Machine guides / Sage / Barista Express
Sage Barista Express
Barista Express maintenance, made easier to follow.
Use the schedule for the overview, then jump straight to the cleaning cycle, descaling, water filter, steam wand or grinder when the job is due.
Quick video guides
Watch the controls before you start.
The Barista Express uses different control combinations for the cleaning and descale functions, so a quick visual check is useful.
Enter descale mode
Descale steam & hot water
Start the cleaning cycle
Maintenance schedule
The useful baseline.
The CLEAN ME reminder relates to the coffee-oil cleaning cycle, not descaling. Descaling frequency depends much more on water hardness and use.
Steam wand
Purge and wipe the wand while it is still warm.
Group head & basket
Flush the group head and rinse the basket and portafilter.
Cleaning cycle
Run the backflush cleaning cycle with the cleaning disc and tablet when required.
Grinder
Brush loose grounds and coffee residue from the burrs and grinder chamber.
Water filter
Replace the fitted filter on the Sage replacement interval.
Descaling
Descale the internal water circuit when scale build-up or your schedule indicates it is due.
Personalise this schedule
Track this machine in Ventori Care ↗Want Ventori to remember the Sage Barista Express maintenance rhythm for you?
Your machine is already selected. Add your local water hardness and typical use to build a personalised Care Schedule without choosing the manufacturer or model again.
Coffee-oil cleaning
Run the Barista Express cleaning cycle.
This is the tablet cleaning/backflush cycle for the brew path. It is separate from descaling.
01
Fit the cleaning disc
Insert the 1 CUP basket, then the supplied cleaning disc into the portafilter.
02
Add one cleaning tablet
Place one backflush cleaning tablet into the cleaning disc.
03
Lock in the portafilter
Lock the portafilter into the group head and make sure the drip tray is empty.
04
Start the cleaning cycle
With the machine off, hold the 1 CUP, 2 CUP and POWER controls together until the cleaning cycle starts.
05
Let the cycle complete
Allow the machine to complete the programmed backflush cycle without interrupting it.
06
Check and rinse
Check the tablet has dissolved, remove the cleaning disc and run a clean-water rinse through the brew head.
If the cleaning tablet has not fully dissolved at the end of the cycle, repeat the cleaning cycle before the final clean-water rinse.
Mineral scale care
Descale the Barista Express.
The Barista Express descale function treats the coffee, steam and hot-water circuits separately before a final fresh-water rinse.
01
Remove the water tank
Remove and empty the water tank before preparing the machine.
02
Remove the water filter
Take the fitted filter out before adding descaling solution.
03
Prepare the solution
Prepare the descaler according to its dosing instructions.
04
Fill and refit the tank
Add the prepared solution, refit the tank and place a large container beneath the outlets.
05
Enter descale mode
With the machine off, hold the 2 CUP control and POWER together to enter the descale function.
06
Descale the coffee circuit
Use the 1 CUP control to run the coffee-circuit descale phase.
07
Descale steam & hot water
Use the steam dial as directed to run solution through the steam and hot-water circuits.
08
Rinse the tank
Discard the remaining solution, rinse the tank thoroughly and refill with fresh water.
09
Run a fresh-water rinse
Repeat the water-circuit steps with fresh water to clear descaling residue.
Remove the water filter before adding descaling solution. After descaling, use a full fresh-water rinse before refitting or replacing the filter.
Water filtration
Replace the Barista Express water filter.
Sage's current guidance is to replace the filter after about 90 days or 40 litres. Water hardness and use can justify an earlier change.
Remove the old filter
Lift the filter holder from the water tank and remove the used filter.
Prepare the replacement
Prime the replacement filter according to its instructions before fitting it into the holder.
Set the replacement date
Use the holder reminder dial so the next change is easy to track.
Refit the filter and tank
Lock the holder back into the tank, fill with fresh water and reinstall the tank.
After milk use
Keep the steam wand clear.
Milk residue is easiest to remove while the wand is still warm.
01
Purge the wand
Purge steam for a few seconds immediately after milk use.
02
Wipe while warm
Wipe away milk residue with a clean damp cloth before it dries.
03
Purge again
Give the wand another short purge to clear residue from inside the tip.
04
Clear a blocked tip
Use the supplied cleaning tool if the steam holes become restricted.
Integrated grinder
Remove stale grounds from the grinder.
Routine dry brushing helps keep the grinder chamber cleaner without introducing moisture around the burrs.
01
Empty the hopper
Remove remaining beans before opening the grinder.
02
Remove the upper burr
Unlock the hopper and lift the removable upper burr using its handle.
03
Brush away residue
Use a dry brush to remove loose grounds and coffee residue. Keep water out of the grinder.
04
Reassemble
Refit the upper burr and hopper securely before adding fresh beans.
Understand the care task
Relevant Ventori care
Two different cleaners for two different jobs.
Backflush tablets remove coffee oils from the brew path. Descaler removes mineral scale from the water circuit. They are not interchangeable.
