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The Breville Bambino Plus solves the two biggest complaints people have about home espresso: waiting around for the machine to heat up, and struggling to texture milk. Breville’s ThermoJet heating system gets the Bambino Plus to temperature in around three seconds — genuinely, not marketing-speak — and the automatic steam wand does the milk texturing for you, with three preset temperatures to choose from.
What you don’t get is a built-in grinder. The Bambino Plus assumes you’re either buying pre-ground coffee (not ideal for quality) or, more sensibly, pairing it with a separate burr grinder. Once you’ve sorted that out, the extraction side is straightforward: a 54mm portafilter, low-pressure pre-infusion followed by 9-bar extraction, and enough consistency that beginners get drinkable espresso within the first few shots rather than the first few weeks.
The footprint is genuinely compact — at 31 x 19 x 36cm it fits under most upper cabinets and doesn’t dominate a kitchen bench the way larger machines do. Build quality leans more toward plastic than the all-steel body of pricier Breville machines, which is part of how it hits this price point.
For the money, this is the machine we’d recommend to someone upgrading from a pod machine who wants real steamed milk without a steep learning curve.
Pros
- ThermoJet heats up in about 3 seconds, no waiting around
- Automatic steam wand makes silky microfoam with zero technique
- Small footprint fits tight kitchen benches
- Genuinely simple to use for espresso beginners
- Excellent value against machines twice the price
Cons
- No built-in grinder — you'll need a separate burr grinder
- 9-bar pump and smaller boiler mean less headroom for back-to-back milk drinks
- Top-loading water tank refill isn't as tidy as a rear-loading design
- Plastic housing rather than the all-steel body of pricier Breville models
Who It's For
Who Should Buy This
Espresso beginners and anyone upgrading from a pod machine who wants real steamed milk and proper extraction without a steep learning curve. Pair it with any decent burr grinder and you're covered.
Who Shouldn't Buy This
If you want a grinder built into the same unit, the Barista Express is the better fit — the Bambino Plus assumes you're grinding separately.
Technical Specifications
| Boiler | ThermoJet, ~3 second heat-up |
|---|---|
| Pump Pressure | 9 bar |
| Grinder | None — use pre-ground or a separate grinder |
| Portafilter | 54mm stainless steel |
| Water Tank | 1.8L |
| Milk System | Automatic steam wand, 3 temperature settings |
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 31 x 19 x 36 cm |
| Weight | 5 kg |
| Warranty | 2 years |
Gallery & Video
Our Verdict
The Bambino Plus is the easiest recommendation we can make for someone who wants a proper espresso and steamed milk without committing to a steep learning curve or a large machine. It won't win on raw shot quality against machines with bigger boilers, but the combination of instant heat-up and hands-free milk texturing at this price is genuinely hard to beat.
Alternatives to Consider
| Product | Overall Score | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breville Bambino Plus Review: The Best Value Compact Espresso Machine in Australia This Review | $549.00 | ||
| Breville Barista Express BES870 Review: Still the Best All-in-One Under $1,000? | $699.00 | View Review | |
| De’Longhi Magnifica S ECAM22110B Review: Genuinely Fuss-Free Bean-to-Cup Coffee | $549.00 | View Review |
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it doesn't include a built-in grinder. You'll need pre-ground coffee or, for better results, a separate burr grinder.
Thanks to Breville's ThermoJet heating system, it reaches operating temperature in around 3 seconds — among the fastest of any home espresso machine.
Yes — its automatic steam wand with three preset temperatures makes it one of the easiest machines in its class for lattes, cappuccinos and flat whites.
