Breville Bambino Plus Review [5 Key Benefits!]

Are you looking for an espresso machine with advanced features to make good espresso? Do you need automatic milk texturizing capabilities? At the same time, you want this machine to be compact? Keep reading this Breville Bambino Plus review to find out if it is right for you.

This Breville Bambino Plus, without any doubt, is an awesome refresh to all those bulky espresso models of past years.  Although more compact, this brewer still sports a few of my preferred Breville machine design features, such as the tray indicator for full drip, and the large 1.9 liter detachable water filter.

Its straightforward user interface tends to make this device the perfect unit for anyone seeking to turn into a perfect home barista.

Breville Bambino Plus Review: Who it is for?

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Breville Bambino Plus (model no: BES500) is a very easy to use espresso machine with advanced features to make a great tasty espresso consistently.

Perhaps you like latte or cappuccino but want consistency in the milk texture?

Producing Barista-quality milk texture consistency requires practice to master. And if you are just starting out making latte art at home and want to skip the texturizing step, Bambino Plus is ideal for you with its automatic hand-free milk texturing capability.

And it is really compact, so it’s not going to take up too much space on your counter.

What do I like About Breville Bambino Plus BES500?

Breville Bambino Plus BES500 is straightforward and simple to use espresso machine. It packs advanced features for espresso extraction and comes with a durable, sturdy construction that will guarantee long-lasting overall performance.

Great Design

I particularly like the way Breville BES500 has been designed. This unit features a gorgeous brushed steel body in a compact design. The coffee maker maintains the switches “to-a-minimum” to highlight its smart design.

Its drip tray features a floater which will rise while the drip tray gets full. Such feature offers you a great visual indicator that is time to clear the drip tray.

Ease to use

Apart from having a good design, Breville BES500 also comes with really great features, making it really easy to use. Its minimalistic approach for its button controls make it easy to learn and operate.

In addition, this machine heats up really fast with its newer Breville heating system. There’s also not much wait time between brewing espresso and steaming milk.

I particularly like its automatic milk texturing capability. I must say I like making Latte Art. But I’m not really good with texturizing milk. So Bambino Plus takes away this difficult part away and I can focus on just making my Latte Art!

 

Key Benefits Of Breville Bambino Plus Espresso Machine

1 Advanced features for Optimal Espresso Extraction.

Breville Bambino Plus comes with a pre-infusion step which enhances the espresso extraction. This step slowly increases the pressure initially so that the hot water can saturate the coffee grounds. This allows the flavours to be completely drawn out evenly for a balanced tasting espresso.

The brew temperature of water has to be precise and constant to ensure optimal extraction. Bambino Plus uses a digital temperature controller to ensure that the water is delivered to the espresso at the right temperature and stay within the required temperature range.

2 Hands-Free, Automatic Microfoam

Getting the silky smooth steamed microfoamed milk you obtain from a professional barista requires a lot of skill. And the microfoam does make a big difference in quality of milk-based coffee drink in terms of the sweet flavor and mouthfeel.

But this can be challenging for home users and new baristas to perfect.

This is not an issue with Breville Bambino Plus with its automated steam wand which does the milk texturing automatically. Thus, it provides  you with hands-free true microfoam.

In addition, it also automatically purge the steam wand when you push it back to its downward position. This will clear any milk residues inside the steam wand which will affect the milk taste.

3 Able to Adjust Milk Temperature and Texture

Breville Bambino Plus comes with 3 milk temperature setting – Warm, ideal and hot.  This allows you to vary the milk temperature for a different sweetness level in your milk.

It also comes with 3 options for the milk texture – low, medium and high. With this, you can control the amount of microfoam to achieve a different mouthfeel experience you desire.

4 Auto Purge

This Breville Bambino Plus purges the heating system automatically after every use. This will bring the temperature from the hotter 135 degree Celsius for steaming water to the 95 degree Celsius for brewing espresso. This will ensure that you won’t get a burned espresso on the next brew.

5 Fast Thermojet Heating System

This Breville espresso machine is equipped with the new Thermojet heating system. This allows it to heat up to the extraction temperature in just 3 seconds. This is one of the fastest in the market.

With this powerful heating system, switching between brewing espresso and steaming milk is almost instantaneous.

 

Video of Bambino Plus Breville Espresso Maker in action

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Is it Easy to Clean And Maintain Breville Bambino Plus?

Cleaning this Breville Bambino Plus is simply as effortless as running the device is. You will find three key routines you will want to learn.

Cleaning of the steam wand

After each milk steaming, it is super vital that you clean the exterior of wand as well as clean the wand up of milk residue which might be inside.

Since the steam wand comes with an automatic purge feature, cleaning the interior is easy by pushing it back to its downward position.

As for the exterior, a wetted, warm wash cloth will do the trick to remove any milk, including dried up milk, on the steam wand.

Back-Flush The Device

After 200 coffee extractions, the 2 CUP and 1 CUP buttons will begin alternating flashing.

It indicates that it is time to start the cleaning period on the Bambino. For doing this, you will want to make use of the included coffee backlash disc and device cleaning tablets.

Make sure to stick to the instructions integrated in the user manual which comes with this device.

De-scaling The Unit

De-scaling is a step done periodically to extend the lifespan of your espresso machine. The process of de-scaling eliminates scale accumulated in the inside of brewer due to heating of water. Besides prolonging the lifespan, this step is also vital for the espresso taste as this scale can affect the taste.

One trick to reduce the descaling frequency will be using less “hard” water ( i.e water with less impurities). To avoid the scale or any impurities in the water from affecting the taste, remember to use a water filter to remove these particles.

But don’t worry, descaling is quite an easy process.

Watch how to descale Breville Bambino Plus

Potential Shortcoming of Breville Bambino Pro BES500

No integrated grinder

Brewing espresso directly from freshly grind coffee can really enhance the coffee taste. However, Bambino Pro BES500 doesn’t come with the integrated grinder.

Suggestions for Breville espresso makers with grinder:

• Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine
• Breville Barista Pro Espresso Machine

Small Drip Tray Workspace

With a slim design, some have complained that the drip tray is smaller and may not catch coffee drip as effectively. If you like a large drip tray at similar price range, consider the Breville Duo Temp Pro Plus. However, this is an older model which uses the older heating system. And it doesn’t come with automatic milk texturizing.

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Should I Buy Breville Bambino Plus Espresso Machine?

Breville Bambino Plus is really an impressive espresso maker. With Breville’s advanced features, it can make you a tasty espresso and produce the same consistency in the taste from cup to cup. If you are really picky about the taste, Bambino Plus is a great option to consider.

But what makes this Breville different from the older models at the same price range is its newer heating system. This makes brewing espresso a faster affair. And the best part is you don’t waste time between brewing espresso and steaming milk as its heating system is powerful to bring it up to the steam temperature almost instantaneously.

And for those who loves milk-based drink, the automatic hand-free milk texturing really takes the guesswork out of milk texturing. Also, you have the option to adjust both the milk temperature and texture for a different milk experience.

If you want a entry level espresso machine from the Breville Brand, this Bambino Plus is the one to buy.

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Pros:

• Advanced features for optimal espresso extraction
• Auto Purge to ensure you don’t get a burned espresso
• Steam wand comes with automatic self-cleaning
• Automatic milk texturing
• Adjustable milk temperature and temperature
• 3 seconds thermo-jet heating – almost instantaneous switch between espresso brewing and milk steaming.

 

 

I hope this Breville Bambino Plus review has helped you made a decision.