Breville Bambino Plus Review

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The Breville Bambino Plus has a shockingly small form factor for an espresso machine, but there's more than meets the eye packed into the small size. In this review of the Breville Bambino Plus we'll take a look at the automatic steaming features, the espresso quality, as well as the overall build quality and user experience. Is the Bambino Plus a clear winner over the other entry level Brevilles such as the Infuser and Duo Temp? Let's find out!

#coffee #espresso #espressomachine

Filming Setup

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0:00 - Intro
0:16 - Size / Build
2:00 - Steaming Performance
4:38 - Espresso Quality
6:06 - Pulling a shot
6:34 - Latte / Conclusion

[AdamBoutilier]

The Bambino Plus can also dispense Hot Water...
Raise the steam wand, press one cup and the froth control button simultaneously until water starts to flow. The machine will dispense hot water, and you can get it to stop by pressing 1 cup again.

Found it on page 13 of the online manual, my print manual didn't mention anything.

[joseluisgarciapalomeque]

It can actually produce hot water, you just need to press the single and steam buttons at the same time.

[ManuelMunozLara]

I got both types of baskets with mine. I thought I had to get them extra, but was pleasantly surprised when I opened the package. I also didn't hear you mention that they include the milk pitcher. It's a really nicely made.
I also like that you can do one Espresso after the other really fast. You don't have to wait that long for the machine to be ready again.

[Drunken_Warlock]

great review. ive been using the Bambino for about 6 months now, and i agree that the included portafilter and basket is an issue. I upgraded the portafilter to a bottomless portafilter from Crema coffee and a non pressurized basket and its been super awesome. yes it was an extra expense but it was worth it.

[seanhood]

The Bambino is a great machine. Some notes from 2-4 cups/day since Jan.

1) I paid £200 from Curry's for mine. Which is incredibly cheap for such a machine, the current price of £400 might push me to the next machine up. £300/350 would be a much better price I'd say.
2) You can manually steam milk with the wand to control temperature/texture yourself
3) Mine came with non-pressurised baskets included.
4) The portafilter doesn't feel cheap, it just isn't polished, it does have a nice weight to it.
5) Also, if you purge a "single" shot of water before putting in the portafilter it seems to warm up the seals and you don't need the extra hand to hold the machine down.
6) The drip tray is quite small and don't pull it out to empty right after you have pulled a shot. The excess pressurised water is also fed into there.
7) Only upgrades/accessories I've picked up are: bottomless portafilter, Motta 53mm Tamper and upgraded my grinder from the Delonghi KG79 to the Eureka Mignon Specialita (almost overkill).
8) This machine can make some very nice hot chocolate too with the steam wand.

[rogerevans]

Had 2 Bambino Plus (one went back on warranty) great machine, I love it. But, the auto purging of the steam wand into the tray ends up with milky water over the bench. Both machines did this, as the poor design of the collection tray forces the water up over the sides onto the temperature sensor, even if the tray is empty. Solution is to leave the wand up until the milk has been emptied and then lower the wand into the milk jug actuating the self purge. Result no mess and a empty collection tray.

[cookingclips]

I just used my Bambino Plus for the first time today and made a great cappuccino. The automatic milk froth is an excellent option and gives you a perfect crema. I would definitely leave the wand up until the milk has been emptied and then lower the milk jug to empty the water spout. If you don't do this you will find the tray almost full of milky water. Not a pleasant site if your trying to minimize your clean up. If I had to make the next generation Bambino Plus I would definitely consider making a deeper tray so you don't have to clean up every time. But overall, I would give it an 8 out of 10.

[paulkettless]

Good video, and agree with the portafilter statement. The good news is that the machines are now supplied with both dual wall and non pressurised baskets.

[joanna.kluska]

It’s a great machine, had it since April and it’s faultless so far.
Mine arrived with the non pressurised baskets too (uk) so using sage smart grinder pro with the machine.
Great for making hot chocolates, mochas, and chai lattes too!
I manually steam the milk and also manually run shots of coffee with help of coffee scales to measure volume and time to get a perfect expresso.
I put approx 19grams coffee in the basket to yield 38grams of coffee in 28-32 secs
But every bean is a different recipe ;)

[peterc]

I believe that in Europe this comes with pressurised and non pressurised baskets. It's odd they don't do that everywhere. Thanks for another great video!

[KingBeef]

I think not being able to adjust the temperature of the espresso is a bigger concern than some of the other issues. Water temp can make a big difference in shot quality.

[daivernon]

Well done video and good info... I just bought the machine after many hours of research...

[shankerlalchhatri]

Thank you for reviewing the machine so minutely, it was very satisfying..

[Tunnelrat]

I have had this machine for 1 year now. Love it. I do have my own bottomless pot.

[Presso]

This is the experiments that i had conducted to assess the brewing temperature :-
1. Run 1st blank shot, brewing temperature in the basket is at around 185F.
2. Run 2nd blank shot, brewing temperature inside the basket is at around 195F.
3. Run the 3rd blank shot, it will further raise the temperature in the basket to 200F.

As we can see, it takes a few blank shots in order to warm up the entire water path from the heating coil to the portafilter.

[nielsen]

Very knowledgeable review👍 I have one (here named Sage, instead of Breville), and the non-pressurised filters were included. I'm not always getting that good milk-texture when using automatic steaming.
Btw, is a hot water outlet that important? A hot water kettle is standard equipment in most kitchens, and using a kettle take some workload+wear and tear off the more expensive espresso machine.

[joe]

Manual steaming is excellent, you don't have to use the auto function.
A single walled basket is a cheap upgrade, plus you can also remove the plastic interior from the stock portafilter to improve thermal mass and reduce your contact time with plastic.
Interestingly, in the markets v where this comes under the Sage brand instead of breville, you do get single walled baskets too plus a built in water filter in the reservoir.

[buserror]

I own one of these, mine came with all the baskets (single, double). I don't think the tray is sitting properly in the video, as on mine, it is flush with the milk temperature sensor "base", so there is no chance you can "miss" it when doing the milk.
I'm pretty sure the handle of my portafilter is also better than the one in the video, arguably it's not the "wood" one but it feels pretty good to my hand at least!
Lastly we've been deligthed with the machine, we had a Nespresso Vertuo for a month or so, which was a piece of BEEP really, returned it as it broke down, and the Sage/Breville is absolutely amazing in comparison.
For "hot water" to make your shots longer, just press the single/double buttons again ! If I want a "longe" coffe, I press the double cup, then the single cup and end up with almost perfect "longe" ratio. You can mix and match the "volume" you get. I know it's not "barista grade" way of doing things, but it works pretty well for us.
One REALLY NICE feature of that machine, and sure perhaps all of them have it but I like it anyway: when the water tank is near empty, the machibe won't try. it stops, buttons are "off" and you know exactly what's going on. Add water, try again and all is well. The water tank (with it's finger "loop") is also super easy to manage, especiallu given it's volume/size.

[fray]

I've had this machine for about 2 months, and while my current grinder is suboptimal for espresso leading me to use the pressurised baskets, I've had superior milk drinks to any cafe near me, and everybody that's been around my apartment for coffee would agree. Definitely a great little machine as an entry to the world of Espresso. Next upgrade will be the grinder, but saving up for something like a Linea Mini is tempting after realising how much I enjoy the process of making coffee on this machine.

[cycletouringoz]

I have one

Probably the best bang for the buck when you are limited for space as I am

I use a Lume USB grinder

Results are good

You can stretch the milk manually if the three pre-sets do not suit your taste.

An all round good machine.

I got two single wall filter baskets from Breville Australia. $7 a pop. No big deal

This machine performs well

If you are expecting everything in such a small machine ?

Spend thousands on something else 🤗