Sage in the UAE: The Full Guide to Breville's Espresso Machines

A Sage espresso machine is a Breville. Breville Group designs and builds it, and in Australia, the US, or Canada the same machine is sold with a Breville badge. In the UAE, the UK, and Europe it's sold as Sage.

This guide covers where Breville came from, why it goes by Sage here, and every Sage machine and accessory we stock at The Era Store, along with who each one suits.

• Sage or Breville?
• History
• Why Sage
• The machines
• Side by side
• Grinder and brewer
• Accessories
• Which to buy
• Buying in the UAE
• FAQ

Is Sage the Same as Breville?

Yes. Breville is Australian, and most of the world knows its machines by that name. In the UK, though, the Breville trademark is owned by an unrelated company that makes its own toasters and kettles. When Breville Group brought its espresso machines to the UK and Europe in 2013, it couldn't use its own name there.

It launched as Sage by Heston Blumenthal, a partnership with the British chef. The Heston name was later dropped, and the brand became Sage. The UAE uses the same plug and voltage as the UK, so the Middle East gets the Sage range rather than the Breville one.

A Sage Barista Express in Dubai and a Breville Barista Express in Sydney are the same machine. The badge, plug, and voltage are the only differences. Any Breville review or tutorial you find online applies to the Sage version too.

Breville's History, 1932 to Today

1932. Bill O'Brien, a radio salesman, and Harry Norville, an engineer, set up a company in Sydney on 11 January. They join their surnames to name it Breville. The first products are radios.

After the Second World War. Breville moves into household appliances.

1974. Breville launches its toasted sandwich maker, the product that made it a household name in Australia.

1999. Breville Group lists on the Australian Securities Exchange.

2013. The espresso range reaches the UK and Europe as Sage by Heston Blumenthal, later shortened to Sage.

2020. Breville buys Baratza, the Seattle grinder maker. Baratza burrs are now inside the Barista Touch Impress, Oracle Jet, and Oracle Dual Boiler.

2022. Breville buys Lelit, the Italian espresso machine maker. That's why you'll find Lelit next to Sage in our coffee machines. They're sister brands.

2025. Sage launches officially in the Middle East, with the Oracle Jet and Barista Touch Impress unveiled in Dubai.

Why People Buy Sage

Sage makes machines for people who want good espresso at home without a long learning curve. Four things stand out across the range.

Café basket sizes. Every Sage espresso machine we sell uses a 54mm or 58mm stainless steel portafilter with an 18 g or 22 g dose. That's what gives the shots their body.

Quick to heat. The ThermoJet machines reach brewing temperature in about three seconds. Switch one on and it's ready by the time you've weighed your beans.

As much help as you want. Most bad home shots come down to the dose and the tamp, and most bad lattes come down to milk temperature and texture. Depending on the model, the machine handles none of that, some of it, or all of it.

Stable temperature. PID control holds the water at around 93°C, so your third shot tastes like your first.

Sage machines are built for convenience and consistency. They aren't designed to be taken apart and serviced at home for decades the way a Lelit or La Marzocco is. If that matters to you, our home espresso machine guide covers those machines. For most kitchens, we'd start with Sage.

Every Sage Espresso Machine We Stock

From the simplest to the most automatic. Most of our machines come with free coffee, from our freshly roasted specialty beans. Check the product page for details.

Bambino Plus

The smallest machine in the range, and it steams the milk for you. ThermoJet heats it in three seconds, and the automatic steam wand has three temperature and three texture settings. It pulls an 18 g shot through a 54mm portafilter, the same size as the bigger Barista machines.

It suits apartments with limited counter space and anyone who mostly drinks milk coffee. It has no grinder, so you'll need one alongside it. The Smart Grinder Pro is the usual pairing. See the Bambino Plus.

Barista Express

The machine most people picture when they think of home espresso. Grinder built in, fully manual steam wand, and one-touch single or double shots. It uses Thermocoil heating with PID at 93°C and grinds straight into a 54mm portafilter.

It's the one to get if you want to learn espresso properly. The grinder has 16 settings, so each step is a bigger jump than on the newer models. That's fine for medium and darker roasts, and takes a bit more patience with very light ones. See the Barista Express.

Barista Express Impress

A Barista Express that doses and tamps for you. The Impress Puck System measures the dose, tamps at a steady 10 kg with a 7° twist to polish the puck, and adjusts the next dose if the last one was slightly off. You still steam the milk by hand. The grinder has 25 settings.

Good for anyone who wants a hands-on machine without the mess and wasted shots of the first few weeks. See the Barista Express Impress.

Barista Pro

The alternative to the Express Impress, built around speed and grind range. It uses ThermoJet, so it's ready in three seconds, and an LCD shows grind size, shot time, and steam status. The grinder has 30 settings, which gives you more room with light roasts. You dose and tamp yourself.

If you want the machine to tamp for you, get the Express Impress. If you'd rather have finer grind control and a faster start, get the Pro. See the Barista Pro.

Barista Touch Impress with Cold Extraction

A touchscreen that guides you through each step, the Impress Puck System for dosing and tamping, and Auto MilQ for hands-free milk with settings for dairy, oat, almond, and soy. It grinds with Baratza European Precision burrs across 30 settings. There are 14 café presets, and you can save up to six of your own drinks so everyone in the house has their order one tap away.

It also does cold brew in under three minutes and cold espresso in under two, from the same beans. That's the main reason we recommend it so often here, where iced coffee is what most people drink from April to November.

It suits households where several people make coffee. It comes in Brushed Stainless Steel and Black Truffle. See the Barista Touch Impress.

Oracle Jet

Fully automatic, with a 58mm portafilter and a 22 g dose, the same size as a café machine. It grinds, doses, and tamps on its own using Baratza burrs with 45 settings, then checks each extraction. If a shot runs too fast or too slow, it tells you which way to adjust the grind. Auto MilQ does the milk, Auto Queue starts the milk as soon as the espresso finishes, and cold brew and cold espresso are presets on the screen.

For café-size shots with very little to learn. See the Oracle Jet.

Oracle Dual Boiler

The top of the Sage range, and the only one here with two stainless steel boilers, so it brews and steams at the same time like a café machine. In Auto mode it grinds, doses, tamps, adjusts its own grind, and textures the milk. In Manual mode every step is yours. It connects to the Sage+ app, so you can switch it on and preheat from your phone.

It suits people who host often or make several milk drinks back to back. It's a big machine, so measure your counter and the height under your cabinets before ordering. See the Oracle Dual Boiler.

Sage Machines Side by Side

Smart Grinder Pro and Luxe Brewer

Smart Grinder Pro

A conical burr grinder with 60 settings, from espresso to French press, and grind time you can set in 0.2 second steps. It grinds straight into a portafilter, an airtight container, or a filter basket. It's the grinder we pair with the Bambino Plus, and a good upgrade if you brew both filter and espresso. See the Smart Grinder Pro.

Luxe Brewer Thermal

A filter coffee machine, certified to the SCA Golden Cup standard. The thermal carafe keeps coffee above 65°C for up to four hours, there's a delayed start timer and a cold brew preset, and custom mode lets you set bloom, temperature, and flow rate. It comes with both cone and flat-bottom baskets. If your household drinks black coffee by the mug, or you're buying for an office, it can be a better buy than an espresso machine. See the Luxe Brewer.

Sage Accessories

Check your portafilter size first. The Bambino Plus, Barista Express, Barista Express Impress, Barista Pro, and Barista Touch Impress are 54mm. The Oracle Jet and Oracle Dual Boiler are 58mm.

Force Gauge Tamper, 54mm or 58mm. Spring-loaded and self-leveling, set to a repeatable pressure between 7 and 10 kg. It fixes the most common cause of uneven shots on a manual machine. Stainless steel with a walnut handle.

Distribution Duo, 54mm or 58mm. Needles on one side to break up clumps, a leveler on the other to flatten the bed before you tamp. The height adjusts to your dose.

Naked Portafilter, 54mm or 58mm. A bottomless portafilter, so you can watch the extraction as it happens. It shows you straight away whether your grind, dose, and tamp are right.

Pro Control Jug. A 420ml handleless milk jug with a removable silicone sleeve and an exposed base, so you can feel the temperature by hand. The spout is shaped for latte art.

Barista Scale. Weighs from 0.1 g to 3 kg. Weighing your dose and your shot does more for consistency than any other accessory here.

Knock Box 10 and Knock Box 20. Both have a removable knock bar and a rubber base that keeps them quiet on the counter. The 10 is enough for one or two coffees a day, and the 20 suits heavier use or a house with guests.

Puck Sucker. A vacuum that lifts the spent puck out of the portafilter, with no knocking. It only fits 58mm Sage portafilters, so it's for Oracle owners.

Starting from scratch? Get the scale, the jug, and a knock box first. The rest of our tools are in coffee accessories.

Which Sage Should You Buy?

Match the machine to how you actually drink coffee.

Small kitchen, mostly milk drinks. The Bambino Plus with a Smart Grinder Pro.

You want to learn espresso properly. The Barista Express, or the Barista Pro if you drink light roasts or want a faster start.

Hands-on, with fewer wasted shots. The Barista Express Impress.

Several people, different orders, lots of iced coffee. The Barista Touch Impress.

Café-size shots with very little to learn. The Oracle Jet.

You host often, or want full auto and full manual in one machine. The Oracle Dual Boiler.

You drink black coffee by the mug. Skip espresso and get the Luxe Brewer.

Whichever you pick, the beans matter more than any feature above. A Bambino Plus with freshly roasted coffee will beat an Oracle running on a supermarket bag. Our specialty coffee guide explains why, and a coffee subscription keeps fresh beans coming without you having to remember.

Buying Sage in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Across the UAE

Made for UAE power. Every Sage machine we sell runs on 220 to 240V and has a UK-style plug that fits UAE sockets, so there's no adapter to buy.

Local warranty. We're an authorized Sage retailer in the UAE, and everything Sage we sell comes with an official two-year Sage warranty. A Breville bought abroad, or a machine from an unauthorized seller, may not be covered here. US models also run on 110 to 120V.

Delivery. Free and fast delivery on every product, across the UAE, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ain, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah and Al Marjan Island, Fujairah, and Umm Al Quwain.

Free coffee. Most of our machines come with free coffee, so you can start dialing in the day your machine arrives. Check the product page for details.

Not sure which one? Send us a message with how you drink coffee and how much counter space you have. We'd rather help you choose the right machine than sell you the most expensive one.

Frequently Asked Questions