Sage Luxe Brewer 2025: Kev’s Detailed Review & Vs Precision Brewer

If you thought Sage was done with their filter coffee machines, guess again! They've just launched the new Sage Luxe Brewer filter coffee machine in the US, UK & Canada (aka Breville Luxe Brewer across the pond), and as we'd expect from Sage, it's full of clever features, and it does everything a filter coffee machine fan (and cold brew fanatic) could hope for.

But is it just the Sage Precision Brewer filter coffee maker with a new name and a removable water tank (phew…), or is there more to it? That’s what I’ve set out to answer with this review (and the video, if you're a glutton for punishment, watch that too!).

New here? Welcome! I’m Kev Lewis, also known as Coffee Kev. I produce 100% honest, “warts & all” coffee gear reviews here and on my YouTube channel, and on CoffeeKev.com for our coffee bothering cousins across the pond. I'm also the founder of The Coffeeworks, providing mega-quality, super-freshly roasted coffee beans.

As always, this post features all of my own thoughts & opinions, and my own photos & videos fresh from my YouTube review. No glossy marketing content, just 100% legitimate observations from someone just like you, who really loves their coffee, started reviewing coffee machines as a hobby 10 years ago and somehow now does this for a living!

Whether you've been patiently waiting for an in-depth and honest review of the Sage Luxe Brewer, or you're just looking for a great filter coffee machine and wondering if this is the one for you, you've come to the right place. Let's go!

Quick Menu

• Sage Luxe Brewer Overview & Specs
• What Actually Is the Sage Luxe Brewer?
  • How Does It Compare to the Precision Brewer?
• Removable Water Tank: What’s the Big Deal?
  • Brew Modes & Settings (Drip and Cold Brew)
  • Steep & Release: What’s That?
  • Delayed Start (Brew Timer)
  • Coffee & Cold Brew: Taste Tests
  • Brew Ratio: Get Your Ratios Right
  • Carafe Comparison: New vs Old
• How Does Sage Luxe Brewer Compare to Other Brewers?
• Kev’s Pros & Cons
• Sage Luxe Brewer Verdict
• Sage Luxe Brewer FAQs

Sage Luxe Brewer: Overview & Specs

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• Dimensions: 29cm wide x 17cm deep
• Removable Water Tank: 1.8L, easy to fill/clean.
• Big Brew Capacity: 1.7L for filter coffee, 500ml cold brew
• Cold Brew Concentrate: Capable of brewing 500ml of strong cold brew to dilute in as little as 6 hours
• Gold Cup Preset: 1-touch SCA-approved settings
• Custom Preset: Adjust brew temp, bloom time, bloom volume & flow rate
• Brew Timer: Set and forget, wakes you up to fresh coffee
• Dual Wall Stainless Steel Carafe: Keeps coffee hot for AGES. Glass version with warming plate also available in the USA.
• Filter Baskets: Cone and flat-bottom
• Single Cup “Steep & Release” Feature: For single cups, clever-dripper style.

What Actually Is the Sage Luxe Brewer?

This is the latest version of the Sage (known as Breville outside of Europe) Precision Brewer, which has been one of the best-selling speciality filter coffee machines since its release in 2018.

Like the Sage Precision Brewer, it's a filter coffee maker aimed at speciality coffee lovers. What's so special about it is:

Simplicity: The one-touch settings

Why they've decided to change the name to the Luxe Brewer, rather than just calling it the Precision Brewer Pro, or something, I'm really not sure.

The precision brewer is great ( I say “is” not “was”, as it's not been discontinued so far), but there are a couple of issues. Mainly, the non-removable water tank.

The Sage Luxe Brewer has addressed the removable water tank issue, thankfully, and they've done a couple of other very cool things, too. There's one thing I wish they'd have addressed that they haven't, though, more on that shortly.

How Does It Differ From the Precision Brewer?

1. Removable Water Tank: YESSSS! Game changer for daily use and cleaning. No more having to tip the entire thing into the sink.
2. Simpler Presets: They've ditched the fast & strong presets; you either use the default “brew” setting, which is the gold setting, or you use your custom brew settings.
3. Bigger/Brighter Control Interface: The text is bigger, clearer, and easier to read, which I'm happy with (I know, I'm getting old…)
4. Bigger Cold Brew Control: Choose any time from 30 mins up to 36 hours (was up to 24h on the old machine).
5. Bloom Volume Adjustment: All models, all regions (the Precision Brewer only had this in the EU).

Removable Water Tank: What’s the Big Deal?

This is the main feature that sets the Sage Luxe Brewer apart from the Precision Brewer.

It's not that it's some amazing feature; it's just an obviously required feature, and it's the only real drawback of the Precision Brewer, in my opinion. The fact that it still sold like hot cakes, despite this, just goes to show how great the pros of this machine are, that people still bought it regardless of this obvious con.

What’s the Water Tank Like?

I mean, it's a water tank ;-), but to be fair, I'm impressed with it, because:

1. It's removable, which means you can empty the small amount of water each time that remains in the tank, without tipping the entire brewer over the sink
2. It's sturdy, made of thick plastic, so I'm not afraid of breaking it during cleaning, etc., (and I am fairly heavy-handed)
3. Finger loop on the top of the tank is surprisingly handy, means you can handle it one-handed (while the other one's giving a high five)
4. Has a water filter, comes with the Claroswiss water softener (by the way, if your machine makes a loud noise and won't work, just soak your filter for a few hours)
5. Has logical level markings, 1L, 1.5L, etc., easy to calculate how much ground coffee to add

You might think that a water tank not being removable wouldn't matter with a filter coffee machine, because you're always using all the water, but that's the thing, you're not. There's always some water left in the bottom, and you have to carry the Precision Brewer to the sink to tip it out.

So being removable is great, it also means if you're tap filling, you can just take the tank to the sink. 

I also like the fact that most of the measuring markers are easily divisible by a litre. I don't know about you, but I'm bad at maths… I know that I usually want to start off at about 60g of coffee per litre of water, so the Precision brewer, with its measurements divisible by 900, I found a bit weird.

1950ml up to the 1800ml line with no filter in place. 1850 with the filter in place.

Sage Precision Brewer Level Markings

1. 150ml
2. 300ml
3. 450ml
4. 600ml
5. 900ml
6. 1200ml
7. 1500ml
8. 1800ml

Sage Luxe Brewer Level Markings

1. 150ml
2. 500ml
3. 1L
4. 1.5L
5. 1.8L

There are also lots of unnumbered levels in between these, and I’ve worked them out, so you don’t have to. Each range is divided into four (except for 1.5L to 1.8L, which is divided into three).

So the measurements are (with the filter in place): 

1. 150ml
2. 237.5ml
3. 325ml
4. 412.5ml
5. 500ml,
6. 625ml
7. 750ml
8. 875ml
9. 1000ml
10. 1125ml
11. 1250ml
12. 1375ml
13. 1500ml
14. 1600ml
15. 1700ml
16. 1800ml

True Water Levels

I don't need an Archimedes-inspired Eureka moment to realise that with or without the filter in place will make a difference to the actual water level, but I wasn't sure if these markings were done with or without the filter in place.

I tested this, and it seems they did the measurements for the markings with the filter in place, which makes sense. So if you're not using the filter, keep in mind that you're going to be using slightly more water than the markings suggest, and the difference the filter makes is actually more than you might think.

Without the filter in place, the 1800ml level was 1950ml.

What Are the Brew Modes?

The Sage Luxe Brewer gives you two filter coffee modes and one cold brew mode.

Most people will probably just stick with the “Gold Cup” preset for filter coffee, which gets you the SCA-approved settings for brew temp, bloom volum, bloom time and flow rate, and no need for you to mess with anything if you can't be bothered with the faff & just want great speciality filter coffee at the push of a button.

If you want to be in control, though, you can, with the “Custom” setting, which allows you to tweak these parameters.

Cold brew is just one preset, nothing to control except the brew time, and you can choose a brew time from 30 minutes to 36 hours. Just add your ground coffee to the filter, add water to the cold brew max line (about 600ml with the filter in place), and set the time.

When the time is complete, the steep and release feature releases your cold brew into the carafe.

I've been able to make a concentrate that is strong enough to dilute 1:1, in just 6 hours, so I'm not entirely sure who would ever need to do a 36-hour cold brew, but it's there anyway.

What’s Steep & Release?

If you've heard of the clever dripper, which is a filter maker that only releases the coffee once you place it on your cup, the steep and release feature works just like the clever dripper, but it's automated, releasing your coffee after a preset steep time.

It uses this feature for single-cup brewing and also for cold brew. As long as the carafe lid isn't on (this feature doesn't work with the lid on), cold brew will be released from the filter after the selected cold brew time, and hot filter coffee will be released after about 4 minutes as long as you don't fill above the max line for cold brew & single cup brewing.

You're not forced to use this feature for single-cup brewing. If you want your single cups to brew as normal, just put the lid on your carafe. I'd recommend pre-heating your thermal carafe, though, when brewing smaller volumes, it'll stay warmer for much longer if you do that.

What Is Delayed Start?

This is the “brew timer”, good old-fashioned coffee maker tech, made dead simple. Put in your ground coffee, add your water, and press the timer button. Just select the time you want it to start, and it’ll handle the rest. Not exactly earth-shattering, most filter coffee machines have this feature, but they've made it very simple to use.

What’s the Filter Coffee Like?

The most important elements to the taste of your filter coffee are your coffee beans, your grind (grind size and also the quality of the grinder), and brew ratio.

So if you're considering buying a new filter coffee machine with the idea that this will make the biggest difference, it actually won't.

The biggest difference will come from your choice of coffee beans, your brew ratio, your decision to buy whole beans & grind your own vs buying pre-ground & the quality of grinder you have, if you're grinding your own.

But with that said, there are a few reasons that the Sage Luxe Brewer gives you an advantage over many other filter coffee machines:

• Temperature precision and stability. The Luxe Brewer has a PID (algorithmic temperature control). The temperature will swing way less than most “standard” filter coffee machines.
• SCA approved preset. Brew temp, bloom volume, bloom time, & flow rate are all preset to Speciality Coffee Association approval for the default brew mode.
• Unusual control. The Sage Luxe Brewer gives very precise control over the water flow rate, water temperature, bloom time & bloom volume, if you feel like experimenting.

What Brew Ratio Should I Use?

This is a filter coffee machine review, so you might not expect advice on brew ratio here, but I try to give important advice wherever I can, and hopefully, this little tip will ensure you end up drinking better-tasting filter coffee regardless of which machine you end up with.

The most common cause for poor-tasting filter coffee is using the wrong brew ratio.

Many people don't keep track of their brew ratio at all; they just eyeball the coffee and water, and herein lies the problem. This is a sure-fire way to end up with inconsistent results, and it also leaves you with no idea what to do with your coffee that doesn't taste great.

Start at 60 grams per litre.

• Tasting over-extraction? Too intense, overly bitter, dry, strong, but somehow dull & muddy: Reduce the dose slightly, for example, try 58g per litre.
• Tasting under-extraction? Sour/sharp taste, thin mouthfeel: Increase the dose, for example, try 62g per litre.

Which Brew Setting Should I Choose?

If you’re new to speciality filter coffee, just use the default “Brew” setting, which is the Gold Brew setting, and put your focus on grind size (if you're grinding your own) and brew ratio. Once you're comfortable, if you like, you can start playing with the custom settings & see if you can make slight improvements to your coffee.

How to Match the Gold Brew Settings

If you're thinking, “Hmm, how do I exactly replicate the Gold Brew profile with the custom/My Brew setting, the answer is, I dunno! This isn't for lack of trying; I've been asking this question to Sage/Breville for quite some time. I'm still trying, and I'll update this as soon as I get an answer.

It would really make perfect sense for Sage to communicate this info to their customers, because it would allow you to just change one thing at a time from the gold setting.

If you knew what you needed to set the brew temp, bloom volume, bloom time, and flow rate to, in order to match the gold brew setting, you could just try keeping everything else the same but adjusting the brew temp slightly hotter when you have a particularly light roast, for example.

If you want to know this, just come back here in a few weeks. I'm still doing my best to get an answer to this.

What’s the Carafe Like?

There were some complaints about the original Precision Brewer thermal carafe, the lid easily getting cross-threaded and leaking, and the spout being a bit dribbly. The new thermal carafe seems great; they've clearly listened to user feedback here. I've heard some chatter about the new one keeping coffee hotter for longer. I've done some testing, and there's virtually no difference in that regard.

One tip for keeping your coffee hot is to preheat the carafe if you're not brewing a full pot. If you're brewing a full carafe, the carafe heats up as it's filling, so it's not a heat sink for very long. If you're only making a third of a pot, for example, it will act as a heatsink for quite a bit of the brew time, and your coffee will be cooler quicker as a result.

Heat Retention: Precision Brewer Vs Sage Luxe Brewer

I've seen people asking this, so I thought I'd test it. This is with a full carafe, starting at 74C, to give you an idea of the difference between the two, as you can see the new thermal carafe is slightly better in this regard.

What’s the Cold Brew Like?

The cold brew feature on the Luxe brewer is AMAZING! What's so special about it?

1. True, full-immersion cold brew. The grounds are fully immersed throughout the brew, even with a low water-to-coffee ratio for a very concentrated cold brew.
2. No dry spots. As you can easily stir the coffee in the filter at any time, you can easily ensure the grounds are fully saturated
3. Precise control over brew time. The release time is digitally preset; you don't have to remember to go and physically remove the filter from the coffee.
4. Clean texture. It's paper filtered, so you don't get sludge, and the mouthfeel is very clean.
5. Access to the grounds. You can remove the filter at any time to give the grounds a stir, if you want to.
6. Access to the cold brew. You can lift the filter holder at any time to taste your cold brew if you're not 100% sure of the best brew time.

You add your ground coffee, pour in your cold water into the tank & choose the release time. As long as you don't put a lid on your carafe (it reminds you on the screen to remove the lid), the steep and release feature will release the coffee after that time has passed.

So all the grounds remain immersed throughout the brew, even if you're using a very small amount of water. This means you can make a concentrate to dilute (with hot or cold water or milk, for example) and you can do this in a fairly small amount of time, too.

In my first cold brew experiment, I made a concentrated cold brew, which ended up just under 3% TDS (total dissolved solids) to be diluted roughly 1:1, in just 6 hours. So, I ended up with about 1.2L of ready-to-drink cold brew after diluting 1:1 with cold water, in just 6 hours.

The ability to access the grounds at any time meant I could check that the grounds were fully immersed, and give them a stir after about an hour just to check they were fully saturated.

The ability to access the coffee allowed me to get a TDS reading (yes, I'm a geek!) after 6 hours to see if my cold brew was ready.

Lowest Cost Cold Brew?

The combination of easy access to the grounds and the coffee at any time, the fact that it's full-immersion, and the huge up to 36-hour brew time, is quite an interesting combination when it comes to producing lower-cost cold brew.

In theory, this allows you to get the maximum value from your coffee by aiming for a longer brew time to get the highest cold extraction possible without negatively impacting the taste. This is possible as you can continually taste, or take TDS readings if you have something like the DiFluid Coffee Refractometer, throughout the brew, and the grounds remain fully immersed with a small water volume, and you have constant access to the grounds.

It's true that producing a very concentrated brew this way would take some extra effort, but it wouldn't take extra energy, as the pump is only running while the cold water passes through the grounds, which takes a few minutes. For the rest of the brew time the machine will use virtually no energy.

Sage Luxe Brewer Likes and Dislikes

What I Like Lots

• Simplicity: it's powerful yet simple, and you don't have to change any of the settings if you don't feel like it
• Clear UI: it has a big, bright & clear display, very easy to see and operate, first thing in the morning pre-coffee
• Great filter coffee: without thinking much about it, just press brew & you get the SCA-approved settings.
• Removable water tank: this shouldn't really be a question, but this is one of the main reasons I prefer the Luxe over the Precision
• Cool cold brew: it's not your average cold brew, and I think it has lots of potential
• Affordability: for a machine at this level, with these features, this is a great value in my opinion

What I Like Less

• The name: “Luxe” is a bit weird; “Precision Brewer” actually made sense. Why change it? If you know, leave a comment to let me know, thanks :-).
• Loud: well, it isn't until it is. It starts off really quiet, about 40db but the pump gets empty at the end, and the pump vibrates, and there's no gasket on the tank lid, so it ends up at about 65db.
• Level markings: I wish there were more level markings on the water tank, along with suggested coffee weights for each level marking.

How Does Sage Luxe Brewer Compare to the Competition?

Most filter coffee machines aren't direct competition for the Sage Luxe Brewer.

This is a very specific type of filter coffee maker, aimed at a very specific market. It's designed for speciality filter coffee, and for people who want precision and control, but also for people who just want this kind of cup quality with the touch of a button.

So when it comes to this kind of filter coffee machine, other than the Precision Brewer, there isn't really a direct alternative.

There are a couple of new speciality filter coffee brewers that I do think appeal to a similar market, although not exactly the same, and these are the Fellow Aiden and the X-Bloom Studio.

Fellow Aiden

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The Fellow Aidan is probably the closest competition to the Luxe Brewer. I've bought this recently, and my full review is coming soon.

I have to say, I wasn't really all that excited about the Aiden until I tried it, and then I changed my mind! It's a very impressive filter coffee brewer, but I do think it's made for a slightly different audience.

If you prefer the looks over the more classic look of the Luxe Brewer, if you're OK with the £100 higher price tag, and especially if you want more ability to fine-tune, then I think there's a good chance you'll end up going for this over the Sage Luxe Brewer.

If the price of the Luxe Brewer is already stretching the budget, if this looks a bit too flashy for your taste, and if the idea of lots of choice puts you off, then you'll probably be better off with the Luxe Brewer, although to be fair the instant brew and the guided brew option on the Aiden are both really simple.

Fellow has approached cold brew quite differently, too.

It's a hybrid cold brew, starting with hot water for the bloom step, and then switching to an almost Kyoto coffee style slow cold drip cold brew, over about 2 hours. I need to do a lot more testing, but so far my take on this is that the Aiden is probably slightly better for picking up more subtle nuances in lighter roasts, and the Sage Luxe Brewer is probably slightly better for more traditional-tasting cold brew made with slightly darker roasts.

X Bloom Studio

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The X Bloom Studio is a high-tech machine that fully automates manual pour-over brewing. While brewers like the Sage Luxe Brewer and Fellow Aiden do this to a certain degree, controlling bloom time & volume, brew temperature & flow rate, the X Bloom goes further with robotic pouring, vibrating the filter to mimic swirling, and customisable water flow patterns.

It has an integrated grinder and works with biodegradable X-Pods (bamboo and sugarcane) that double as the filter. Scan the RFID tag, pour in the beans, dock the pod, and it grinds and brews to the roaster’s preset profile.

You can skip the pods, using your own beans with the Omni Brewer filter holder and Kalita papers, or brew into other devices like a V60 or Orea (you may need a 3D-printed adapter if you want it to fit in the dock).

The app lets you tweak grind size, water pulses, and pour patterns. It’s quite a bit more pricey than Luxe Brewer, but it does have an integrated grinder.

Personally, though, I think this is probably one for the pour-over enthusiasts who want a way to automate pour-over. Most “normal” coffee drinkers who just want great-tasting filter coffee at the touch of a button might find the X-bloom just a bit too much.

Sage Luxe Brewer Verdict: 

So in a nutshell, the Sage Luxe Brewer is Precision Brewer 2.0, with a new name.

In my opinion, it's definitely an upgrade, mainly because of the removable water tank, which really does elevate this brewer.

The bigger, brighter and simpler interface is a nice upgrade for the main target market, too, and for me, this is the more normal coffee drinker who wants great quality filter coffee with as much ease and simplicity as possible.

In my opinion, the Precision Brewer was the best speciality filter coffee machine for most people, and I think the Luxe brewer has now taken that crown. It’s arguably the best coffee maker in the UK at this price, for most people.

I say “for most people” because I think Sage have got the price right, and the simplicity. If you're a real filter coffee enthusiast, there are other machines that might interest you more, the Fellow Aiden or X-Bloom Studio in particular.

But if you're not looking to spend much more than about £250 (about £220 with a discount code) and if you're looking for the ultimate in simplicity, I don't believe there's currently a better option than the Sage Luxe Brewer.

Sage Luxe Brewer: FAQs

Q: What’s the main upgrade the Luxe Brewer has over the Precision Brewer?

A: The standout change is the removable water tank, making refilling and cleaning much easier. There’s also a larger, clearer interface & wider cold brew time control.

Q: Can I use both cone and flat-bottom filters with the Luxe Brewer?

A: Yes. It comes with both a cone-shaped and flat-bottom filter basket in the box, so you can experiment and use whichever you prefer.

Q: How does the “Steep & Release” feature work, and do I have to use it?

A: When brewing less than 600ml, you’re prompted to remove the carafe lid. This holds the water in the brew basket for around 4 minutes (like a Clever Dripper) before releasing, which can improve extraction with smaller batches. If you don’t want this, just leave the lid on and it’ll brew normally, your choice.

Q: How customizable is the cold brew mode?

A: Very. You can set the brew time anywhere from 30 minutes up to 36 hours, letting you tailor the strength and flavour precisely to your taste. You can also stir mid-brew for extra extraction, cold brew buffs rejoice!

Q: Is the carafe better than the old one?

A: Slightly, the new dual-walled stainless steel carafe pours more cleanly, and the lid is slightly easier to secure. Both keep your coffee piping hot for hours if preheated; the new one is just a teeny bit better in that regard, but there's not a lot in it.

Q: How noisy is the Sage Luxe Brewer?

A: For most of the brewing cycle, it’s very quiet (under 40db). However, at the end, when the tank is nearly empty, you’ll get that familiar “dry pump” noise (over 65db). Not a dealbreaker, just something to note, and actually, I think Sage dropped a clanger here. This noise is mainly lid-rattle. If they put a gasket on the water tank lid, it would be way quieter. If you have sleeping babies, try not to use the water tank lid.

Q: What is the best brew ratio to use?

A: Start with 60 grams of coffee per litre of water as a solid baseline. Adjust from there.

Q: Can I make a single cup?

A: Absolutely. You can just slap your cup under, or brew a single cup volume into the carafe.

Q: How important is it to use the Claroswiss water filter that comes in the tank?

A: It’s recommended, especially if your tap water is hard. Good water means better coffee, less chance of scale buildup, and a happier brewer.

Q: How does the Sage Luxe Brewer compare to other similar machines?

A: It’s in a league of its own for features at this price point: PID temperature control, customizable bloom, a wide cold brew range, and SCA-rated “Gold Cup” setting. Its closest competitor to have all of these features is the Fellow Aiden, which is about a hundred quid more; it's very cool, though.

Q: What’s with the water tank markings—are they confusing?

A: The new tank finally includes sensible metric markings, including a dedicated 1L mark for easy measuring. The intermediate markers are a bit cryptic, but you can check the full breakdown above or just use the main labels as guides.

Q: How do I use the delayed start? Will it keep coffee hot if I’m not there right away?

A: Just set your brew time and prep your coffee before, it'll brew at the set time. If you're not going to be around to preheat the carafe, just keep in mind that it might not be piping hot when you come to it if you're brewing a single cup into a cold carafe or cold cup, if you sleep through your alarm, for example. Although if you do, the machine will probably wake you up at the end of the brew anyway ;-).

Q: Which setting should I use if I’m new?

A: Stick with the “Brew” Gold Cup default to start, and play with grind size and ratio. Once you’ve mastered the basics, the “My Brew” (Custom) mode lets you fine-tune everything.

Q: Can I match the “Gold Cup” settings manually in Custom mode?

A: Not exactly, as Sage/Breville don’t currently share the precise parameters. Use Gold Cup for consistency, and use My Brew for creative tweaks.

Q: Any downsides to consider?

A: Mainly just the loud pump noise at the end of brewing, a perhaps unnecessarily artsy product name, and that the water tank could use clearer guides for coffee doses at each water level.

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