Then there’s the main event: the assisted tamping system, which manifests itself via a neat little lever on the left-hand side of the machine. Cleaning is easy as the innovative dosing system is very clean to use, and the drip tray has a neat little flag that appears once it needs emptying.

Think of this innovation as the holy grail of at-home coffee, the equivalent of what Erling Haaland is to Manchester City's strikeforce. Not only was I fortunate enough to try out the Sage Barista Touch Impress before it was released but I also got to attend an event with Sage where their expert baristas showed me how the new machine worked and the idea behind the new product.After familiarisation with the machine, we turned it over to a complete (but coffee-loving) novice who, in a couple of tries, was producing excellent espresso and latte, proving the machine's ease of use even for a beginner. It doesn’t feel overwhelmingly large though and its generous proportions mean that its sturdy and robust enough to withstand regular use. Its intuitive “assisted manual” technology “learns” your tastes over time, using 18 to 22g of freshly ground beans to create rich and creamy espressos – which are also the ideal base for frothy cappuccinos and intense flat whites, too.

To work out if the Sage Barista Express Impress would be a winner for any bleary-eyed coffee addict first thing in the morning, we conducted a series of tests.Then, you use the integrated lever on the side of the machine to tamp down (Sage recommends doing this twice for the perfect tamp). There are a few more steps to do compared to a pod model but the results are worth it, and you get to be more involved with the coffee making process which I enjoyed. With all that in mind, here’s what we thought when we gave Sage’s next generation home espresso machine a go. In the box, the Sage Barista Touch Impress arrives put together with the 2-litre water tank, steam wand and 340g bean hopper attached.