The Breville Bambino Plus (also called Sage Bambino Plus inside the UK) has a high price tag, but it’s a must-see if you’re looking for a dependable espresso machine that features high-quality parts as well as a no-fuss operation. Automatic milk frothing, single and double-walled baskets, and programmable pre-infusion are just a few of the features found in the top coffee makers in this $400-$500 (£300-£400) price bracket. If you’re ready to push your budget a bit further, the Bambino Plus offers outstanding value for money.
All of these qualities come together to make this Breville Bambino Plus a smart investment for both novices and experienced brewers looking to try new things while remaining confident that the machine can produce high-quality espresso right out of the box. And besides, the Bambino Plus makes it hard to go wrong in this situation.
What we liked best about Breville Bambino Plus is that you can just choose what you want and leave the rest to the machine – no need to be there holding the milk jug while it froths, for example. It is one of the greatest espresso machines on the market.
Because of the extra parts and steam wands, using an espresso machine like the Bambino Plus always will require a little more cleaning than using a pod machine; even so, this Breville model automatically purges this same steam wand within a week of frothing one milk and is very well made to create cleaning up relatively simple.
What you will see here?
Price and Availability
The initial cost of Breville Bambino Plus could be prohibitive for people just getting started with home espresso brewing. This isn’t an inexpensive item, costing $499.95 / £399.99. The Bambino Plus, on the other hand, has some features that are hard to come by even on the more costly espresso machines.
That extra expense is well worth it to assure a high-quality shot every time you want one, thanks to temperature and texture control, a three-second warm-up time, configurable pre-infusion settings, and professional-grade baskets.
However, the Breville Bambino Plus wasn’t always this pricey. Before the global epidemic, prices in the United Kingdom were average around $399 and as low as £220. At the start of 2020, however, those costs soon caught up with the demands for luxury at-home coffee makers. While the average has yet to decline, with the pressures relaxing. You’ll probably become able to find a lower price on this version soon enough.
Design
The Breville / Sage Bambino Plus features a curved, slimline design in stainless steel or matte black. Aside from the compact size, the softer edges help to minimize the clunky appearance of several espresso machines. While the compact design is ideal for saving room on your counter. The machine’s modest size also results in a relatively low weight.
The machine’s body when inserting the portafilter is often necessary. Particularly if the water tank tied to the back was just not full. Though, removing the tray causes no shifting, which was a comfort.
There are no extraneous buttons along it to confuse; instead, there are choices for a single bullet, double shot, as well as a button to boil the milk. Aside from that, there are controls for adjusting the milk temperature and the amount of foam.
Features
- Warranty: 2 years, limited
- Reservoir capacity: 64oz
- Size: 12.6 x 11.8 x 7.7 inches
- Accessories: Tamper, trimming tool, milk pitcher, cleaning tools, four baskets
- Features: Automatic milk frothing, pre-infusion, the adjustable milk temperature, and texture
The milk foaming technology in the Breville Bambino Plus is maybe the most interesting feature. The machine will steam the milk to the perfect temperature, giving it a smooth finish and even a thicker layer of micro-foam on top. You will find the automatic cleaning mechanism to be useful, as it eliminates the need to wash the steam wand (but a clean around the point will be required to keep things gleaming). Additionally, you may always manually steam the milk.
All that flawlessly steamed milk, however, would be for naught if the rich espresso generated by any of the 4 featured standard and dual-walled pods wasn’t rich enough. The flexibility to lean on an easy dual-walled bag is appreciated here. The added pressure is offered by the basket itself. It means that a beautiful, strong espresso won’t require as much precision grinding and thoroughness.
The ability to brew from such a single-walled standard basket. On the other hand, will allow coffee connoisseurs to fine-tune their grind size, compacting pressure, and portafilter load for a better cup.
The Breville Bambino Plus further lets you tailor the amount of time the machine spends pre-infusing the grounds in the portafilter. This pre-infusion is a wonderful feature in and of itself. As it ensures a regular flow rate and thus balanced flavor by soaking the grounds at a low pressure initially. This time is set to 8 seconds out of the box. But you may experiment with other pre-infusion settings. According to your grind size or roast by pressing and holding the extraction start button.
How to use?
Unlike many mid-range coffee makers with this amount of customization and extra capabilities, the Breville Bambino Plus makes remarkable use of its simple design to provide a remarkably simple operation. There’s no learning curve here before you’re extracting high-quality shots & topping them off with precisely frothed milk. Just push the button and you’re good to go.
Only a manual installation of the provided filtered water and a fast system clean require for initial setup before brewing. Descaling instructions print inside the water reservoir by Breville.
Making textured milk with such a foamy finish is also a breeze with the automatic milk frother. Simply place the provided jug just on the temperature sensor, push a button, and sit back and watch even as the machine takes care of the rest. Not just that, but once you’ve returned the nozel to its original position. It system will steam the wand so wash away any leftover milk.
The main drawback is that the drip tray isn’t large enough to handle the additional water from the milk frother dishwashing machine. That means you’ll have to wash it out rather frequently.
Performance
The Breville Bambino Plus’s first feature you notice is how quickly you can start using it. This gadget heats up in three seconds and switches between extraction and steaming in a flash. That’s a fantastic feature that few devices on the market can match.
The pre-infusion parameters, on the other hand, were a game-changer for me. This pre-infusion customization, when combined with high-quality beans, a fine grind, and a single-walled basket. It allowed me to explore until you figure out how to make an extraordinarily full-bodied and well-balanced shot. The change in depth from cup to cup when adjusting the pre-infusion time demonstrated how much power this option gives you.
If you will not have a precise grinder or are using pre-ground coffee. The double-walled option will still give you an outstanding shot. Impress by the balance attained here, and the Bambino Plus’s capacity to keep the original taste complexity of my chosen roaster through a double-walled basket when compared to cheaper machines.
Even when you’re not using one of the top coffee grinders with exact controls, you’ll be able to taste Bambino Plus’s premium nature even when you’re not using one of the best coffee grinders to accurate controls.
Of course, because this is an at-home espresso maker, you won’t get the same delicate taste treatment or silkiness as you would with a more industrial-grade device. However, the espresso shots generated to be comparable to those purchased in a coffee shop and certainly superior to shots generated by less expensive $200-$300 / £200-£300 machine.
Conclusion
If you want a pain-free espresso and are willing to pay a little more to assure consistent quality. The Breville Bambino Plus is the machine for you. Even if you’re a novice who wants to learn & experiment, the default heat settings produce a smooth extraction process right out of the box, and there is plenty of information on grind sizes as well as which baskets fit each one, as well as an automatic milk foaming system.
More experienced at-home coffee shops, on the other hand, will have many options, from the professional quality single-walled baskets not typically found in machines at this price point to the configurable pre-infusion settings.
If that price tag is still a barrier, the DeLonghi Dedica EC680 is a touch less expensive (you can generally find it for about $299 /£219). It has the same compact footprint and user-friendly design. However, you are foregoing some of Bambino Plus’s more professional features.
Another choice is the Gaggia Carezza Deluxe. This is similar to the Breville in terms of functionality (single-walled baskets & pre-infusion are still available). But foregoes automatic milk foaming to save money on the final $332 / £249 price.
Overall, the Breville Bambino Plus is indeed a great all-in-one machine that does everything right out of the box. While also providing high-end customization & milk frothing features not commonly found at this price point.
