The Sage Barista Touch Impress should normally be descaled every 2 - 3 month, although this depends on your local water hardness and how often you use the machine. Homes with hard water or heavy daily use may need to descale monthly. Regular descaling removes limescale, maintains brewing temperature and water flow, and helps your machine continue producing great-tasting coffee.

Open the Settings menu on the touchscreen and select Maintenance, then choose Descale. Follow the on-screen instructions to prepare the machine before starting the programme. The guided process will walk you through the complete descaling and rinse cycle. Always allow the programme to finish before making coffee again.

The Clean Me reminder indicates that the brew group requires cleaning. It is different from descaling and means coffee oils have built up inside the group head. Run the cleaning cycle using a cleaning tablet and blind filter basket to remove residue and keep your espresso tasting fresh.

For most home users, backflush the machine once a week using a cleaning tablet. If you prepare several coffees each day, cleaning more frequently may be beneficial. Regular backflushing removes coffee oils from the brew group and helps maintain consistent espresso quality.

Yes. High quality descaling tablets are designed specifically for espresso machines and dissolve mineral scale safely and effectively. They are easy to store, simple to measure and provide consistent cleaning without the mess often associated with liquid descalers.

Replace the water filter approximately every three months or after filtering around 40 litres of water, whichever comes first. A fresh filter helps reduce limescale build-up, improves water quality and supports better coffee flavour.

If the green indicator doesn't appear, the coffee dose or grind size may need adjusting. Fresh beans, humidity, roast level and grinder settings can all affect the amount of coffee delivered into the portafilter. Follow the on-screen guidance and make small grind adjustment until the machine consistently produces the recommended puck.

Yes. The machine will usually continue making coffee, but you should perform the cleaning cycle as soon as possible. Ignoring the reminder allows coffee oils to build up inside the brew group, which can affect flavour and long-term performance.

Bitter coffee is usually caused by over-extraction, stale coffee oils or overdue cleaning. Sour coffee is typically the result of under-extraction, a grind that is too coarse or brewing temperature that is too low. Regular maintenance, fresh beans and correct grind adjustments will help produce balanced espresso.

After steaming milk, the Touch Impress automatically purges the steam wand to help remove milk residue. You should still wipe the wand immediately with a damp cloth after every use. Periodically remove and clean the steam tip to prevent blockages and maintain strong steam performance.

The complete descaling programme typically takes 20 - 30 minutes, including the rinse cycle. Always allow the machine to complete the full process before preparing coffee to ensure all descaling solution has been removed.

Keeping your machine clean will improve coffee quality and help extend its lifespan.

Daily: Purge the group head, wipe the automatic steam wand, empty the drip tray and rinse the portafilter.

Weekly: Backflush the machine using a cleaning tablet and clean the shower screen.

Every 2 - 3 months: Run the descaling programme and replace the water filter if required.

As needed: Clean the grinder, bean hopper, Impress Puck System and touchscreen to remove coffee residue and keep the machine performing at its best.