For many of us, the morning hasn’t started until we’ve taken our first sip of coffee — that heady, aromatic brown elixir that kick-starts the brain and gets the blood pumping. There are some decent instant options on the market, but if you like a great barista-style coffee, can you make that yourself at home? That’s where the Oracle Jet coffee machine from Sage comes in. It’s the brand’s latest offering and could give your local coffee shop a run for its money…
What’s hot
+ Easy step-by-step instructions
+ WiFi enable for updates, no apps
+ Handy in-machine storage for cleaning and maintenance equipment
What’s not
– The £1,700 price tag
– Only one step can be done at a time so making multiple cups takes much longer
– No height adjustment for smaller cups
The great thing about heading out for a coffee rather than making it at home is getting a delicious coffee without the hassle. That’s where the Oracle Jet
excels — it’s one of the easiest-to-use coffee machines we’ve tried.
Setup and ease of use
After unboxing the machine and plugging it in, the Oracle Jet coffee machine gives comprehensive instructions via an impressively clear 4.5-inch touchscreen display, taking you step-by-step through every part of the process.
Once that’s completed, it’s time to make the coffee. At first, it looks a little intimidating, with its stainless steel portafilter and steam wand. Like many people, we like a cappuccino or latte but have no real idea what it takes to make a good one.
As soon as we got started, we realised that even the most novice barista wannabe has nothing to fear. The Oracle Jet has a feature called Barista Guidance, which gives suggestions on which grind setting to use for your beans to provide the best possible results. Couple that with the simple one-step-at-a-time process, and it’s pretty tricky to make a bad drink. After a little trial and error to find what works for you, you can turn off the Barista Guidance, knowing you have the perfect cup sussed out.
Brewing and customisation
There are 14 pre-programmed drinks to choose from, including those you would expect, such as a latte and cappuccino, as well as some more unusual options like a babyccino, a couple of cold brew options, and even an espresso martini. Tea drinkers haven’t been forgotten either, with a specific tea setting and the option to top up with hot water if you have a larger mug than the maximum 225ml that can be selected as a custom option.
To make those barista-quality lattes, cappuccinos, and hot chocolates, the Oracle Jet has a built-in steaming wand that allows you to adjust the level of foaming you want for your drink. You can also let it know what type of milk you’re using (cow’s milk or plant-based, for example) so that it can adjust things to ensure the best results.
There’s no hanging around waiting, either; the ThermoJet Heating System is incredibly quick to heat up, delivering water at 60°C in under 20 seconds and climbing to 70°C in just a few more seconds. Sage claims it is 32% more energy efficient than other heating systems, but we can’t verify that, so we’ll have to take Sage’s word for it.
One minor downside is that the Oracle Jet coffee machine can’t brew the coffee element and steam the milk simultaneously, as there’s just one heater. However, you can daisy-chain operations, so while you’re pouring coffee, the milk can be waiting under the steam wand. Once one task has completed, the next will start automatically, working in any combination. The machine will grind and tamp coffee into a puck regardless of what it’s doing with water or steam, so there’s no hanging about there, either.
Cleaning and maintenance
On a day-to-day basis, the requirements are pretty minimal. The drip tray is easy to remove, empty and rinse, and I like to do this daily to ensure that there is no stale water lingering in the tray.
The steam wand will flush itself after each use once it is pushed back into place, and as long as you give the outside a wipe with a clean, damp cloth before the milk dries on, it’s easy to keep clean.
The lack of height adjustment under the brew head does lead to a little splashing as the coffee pours into smaller cups, but a quick wipe with a microfibre cloth keeps things gleaming.
The water reservoir is fitted with a filter to remove impurities, and as it does for descaling, the machine will alert you to replace the filter, which is recommended either every three months or after 40 litres of water, whichever comes first. This makes maintenance pretty easy, as keeping track of how many cups you’ve made or litres of water you’ve used would be near impossible.
When you do need to replace the filter, access is at the back of the machine. This is about the only time you’ll need to move it, thanks to the easy-fill flap to top up the water tank, but the lockable wheels make that a relatively easy job.
The Sage Oracle Jet coffee machine: The verdict
There is very little that works against the Oracle Jet coffee machine other than the price tag. Sage, known for its high-quality products, tends to be at the more premium end of the market, but at £1,700, it is a pretty heavy investment. There are coffee machines at a lower price point which make great coffee, including from Sage, but having said that, we loved the Oracle Jet. It delivers excellent, consistent drinks time and time again, without faff or kerfuffle and looks fabulous on the countertop.
We invited a self-confessed coffee-snob friend over to try it out, and she was so impressed that she immediately started hatching plans to replace her coffee machine with this particular model. We must confess that while it might not be perfect, it’s made it onto our wishlist, too.
Reviewed: Sage Oracle Jet Automatic Coffee Machine
Price: £1,700
Average Joes Rating: ★★★★☆
