Breville BES500BSS Espresso coffee machine: Full Review

The Breville Bambino is an entry-level espresso machine designed for beginners looking to craft cafe-quality espresso drinks at home without breaking the bank. Part of Breville's popular line of countertop espresso makers, the Bambino aims to provide an affordable, user-friendly option for making espresso, lattes, cappuccinos, and more.

With its compact size, quick heat-up time, and automatic microfoam milk texturing, the Bambino offers convenient espresso-making and milk steaming in a small footprint. While it lacks some of the advanced features and customization of higher-end models, the Bambino's simple interface and automatic settings make it easy for novices to produce consistent shots and textured milk without much guesswork. Its thermojet heating system and 1600W thermocoil heater deliver water at the optimal temperature for espresso extraction.

Overall, the Breville Bambino provides an accessible entry point into homemade espresso by focusing on speed, convenience, and ease of use. It's a great choice for beginners seeking delicious espresso drinks without an intimidating learning curve.

Design & Build Quality

The Breville Bambino Plus has an attractive, compact design that looks great on any kitchen countertop. It has a brushed stainless steel housing that gives it a sleek, modern aesthetic.

Despite its small footprint at only 7.7 x 12.6 x 12.2 inches, the build quality feels very solid and durable. The machine housing is made from metal rather than plastic. The portafilter, drip tray, and water tank are also made of stainless steel.

Breville designed this espresso maker to be beginner friendly. The controls are simple with only a power button, 1 cup and 2 cup buttons, and a steam wand. The buttons have a reassuring click when pressed.

There are no flimsy parts on this machine. The steam wand in particular is well-made and sturdy. It swivels smoothly without feeling loose.

The dimensions make it easy to store away in a cupboard when not in use. But its attractive design means it can be proudly displayed on the counter too. Overall, the build quality punches above its weight given the relatively affordable price point.

Features

The Breville Bambino Plus has a number of useful features for making high-quality espresso-based drinks at home.

Espresso Preparation Modes

The Bambino Plus has two one-touch buttons that automatically adjust the water temperature, pump pressure, and brew time to optimize espresso extraction for one or two shots. This makes it easy to pull consistently good shots without needing to manually program settings.

Milk Steaming Wand

The stainless steel steam wand uses a new automatic steam technology that allows you to adjust the milk texture for your preferred consistency of microfoam. The steam wand is powerful enough to texture milk quickly without requiring you to perfectly master a manual swirling technique.

Portafilter

The 54mm stainless steel portafilter has commercial style spouts that help regulate water flow and reduce splattering. The portafilter has a firm and secure handle that makes it easy to lock into the group head.

Drip Tray

The removable drip tray can accommodate cups up to 5 inches tall and has an integrated stainless steel tray for pulled shots. This helps keep things neat and organized when making multiple drinks.

Ease of Use

The Breville BES500BSS Bambino Plus is designed for simplicity and ease of use. The control panel consists of just three buttons - one power button and two shot buttons for 1 oz or 2 oz espresso pours.

The simple three button interface makes pulling consistent shots easy for beginners. There are no complicated settings or programming involved. Simply press and hold a shot button to start the pour, and release when the desired volume is achieved. The buttons automatically stop the flow, so there is no need to monitor the duration.

The shot buttons allow you to preset either a 1oz or 2oz pour volume. If you want to customize the volume, you can press and hold the button until the desired amount of espresso is extracted, and the machine will remember that for subsequent uses. This allows you to dial in the perfect shot.

Overall, the Breville Bambino Plus is designed for simplicity and ease of use right out of the box. The intuitive buttons and lack of complex programming make it easy for anyone to pull consistent, high-quality shots.

Beverage Quality

The Breville Bambino Plus delivers exceptional espresso and milk froth quality for its price point. The pre-infusion function and proper water pressure extract robust, flavorful espresso shots with nice crema. The automatic milk frothing wand with adjustable temperature can produce silky microfoam capable of latte art.

The 3 second thermojet heating system brings water up to the ideal brewing temperature very quickly. Combined with the pre-infusion cycle before main extraction, you get optimal flavor extraction from the coffee grounds. The shots pull with excellent crema and robust, balanced flavor without bitterness.

The automatic steam wand makes it easy to froth milk to the right texture and temperature for cappuccinos and lattes. You can adjust the milk temperature and foam levels to customize your drink. The steam wand produces silky, smooth microfoam that enables latte art even for beginners. The milk froth integrates nicely into the espresso without separating.

Overall, the Bambino Plus delivers café-quality espresso and milk frothing results despite its small size and price point. It's capable of crafting rich, layered espresso drinks with pronounced aromas and flavors. The automation makes it easy for beginners to achieve excellent results comparable to professional baristas.

Maintenance

The Breville Bambino Plus has relatively low maintenance requirements to keep it running smoothly. Here are some tips for cleaning and maintenance:

Cleaning

• The drip tray, drip tray cover, portafilter, and frothing jug should be rinsed and cleaned after each use. The drip tray and frothing jug are dishwasher safe which makes cleaning easy.
• The group head and shower screen should be wiped clean after each use with a damp cloth. This prevents any coffee oils or residue from building up.
• Backflushing is recommended every few weeks to clean inside the group head and brew path. Simply insert the provided cleaning disc into the portafilter and run hot water through it.
• Descaling is recommended every 2-3 months depending on local water hardness. Breville recommends their descaling solution which can be purchased separately.

Descaling

• Descaling removes mineral deposits that can build up over time from hard water. This helps maintain optimal brewing temperature and water flow.
• To descale, fill the water tank with descaling solution and run through the descale cycle according to the manufacturer's instructions.
• After descaling, run several cycles of plain water to rinse away any descaling solution residue.

Regular cleaning and descaling helps keep the machine running smoothly for years of reliable service. The maintenance requirements are reasonable and do not require significant time or effort on the user's part.

Noise Level

The Breville Bambino Plus is impressively quiet for an espresso machine. The internal pump and brewing operations generate minimal noise that blends into the background. You can have a conversation next to the machine without needing to raise your voice.

The steam wand does make some hissing noise when steaming milk, but it's not overly loud or distracting. It's comparable to steam wands on other home espresso machines in this price range.

Some user reviews mention the machine makes a bit of clicking noise when heating up initially. However, once it reaches temperature, the noise is minimal. The automatic purge function contributes slightly to the initial noise but ensures your espresso and milk steaming will be at the right temperature.

Overall, the quiet performance is a nice benefit, allowing you to make espresso drinks without disturbing others. The machine runs quietly whether you're pulling a single shot or back to back doubles. For most home settings, the noise level is negligible and shouldn't be an issue.

Accessories

The Breville Bambino Plus comes with some handy accessories to help you pull great shots of espresso.

It includes a 54mm portafilter with a single and double shot filter basket to suit the serving size you want. The portafilter has an ergonomic handle that makes it easy and comfortable to lock into the group head.

For preparing your coffee grounds, Breville includes a stainless steel tamper and measuring scoop. The tamper has a flat base and ridged sides to help distribute the grounds evenly before tamping down firmly. The measuring scoop ensures you use the right amount of coffee each time.

Having these accessories included means you don't need to purchase them separately to start making espresso drinks right out of the box. The tamper and scoop match the machine's aesthetic nicely as well.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Compact and lightweight design is easy to fit on most kitchen counters
• Quick 25-30 second heat up time means you can make espresso fast
• Pre-infusion function helps extract bold, rich espresso flavor
• Automatically steams and textures milk to create creamy cappuccinos and lattes
• Easy to use controls and settings for beginner baristas
• Consistent pressure extraction results in well-balanced espresso shots
• Removable water tank and drip tray make cleaning and maintenance simple

Cons

• Small 37oz water tank may require frequent refilling
• Single boiler can't steam milk and extract espresso simultaneously
• Pressurized portafilter limits ability to experiment with grind size and dose
• Maximum of 15 bars of pressure limits espresso intensity
• Noisy operation may disrupt some settings
• Only includes single and double shot filter baskets
• Lacks advanced features likebrew ratio customization

Conclusion

The Breville BES500BSS Bambino is an impressive entry-level espresso machine that produces café-quality espresso at home without breaking the bank. It's compact and simple to use, with straightforward controls and automated features like auto steam and one-touch microfoam milk texturing. The quick heat-up time, precise PID temperature control, and 15 bar pressure pump ensure you can pull flavorful, aromatic shots every time.

While the single boiler and small water reservoir do require some compromise, these factors help keep the price accessible while still maintaining Breville's reputation for quality construction. The semi-automatic design also allows you to manually control aspects like pre-infusion and shot volume to craft the perfect espresso.

The Breville Bambino is best suited for beginner home baristas or anyone seeking an affordable starter machine capable of making espresso-based milk drinks. Seasoned enthusiasts may want a unit with more customization or brewing flexibility, but the Bambino's simplicity makes it an easy introduction to pulling consistent, high-quality shots. With its small footprint and efficient performance, it's an ideal espresso maker for college students, small apartments or offices, or those new to specialty coffee.