Sage the Barista Pro (BES878)

The Barista Pro sits above the Barista Express in Sage's range and keeps the same one-box idea — integrated conical burr grinder, 54mm portafilter, 9 bar extraction and a manual steam wand — but swaps the Express's Thermocoil for the faster ThermoJet system that reaches an optimum extraction temperature of about 93C in roughly 3 seconds, and adds a digital LCD interface for grind and shot control. That makes for a quicker, tidier workflow first thing in the morning and clearer feedback while dialling in a shot. Because the steam wand is still manual, you get the same skill-building milk control as the Express rather than the Bambino Plus's automatic wand. The honest question is value: at an indicative street price from around £604.99 it is meaningfully dearer than the Express for gains (heat-up speed, display) that are convenience rather than better cups. Price is indicative and varies by retailer.