Sage Coffee Machine Cleaning

A good cleaning routine helps your Sage espresso machine last a lot longer. Below you’ll find everything you need to know about Sage coffee machine cleaning: how to do it, how often, and which cycles to run on your machine.

Summary: To keep your Sage coffee machine clean, backflush it with cleaning tablets or powder and descale it every 3 months. Below, we show you how to find the cleaning cycle on your Sage.

Sage Coffee Machine Cleaning

How often? When your machine notifies you (or once every 3 months)

Some Sage machines tell you when it’s time for a clean. The display will say ‘Clean Me’ (Barista Pro) or the Clean Me light will flash (Barista Express). Your Sage does this after every 200th shot.

This signal means it’s time to backflush the machine using a cleaning tablet or powder. Want to know what exactly happens during a backflush? Read our guide to group head cleaning.

If you notice your machine needs a clean before that, don’t wait for the Clean Me sign. If you use your machine sparingly, run a cleaning cycle at least every 3 months to flush out bacteria and coffee residue.

Here’s how to activate the cleaning cycle on your Sage coffee machine:

Sage Barista Express Cleaning

To activate the Sage Barista Express cleaning cycle, do the following:

1. Place your 54 mm blind filter with cleaner into the portafilter and lock it into your machine. If you don’t have a blind filter, use the rubber insert that came with your Sage Barista Express. It works the same way.
2. Press the POWER, 1 CUP and 2 CUP buttons simultaneously. If done correctly, the Clean Me light will start flashing and the cleaning cycle will start.
3. Wait around 5 minutes for the cleaning cycle to finish.
4. Remove your portafilter and run some water through your machine to flush out any cleaner residue.
5. Clean the portafilter thoroughly. You can also soak the portafilter head in hot water with cleaner.

How to clean Sage Barista Pro?

The Sage Barista Pro also tells you when it needs a clean, by showing ‘Clean Me’ on the display.

Here’s how to start the cleaning cycle on your Sage Barista Pro:

1. Prepare your portafilter with a 54 mm blind filter and cleaner, and insert it into the machine.
2. Press MENU and use the grind dial to select FLUSH. It will flicker when selected. Press the dial to confirm.
3. Press the 1 CUP button to start the Clean Me cycle and begin the backflush.
4. After the cycle finishes, run the FLUSH programme again to remove any remaining cleaner.
5. Remove the blind filter and soak the portafilter head in hot water with cleaner.

By following these steps every time your machine notifies you, you’ll keep up a thorough Sage coffee machine cleaning routine.

For all other machines: backflush every 3 months using an espresso machine cleaner. Read more in our complete guide to espresso machine cleaning, even if you don’t have a Sage.

Do you need to use the Sage cleaning tablets?

You can use Sage’s own cleaning tablets for backflushing. They often come with your machine when you buy it.

Other cleaning tablets and powders also work well for cleaning your Sage.

We use the Cafetto coffee machine cleaning powder ourselves. One box contains 12 sachets: enough for 3 years if you backflush every 3 months.

How to descale Sage coffee machine

How often? Every 3 months

It’s important to keep your Sage espresso machine free of limescale. You do this in two ways:

1. Use a water filter. Here’s how to install it.
2. Descale your machine regularly.

Limescale can negatively affect the taste of your coffee by interfering with the internal temperature and flow rate of your machine.

Some Sage machines let you know when it’s time to descale by showing ‘Descale’ on the screen.

You can often also tell from your machine that it’s time to descale. You’ll notice:

• that your coffee tastes less good. Watch out especially for unexpected bitterness or an off flavour.
• a weaker water flow. Limescale can make your espresso drip from the portafilter instead of flowing. Is something else causing it? Read about the most common Sage problems and how to fix them.

Descale Sage Barista Express

1. Empty the drip tray and put it back in the machine.
2. Dissolve one sachet of descaling powder in 1 litre of hot water.
3. Pour the solution into your machine’s water tank.
4. Press the 2 CUP button and then the POWER button. Hold them both down.
5. The machine will start heating up. The POWER light will flash during this process.
6. When the POWER and 1 CUP buttons light up (and stop flashing), press the 1 CUP button to begin descaling.
7. When prompted, turn the side dial to STEAM and then to HOT WATER to descale those components.
8. After descaling, empty and rinse the water tank. Refill it with fresh cold water.

For a detailed guide, check your Sage Barista Express manual.

Descale Sage Barista Pro

1. Empty the drip tray and put it back in place.
2. Fill the water tank with hot water up to the Descale line and add descaling powder.
3. Press MENU and turn the grind dial until ‘Descale’ flashes. Press the dial to select.
4. The 1 CUP button will light up. Press it to start descaling your Sage Barista Pro.
5. The machine will prompt you to turn the side dial to STEAM and HOT WATER to descale those parts.
6. After descaling, empty the drip tray. The machine will automatically flush again.
7. When the 1 CUP button lights up, press it to start the flushing cycle.
8. After flushing, empty the drip tray and water tank, and dry the tank before refilling it.

For a complete step-by-step guide, check the Sage Barista Pro manual.

Sage sells its own descaling powder and water filters, but you can also use alternatives. Check out our water filters and espresso machine descaler, which work with Sage machines too.

Note: how often you should descale depends on your water hardness. Use the included test strip to check. Sage recommends descaling every 90 days for hardness level 4, and every 60 days for level 6.

Daily, weekly and quarterly maintenance

Besides cleaning and descaling, a fixed maintenance routine is essential to keep your Sage clean and working well: every day, every week and every 3 months.

Daily

• Knock out used coffee pucks right away and wipe your portafilter with a barista cloth.
• Empty the drip tray regularly.
• After brewing, brush the shower screen and the rubber gasket of your group head with a group head brush.
• Using a puck screen? Then less coffee residue sticks to your shower screen.

Weekly

We recommend backflushing your Sage with water once a week.

Follow the same steps as for the ‘Clean Me’ cycle, just without using any cleaning agent.

Every 3 months

Does your Sage have a built-in grinder, like the Barista Express and Pro? Don’t forget about it. With coffee grinder cleaner you clean the grinder without taking anything apart: grind one sachet all the way through, then grind 45 grams of beans and throw them away.

You’ll find everything for maintaining your Sage espresso machine in our shop.