Breville the Bambino Plus Espresso Machine

This Bambino Plus replaced a long serving entry level Delonghi. I expected better results from this higher end machine but was surprised at how much better. Using the same beans, same grind, and same water, this Breville machine produces significantly better coffee. Better than any coffee or doughnut shop with a drive through and close to what you get at high end shops using machines costing $10k.

The texture of the foam produced is rich and thick. The cappuccino is flavorful, never overly bitter and never with the burnt flavor I’d gotten used to with my last machine (an entry level DeLonghi).

I was a little skeptical about the automated features, especially with steaming milk. Those are the things that generally don’t work as advertised and are the first to break. But it’s worked exactly as advertised. This is the first 5 star review I’ve given in a long, long time. Other than wishing I could have gotten it for just a little cheaper, there’s nothing I can find to mark this machine down on.

Other reviews have complained that it’s difficult to keep clean. I don’t see it. The self cleaning cycle that purges water from the brewing system and through the frothing wand works well and makes keeping the machine clean a snap. Yes to purges into the tray which needs to be dumped, but that is only necessary every few days, even when making several coffees each day.

One tip, put the now empty frothing jug under the wand during its cleaning cycle. This catches the water it uses to purge the tip and keep it clean. No need to even wipe down the tray.

Didn’t even last a year, and the entire time, it was so high maintenance. I have spent so much time messing with this machine. In the end, despite all the descaling and cleaning, it just doesn’t work anymore. I fill it with water and press the button, and a tiny little blast of steam comes out, and that’s all. I don’t have the patience to take the entire machine apart with a screwdriver and try to unplug all the tubes to see if any of them might have an issue. It just doesn’t work. I don’t know why. I was constantly having to steam the steamer and use a special type of blue liquid to clean the steam wand, and going back and forth between running water shots and running real shots because somehow that was the only way I could froth the milk. The milk was never getting frothy enough or hot enough, despite all the ways I tried to clean it, and I tried them all. Yes, I descaled it. I did all the things. It just doesn’t work. I regret buying this device. Woe to me on a weekday morning when, surprise! It’s time to run the descaler! And you can’t make any espresso without sitting there for 15 minutes watching the machine descale itself into 64 ounce glass container which OF COURSE I TOTALLY HAVE ON HAND at 5am in the morning. Even when I descaled it as recommended, it still wouldn’t run water through the espresso shot thingy. I descaled it multiple times in a row, didn’t make a difference. Now it just doesn’t work anymore.

We purchased Bambino Plus after comparing with Barista Express/Pro. Deciding factor was footprint and quick start. Fast forward few days, we received Bambino Plus and we were amazed by its performance from tiny package. Water really heats up in 3seconds, and auto frothing is much better than I was expecting. I also tested manual frothing, it works but not best experience as the nozzle locks at awkward angle. So I settled with auto and satisfied so far. We drink few cups of lattes everyday since then and it’s working great.

Bambino Plus doesn’t have grinder hence we buy ground coffee but thinking about investing in grinder. Breville’s single wall filters are completely sold out as of writing this review, just in case you are looking for upgrade.

Oh BTW there are complaints about difficulty inserting portafilter and that’s true right after you turn system on. Just dispense a cup or two hot water. It somehow opens up receiver side and then easy to insert, also this action cleans up coffee from previous use x)

My wife and I constantly went out for coffees, and the bill was racking up! We decided to do research for an Espresso machine and we hit a home run with this Breville! We were worried we’d become sick of having to make espresso everyday, but this machine makes it super easy and quick. The price point is right around what we were looking for, and already are in the black with our ROI based on how much we bought coffee out. If you are a beginner to the espresso game, you need this item!

I adore this espresso machine for several reasons. It’s user-friendly, easy to clean, and operates quietly. The large water tank allows for consistent shots and great espresso taste. The design is appealing and space-efficient. The quick heat up time is a bonus. Overall, it’s a fantastic product that has rekindled my love for coffee.

I have 3.5 years and thousands of cups of experience with this machine. I’m torn on whether to recommend, here’s why:

I bought it for $500 in July 2021. I make 3 double cappuccinos every morning for my wife, mother & myself. Minus holidays, etc, thats roughly 2500 cups. That sounds like a lot, but it’s not a heavy load for a quality, reliable espresso machine, and I am meticulous about cleaning after each use and care over time. I take off the wand head and soak in hot water approx 1x/week. I only use filtered water, and I have used quality cleaning tablets & descaler at every cycle.

Normally when I pay $500 for a small appliance from a reputable brand, I expect it to be reliable and last quite a while. If it breaks, I expect a machine at that price point to have decent repair infrastructure for a reasonable price & turnaround time. Unfortunately this is not the case with Breville in the US. Maybe my expectations are too high? You decide whether buying a $500 unit every 3.5 years is a good small appliance value or not.

If out of warranty service options were solid, I would absolutely overlook the quirks of this machine and recommend it for the excellent coffee it makes when paired with a quality grinder. The build quality & component choices are mediocre, but it makes good espresso drinks. Note I have no data to compare with other espresso machines, so I can’t say this is above or below “average” but based on the service and reliability of other small appliances at this price point, that’s only 3 stars from me.

As far as quirks that others have noted like confusing flashing lights and being forced to go through a cleaning cycle at the worst possible time (big meeting in 30 mins, really need that morning espresso to shine), these are more distractions than deal breakers for me as there are lots of good utube explainer videos. I know approx how long between cleaning cycles, so I do a series of manual clean cycles with a tablet on the weekend and then, when the auto cleaning cycle hits, I just use plain water, so I can get in a short meditation while I let it run through the 5 min cycle, then get back to finishing what it caught me in the middle of making. Yes, it would be a design improvement to reset the counter when the user performs a manual cleaning/descaler cycle, but that’s a quirk for me, not a showstopper.

Some might say that I’m nuts for complaining about a unit that has performed really well for 3.5 years and thousands of delicious cups, and I would agree if only this were a less expensive unit from a less reputable brand or if the service options were more akin to competitors in this price range. Shopping around, I’m likely to end up buying another unit as it’s not clear which units have higher build quality & parts for under US$1k. I hope I can get more cups out of the replacement unit, and perhaps Breville will hire a new head of Customer Service who will implement a solid service infrastructure focused on building brand value across the US? That would add stars for sure… In the meantime, looks like Vietnamese drip until the next unit arrives.

I purchased this item on February 24, 2024. four months later I had to return it to Breville and they sent me a new product. The milk froth wand was not heating or working. The exact problem is happening again in October 2024. I have called Breville customer service. I cannot get a hold of a service representative and I’m told to leave my phone number and they’ll call me back in several hours. Not happy with this product at all considering I probably use it once a day and cost $550. I would like a refund I don’t want to have to do this a couple of times a year, unfortunately, I would’ve had to return it in March 2024 to receive a refund. I do not recommend this product.. I have a Breville microwave and toaster and have had no problems. I would steer clear of this particular Breville appliance.

I bought this to replace my five-year old Breville BES840XL (also without bean grinder), whose pressure gauge had stopped working and which had started to sound a little clunky overall. Loved that machine. And now I love this one–with a couple of exceptions where “love” is only “like”.

The Bambino is just fine for making expresso. Making cappuccino, which is what I do most often, I like it both better and not as well as the older Breville. The “automatic” foam maker works pretty well, with three-level control buttons for both heat and foam density. But I dislike the fact (unavoidable, I would think, if designing for “automatic”) that the minimum amount of milk I have to use requires about twice as much milk as I would like to use. I do miss the pressure gauge a bit, but it doesn’t seem to have been really needed(!). I also miss the on-board site for storage of the tamper.

All in all, I’m very happy with the purchase.