All > Breville Bambino Plus
Breville Bambino Plus
Retail Price
$499.00
Lowest Price
$397.00
Release Date
October 5, 2018
The Breville Bambino Plus is a compact, easy-to-use espresso machine with plenty of room for customization. It is packed with smart features to help make the smoothest and most professional-looking coffee around.
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Overview
- Pros & Cons
- New Variant
- Performance
- Settings and Features
- Recommendation
- Verdict
- Positive
- Negative
Pros & Cons - Overall it's good, but the drip tray is small. Adding some accessories like a funnel and portafilter will make it better. Performance-wise, it does its job with a little work and then turns a good machine into a great little machine. Additionally, you'll be able to dial in espresso using the Wilfa, but you won't be able to make small adjustments to make a great espresso, but if you're making milk-based drinks most of the time, then that won't be a huge issue.
Coffee_Jam2006
05/17/2021
New Variant - They released a smaller version, which does lose some features over its bigger version, but also gains one, a possibly better option for less money.
Lifestyle Lab
12/20/2020
Performance - Overall, it's an excellent all-in-one machine covering all the basics straight out of the box while offering high-grade customization and milk frothing options, which are not regularly found at its price point.
techradar - Sophie Bird
11/01/2021
Settings and Features - It's a coffee machine that will make you feel like a pro barista, and it's a true contender for one of the best coffee makers. It's also compact enough not to take over the kitchen but still gives plenty of features to brew delicious espresso and froth milk to velvety perfection. It also allows an option of a single or double espresso shot at a press of a button and another option for 3 different milk temperatures and 3 milk texture settings.
techradar - Sophie Bird
11/01/2021
Recommendation - It's recommended to get a 54mm funnel and 53mm distributor/tamper, each is about $15 on Amazon in the U.S., and it changes the bed prep drastically. Also, putting the scale below the grinder is a great idea.
sefiegram
11/04/2021
Sources
Tags
- Pros & Cons
- New Variant
- Performance
- Settings and Features
- Recommendation
- Verdict
Sources
- YouTube
- techradar
- tom’s guide
See All Sources
Pros & Cons
- Pros
- Cons
- Buy If
- Don’t Buy If
- Positive
- Negative
Pros - The pros are the reliable, consistent shots, automatic milk frothing, customizable pre-infusion, and 4 brew basket options.
tom's guide - Tabitha Baker
07/15/2021
Cons - The cons are the lightweight design, sometimes fiddly portafilter, included milk jug may not gel with your needs quite as easily, a little too wide for preparing smaller drinks, the small drip tray meant and required extra attention when inserting the portafilter.
Buy If - Buy it if you want a machine to froth milk as it does great in frothing milk and gives 3 choices for both milk texture and temperature; you want impressive espresso as it makes smooth espresso with a thick crema and a metal tamper and leveling tool are included to help you get the perfect shot. You want a machine that's easy to clean as it automatically purges its steam wand once it's finished heating milk, and the drip tray is easy to remove when it needs cleaning. Also, you're paying extra for a high-quality machine.
Don’t Buy If - Don't buy it if you want to use coffee pods as it's an old-school espresso maker that requires ground coffee, and you want a budget coffee maker as the Bambino Plus isn't cheap, and you want a machine that's effortless to use once you've got the hang of it, it isn't hard to use.
techradar - Sophie Bird
11/01/2021
Sources
Tags
- Pros
- Cons
- Buy If
- Don’t Buy If
Sources
- tom’s guide
- techradar
See All Sources
Build & Design
- Accessories
- Baskets
- Body
- Build Quality
- Build
- Buttons
- Colors
- Depth
- Design
- Drip Tray
- Frother
- Funnels
- Heating System
- Inclusion
- Metal Tamper
- Portafilter
- Steam Hole
- Tamping Mat
- Temperature
- Water Reservoir
- Positive
- Negative
Accessories - Listed as optional accessories on the Bambino product page, include a good quality grinder, a separate filter basket, and a spouted or bottomless portafilter for aesthetics and build quality purposes.
Lifestyle Lab
10/25/2020
Baskets - The 4 included standard and dual-walled baskets contribute to making perfectly steamed milk. The ability to lean on an easier dual-walled basket is appreciated, as the additional pressure provided by the basket won't require too much precision grinding and attention to detail to produce a nice, strong espresso. However, brewing from a single-walled standard basket will allow the specialists to tweak their grind size, tamping pressure, and portafilter load.
tom's guide - Tabitha Baker
07/15/2021
Body - The body often needed to be steadied while inserting the portafilter, especially if the water tank attached to the back wasn't full; removing the drip tray didn't cause any shifting.
tom's guide - Tabitha Baker
07/15/2021
Build Quality - The build quality of the Bambino units is very similar except in one area, which is the drip tray, wherein on the base bambino, it felt more solid and well put together, which may also be due to the integrated temperature sensor. Additionally, the build quality is good with real metal and tight tolerances, and the plastic is thick and sturdy when it's used.
Lifestyle Lab
12/20/2020
Build - It comes with a non-pressurized basket, but the drip tray is small. Performance-wise, you can make 2 flat whites before it needs emptying, while the auto steaming is great for hot chocolate. Overall, it produces slightly above what you get from an average coffee shop. Build-wise, it's a bit small; thus, you need to bear hug it to lock in the portafilter, but it has a smart finish and looks like a premium espresso machine from the metal steam wand to the quality portafilter.
64mb
05/17/2021
Buttons - Buttons included has functions for a single shot, double shot, and steam purge that automatically purges the machine, steam milk, and brew temperature. Also, its simple design means there aren't any unnecessary buttons along the front to confuse things.
Alex Mojica
04/19/2022
Colors - It's available in various colors, depending on where you're located. In the US, it's offered in 8 different colors, while in the UK and Australia, there are just 3 choices.
techradar - Sophie Bird
11/01/2021
Depth - Its actual depth is 19 cm across, but still as deep as any other Bambino machine.
Lifestyle Lab
10/25/2020
Design - Design-wise, it's a nice machine with stunning looks. Specifically, it sports a slimline, curved design with stainless steel or matte black finish. In addition to its small footprint, it has softer edges that avoid the bulky aesthetic, while the compact style also keeps the counter space free.
Drip Tray - The drip tray is a little too small to keep up with the additional water coming through the milk frother cleaning system, meaning it needs to be washed regularly.
tom's guide - Tabitha Baker
07/15/2021
Frother - The automatic frother is best used to save time.
Lifestyle Lab
12/20/2020
Funnels - Having funnels prevents coffee grinds from splattering in different areas and helps control them as they come out.
Alex Mojica
04/19/2022
Heating System - The Bambino and Bambino plus have the same heating system, and neither has the advantage regarding speed. Still, the Bambino plus has an addition of automatic temperature and texture control with 3 independently selectable levels of temperature and texture.
Lifestyle Lab
12/20/2020
Inclusion - It comes with 1 single-shot filter basket and 1 double-shot filter basket. Still, they're pressurized filters, 4 filter baskets for different coffee grounds, a Razor tool that helps level off coffee grounds for a smooth espresso, a milk jug, cleaning tools, a removable portafilter, and a water filter.
techradar - Sophie Bird
11/01/2021
Metal Tamper - The metal tamper helps make a good espresso by ensuring the coffee grounds are well compacted. Unlike other machines, it isn't attached to the machine itself, making it easier to apply even force to the grounds.
techradar - Sophie Bird
11/01/2021
Portafilter - The portafilter is only 54mm in size, and when looking for baskets, tamps, and portafilters, options are very limited and often out of stock or overpriced. Function-wise, the coarser the grounds, the faster it's going to go through the portafilter, and the finer the grounds, the slower it's going to go through the portafilter.
Steam Hole - The 4-hole steam wand is better for making lattes and cappuccinos. Function-wise, once the steam wand has finished heating the milk, you simply need to lift the jug, remove the wand and wipe it. For cleaning, the wand automatically purges hot water into the drip tray when placed back into the rest position, which helps keep everything clean, although it does mean that the drip tray must be cleaned after every use.
Lifestyle Lab
12/20/2020
Tamping Mat - A tamping mat prevents damaging the counter because when tamping, you're pressing against the counter for pressure to apply to the puck, so it will help protect your counter.
Alex Mojica
04/19/2022
Temperature - The temperatures are 50, 70, and 90 degrees celsius for low, medium, and high speeds. It only took 38 seconds to reach a temperature of 60 degrees Celsius, which is faster than a dual boiler. Also, the temperature sensor is separate from the steam wand and requires you to double-check if the pitcher is making good contact, if it's not touching, or if the sensor is wet.
Lifestyle Lab
10/25/2020
Sources
Tags
- Accessories
- Baskets
- Body
- Build Quality
- Build
- Buttons
- Colors
- Depth
- Design
- Drip Tray
- Frother
- Funnels
- Heating System
- Inclusion
- Metal Tamper
- Portafilter
- Steam Hole
- Tamping Mat
- Temperature
- Water Reservoir
Sources
- YouTube
- tom’s guide
- techradar
Lifestyle Lab
10/25/2020
tom's guide - Tabitha Baker
07/15/2021
tom's guide - Tabitha Baker
07/15/2021
Lifestyle Lab
12/20/2020
64mb
05/17/2021
Alex Mojica
04/19/2022
techradar - Sophie Bird
11/01/2021
Lifestyle Lab
10/25/2020
Alex Mojica
04/19/2022
tom's guide - Tabitha Baker
07/15/2021
tom's guide - Tabitha Baker
07/15/2021
Lifestyle Lab
12/20/2020
Alex Mojica
04/19/2022
Lifestyle Lab
12/20/2020
techradar - Sophie Bird
11/01/2021
techradar - Sophie Bird
11/01/2021
JohnnyHardballs
01/20/2021
Alex Mojica
04/19/2022
Lifestyle Lab
12/20/2020
Alex Mojica
04/19/2022
Lifestyle Lab
10/25/2020
Lifestyle Lab
10/25/2020
Lifestyle Lab
12/20/2020
See All Sources
Features
- Auto Switch-Off
- Pod System
- Positive
- Negative
Auto Switch-Off - It doesn't have an auto switch-off function, but you simply need to hold down two buttons at once to switch it off. Overall, it's easy to operate and clean.
techradar - Sophie Bird
11/01/2021
Pod System - The simplicity of the pod system is great because of time restrictions, but it's also nice to take the coffee journey to the next level.
Alex Mojica
04/19/2022
See All Sources
Performance
- Brewing
- Espresso
- Experience
- Grinding
- Milk Frothing
- Noise
- Performance
- Set-Up
- Stability
- Steaming
- Usage
- Positive
- Negative
Brewing - Grinding a grain size of 10 took around 22-23, brewing an espresso shot took 21, and the coffee was smooth with a thick crema on top, plus adding sugar and stirring made the crema reappear. Noise-wise it generated an average of 53dB. Also, switching between brewing and steaming is quicker due to the new heating design.
Espresso - It offers a low-pressure pre-infusion with a single and a double shot button that can be programmed to a shot length of your choice by holding both buttons down before extracting.
Lifestyle Lab
12/20/2020
Experience - Some units came with single-wall baskets, while others came with both. Machines are great for making hot chocolates, mochas, and chai lattes, aside from the usual coffees. Also, approximately 19g of ground coffee in the basket will yield 38g in 28-32 secs. The milk pitcher and the ability to steam milk are also great features.
Grinding - Even without a precise grinder, or if you're using pre-ground coffee, you'll still be able to pour an excellent shot with the double-walled option. It can also maintain the chosen roaster's original flavor complexities, even through a double-walled basket.
tom's guide - Tabitha Baker
07/15/2021
Milk Frothing - The milk frothing system is one of its exciting features. This option automatically steams milk to the optimum temperature, creating a velvety texture and even making a thicker micro-foam on top, but you can also manually steam the milk. The automatic cleaning system is also helpful, as there's no need to wash through the steam wand. Function-wise, once the milk has reached the temperature you've programmed in, the steam wand will shut off, and after you've lifted the wand out of the jug and put it back down into the resting position, the machine will automatically purge the wand.
Noise - When the steam wand was in action, the noise level reached 51dB while the milk was frothing.
techradar - Sophie Bird
11/01/2021
Performance - It's a solid kitchen appliance that quickly makes espresso at the appropriate temperature and pressure. It slides around a bit, but a non-slip kitchen counter solves the problem. It also froths milk for lattes and cappuccinos.
Forbes - Curtis Silver
08/20/2019
Set-Up - Initial setup is quick and easy, only requiring manual insertion of a water filter and a quick system clean before brewing.
tom's guide - Tabitha Baker
07/15/2021
Stability - At first, the portafilter requires pressure to be locked in, which causes the machine to move as it's too light, but over time the locking connection might become a bit smoother.
Forbes - Curtis Silver
08/20/2019
Steaming - The steaming performance is a real standout feature of the machine as it uses the 4-hole steam wand that can be pre-programmed to reach 3 independently adjustable levels of temperature and texture. It also has an automatic purging feature that just requires the steam arm to be placed back in, and it will remove any built-up milk residue.
Usage - If you want the machine and want to use the training wheels kind of portafilter, it's a good option as it makes a good espresso, and you don't need to worry about the grind; just do it and again and do what works best for you and your coffee.
Alex Mojica
04/19/2022
Sources
Tags
- Brewing
- Espresso
- Experience
- Grinding
- Milk Frothing
- Noise
- Performance
- Set-Up
- Stability
- Steaming
- Usage
Sources
- techradar
- YouTube
- tom’s guide
- Forbes
techradar - Sophie Bird
11/01/2021
Alex Mojica
04/19/2022
Lifestyle Lab
12/20/2020
Lifestyle Lab
10/25/2020
Lifestyle Lab
10/25/2020
Alex Mojica
04/19/2022
tom's guide - Tabitha Baker
07/15/2021
tom's guide - Tabitha Baker
07/15/2021
Lifestyle Lab
10/25/2020
techradar - Sophie Bird
11/01/2021
techradar - Sophie Bird
11/01/2021
Forbes - Curtis Silver
08/20/2019
tom's guide - Tabitha Baker
07/15/2021
Forbes - Curtis Silver
08/20/2019
Lifestyle Lab
10/25/2020
Lifestyle Lab
10/25/2020
Alex Mojica
04/19/2022
See All Sources
Alternative
- Gaggia Carezza Deluxe
- DeLonghi Dedica EC680
- Gaggia Pro
- Positive
- Negative
Gaggia Carezza Deluxe - The Gaggia Carezza Deluxe is a bit closer to Breville in terms of features with single-walled baskets and pre-infusion, but it lacks automatic milk frothing and costs $332/£249.
tom's guide - Tabitha Baker
07/15/2021
DeLonghi Dedica EC680 - If the price point looks inhibitive, the DeLonghi Dedica EC680 is worth considering as it's a bit cheaper at $299/£219, with the same compact footprint and easy-to-use design. However, it lacks some of the more professional features of the Bambino Plus.
tom's guide - Tabitha Baker
07/15/2021
Gaggia Pro - The Gaggia Pro has an easier-to-master technique and is a quality machine.
MDfoodie
01/20/2021
See All Sources
Comparison
- Bambino Plus vs Bambino Classic
- Bambino Plus vs Bambino Regular
- Bambino Plus vs Bambino
- Bambino Plus vs High-End Espresso Machine
- Bambino Plus vs Mid-Ranges
- Positive
- Negative
Bambino Plus vs Bambino Classic - The Bambino Plus can get hot water dispensed through the steam wand, similar to the regular Bambino, by pressing the single shot and froth control buttons simultaneously. The only benefit the Bambino has over the Plus is the smaller form factor and the less loose-fitting drip tray cover. Otherwise, the Bambino Plus is better in every way but also costs more. However, it's a worthy machine for learning how to make better espresso shots. It's also a perfect machine for people who want to make lattes conveniently.
Lifestyle Lab
12/20/2020
Bambino Plus vs Bambino Regular - For cost and footprint, the Bambino is better, although either is good, and the only cons for the Plus vs. the Regular are the fiddly drip tray on the Plus. Also, the Plus costs more at about 100$-$150. It also has a hot water feature and offers more tech with a programmable pre-infusion, PID, and milk frothing.
SirRicklll
05/17/2021
Bambino Plus vs Bambino - Another difference is that the Bambino Plus comes with a 2-year limited warranty, while the Bambino only has a 1-year one.
Lifestyle Lab
12/20/2020
Bambino Plus vs High-End Espresso Machine - The simplicity and ease of Nespresso are nice, but you cannot compare the taste of a latte brewed in a higher-end espresso machine vs. Nespresso, as they have very different flavors.
Alex Mojica
04/19/2022
Bambino Plus vs Mid-Ranges - Contrary to many mid-range espresso machines with this level of customization and additional features, the Breville Bambino Plus uses its simple design to offer a straightforward operation with almost no learning curve needed to make high-quality shots topped with perfectly frothed milk with just a push of a button.
tom's guide - Tabitha Baker
07/15/2021
Sources
Tags
- Bambino Plus vs Bambino Classic
- Bambino Plus vs Bambino Regular
- Bambino Plus vs Bambino
- Bambino Plus vs High-End Espresso Machine
- Bambino Plus vs Mid-Ranges
Sources
- YouTube
- tom’s guide
See All Sources
Availability & Price
- Availability
- Price
- Value
- Positive
- Negative
Availability - It's available in the US, UK, and Australia, though, in the UK, it's known as Sage the Bambino Plus.
techradar - Sophie Bird
11/01/2021
Price - It's sold at $499.95/£399.95/AU$ 649, which doesn't make it an entry-level device. However, it does incorporate many features that would be difficult to find even on more expensive espresso machines. In other places like the UK, prices have dropped to only £220.
tom's guide - Tabitha Baker
07/15/2021
Value - The additional cost is worth ensuring a high-quality shot every time you need one, considering the milk temperature and texture control, 3-second warm-up time, customizable pre-infusion settings, and professional-grade baskets.
tom's guide - Tabitha Baker
07/15/2021
See All Sources
Miscellaneous
- Cleaning
- Issue - Portafilter & Basket
- Issue - Purging
- Target Consumer
- Lack - Water Outlet
- Knockbox
- Positive
- Negative
Cleaning - There is no way to get clean hot water from the machine other than by steaming a pitcher to your desired temperature.
Lifestyle Lab
12/20/2020
Issue - Portafilter & Basket - The included portafilter and basket are an issue, as upgrading the portafilter to a bottomless portafilter from Crema coffee and a non-pressurized basket improved performance.
Lifestyle Lab
10/25/2020
Issue - Purging - The auto-purging of the steam wand into the tray ends up with milky water over the bench as the poor design of the collection tray forces the water up over the sides onto the temperature sensor. But the solution is to leave the wand until the milk has been emptied and then lower the wand into the milk jug, actuating the self-purge, which results in no mess and an empty collection tray.
Lifestyle Lab
10/25/2020
Target Consumer - The decision to leave out a hot water spout but include automatic steaming and pressurized baskets shows that Breville targets latte and cappuccino drinkers.
Lifestyle Lab
10/25/2020
Lack - Water Outlet - It doesn't have a dedicated hot water outlet, which is a mistake if you're an americano drinker. You'll need to boil the water separately in a kettle or steam the water to the desired temperature.
Lifestyle Lab
10/25/2020
Knockbox - A knock box usually with an espresso for recycling pods, but for machines like the Bambino Plus, you throw your unused coffee grounds into the garbage.
Alex Mojica
04/19/2020
Sources
Tags
- Cleaning
- Issue - Portafilter & Basket
- Issue - Purging
- Target Consumer
- Lack - Water Outlet
- Knockbox
Sources
- YouTube
See All Sources
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