ristretto I went from a Barista Express to a Micra, so a very similar move.
I’m not plumbed in, nor will I ever be. And I mainly drink medium/light roasted coffee. I’m not a fan of super light roasted espresso - I save that for filter.
I worried when buying the Micra I’d be missing out on all the bells and whistles of other machines. Possibly find myself longing for flow control or a fancy touch screen. But you know what, I don’t at all.
My favourite thing about it is how incredibly consistent it is. I can be confident that if a coffee isn’t as good as it should be then it’s likely the grind setting or some error on my part. I feel I can rule out the Micra completely because it does its one job brilliantly well.
I’m enjoying it loads. Drank incredible coffee that continues to impress me. I can even taste the ‘tasting notes’ - something I could never do with the Sage/Breville. And I know that there’s even better to come with a future grinder upgrade.
I hope that helps.