How to change the brew temperature on Breville/Sage Barista Express
Get more flavour in your espresso
In case you’ve been wondering – yes, it’s possible to change the espresso brew temperature on your Breville/Sage Barista Express. Now, why and when should you change it? And, how can you do that?
Why and when should you change the espresso brew temperature?
The default espresso brew temperature is 93°C/200°F. But, depending on the roast level of the beans being used, a coffee may taste much better when brewed with an adjusted temperature.
Medium roasted coffee beans
The default brew temperature is a great starting point
Lighter roasted coffee beans
To extract more flavour, they need to be brewed at higher temperatures, since they are less soluble
I would recommend going up 2°C or 4°F
Darker roasted coffee beans
These may benefit from a lower brew temperature, so they don’t over-extract and taste overly bitter
I would recommend going down 1°C to 2°C or 2°F to 4°F
As always, I encourage you to experiment and taste your espresso, to figure out what temperature setting is best for you.
How to change the espresso brew temperature: a step-by-step guide
With the machine OFF, hold the PROGRAM button down and press the POWER button, to enter the advanced temperature settings mode. The machine will beep once and the illuminated button will indicate the current temperature (in most cases that will be the PROGRAM button, indicating the default 93°C/200°F).
Keep in mind – each time you enter advanced mode, you can only select one temperature setting at a time. To change it again, you’ll need to re-enter advanced mode.
How to increase the brew temperature
To increase it by 1°C or 2°F – press the 1 CUP button (that’s 94°C or 202°F)
To increase it by 2°C or 4°F – press the 2 CUP button (that’s 95°C or 204°F)
How to decrease the brew temperature
To decrease it by 1°C or 2°F – press the FILTER SIZE button (that’s 92°C or 198°F)
To decrease it by 2°C or 4°F – press the POWER button (that’s 91°C or 196°F)
How to reset the brew temperature back to factory settings
To go back to the default temperature of 93°C/200°F, press the PROGRAM button
I hope you find these tips helpful and, if you’d like to dive deeper, you may consider our espresso and latte art home barista workshops. Happy brewing!
P.S. If you enjoyed reading this, you might find this blogpost here interesting too – How to get the most out of the Sage or Breville Barista Express