffee machines, I think the price of the Oracle and Oracle Touch are pushing the boundaries of what most people would consider being a reasonable amount of cash to throw at a coffee machine. But, personally, I'd say yes, it's worth it. Here's why:

Better Espresso

Ultimately if we're asking if the Oracle is worth it, meaning is it worth spending the additional money on vs a more affordable coffee machine, then we have to focus on cup quality.

While “best” is a subjective thing, I think it's fair to say that the Oracle and Oracle touch are among the best on the market for espresso quality, if we rule out the traditional espresso machines which may be capable of similar or better quality depending on the quality of the grinder and the skills of the home barista.

If you're thinking of buying a bean to cup coffee machine for around a grand to fifteen hundred quid, and you're wondering if it's worth spending a few hundred more on the Oracle, personally I believe that the overall cup quality (espresso quality and milk texture quality) is going to be better with the Oracle and Oracle touch than with any bean to cup machine on the market.

Most bean to cup machines get more feature rich the more you spend on them, rather than getting better where cup quality is concerned. In fact for most brands, if you take the cheapest model in the range to pieces, and then do the same with one of the more flagship models in their range, you'll probably find that where it really matters (burrs, brewing unit) they're more or less identical, and what you've dropped the additional money on is not reflected in cup quality.

The reason for this is that the Sage Oracle is based on such a capable espresso machine. So instead of being a simple bean to cup coffee machine at its core, the oracle range has so much more sophistication, which makes a real impact on the quality of the coffee it produces.

It has a heated group head, and twin PIDS (temperature feedback loops) on the brew boiler and group head heater, so that the temperature on the display is always the temperature in the group, and this means that the Dual Boiler, and the Oracle machines, behave like some of the most expensive, sophisticated espresso machines on the market where temperature stability is concerned, and this is one of the key components of espresso quality.

The grinder is one of the other most important pieces of the puzzle where espresso quality is concerned.

In my humble opinion having an integrated grinder is always going to come with some compromise where espresso quality is concerned, however, the burrs on the Oracle and Oracle Touch have the same burr geometry that you'll find on the Etzinger burrs in Baratza grinders, and the number of grind adjustments that the Oracle machines have (45 steps) gives you much better ability to dial in than in any bean to cup coffee machine I've used.

Authentic user experience

Bean to cup machines usually provides little or no authentic espresso-making experience. It's just a case of pressing a button and sliding a cup in place.

The cup is recommended, by the way. I can appreciate there may be mornings when you're tempted to bypass the crockery & stick your face under the group, we all have them kinds of days, but it's much safer, not to mention more well-mannered to drink coffee from a cup.

Anyway, if you're looking for simple touch button coffee, then one of the bean to cup coffee machines from Gaggia, DeLonghi or Melitta for example may be right up your street.

But if you want a bit of authentic espresso-making ritual and theatre with your coffee, the Oracle & Oracle touch provides this, as the user goes through practically all the motions of traditional espresso-making, simply without the need for well-honed skills.

Best Ever Milk Texture

In my humble opinion, when it comes to push button milk texture, there's no coffee machine on the market (or at least I haven't seen it, if there is one) which can rival the quality of the milk texture that the Oracle range is capable of. Not only the quality of the texture but also the control over both the texture and the temperature.

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.

A benefit of the Touch over the standard oracle where milk texture is concerned, is that you can save the milk texture setting for each drink. So let's say you create your own perfect personalised flattie, with a custom milk temp and texture, the next time you select that drink it'll remember the milk temp and texture level.

For this reason, the Oracle Touch has more to offer than the Oracle when it comes to multiple users. For example, if you're the only person using your machine, and you only usually drink one type of milky, then each time you go to steam milk it will be at your preferred setting, but of course, if there are multiple people using the Oracle, each time you get to it you'll need to alter the temp and texture to your preferred settings for whatever you're making, although this is quick and easy to adjust.

Want to know more about auto milk steaming or ghost steaming?

Get Your Coffee Quicker

A combination of the auto on scheduling and the fact that these are dual boiler machines, make for fast results with the Oracle machines.

Not only can you have your Oracle or Oracle Touch ready and warmed up for you when you wake up gagging for your first coffee of the day, the fact that there are two boilers means that you can steam the milk and pull the shot at the same time, which means you're going to be drinking your coffee quicker than you would be with most bean to cup espresso machines.

Ability to improve

One of the usual cons of bean to cup machines is that although they're pretty good straight out of the box in the hands of a complete novice, that's usually just about as good as you're going to get, as there's not much the user can do to fine-tune. With the Oracle machines, though, the user has the ability to fine-tune over time. It's fair to say that you don't quite have the same ability fine tune as you'd have if you were using the Sage Dual Boiler and a capable stand alone grinder, but still, you'll have far more fine tuning ability than you'd get with most bean to cup coffee machines.

One touch Americano

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 the Oracle Touch Screen Settings

With the original Oracle, this is more of a manual thing, by deciding on the shot volume, amount of milk, and milk temp & texture for the coffee you're about to make.

With the Oracle Touch, though, you have a range of coffees already set up, cappuccino, latte, flat white, espresso, Americano & hot milk – and you can personalise your coffees to be exactly how you like them.

Not only that, but you can create new coffees, by cloning one of the pre-set coffees, and give it a name of your choice.

Maybe someone in your house prefers something in between a flat white and a cappuccino, the same milk as a flattie but a single shot, or double shot but slightly thicker foam, in which case you'd just clone the flat white, amend it accordingly, and save it with a custom name.

Sage Oracle Vs Sage Oracle Touch

A very common question I'm asked is, is it worth splurging the extra money on the touch version, or is the Oracle just as good as the Oracle Touch?

The simple answer to this is that the features of the touch make it a better option for a multi-user setting.

If you're the only person who'll be using the machine, then in my humble opinion, a lot of what the touch brings to the table is novelty, which will wear off after a while. Yes, the touch screen is fancy, and yes it's helpful to have the onscreen instructions, but if you're the only person using the machine, I wouldn't personally say that the features of the Touch are worth the extra money.

Where the touch comes into its own is the ability for literally anyone to walk up to it and select the coffee they want, and also the ability to set personalised drinks.

As I mentioned earlier, if you're using the Oracle, every time you go to make a coffee you'll need to amend the settings for the coffee you're making. If you're making a flat white or a latte, for example, then this involves checking the milk temp and texture level.

If you're the only user, it won't matter all that much, especially if you only tend to drink mainly the same drink each time. For example, if you're just making a few flat whites each day, the Touch isn't going to add that much in terms of usable features, for you. In fact, when I used the Touch for a while before reviewing it, I found it slowed me down, simply because I usually drink the same thing (flat white) and with the Oracle, I can just slap the portafilter into the grinds cradle and get that started, then pour the milk into the jug and get the milk side of things started.

With the touch on the other hand there's the additional step of telling the machine what drink you want each time by selecting it on the touch screen before it'll let you start grinding, and that's just one little step that I found unnecessary as the only person using the machine.

If on the other hand, there are going to be a few people making coffees on the machine, I think the Oracle touch is made for that situation. You can set your own flat white setting, for example, and just select your own when you come to the machine, and the settings will change, so you don't have to manually change the coffee settings each time.

What About The Barista Express Impress?

The Barista Express Impress is Sage's first “assisted” coffee machine. It does more or less the same job as the Oracle (only on the coffee side, though, not on the milk side) but it does this via assistance, rather than automation, and it's based on the Barista Express, so it's a much more affordable option.

The only real issue that I can see when it comes to the suitability of the Express Impress for people who were considering the Oracle, is that most people considering the Oracle are partly considering it for its ability to auto steam milk. The Oracle and Oracle Touch are capable of true microfoam automatically, which really is something. It's very uncommon for a bean to cup coffee machine, for example, to be able to deliver true flat white quality microfoam.

So if this is you, then you may be tempted by the huge price difference between the Barista Express Impress vs the Oracle, but just be aware that while the Impress does achieve the same end result where espresso is concerned (home barista cup quality without the usual skill requirement) it won't help you when it comes to texturing milk.

It's also worth pointing out that these are very different machines, the Impress is based on the Barista Express, which is one of Sage's entry-level integrated grinder manual espresso machines, it's a thermocoil machine, and it's great for the money, but it's no match for the Dual Boiler that the Oracle is based on, and of course being a dual boiler this also means you can steam the milk (automatically) while you're pulling the shot, with the oracle and oracle touch.

 

Sage have now brought out the Sage Barista Touch Impress, this machine combines the same assistance as the Barista Express Impress, but with the added MilQ technology, with the ease of the Touch Screen.

 Barista Touch Impress

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Sage Barista Touch Impress Review

 

Sage Oracle & Oracle Review – Conclusion

When I first used the Sage Oracle, several years ago – as someone who was back then brand new to espresso machines, I was amazed by it. The quality of the espresso, the Americano and the cappuccino, flat whites, and lattes I was making with it were something that really blew me away.

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.

When I first used the Oracle, I didn't have a clue about espresso machines. I was impressed with the Oracle, but I had nothing to compare it with. I was incredibly impressed with the coffee it made, but I didn't have the best palate at that time (I could still stomach the occasional cup of instant back then which is something I've not subjected myself to for quite some time at this point).

So what I was interested to know when I recently ended up with the Oracle and the Oracle Touch in front of me to review again, this time mainly for the YouTube channel which I didn't have back then, but also so I could re-write this review post, is – how do I rate the Sage Oracle (and the Oracle Touch) now.

The answer is, now that I know so much more about espresso machines, and now that I've had so much more experience with them, I'm even more impressed with the Sage Oracle than I was the first time around!

While using both the Oracle and the Oracle Touch to reacquaint myself with them for the reviews, I used the Oracle for a couple of weeks as my daily driver in the studio. I did the same after that with the Oracle Touch. The cup quality I was enjoying every morning with the Oracle and the level of convenience I was also enjoying, never ceased to amaze me.

I think my wife (who works with me full-time in the studio) probably got fed up of waxing lyrical about the Oracle every time I used it ;-), it's just very impressive given the amazing convenience and the level of cup quality it's capable of.

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.

If you're wondering why I'm only making coffee for myself, by the way, and not my wife, that's because she doesn't drink coffee! She does like the smell of it, though, and it's a very good job she does ;-).

Kev's Sage Oracle What the FAQ

 

Is Latte Art Easy With the Sage Oracle?

Yes and no. Well, actually, no and no ;-).

That is, pouring latte art is not easy, and it never will be – in fact, it's taken me years to learn to pour latte art, and I'm still not amazing at it. It takes a lot of practice, my son is a pro barista, I actually taught him to pour latte art at a fairly young age, but how quickly he came on with his latte art skills once he started working as a barista, just goes to show that practice makes perfect. I've been practicing for a good few years more than him, and to say he's better at me now at pouring latte art, would be an understatement! 😉

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.

One of the biggest challenges I've faced (especially given I've honed my skills while using so many different espresso machines for relatively short periods of time, using machines that have been sent to me on loan, is with inconsistent jugs of milk.

How to froth milk without a frother

The oracle will give you great consistency jug after jug, which won't make learning to pour latte art any easier, but it'll make it less difficult in terms of removing texture consistency which is one of the biggest hurdles to learning to pour latte art.

Just check out one of my first latte art attempts with the Oracle when I first reviewed it! 😉

Coffee Made With Sage Oracle Espesso Machine.

And compare this to the kind of latte art I'm usually pouring these days:

Kev's Latte Art.

And you'll see the result of lots of practice, but you need decent milk texture to be able to practice, and the Oracle definitely helps there, as there is a real knack to learning to create great milk texture manually.

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Is Dialing In Easy With the Sage Oracle?

If you're wondering what I'm going on about re “dialing in”, this is the term used to describe the process of tweaking things to improve the taste of espresso.

There are a number of different variables that can be adjusted in order to do this, and while I wouldn't say that dialing in is easy, as such, with the Oracle range, it's easier than using machines without the automation that the Oracle has. 

The reason for this is that some of the most important variables are taken care of for you, by the tiny barista who lives in your machine ;-), let's call him Chip. Chip the Micro Barista handles the tamping and dosing for you, which are key variables. This leaves you with very little to do in order to dial in. 

My advice when it comes to dialing in is to widen the usual shot time window (from pressing the button to the end of the shot) to a window of around 20-35 seconds (usually this is 25-30 seconds) and then to tweak by taste rather than numbers.

 

Is Shot Quality Consistent With the Sage Oracle?

One of the most common issues I see with people using the Oracle and similar machines is shot-to-shot consistency. This isn't a problem with the machine, as such, it's simply a problem with espresso.

Espresso making is half art, half science, and the science part can throw quite a spanner in the works at times.  In speciality coffee shops, baristas will dial in their grinders in the morning, and they'll often re-dial in at various points throughout the day because subtle changes like room temperature, humidity, and temperature of the beans in the hopper can make quite a big difference to results. 

If you pull your first shot with the Oracle as soon as the machine displays that it is up to temp and then pull your second shot 20 mins later, for example, just keep in mind that you're likely to encounter some differences in the shot. For the best consistency, I'd recommend leaving your machine to heat up for 10-15 mins before pulling each shot, and then flush hot water through the group and the portafilter into your cup (to warm everything up including your cup) for the same amount of time before each shot.

I'd also recommend leaving your beans in airtight storage and only put in the hopper the amount of beans you think you'll usually use on a daily basis. Hoppers are among the worse places to store beans. 

How to store coffee beans

Can you steam milk manually with the Sage Oracle?

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?

It has been said (by myself) that some of the best, tastiest, and most freshly roasted coffee beans are from my website, at The Coffeeworks. ;-). Joking apart, you can use any freshly roasted beans with the Oracle, but I'd recommend espresso blends. 

If you are trying my coffee beans, I'd highly recommend the blends, Chocolate Brownie blend, Fruitcake blend, Fruit & Nut blend & Classic Italian blend.

Use discount code CBNC25 for 25% off your first order at Coffeeworks

The reason I say “freshly roasted” is that these kind of machines are really made for freshly roasted coffee beans, as they come with standard espresso baskets. Some domestic espresso machines come with pressurized filter baskets, which give the appearance of crema, and give the illusion of a well-pulled shot of espresso regardless of the age or quality of the bean. 

The fact that you're considering dropping such a large sum of money on a machine like this would probably mean that you have a palate keen enough to make the above scenario incompatible with your taste buds, and if you do use “normal” (commodity) coffee beans from the supermarket with a machine using traditional espresso baskets, it's unlikely you're going to get results that you're happy with.

There are masses of small batch roasters and speciality coffee websites that you can buy really great freshly roasted coffee beans from these days, and most people are surprised by the price, as high-quality speciality coffee beans usually don't cost all that much more than the average bag of supermarket beans.

The UK Coffee Roasters Directory

The reason I suggest blends, is that single origins can be a bit trickier to work with, while blends are more forgiving, generally speaking. This doesn't mean you can't use single origins, of course, I'd just recommend finding your feet with blends before you start trying single origins.

Can You Use Pre-Ground Coffee Beans With the Sage Oracle?

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?

Yes, very. I get emails from people about the various integrated grinder machines from Sage asking how can they use decaf or switch from one bean to another, and it's really simple. All you do is unlock the hopper from the machine, with a simple twist of the lock inside the hopper. This unlocks the hopper from the machine while closing the hopper so the beans don't fall out. 

Then you just open the airtight storage container where you keep your normal beans, put them back in (or if there are only a few in the hopper and they've been in overnight, I'd probably chuck them) and if Henry Hoover is nearby, hoover the top of the burrs to just remove any bits of bean to make it easier to lock the hopper back on, then lock the hopper back in place and put in the new beans.

Is The Sage Oracle & Oracle Plus Expensive to Repair?

You get a two-year manufacturer's warranty on Sage machines, and after this, Sage Appliances will refer you to their out of warranty repair partner. You may find comments in forum threads and reviews etc., about this, because this company has a minimum repair fee to get your machine to them for diagnoses and (hopefully) repair, which some people aren't happy about. To be fair, I actually think this is more of an issue with the cheaper machines than it is with the Oracle, as the repair fee is easier to justify given the purchase price of the Oracle.

Although it would appear that you have no choice but to go through the official out of warranty support partner if you do have an issue with your machine, in reality, there are many individual espresso machine engineers and small to medium companies that repair machines, who can repair sage espresso machines. If you are buying a Sage machine and you'd like the details of an espresso engineer who deals with Sage coffee machines (including the Oracle) just email me

 

Life is like a box of chocolates, subscribe to my YouTube Channel, try my coffee at The Coffeeworks (use discount code CWNC25 for 25% off your first order), follow me on Twitter & Instagram, follow the coffeeblog FaceBook page, and that’s all I have to say about that. 

29 thoughts on “Sage Oracle Review Updated, Plus The Oracle Touch.

  1. Bradley Bougourd says:

    Hi Kev

    Hope you’re well.

    We have just upgraded from our Sage Barista Pro to the Sage Oracle Touch!

    I want to use a bottomless Portafilter but unsure what would be the best to buy for my new machine.

    Any help would be much appreciated.

  2. Dr. Peter Dickens says:

    Hi Kev.
    I am having problems with a Sage Oracle Touch which is four years old.
    Do you know of a repair company in Sussex?
    It is overheating and tripping the fuse box.
    It started with-
    1. An intermittent overheating messsge when grinding.
    This stopped and worked as usual.
    2. Then the milk frother tripped the mains fuse board.
    3. I thought I would descale it but even switching it on tripped the fuse board.
    4. The cup warming plate is normally warm. It became hot.
    Any advice or similar experiences?
    Kind Regards
    Peter

    1. Hi Peter,
      The Technical term for this is that it is buggered!
      Please don’t use it until you have got it seen to,
      Unfortunately I don’t have any details of repair companies in Sussex,
      But I will email you with the details of the guy I use.
      Cheers
      Kev

  3. Thank you Kev, I like the videos and instructions.

    1. Thanks Aqueel,
      I’m glad you have found my posts helpful 🙂
      Cheers
      Kev

  4. Hi All,

    Great article, Kev! Much appreciated.

    For a complete beginner, it would be great if you could share any insight into preparing the machine (Sage Oracle, in my case) for longer holidays. There’s nothing on this in the manual.

    Many thanks!

    1. Hi Raz,
      That’s a great idea for a video 🙂
      Cheers
      Kev

  5. Hi,

    Thanks for the article.

    A question and two comments.

    Firstly, descaling the Oracle Touch – who should do this and how often? I’ve read conflicting opinions online for sage double boilers about whether this should be attempted at home or not.

    Secondly: I’ve had a Sage dual boiler for 5 years and replaced it a year ago with the Oracle Touch. Previously before that I’d had a Rancilio Sylvia for years, so I’m fairly experienced with manual home coffee making.

    My comments are that I found the cheaper dual boiler makes better espresso than the Oracle in terms of crema quality and concentration of flavour. I’ve used the same beans for several years and know the taste of a good espresso from them – the Oracle doesn’t match the dual boiler, although admittedly it’s not too far off. But the drop in quality of brew is definitely noticeable when switching machines, no matter what grind setting I try, The only thing I can put this down to is the quality of the inbuilt grinder of the Oracle Touch vs my separate grinder used for the DB (rocky Rancilio).

    Finally, milk texturing – I disagree the oracle is good at making velvetly milk for good flat whites. No matter what strength steam/temp I use, I can’t get enough thickness injected in the milk that lets me pour it out of the jug without using a spoon to grab the froth generated off the top of the milk. I get a slightly better result when using it manually but that kind of defeats the purpose of having the automation. Manually steaming with the DB is far superior because as you say, the wand of the Oracle is limited in how much you can move it.

    In summary, I think the Oracle Touch is OK and very quick and easy to use but not as good as the DB re quality of both coffee and milk. However, where the Oracle really comes into its own is when you are making several coffees at once eg for a dinner party/morning tea. By pressing two buttons and using the double basket you can make two white coffees of reasonable quality within 1 minute.

  6. Kev – or anyone – super basic question. the user manul for the oracle is hilariously light on detail. From what I can see in the above excellent video, you select single or double AFTER grinding. So when/why would you swap out to the single cup tray for the portafilter? How would the machine know which you have in place – or maybe there isn’t a diff in the volume of coffee ground?

  7. Anyone had issues with the Oracle touch making a loud noise and steam coming out. Customer service has repaired the machine twice for the same problem. Apparently a descaling issue. They replaced the machine and the replacement is doing the same thing.
    Sage only give a 2 yr warranty for the first machine. I’ve had the second machine for just over a year. They are saying over £450 for out of warranty repair.
    Anyone else had these issues and any advice would be most welcome. I live in a relatively low limescale area.
    Thanks

    1. Hi
      Sorry to hear about your machine. We to had a problem and they replaced it, but now it’s out of warranty and has broken again!!!!
      What did you end up doing in the end?

  8. Miss Elizabeth A Hodder says:

    What do you think of the Truffle colour option in comparison with the stainless steel? I’m about to buy an Oracle, and can’t decide between the two. Hard when you can’t see them both in the flesh.

    1. Hi Elizabeth,
      Thanks for your message,
      To be honest, I much prefer the truffle as I have a real problem with fingerprints and the stainless steel really shows up marks, This causes me a real problem when filming!!
      Cheers
      Kev

  9. Hi, great review.
    I’m looking to upgrade from BE.
    Is there a way to tell what model year the machine is? I assume Sage have been making tiny improvements through the years.
    Seeing as black is £200 more than silver is there a discount code floating around? 🙂

    1. Thanks Jani 🙂
      I have emailed you re the code.
      Cheers
      Kev

  10. Jens Kjaersgaard says:

    Lack of durability… a Sage issue?
    Great article with relevant perspectives. Thanks.
    Though I miss an important part – not only in this article – but in general. Test of durability over time (which off. course is difficult).
    My personal experience is that Rancilio is Super durable… Sage/Breville sadly not.
    Maybe I has been unlucky with my Oracle Touch model… don’t know. But it has broke down 2 times in 3 years, replaced boilers, updated software … and YES. – I descale always by the book and try to take care of my machine since I love it really much…
    Any one who found resources that look into this perspective?

    1. Hi Jens,

      Cheers for the comment, and I agree to a certain degree, but this isn’t a Sage-specific issue, it’s a model-specific issue.

      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.

      An old-school single boiler machine like the Rancilio Silvia, certainly is easier to repair, more standard parts, and less bits & bobs likely to go wonky over time – so definitely a benefit of going super old school is durability, less to go wrong, easier and cheaper to maintain. It’s basically a boiler, a group head, a pump & a solenoid valve, so not much to fail – and all fairly standard and relatively inexpensive parts if they do.

      If you go for something at the very other end of the spectrum, a machine like the Oracle Touch which probably has more technology than Elon Musk’s rocket ;-), there are pros to this level of technology, auto dosing, auto tamping, auto milk frothing, touch screen selection, personalisation & so on, but there are cons too – cost price being one as all this technology isn’t cheap, and potential for issues plus cost of repair if problems occur outside of warranty.

      It’s a similar decision when buying cars, you can go for a really high tec car which will almost drive itself (in fact, they’ll probably do this very soon) but I think we all realize that if we do that, unless we trade up every time the warranty ends, we’re facing potentially hefty maintenance and repair bills once it’s out of warranty.

      Cheers

      Kev

    2. Loren Dunlop says:

      one option is to purchase from a certain high-street home appliance and electronic chain 🙂 and take out a 5 year warranty for £100. if they can’t repair within 7 days they replace etc, so a lot of extra piece of mind for v little upfront compared to the price of the machine.

  11. Lubos Kocman says:

    Just a correction: replacement of the single basket. I’ve seen some 14g ones that do not have conical shape. Not quite sure if tamping will work as expected.

  12. Lubos Kocman says:

    There is only one downside of Sage Oracle … and that is the single basket. Initially I was really frustrated with light roasts and blamed grinder (I acknowledge integrated grinders in general are problem as you have to tweak settings over the time etc …) and then I realized it’s really only an issue with single basket. The 21g one will deliver you good tasting espresso even with lighter roasts. I’m looking for a decent replacement because double basket gets me over caffeinated.

  13. Sameh Eid says:

    Brilliant article…

    I just want to ask whether the machine is relaible, any of the Oracles, or to be frank, specifically the Orcale Touch…
    I mean is it durable and strong enough, provided I treat it well, in terms of using quality water and changing filter on time, regularly clean it and treat it with care, as I do with all my appliances ?!

    Thank you so much

    1. Thanks Sameh 🙂

      Durable, I’d say yes. The only negative I can see is that these machines don’t have the same standard components as most espresso machines – so when it comes to maintaining them over the years, once outside of the warranty period, your options are theoretically more narrow vs buying a more standard espresso machine.

      Cheers,

      Kev

  14. Amias Channer says:

    thanks for your reviews , some really usefull info about real world usage there , thanks.

    You can get crema with an aeropress if you do it upside down , stir it with the stirrer , the crema forms on the top and grains sink to the bottom, gently spoon crema off into the cup, then attach the filter cap , invert , tap to spread the grains and then plunge. You will get a few grains in there so maybe leave the last sip in the cup or leave a little crema behind. If you stir it right the grains will all sink after the foam goes brown just before it goes crema yellow. I used hasbeans blake ground for espresso.

    Also with a gaggia classic you can get much better steaming by using the steam wand from the rancilo silva , i also switched to non pressurised filter baskets to get more crema.

    1. coffeelover says:

      Hi Amias,

      Thanks 🙂

      Hmm, that’s interesting – I know what you mean about the foam / crust you can get on the surface when using the inverted method, but I’ve never thought of that as crema. I’ll try it though, why not!

      Yes I modded the wand for a Rancilo Silvia wand, and use non pressurised baskets. see https://coffeeblog.co.uk/gaggia-classic-espresso-machine.

  15. Excellent and detailed review… one of the best out there and methinks I’ve read almost all of them. I bit the bullet and bought the Oracle ( got it “cheap” from Amazon..@ 1125, sometimes the prices drop and I had been tracking it for 6 months!)
    I already had a Sage smart grinder with a delonghi machine that worked well but inconsistently so, and loved Breville’s attention to detail, finish and hence decided to plump for this.. You’re review helped too!

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