Sage vs Siemens Filter Coffee Machines

Sage and Siemens both sell machines for milk-based drinks at home, but Sage's range is much cheaper at the bottom end. Sage's entries here run from the Bambino Espresso Coffee Machine at £279 (£278 in Black Truffle) to the Creatista Plus BNE800BSSUK at £499 and the Barista Pro Bean to Cup Coffee Machine at £649. Siemens starts with the TF303G07 EQ300 at £379, then the TQ513GB1 with a milk system at £629, the TQ717GB3 at £1,199 and the TQ903GB9 at £1,249.

The Barista Pro has a milk frother, a 12-bar pump and a 1.9-litre tank, and the Creatista Plus offers 11 milk temperatures and three programmable cup sizes. Siemens' EQ300 has a 250g bean capacity, a 1.4-litre tank and milkPerfect, the TQ513GB1 adds an integrated milk system and iAroma, and the TQ717GB3 brings an iSelect display, aromaSelect, an active cup warmer and 19-bar pressure. The TQ903GB9 offers an intuitive touch display and fast heat-up. The Bambino uses ThermoJet heating with a 9-bar pump for simple button control, while Home Connect is reserved for flagship models such as the EQ900.

Sage suits people who want to learn espresso at a lower outlay, such as the Bambino at £279, or who want milk-focused control with the Creatista Plus at £499 or the Barista Pro at £649. Siemens suits households that drink several coffees a day and want café-style drinks from fresh beans with little effort. The milk-system TQ513GB1 at £629 is close to the Barista Pro in price, so the choice is between Sage's hands-on milk control and Siemens' fully automatic bean-to-cup routine.

Bottom line: choose Sage if you want simpler espresso from £278 to £279 or milk control from £499 to £649 for less money; choose Siemens if you want a fully automatic bean-to-cup machine from £379 with the EQ300, or a milk-system model from £629 with the TQ513GB1.