A 6-step guide to dialling in a Sage Barista Pro for beginners

Step One-

Turn on your machine and run a few shots of water to heat it up. Ensure your hopper is empty of any coffee – you might have some hiding in there that you’re not aware of!

When we talk about the Iron and Fire coffees for espresso we are referring to a double shot in the single walled basket that you will receive with your Sage machine.

 Step Two-

Tear off your scales and weigh 19g of coffee. Tip this into your hopper.

Before grinding, you will want to make sure you increase your grind amount to ensure you grind through all of the 19g of coffee. Once this is done, grind the coffee into the basket until the grinder makes a high-pitched noise – indicating you’ve ground all of your coffee.

Step Three-

Next, you need to prepare your coffee puck. First of all, give the portafilter a gentle wiggle whilst it is still in the grinder saddle – this will help collapse the coffee mound built up in the grinding process and will stop mess on your kitchen worktop.

You want to ensure the whole coffee bed is level with no air pockets so, using your index finger and thumb, create an L shape and distribute the coffee evenly around the bed. This is called the Stockfleth Method and you can find great videos on YouTube on how to do this.

Now, tamp your coffee bed on a flat surface (ideally a tamp mat) until it feels like you can’t press the coffee down any further, ensuring the tamp stays level on top of the bed.

Step Four-

Now it’s time to pull a test shot. Lock your portafilter into the showerhead of the machine. Place your cup underneath the spouts of your portafilter and press the double shot button on your machine.

Keep an eye on the extraction; after around 8 seconds, the flow should start and should look like mouse tails. You should be aiming for an overall brew time of between 25 seconds and 30 seconds (dependant on the coffee).

Step Five-

If the pour is too quick (e.g. overall brew time is less than 25 seconds), you will need to adjust the grinder to a lower number and repeat steps 2-4 again until correct.

If the pour is too slow (e.g. overall brew time is over 30 seconds), you will need to adjust the grinder to a higher number and repeat steps 2-4 again until correct.

Step Six-

Once your pour is correct, take note of how long it takes to grind the 19 grams of coffee. Adjust the grind amount to that time and fill your hopper with your beans, and you’re good to go!

No more wasted coffee – just a proper good espresso.