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Since its arrival in France, Sage has multiplied the products and is now tackling the espresso machine with percolator fitted with a tamping aid arm. The Barista Express Impress therefore comes to trample the flowerbeds of the Delonghi Specialista.
Sage is gradually making a place for itself in the sun in our kitchens and on our worktops. The Australian specialist in small premium household appliances continues to draw products and has just unveiled the Barista Express Impress, its “assisted manual espresso machine“, as the manufacturer himself calls it. This type of coffee maker takes a little more effort to get a coffee than full-auto devices, which distill a drink at the touch of a button.
The Barista Express Impress is almost entirely encased in metal.
To obtain a perfect espresso, you will therefore have to try a few settings and arrive at a perfect alchemy by modulating various elements such as the degree of fineness of grinding of the beans, the quantity of coffee to grind… But as Sage points out , the user is not completely released into nature and the Barista Express Impress will adapt as it is used to offer the ideal quantity of coffee. An electronic indicator in the form of a diode also indicates if there is too little coffee, too much, or the right dose. It should be noted that the grinding wheel of the Barista Express Impress is made of steel, and that it can be disassembled for thorough cleaning.
Another novelty (at Sage anyway), the coffee maker is equipped on its left side with a lever that is reminiscent of that of the first Delonghi Specialista of the name. Its role is to make the step of compacting the coffee powder as easy as possible. Indeed, it must be well compacted so that the water which passes through the cake does it in a homogeneous way to take care of the molecules which will form the drink. A pressure of 10 kg is therefore applied evenly over the entire surface of the filter holder, where the powder is. Small subtlety at the end of the race, the tamper performs a very slight rotation of 7 ° to smooth the cake a little more. This avoids a phenomenon of channeling (or cracking) of the wafer which would lead to a bad extraction, because the water would infiltrate preferably in the crack.
You can access the famous tamping tool.
Once this step has been completed, all that remains is to remove the filter holder, place it under the hot water distribution system, press the appropriate button and let the magic of the 9 bar pressure work. (for this model) before seeing the long-awaited beverage flow from the dispensing nozzles. Like the Specialista before it, the Barista Express Impress also has a needle dial to inform the user about the correct extraction of his coffee. Baristas keen on milky drinks can then (finally!) have fun frothing milk using the steam nozzle placed on the right side of the device and try their hand at Latte Art if they feel like it. .
Obviously, to emphasize its BIY (Brew It Yourself) side, the control panel of the Barista Express Impress abandons touch screens and sensitive keys for physical buttons and dials. We must therefore expect a few key combinations to adjust, for example, the quantity of drink to be delivered or its temperature.
The Sage Barista Express Impress percolator coffee maker is already available for €830, in stainless steel or black.