The smart grinder pro is great when it comes to very easily switching between brew methods, for example, it'll have no problem jumping up to cafetiere grind and then right back down to stove top. The more premium machines, including all of the Sage machines, have an overpressure valve set at 9 bars. Even so, it was still better than the coffee bags and instant that I have been drinking since it stopped working and I really miss having an espresso machine.

A brew boiler ensures an evenly controlled temperature throughout the coffee extraction, while a steam boiler, half filled with water and steam, allows you to texture your milk while your coffee is extracting. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Don't get me wrong, you'll produce great espresso with the Dual Boiler paired with the Smart Grinder Pro, but the potential shot quality in my humble opinion is much higher when you pair it with a more premium espresso specialist grinder. A lever operates the steam wand on the side of the machine, a system you’ll see on many top espresso makers like the La Marzocco GS3 or Slayer. You should also use water to warm your cup, although you should also use the cup warmer on top, which is big enough for six cups.What I think may sometimes happen is that machines are sold which have had quite a bit of use for several years, have had the standard bits replaced, the easier bits to change such as the seal and the shower screen, internal screen and so on, O rings, maybe the solenoid, but this part has been missed. The official repair firm in the UK for Sage are Coffee Classics, these guys are who Sage will refer you to, but being a bigger firm their minimum cost will probably be a bit over the top for standard stuff like swapping out o-rings. Precise and repeatable extraction - Dual stainless steel boilers and heated group head controlled by digital temperature control (PID) brings water to precisely the right temperature (+/- 1⁰C) to extract maximum flavor potential, shot after shot. The single wall filters are designed to be used with coffee that your grind yourself, as you can adjust the grind to suit the machine; the dual wall filters are designed to be used with pre-ground coffee, evening out pressure and flow to create excellent espresso where you have no control over the grind. This includes: a 480ml milk jug, cleaning apparatus, four filters, a razor dosing tool and a razor post tamp.

It’s worth experimenting with an espresso cup to make sure that you hit this time limit, adjusting your grind and tamp to get the best results. Trying to convince my wife (who doesn't drink coffee) when I'd just started the blog, that I needed to spend over a grand on an espresso machine, would have gone down like a brass blimp! Some of these features with the Dual Boiler are there to improve coffee quality, things like the high level of control over brew temperature and pre-infusion. She loves trail running, rock climbing, coffee, food, and her tiny dog — and writing about all of them. If you just want to get a machine out of the box and press a button, meaning a coffee machine for you is literally just a means to an end, and you'd rather pinch yourself really hard somewhere soft than to start a new hobby – then what you need is a bean to cup coffee machine, not a traditional espresso machine.The Dual Boiler is a unique espresso machine that pairs advanced functionality with a user-friendly interface, and it is unmatched by anything else on the market. It feels like the engineers responsible took note of what consumers want, and as such, it is chock-full of clever features that make it a joy to use. The dual boiler coffee maker by Sage is packed full of special features and functions, designed to brew the perfect cup of coffee at home. It's expensive but it produces consistently great espresso - and after the initial setting up is very easy to use and so much quicker doing extraction on the built-in timer whilst at the same time texturing the milk.