More people than ever are skipping the morning café run and choosing to make coffee at home.
With prices for a single cup often hitting £4 or more, it’s no wonder many of us want barista-quality drinks without leaving the kitchen.
But with so many coffee machines on the market, which one actually delivers?
After years of testing everything from air fryers to vacuum cleaners, I’ve put three of today’s most popular coffee machines through their paces: the Sage Oracle Jet, the Ninja Café Luxe Premier, and the De’Longhi La Specialista Touch.
They may look similar on the surface, but their performance, features, and value vary a lot.
First Impressions: Design and Build
At first glance, all three machines share a stainless-steel look that promises a professional vibe. But the details set them apart:
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Sage Oracle Jet – The largest of the three, it feels the most premium, with a sleek build and a very responsive touchscreen.
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Ninja Café Luxe Premier – Mid-sized and stylish, but more plastic in the design shows where corners were cut to keep costs down.
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De’Longhi La Specialista Touch – Compact yet polished, with a high-quality finish that’s impressive considering its lower price.
Features and Ease of Use
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Sage Oracle Jet – This is the luxury pick. It grinds, doses, tamps, and guides you through the entire process with a bright colour touchscreen. Its steaming wand can be used manually or automatically, and with over 40 grind settings, it leaves little room for error.
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Ninja Café Luxe Premier – Very versatile for the price. It can do espresso, filter coffee, cold brew, and milk drinks. While it lacks a touchscreen, it still offers useful guidance, though only 25 grind settings means less precision compared to the Sage.
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De’Longhi La Specialista Touch – Features a helpful colour touchscreen, though not as intuitive as Sage’s. With 15 grind settings, it’s harder to perfect your brew. Its milk frothing is decent, but again, not on Sage’s level.
Barista Guidance and Support
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Sage Oracle Jet – Offers the best step-by-step guidance and automation, making the process nearly foolproof.
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Ninja Café Luxe Premier – A strong runner-up. Even without a full screen, it still offers solid support for beginners.
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De’Longhi La Specialista Touch – The guidance feels less straightforward and slightly confusing, though still useful given its lower cost.
Coffee Quality
To keep the testing fair, I used the same beans — Curve Coffee’s House Espresso — for all machines.
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Sage Oracle Jet – Produced the best espresso, rich in flavour and complexity.
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Ninja Café Luxe Premier – A close second, offering good espresso for its price, though less nuanced than Sage.
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De’Longhi La Specialista Touch – Consistent and decent, but lacking the depth you get from the other two.
Value for Money
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Sage Oracle Jet – £1,699.95. Expensive, but it really is like having a barista in your kitchen.
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Ninja Café Luxe Premier – £549.99. The best balance of performance, drink variety, and price.
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De’Longhi La Specialista Touch – £700. Stylish and compact with a touchscreen, but not quite as strong in coffee quality or guidance.
Pros and Cons at a Glance
Sage Oracle Jet
✅ Outstanding automation and quality
✅ Professional design
❌ Very high price
❌ Takes up lots of space
Ninja Café Luxe Premier
✅ Great value
✅ Wide variety of drinks
❌ Build feels cheaper
❌ Espresso lacks depth
De’Longhi La Specialista Touch
✅ Compact and stylish
✅ Easy-to-follow touchscreen
❌ Weaker automation
❌ Frothing only average
Final Verdict
If money is no object, the Sage Oracle Jet is the clear winner — it’s the closest thing to hiring a personal barista.
For most households, though, the Ninja Café Luxe Premier is the smart choice.
It delivers versatility and good quality at a far more approachable price.
The De’Longhi La Specialista Touch is a nice compromise if you want something compact and stylish, but it doesn’t quite measure up in coffee precision or guidance.
In short:
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Buy the Sage if you want the best.
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Buy the Ninja if you want the best value.
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Buy the De’Longhi if you want something sleek and space-saving.