Sage the Bambino Plus Espresso Machine, Coffee Machine with Milk Frother, SES500BTR - Black Truffle

Product Information

At its default settings, the Bambino Plus’ serves up a single 30ml espresso or a 60ml double espresso but it’s easy to tweak these amounts to your preferences. There are both one cup and two cup dual-wall filter baskets included as standard, the one-cup basket holding up to 10g of ground coffee, and the two-cup up to 19g, so it’s pretty easy to get the coffee tasting just how you want it.

Next on our testing agenda was to see how well the steam wand worked. We chose to opt for the medium texture setting on the Bambino Plus, and the medium heat setting. We used the automatic setting, and placed the milk jug on the sensor so that the machine would know when the milk had reached the desired temperature. The noise level when the steam wand was in action was even lower than when we were making espresso, reaching 51 decibels while the milk was frothing. When we added the milk to our coffee, it retained a velvety texture that lasted all the way down our drink as we sipped it. Recently, the company acquired Baratza (2020), one of the biggest home grinders companies, and Lelit (2022), a prosumer espresso machine brand. Although these moves irritate some coffee fans, they may represent faster quality improvements and product innovation for home baristas. Breville Bambino vs. Bambino Plus: Side-By-Side Comparison Features Bean-to-cup coffee machines: These gadgets are all about convenience: they grind and press the coffee beans and make espresso all in one go, so you get fresh tasting coffee every time. The thing to be mindful of is price, as some models can be expensive. If you're using your machine every day, they may also require more regular cleaning, especially those with a fresh milk operating system.At the front, the large drip tray captures most of the spills and drips – I say most, as the steam wand’s self-cleaning routine does tend to splash a little – but it’s easy to remove and clean. If you don’t want to wash it out every single time you use it, a little red indicator floats up to warn you when it needs emptying. The symmetry of both machines’ control panels is notable– with single and double shot options on the left side and steam or water buttons on the right side of their respective control panels. They both have pre-programmed settings and are easy to use, making them perfect for espresso novices. However, a few key differences may make one machine better for your needs than the other.

Considering the water capacity in the Breville Bambino Plus and the Breville Bambino, you can easily prepare dozens of shots without filling the tank. And although the Breville Bambino Plus has more water capacity, that doesn’t seem to be that important in a home setting. The ThermoJet heating system achieves the optimum extraction temperature, 93, in 3 seconds. PID temperature control with the Bambino Plus maintains the water temperature within +/- 1 , allowing the profile of coffee to be showcased. Overall, the main issue for most advanced users is that they prefer to adjust the settings for a single and double espresso. Still, following the steps in their tutorials and manuals is pretty easy, and it doesn’t take too long to get a good shot of espresso.

A compact, stylish and easy to use coffee machine that’s perfect for espresso beginners – it’s just a tad on the pricey side, though

This machine also comes with two sets of unpressurised and pressurised (or dual wall) baskets – two for single shot and two for doubles. Use the dual wall pressurised baskets for pre-ground coffee that isn’t necessarily as finely ground as it should be and the single-wall unpressurised baskets when using a grinder and fresh-roasted beans to produce coffee of powder-like consistency. We found that some professional baristas have tested and used these machines at home for a while through further research. In these cases, it’s common to find praise for the convenience and reliability of the Breville Bambino and the Bambino Plus.