I've been racking up some serious screen time on Pinterest and given my job as Ideal Home's Kitchen Appliances Editor, it'll be little surprise to anyone that my curated feed is crammed full of enviably good café-style kitchens.
Coffee machines are my niche, with my review process of the best coffee machines meaning I've tried everything from bean-to-cup models in the £1000s to filter versions (like the Moccamaster KBG Select, a seriously Pinterest worthy coffee machine). But when trawling Pinterest there's one machine range above all other that the design-types among us are really invested in: the Sage Barista Express line.
Plus, it just happens to be that my coffee machine of choice is the Sage Barista Express Impress, which is the neatest and tidiest espresso machine I've ever tried, so I've been taking plenty of inspiration too. Here are three reasons this type of machine is so perfect for a cosy at-home café bar.
This ultra-stylish machine has everything you need to make barista-worthy coffee.
1. It's so easy to keep tidy
When we reviewed the Sage Barista Express Impress we called it 'a triumph for tidy kitchens'. And after using this machine for three years solidly at home, I can only agree that its in-built storage system is second to none as well as its integrated tamper, which keeps grounds from spilling all over your worktop.
When you pull out the drip tray on this machine, you'll find a stashing place for your portafilter baskets, which is a godsend to keep from misplacing them. The entire footprint of the machine is also very smartly square, which makes it very easy on the eye and easy to keep clean.
Of course, if you're creating a coffee nook, being able to easily maintain a tidy station for your lattes or cappuccinos makes things much easier which is where the appeal of the Sage range comes in.
We've also tried the Sage Barista Express BES875UK Espresso Coffee Machine, which is a much more affordable option (especially on sale) but our reviewer did find it more difficult to keep tidy over time.
2. It offers the at-home barista experience
If you like an easy life, there are plenty of coffee machines out there that are actually way easier to use than the Sage Barista line, like automatic options such as the De'Longhi Rivelia or the KitchenAid KF8.
And while those sleek one-touch options are a fabulous fit for neutral or minimalistic kitchens, they don't quite have the coffee-shop charm that Sage machines do, which have manual elements that make you feel like a barista in your own kitchen.
I might be biased but I think the Sage Barista Express Impress strikes the perfect balance between features that allow you to do the work and those which help you make better coffee.
The one-armed bandit tamp system exerts the perfect pressure on your coffee puck, but you're still the one frothing the milk and pulling the espresso shot. If all of that sounds foreign to you but you want to get into making higher quality coffee at home then don't worry, the machine is straightforward to master once you've gone through the set up process.
3. There are so many different iterations
I think this range of coffee machines from Sage is the most impressive when it comes to choice – there's really something for everyone. If you already have some specific ideas in mind when creating your at-home coffee station, then you're really spoilt for choice here, including when it comes to colour range.
Below I've compared the entire range based on our reviews of these machines so you can quickly see which one might best appeal for your Pinterest-board-vision.
Machine |
Price |
Pros |
Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
£629.95 |
Most affordable, very customisable |
Messiest option, most complicated process |
|
£729.95 |
Tidiest design, huge colour range, integrated tamp |
Milk frother is manual only |
|
£1,199 |
Touchscreen, automatic milk frothing |
Exceptionally expensive |
My personal favourite is the Sage Barista Touch Impress in white (now that is an ultimate wish list item) but the classic stainless steel exterior seems to be the ultimate favourite amongst those styling their at-home coffee bars on Instagram and TikTok.
One of my favourite at-home coffee stations is from TikTok user @bygemma – it shows how you can bring together pink kitchen ideas in café kitchen setting so beautifully. Here are some of my favourite new-in products that I think would make the perfect finishing touch to a coffee corner.
Complete the look
I love this handwritten style font and this charming tea towel brings a flavour of your favourite coffee shop home with you.
This low style of mug isn't going anywhere and this is one of the most stylish and affordable versions I've seen from John Lewis. Oliver Bonas lookalike, anyone?
A picture shelf goes so well in a cosy corner and I just love this pink print for tying your coffee nook together.
Would you have a Sage coffee machine in your dream coffee bar set up? There's certainly plenty of choice with this brand if you're in the market to create one, or if you're more interested in something sleek, I just spotted the release of a brand new ultra-slim bean-to-cup model this week too.
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