Sage Oracle Jet – Fully Assisted Espresso Machine

Description

After months of intensive testing, we’ve discovered that the Oracle Jet represents a brilliant fusion of traditional espresso craftsmanship and modern convenience.

This machine occupies a unique sweet spot in the espresso world – it’s a proper portafilter machine delivering authentic espresso and superb milk texturing, whilst offering the user-friendly experience you’d expect from a fully automatic coffee maker.

In our professional assessment, the Oracle Jet stands out as the leading machine in this category, though there are some important considerations to keep in mind.

Features and Benefits

• Advanced grinding mechanism featuring European Etzinger 38mm conical burrs & stepless adjustment
• Auto dosing & tamping via spoked internal distribution tool
• UV protected hopper with gasket
• 58mm portafilter with 1 shot & 2 shot standard baskets
• Quad core powered 4.5″ touch screen
• Dual thermojets, one to heat the group, one for espresso & steam
• Automatic & manual milk frothing
• WiFi chip for firmware updates (more exciting than it may sound)
• 2.3L water tank, rear accessed plus front top flap for filling
• Adjustable brew temperature from 86C – 96c in 1c increments
• Pre-set low pressure pre-infusion, manually adjustable in manual shot mode

Now, about those considerations we mentioned earlier.

First, you’ll need a substantial budget – the Jet comes in at around £1,700.

Since this is a recent release, don’t expect to find any significant discounts soon – manufacturers typically wait a couple of years before offering deals on their premium machines.

Secondly, this machine is specifically designed for those who make coffee in smaller batches.

If your coffee routine is spontaneous rather than scheduled, and you typically prepare one or two drinks at a time, the Jet will fit perfectly into your lifestyle.

What impressed us most was its ability to deliver two perfectly crafted flat whites or cappuccinos within roughly 5 minutes, starting from a cold machine – making it Sage’s flagship for quick coffee preparation.

However, if you follow a more structured routine and regularly make multiple drinks at once, we’d suggest considering the original Oracle or Oracle Touch instead.

The Oracle Touch particularly shines in this scenario, offering four separate auto-on profiles compared to the Oracle’s single profile – perfect for varied household schedules.

While the dual boiler Oracles already boast impressive heat-up times (our testing showed about 6 minutes, though officially listed as 10), the Jet takes this further with near-instant readiness.

That said, once warmed up, the Oracle and Oracle Touch actually produce drinks more quickly, thanks to their ability to steam milk during espresso extraction and their robust 950ml steam boiler paired with a 450ml brew boiler (featuring a heat exchanger system that pre-warms water through the steam boiler).

Espresso Quality

From our extensive testing of both machines, we can confidently say the Oracle Jet matches – and potentially surpasses – the original Oracles in espresso quality.

The shot consistency appears noticeably improved, likely due to the new grinder mechanism, and we found ourselves achieving more precise dial-ins.

The completely stepless grind assembly offers full range adjustment externally – no need to remove the top burr for finer settings.

While the current 40 digital settings work well, we’d appreciate more granular control – the dial rotation between settings feels quite substantial.

Since these are digital reference points rather than physical stops, we’re optimistic about potential firmware updates adding more settings or perhaps an advanced “home barista mode” with finer adjustments and additional technical features.

The WiFi Chip

One of the Jet’s strongest selling points is its ability to receive firmware updates via WiFi.

We’ve already seen several successful updates, including bug fixes, double tap to purge functionality (for both grinder and group), and new drink recipes like espresso martini and shakerato variations.

This ongoing development means early adopters won’t miss out on future improvements.

Our team has submitted comprehensive feedback for potential updates.

While some suggestions might prove technically challenging, others seem quite feasible – like accessing the detailed data currently restricted to the debugging menu.

Imagine having a standard mode for casual users while offering an advanced “home barista mode” displaying real-time temperatures and allowing brew ratio adjustments.

The current interface already impresses us, but we’re excited about its future evolution.

Milk Texture & Temperature

The Jet offers both manual and automatic milk steaming options.

In manual mode, we found this to be one of the most user-friendly steam wands we’ve tested.

We particularly appreciate the on-screen temperature display during manual steaming – a feature shared with its Oracle siblings.

The cool-touch wand proves practical in daily use, consistently delivering excellent texture across various temperatures for both dairy and alternative milks.

However, the automatic frothing currently shows room for improvement.

While it produces outstanding results with full-fat dairy milk, matching manual capabilities, we’ve noticed inconsistencies with low-fat and alternative milks.

We’ve reported this to Sage, and understanding it relates to the air pump algorithm, we expect a future WiFi update will resolve these issues.

Queuing

Like the Barista Touch, the Oracle Jet allows drink component queuing.

When preparing milk-based drinks, you can start the milk steaming then tap brew, triggering the shot pull after milk completion – or reverse the order if preferred.

For Americanos, we recommend selecting water first.

This preference stems from the Jet’s water outlet design, which produces a narrower, more forceful stream compared to the Oracle and Oracle Touch’s wider-flow tap dispensers.

Starting with water means any splashes are just water droplets – these can actually help with machine maintenance if wiped down afterwards.

Choosing espresso first tends to result in coffee splashes on the drip tray and splashback.

The Touchscreen

The crisp, responsive 4.5″ touchscreen offers impressive functionality.

Our favourite feature is the straightforward drink customisation process.

Unlike some competitors, you can modify and save changes to main menu drinks directly – simply adjust your flat white settings and tap save.

The interface allows you to hide unused drink options (easily restored later) and reorganise the menu through drag-and-drop, prioritising your favourite beverages.

In conclusion, for those seeking a quick-heating machine for small batch brewing and comfortable with the premium price point, our testing suggests the Oracle Jet currently leads the fully assisted espresso machine market.

For our comprehensive analysis of the Oracle Jet, including detailed testing methodology and long-term performance data, see: