Do I want a Sage Oracle Jet?

After returning a shoddy refurb Oracle Touch which was a bargain at £550 I’ve been looking at the Oracle Jet….

Trouble is it’s three times the price. So, do I want one?

I want great coffee, minimal faff,  but with the ability to dial in a coffee if I want to aim for something top quality. I don’t want a full on bean to cup machine as I’m thinking they are not dynamic enough but equally I don’t want an espresso machine that requires separate grinding/tamping/frothing skills that I’m not interested in developing. I like strong milky flat white type coffees and as the only coffee drinker in the house I’m thinking a Jet would tick all of my requirement boxes apart from the price which I’m baulking at in case I find it’s no better than a true bean to cup at a third of the price..

Delonghi Rivelia for example.

https://amzn.eu/d/52o0LHz

Probably not imo. I lucked out with one of the good Touches. Its milk steaming is way more convenient than my Barista Pro, but otherwise meh. The tamping saves maybe 5 seconds and isn’t quite as good as by hand, but fine. The slightly less convenient thing is that it takes minutes to be ready to brew vs seconds of the Pro. Quick look at the Jet would indicate it uses the Pro boiler..so presumably is ready in seconds.

Even so imo all it really offers over the Pro is the milk steaming, which is really good….but 3x good? Probably not imo.

No idea about the Jet but I’m really pleased with my Barista Touch Impress.

I did wonder about the faf of separate grind, brew and milk steaming but it’s fine and I think the milk is a game changer (having used a Nespresso milk fitter before).

Never knew I needed to adjust the grind and volume as well as the brew time and milk temperature – but I now see the point.

One thousand six hundred and fifty ponds.

For a machine to make white coffee.

Only you know if you want one, but **** me, I can think of a million better things to drop that kind of cash on.

I don’t want a full on bean to cup machine as I’m thinking they are not dynamic enough

Bullshit word salad.

Tthew does make a valid point. It’s a very expensive way of making coffee. Money better spent elsewhere me thinks.

My last point went too far, sorry Skip. I’m in a bad mood this afternoon which is nothing to do with you.

I’ll stick to my Nescafe AlJazera and STFU.

I don’t think the higher end Sage machines are worth that much more than their cheaper models

It’s a happy medium moon on a stick kind of solution I’m after I guess.  Barista quality coffee but quick and easy with the option of faffing about with it should I so choose. Lower end Sage will make coffee just as well I have no doubt but the level of user involvement will be higher. I want to be able to rustle one up between meetings at home without too much effort. But, also, mess about with the settings to get it “just right” or at least consistently as good as that kind of machine can get it so each cup is as good as, if not better than, the last.

£1700 is a lot to pay for that luxury though and tthew is definitely right…

Are you wanting to make coffee in a single, consistent manner or do you need flexibility to make different style coffee drinks depending on your mood? If you want minimum faff to make the same drink on a repeatable basis, you don’t need to go top of the range.
I’ve got a sage smart grinder and bambino plus, which is near the bottom of the sage range,
– The smart grinder has the grind & time preset so I push the basket in and leave it til it stops
– I press the double espresso button on the bambino which delivers a preset amount of water through the ground coffee that I’ve manually tamped (using a proper tamper rather than the one supplied with the machine)
– If I want frothed/steamed milk I put the milk jug on the sensor and press the steam button and let it run until its got it to the preset heat/volume.

The whole setup should be available for less than £500 with a bit of shopping around and delivers a consistent coffee to my preference with very little faff. It took a little while to dial in, and I’d struggle if someone was picky over their level of milk frothing or wanted a ristretto etc which is the compromise for going for lower down the range. it does also have the advantage of having separate grinder and coffee maker, so if one breaks then I only have to replace the device that breaks and not the whole thing. This comes from the experience of the grinder on my bean-to-cup machine breaking and realising the repair would cost more than the machine!

Yeah I definitely don’t need 19 different coffee options. Basically I like a nice flat white, several in fact,  throughout a morning. Smart grinder and auto milk are probably key wants. Tamping I could do myself I imagine.

Lower end Sage will make coffee just as well I have no doubt but the level of user involvement will be higher.

Looking at the Jet quickly, it doesn’t seem to do anything the Touch Impress doesn’t.  Indeed my Touch does just the same, other than tamping.

I thought tamping would be a faff but it really isn’t any hassle and literally takes 3-4 seconds – and apparently the tamping pressure doesn’t matter massively either.

The biggest helper I’ve found is grinding into something other than the portafilter (i.e. a cup) which allows me to weigh the ground coffee at the same time occasionally using some very cheap pocket scales.

I then have a wide funnel (I 3D printed one but you can buy them on Amazon for £9) to quickly chuck the coffee into the portafilter for brewing.

TLDR: look at the other Sage machines… They do pretty much the same thing for less money….. <b>much</b> less if you go refurb.

(Mine was £375)

I also wouldn’t get too hung up on the various drink options that the fancier machines offer, there’s not that much variation to coffee, water and milk. Spoiler alert, a flat white is just a latte with a bit less milk.

I keep hearing about faff….. but you are saving very little faff (vs a smart grinder and bambino plus. for example), at a HUGE expense.  I think you have bought into the idea, rather than the reality.

You will be able to make coffees just as good with a bambino and a separate grinder, it’s cheaper, has less to go wrong, and is upgradable if you want a new grinder somewhere down the line.  Does the auto grind dosing, volumeric single/double shots and auto milk steaming.  What it doesn’t do is tell you when to grind finer/coarser, but that’s something you can replicate with a stopwatch, or a bit of judgement based on what you see/taste (which you’ll pick up within a couple of weeks).

1,650 is crazy money for a breville – that kind of money will get you a really good espresso machine and grinder.  Or get the above for less than half the price.

Just don’t get a bean to cup.  If what you want are flat whites, a smart grinder and bambino plus will do a far better job.

Sorry, can’t help. I thought this thread was going to be about databases.

As above… decent grinder and basic espresso machine. That will make great coffees with minimal dialing in/faff/practise, yet offers scope to experiment if you ever desire.  2/3 of the budget on the grinder, 1/3 on the machine. A Bambino would be fine.

If you want minimum faff to make the same drink on a repeatable basis, you don’t need to go top of the range.

Agreed – I have a Sage Smart Grinder Pro and Duo Temp Pro (I only chose the Duo Temp so I can make consecutive cappuccinos without the faff of cooling / heating the machine between drinks).

So, I’m no aficionado but as far as I can see the only drawback with the Sage SGP is that it struggles with lighter and some medium roasts. Is that a problem? Will I have to be very specific about what beans I can buy…?  I will be buying freshly roasted beans from a local roaster rather than supermarket beans.

If so is the Niche Zero a better bet…

If you think you’re going to take it seriously then I wouldn’t get a Sage SGP. I had one for a few years and it just can’t go fine enough for a lot of lighter roast beans and also struggles with harder beans. It’s also a pain to clean and retains loads so switching beans is difficult.
If you just want to fill the hopper and use it for a timed dose then it does a reasonable job.
I’ve now got a DF64 gen2 which is much better. The same company offer the DF54 if you want something slightly cheaper. I would pair something like that with a Bambino (or Bambino plus if you want hands free milk steaming).

You could get 26 of those £60 Lor machines for that money.

Or three Porsches.

I’ve just bought myself a Ninja Cafe Lux UK Spec. I considered myself to be a bit of a coffee snob and i have to say that i am mightily impressed with this machine. It detects what type of bean you’re using so that you can adjust the built in grinder accordingly. Makes excellent espresso and all derivative drinks (I’m favouring the flat whites and Mocha’s at the moment). Steams and froths. Does it all – what more could you want from a £550 machine. Only difficulty is sourcing one at the moment.

If so is the Niche Zero a better bet…

YES! That is a superb grinder that will grind all bean types to a repeatable and high standard. It will last years and will always have a good second hand value. The conical burr will be fine for everything.

Pair it with a cheap Sage espresso machine. No need to go above the Bambino really. For now anyway 🙂

yes you do  want one.

IMO yes you do want one.

We had a Bambino. It produced really nice coffee, but wasn’t faff free or consistent

we have had a Oracle now for 4 years. It’s brilliant for convenience and repeatable quality coffee

Beans in the top , maybe adjust the grind setting based on the type of bean and go.

very quick easy and no faff

We have more than paid for it by no longer buying coffees whilst out and about and the quality is way better than the chains

Edit: Having said that just read a few reviews on Amazon. Even brand new it appears you either get a machine that works faultlessly or its crap.

Our first Oracle didnt work and went straight back.

[ebikegum]

ebikegum

Full Member

I’ve just bought myself a Ninja Cafe Lux UK Spec. I considered myself to be a bit of a coffee snob and i have to say that i am mightily impressed with this machine. It detects what type of bean you’re using so that you can adjust the built in grinder accordingly. Makes excellent espresso and all derivative drinks (I’m favouring the flat whites and Mocha’s at the moment). Steams and froths. Does it all – what more could you want from a £550 machine. Only difficulty is sourcing one at the moment.

when you say “JUST” bought it – as in last few weeks??  It’s been out of stock everywhee – i’ve been waiting..  or did you get the EU one tht people still seem to have (still has hot water just EU plug)

I’ve just bought myself a Ninja Cafe Lux UK Spec. I considered myself to be a bit of a coffee snob and i have to say that i am mightily impressed with this machine. It detects what type of bean you’re using so that you can adjust the built in grinder accordingly. Makes excellent espresso and all derivative drinks (I’m favouring the flat whites and Mocha’s at the moment). Steams and froths. Does it all – what more could you want from a £550 machine. Only difficulty is sourcing one at the moment.

ooh looks like Ninja store direct have stock – boom, that’s me £500 down..

No.

My experience with £1600 oracles is not good. It’s never made a good coffee. How can it when it doses from 23-20g of coffee depending on its mood and temperature.

Solved with a single dose grinder.

That said if you do get one report back.

I suspect the grinder will be useless and inconsistent.

I’d give the Ninja a punt. It’s the right price and is probably okay, and is selling loads.

Reports are pretty good with usual cons of all in one items.

Keep us posted.

I’ve just bought myself a Ninja Cafe Lux UK Spec. I considered myself to be a bit of a coffee snob and i have to say that i am mightily impressed with this machine. It detects what type of bean you’re using so that you can adjust the built in grinder accordingly. Makes excellent espresso and all derivative drinks (I’m favouring the flat whites and Mocha’s at the moment). Steams and froths. Does it all – what more could you want from a £550 machine. Only difficulty is sourcing one at the moment.

Which type of drink is most successful and tastes the best from this machine?

I’m tempted by that Ninja – I wonder how close to a cafe flat white it will get…

^ depends how good the cafe is.  Paired with decent beans it’ll probably do better than all the chains, which is all most people want.

I wonder if it’s better than the Delonghi Rivelia…

I have a Sage Barista touch which I got as a eBay referb for <£500 a few years ago. My thoughts:

It produces decent coffee when dialed in but its a bit inconsistent. I hardly ever use anything but the expresso mode.

It’s reliable. Probably 6 coffees a day for 3-4 years and not missed a beat.

Would I buy a top end sage again? No. Id go for a separate grinder such as a niche and probably a Bambino plus. I suspect you’d get better coffee,more consistency and cheaper.

When I bought mine I could have got one with auto tamp but decided not to. I was a bit nervous of the mechanism standing up to multiple daily use.

Hope this helps

Reference comments above on All-in-1 machines and the right to repair … ..

any thoughts on how repairable a Ninja Cafe Lux UK is, or do you just take a failure on the chin and accept £££ repair or bin.

I think you get 2 year warranty on the lux.

I wouldn’t expect it to last longer than that – hard water is mostly the killer on these things.

What is the quality of the Ninja stuff like?

Their air fryers are certainly not built of quality materials

That Ninja is as ugly as sin.

OK, so My Ninja turned up today – i’ve already  got throuhg more beans that i care to admit in playing around with it.

1. It’s far better looking in the flesh!

2. Setting up is mega easy and the self grind thing keeps on monitoring previous pours and tells you to adjust accordingly

3. Coffee extraction is brilliant – compared to my works JURA, my previous Melitta’s and the last Delonghi magnifica

4. Milk foaming is a work of wonder and art – press the buttin for the type and let it whizz away – YES it makes a really good flat white!

Im proper impressed with it so far, it feels quite sturdy, but as we know it’s the innards that will eventually give way.  Coffee Kev and the other bloke seemed to think that getting parts was easy -so lets see.  for £550 it’s a no brainer against the SAGE touch..