Our Rating:
4.7
Breville Bambino Plus Espresso Machine Review
Ranked #2 (Runner-up)
Best Espresso Machine
in 2025!
Authors: Diana F, Anna N, Robert J, Shaun D
Introduction
The Breville Bambino Plus (BES500BSS) is a marvel of coffee engineering, a machine that brilliantly translates the promise of "third wave specialty coffee" into a compact, lightning-fast, and stunningly user-friendly package. In our months long search for the best espresso machine of 2025, the Bambino Plus consistently punched far above its weight class, delivering performance that challenges much larger and more complex machines!
Its design philosophy is crystal clear: remove the biggest barriers to entry for aspiring home baristas (long heat-up times and difficult milk steaming) and automate the path to delicious, café-quality results. While a few specific design trade-offs and minor shortcomings ultimately held it back from the coveted #1 rank, its overall excellence is undeniable, securing its position as the second-best espresso machine you can own in 2025!
Design and Build Quality
The Bambino Plus makes a powerful first impression with a design that is both elegant and intelligent, fitting seamlessly into any modern kitchen.
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Compact Footprint: Its most striking physical feature is its incredibly slim profile. This machine occupies a minimal amount of counter space, a huge advantage for those with smaller kitchens or a desire to avoid the bulky, industrial aesthetic of many semi-automatic machines.
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Premium Materials: The body is wrapped in beautiful brushed stainless steel, giving it a premium look and feel that belies its small size. This is complemented by a range of stylish colorways, including Black Truffle and Sea Salt, allowing for a degree of personalization. Our hands-on experience confirmed that while there are plastic components that contribute to its light weight, the overall construction feels solid and well-assembled.
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Clean User Interface: The control panel is a study in simplicity. A set of clear, intuitive buttons for 1-cup, 2-cup, and steam functions, along with dedicated controls for the automatic milk system, makes operation straightforward from the very first use. There's no confusing menu diving or complex programming required to get started.
The ThermoJet® System
At the core of the Bambino Plus is Breville's revolutionary ThermoJet® heating system, a piece of technology that completely transforms the daily espresso workflow.
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3-Second Heat-Up: This is the machine's headline feature, and it's every bit as impressive as it sounds. From a cold start, the Bambino Plus reaches the ideal 200°F extraction temperature in just three seconds. This practically eliminates the waiting period, making an impromptu espresso as quick and easy as making a cup of tea.
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Steam Transition: The speed of the ThermoJet isn't just about the first shot. After pulling your espresso, the machine is immediately ready to produce powerful steam for milk texturing. There is zero downtime, which streamlines the process of making lattes and cappuccinos dramatically.
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Auto-Purge Function: After steaming, the machine automatically purges the heating system, flushing it with cool water to bring the temperature back down for the next extraction. We found this feature to be a brilliant touch during our daily testing, as it ensures perfect thermal stability from one shot to the next without any manual intervention.
Extraction Quality
The Bambino Plus is built around what Breville calls the "4 Keys Formula" for great coffee, and the results in the cup are consistently excellent.
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Professional 54mm Portafilter: The machine uses a high-quality, 54mm stainless steel portafilter designed to hold a generous 18-19 gram dose of coffee. This larger dose is fundamental to achieving the rich, full-bodied flavor that you expect from a specialty café.
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Extraction System: A trio of technologies works in concert to guarantee a delicious shot. It starts with a low-pressure pre-infusion that gently saturates the coffee grounds to prevent channeling. This is followed by a high-pressure extraction delivered at the industry-standard 9 bars, regulated by an Over Pressure Valve (OPV). Finally, a PID Digital Temperature Controller ensures the water temperature is perfectly stable throughout the entire process. This technological safety net makes the machine incredibly forgiving.
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Dual & Single Wall Baskets: Breville includes two sets of filter baskets to accommodate every skill level. The dual-wall (pressurized) baskets are perfect for beginners, guaranteeing a good extraction even with pre-ground coffee. As your skills and equipment (like a quality grinder) improve, you can graduate to the single-wall (unpressurized) baskets to unlock the machine's full potential and gain total control over your espresso.
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Shot Control: The machine offers one-touch volumetric control via the 1-cup and 2-cup buttons. While convenient, we noticed slight variations in shot output when relying on this feature. For true precision, we strongly recommend using the manual mode—by pressing and holding the button to control pre-infusion and shot time—paired with a coffee scale. This method gives you complete control over your brew ratio, allowing you to dial in the perfect taste for any coffee bean.
Automatic Milk System
This is the Bambino Plus’s undisputed star feature, transforming the most difficult barista skill into a simple, one-touch operation that delivers astonishing results.
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Hands-Free Microfoam: The system is pure genius. You simply place the included milk jug on the temperature sensor, select your desired temperature and foam level, and press the steam button. The machine takes over, automatically texturing the milk to a silky, velvety microfoam and shutting off when it's done. This feature alone makes the machine worth its weight in gold for anyone who loves milk-based drinks.
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Latte, Art-Ready Texture: This isn't just a frother that creates big, airy bubbles. The Bambino Plus produces genuine microfoam with a glossy, paint-like texture that is perfectly integrated into the milk. After spending weeks with the machine, we consistently produced milk that was more than capable of being used for pouring beautiful latte art.
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Manual Steam Capability: For those who want to master the craft themselves, the machine still offers a fully manual steam mode. The steam wand is surprisingly powerful and provides more than enough pressure to create a proper vortex, giving you a clear path to develop your skills without ever outgrowing the machine.
Ergonomics
To achieve its wonderfully compact size, the Bambino Plus makes a few ergonomic trade-offs that become apparent in day-to-day operation.
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Small Drip Tray: This was the most noticeable compromise in our daily use. The drip tray is quite small and fills up quickly, especially with the auto-purge function. It requires frequent emptying, which can be a minor but persistent annoyance.
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Lightweight Body: The machine's light weight is great for moving it around, but it can be a slight drawback when locking the portafilter into the group head. The motion requires a firm twist, and we often found ourselves needing to use a second hand to hold the machine steady to prevent it from sliding on the counter.
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Static Steam Wand: While powerful, the steam wand is fixed in place and does not swivel from side to side. This creates a prescribed angle for manual steaming that, while perfectly functional, some may find slightly awkward compared to the full articulation of larger machines.
Accessories
Breville provides a generous starter kit, but one key accessory falls short and represents the machine’s most significant flaw.
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Included Kit: The box comes with almost everything you need: the 54mm portafilter, four different filter baskets, a cleaning kit, and a high-quality stainless steel milk jug that is perfectly sized for the automatic system.
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Inadequate Tamper: The one included accessory that is universally disappointing is the tamper. It is a lightweight, flimsy plastic tool that feels more like a toy than a serious coffee instrument. It makes achieving a level and consistently compressed puck of coffee extremely difficult. In our opinion, this is an essential and immediate upgrade.
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Unlocking the Full Potential: The stock tamper is the primary element holding the machine back right out of the box. Investing in a quality, heavy-duty 54mm metal tamper is the single most important upgrade you can make. It dramatically improves puck preparation, which in turn leads to more consistent, balanced, and delicious extractions. It's the key that unlocks the incredible precision the machine's core technology is designed to deliver.
Conclusion: The Runner Up
The Breville Bambino Plus proves that speed, consistency, and barista‑quality milk don’t have to come with a sprawling footprint or steep learning curve. Its three‑second heat‑up, PID‑stabilized shots, and magical hands‑free microfoam turned our kitchen into a mini espresso bar that friends begged to visit. Yet a petite drip tray, feather‑light body, and accessory compromises hold it a step below our category champion, anchoring it firmly at our rank #2 position!
For apartment dwellers, latte lovers, and anyone craving lightning‑fast third‑wave flavor without the engineering degree, the Bambino Plus delivers an everyday espresso thrill ride that’s difficult to beat and downright delightful to own! ☕☕☕