5.0 out of 5 stars Makes great espresso!
To say that I was researching what espresso machine, would be the biggest understatement. I have zero experience making espresso’s and I was stuck between considering an automatic one, vs one with manual controls, and I decided to purchase this product, and I am so glad I did!

I started with a pre ground high quality espresso bean, and from the first cup, to my most recent cup, were perfect each and every time! This machine is great for those that want good espresso’s and for the beginners like myself. This machine is so easy to use as in my case, the less is more thought process, yielded dividends! I keep the pre ground espresso in a seal tight vessel to keep freshness, and has been working wonderfully! The machine yielded great creama and the espresso quality was right where it needs to be. When tamping the portafilter, just ensure you get 30 pounds of pressure when using the tamper to ensure you get proper extraction.

For the price one can pay for an espresso machine, this machine is built with quality in mind, and does not take up too much counterspace vs the other machines out there. With less going on, there are less issues. This product comes with everything you need including 4 total filters, portafilter, milk frother pitcher and very clear instructions. To clean this product is very easy and if you get stuck with something, there are plenty of videos online that you can refer to as this product gets a lot of positive reviews from other espresso critics. One of the biggest perks is that this product heats very quickly and the volume of espresso can be adjusted per the instructions, which is a big perk.

The only, albeit small, downside, is that the frother wand does take time to get the milk up to temperature. The instructions state to froth until the frother pitcher is hot to the touch, but I could not keep my hands on it and when tested the milk was only 136 degrees, so depending on your tolerance of hot to the touch, just test out the milk temperature as you continue using it until you find the amount of time it takes for you to get the milk where you want it to be. The handle does not get hot so you can hold from there until you get to the temperature you want.

Very happy with the investment I made choosing this product, and I know other beginners like myself will be very happy with it as well.

4.0 out of 5 stars Don’t ever downgrade yourself
I had to leave behind my Breville Infuser and replace it with a smaller/cheaper version when I moved. Having paid $300 for this Bambino and wanting to stick with Breville seemed like a lot to pay for their lowest priced machine, but I did it anyway.

All I can say is, if you find yourself in the same situation, you’re going to be disappointed with the quality.

Cons:
1. The parts feel cheap and plastic-y which include the portafilter and the tamper. There’s no weight behind either of these.
2. I cannot get the basket out of the portafilter using my nails like I did with my old one. I have to pry it out with the edge of a spoon so it makes cleaning the parts very frustrating.
3. Locking the portafilter into and out of place, I have to hold onto the whole machine and it is a VERY tight fit so I have to forceably lock it and I always feel like I’m going to break it.
4. For $300, you’d think they could at least include a coffee scooper…nope.
5. The steaming wand will shoot out a stream of water first and unlike my other one, doesn’t give you time to avoid that and put it in the jug without causing a huge mess. I have to let it squirt out the water, turn it off for a second and put the pitcher under it and turn it back on.
6. I use the same brand of coffee as I did with my Infuser and it doesn’t taste as good as it used to (is it different water possibly?).
7. There’s no on/off button. To turn off you have to hold down 2 buttons simultaneously.

Pros:

1. It’s small.
2. It heats up fast.
3. It’s better coffee than a Keurig which is what I’d been having before I got this (yuck!!).
4. The milk steams faster than my old one did and it was very clean, so it wasn’t due to that.

That’s where the pros end. I was spoiled with my Infuser which I bought 2nd hand in another country and it worked flawlessly for at least 5 years (and still did when I sold it on). That’s why I chose Breville again. I couldn’t see paying the $600 or whatever they want for a new one, plus I don’t really have the counter space for it. Am I happy with this machine? Sort of but more disappointed after having used one of their better models. More than likely, I’ll end up replacing it if I can find a used one cheaply and then try to sell this one, even if it means taking up more space on the counter.

5.0 out of 5 stars Ignore naysayers, truly great machine
Had this machine for 6+ months and it is really impressive for the money. The 3 second warmup is unbeatable. I do complement the machine with a 1zpresso JMAX espresso grinder and I cant overstate enough how much this contributes to my shot quality. I dose around 16g of coffee in my IMS basket, use RDT/WDT, and a puck screen for cleanliness/higher extraction. Most important factor is the coffee beans! Black cat from intelligentsia is a good place to start. I hold the double shot button manually every time for preinfusion and let go after the shot pulls 28g on my scale. End result is around 32+g within a 30 sec pull. Good espresso from a machine under 3 benjamins. The next best machines would be a modded gaggia pro or a profitec GO, for hundreds more. Although, they don’t come close to the bambino’s convenience. BTW, the included portafilter is cheap so I used a heavier bottomless 54mm from the get go.

Since there is no solenoid valve in this machine, the drip tray does not fill up very often. I find it is sufficient in size provided your blank shots go into a vessel/cup every time. The water tank is more than sufficient in its capacity and has a super convenient finger loop to quickly detach/reattach if you carry to fridge or sink.

Milk steaming is obviously not class leading but consistently does the job! The pump starts immediately at the push of a button and you are ready to steam within 10 seconds every time! The milk texture/microfoam this machine can produce is very capable in the right hands. Even I can make something resembling latte art(see pic).

If you make a lot of milk drinks, this machine is awesome! If you are looking for higher quality espresso shots, Id go for a Flair 58, modded Gaggia or Profitec GO. We are latte drinkers so I get my occasional espresso fix from local cafes sporting $30k lever pulls that I could never match at home.

*I never descale this machine and never will, only filtered water goes in the tank. My last Breville Infuser machine lasted 5+ years but ultimately died after a routine descale. It’s a personal decision that other coffee connoisseurs have also affirmed in regard to descaling a bambino.

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent espresso shots, but waters down milk when steamed. Support is awful.
I bought this to save money on cafe trips for soy lattes (especially with inflation and then tipflation on top of that). Unfortunately, after about 2 months of usage, I have to say that it’s somewhat failed on that mission, primarily because the steam is lukewarm and watery, so if you use alternative “milk”s like soy, or a smaller amount of dairy milk, the steamed result will basically be milk flavoured water.

To its credit, it makes decent espresso shots with amazing crema, provided you have an appropriate grinder (Make sure it’s a grinder built for espresso grinds – or else you will have to use the pressurized portafilter basket and settle for so-called “fake” crema). The dial-in process has been very satisfying so far.

As far as build quality, looks and dimensions are concerned – these have all been covered in several YouTube reviews, and I don’t have anything further to add. It looks good, is very compact, and starts up and is ready to go in literally 3 seconds after plugging in. Despite the chrome finish, it is very lightweight, so putting the portafilter in is slightly annoying, since you have to hold the machine down with one hand. Latte art has been very challenging to do with this machine, though I’m not 100% sure yet that it’s not something on my end.

Breville support is awful. I put in a ticket about the issue a week after purchase because I wasn’t sure if I received a defective unit, or if this was par for the course. A month and a half later, it’s still open with no measurable progress, with them responding infrequently to stall by asking details like serial number etc. – which are all available on their support hub website since I registered the machine with them. Everytime they respond, they also trot out the “we’re getting lots of support email, so our responses will be delayed” excuse, which I could have understood had their responses been actual responses, and not obvious stall tactics to ensure my unit falls outside the return window.

I would recommend picking up the Dedica Arte + a naked portafilter for this price. From what I’ve seen on YouTube, the flavour of the coffee that machine brews isn’t far off from this one, and even if that machine also dispensed similarly wet steam, you’d at least have a naked portafilter which will help you in the espresso dial-in process. If you don’t really care about dialing-in, you could forego the portafilter and save $50 instead.

See picture for how watery the steam is. This is after the initial steam purge to get water out of the wand, so this is all condensation.

5.0 out of 5 stars No more Starbucks
I’ve only made one latte so far just got it today. I used Starbucks espresso beans I had them grind them for espresso and tasted just like the latte I buy there!! Worth the money for sure. It’s not loud at all, performance is great and easy to use after a lot of research. Appearance seems to be durable… I’ll let you know after using this for awhile longer.. but I did a lot of researching espresso machines and definitely recommend this machine.. update- so i’ve made a few more lattes they all come out tasting great a little bit of a water mess but after a lot of research, I realize that just happens with these and you just wanna leave the Portafilter and after you’re done and let it drip while you’re drinking your drink, then it will come out without the water on the top. Also, I realized if you run a 2 cup with the porta filter in before you make your espresso to prime it and make it hot then you take it out and you add your espresso and tamp it and make your drink. I did order a puck screen it seems that you put it on top of your espresso after you tamp it to keep the top clean. You still have to clean it but at least the grind don’t get up there, or so I’ve read. I will update again once I get everything I ordered
Update- I bought a 30 pound tamp and a leveler which did make a big difference, and once i found the right amount of grinds to put in my 2 cup my espresso has tasted better. I’m having a hard time getting the milk to froth correctly but with practice I’m getting better. I’m definitely happy with the bambino but wish I got a better one due to the fact that you have to know what you’re doing and I’m new to this but this one works better each time I make a latte.