![]() Plus, you can also always pick up a smaller stainless steel jug to use with the machine instead. This initially led to a lot of milk being poured away once the cup was full, but with some trial and error to find out where the minimum fill line really is I was able to reduce that wastage considerably. It's a little too wide for preparing these smaller drinks, with the minimum fill line (designed to cover the tip of the milk steam wand) sitting a little higher than our milk requirements. If, like me, you drink smaller coffees like a flat white, the included milk jug may not gel with your needs quite as easily as it would for a latte or cappuccino. However these design quirks are easy enough to live with. ![]() That smaller drip tray meant a little more maintenance and the lightweight form factor did require some extra attention when inserting the portafilter. The Breville Bambino Plus does, of course, come with its own frustrations. That said, I found the espresso shots produced were still comparable to those I'd buy at a coffee shop and certainly a cut above shots from cheaper $200-$300 / £200-£300 machines. This is still an at-home espresso machine, of course, so you won't find the delicate flavor treatment or silkiness of a more industrial-grade model. Tasting the difference in the richness from cup to cup while tweaking this pre-infusion time was testament to just how much control this feature unlocks. Paired with high quality beans, a precise grind, and the single-walled basket, this pre-infusion customization allowed me to experiment until learning how to produce an extremely full-bodied and well balanced shot. I found the pre-infusion settings, however, to be the real game changer. That's an incredible feature, and one that can't be matched by many machines on the market today. This machine can heat up in just three seconds, and quickly switch between extracting and steaming. The first thing you'll notice about the Breville Bambino Plus is how quickly you can dive into using it. Breville / Sage Bambino Plus: Performance That means you'll be washing it out fairly regularly - I found myself draining it nearly every other day when brewing around four drinks a day with milk. The only hitch here is that the drip tray is a little too small to keep up with the additional water coming through the milk frother cleaning system. Not only that, but once you've flipped the nozel back to its starting position, the system will automatically steam the wand to wash through any remaining milk. Simply place the included jug on the temperature sensor, press a button and watch as the machine does all the hard work for you, and does it well to boot. ![]() The automatic milk frother also makes producing textured milk with a fluffy top effortless. Plus, Breville also prints descaling instructions clearly on the inside of the water reservoir. Initial set up is quick and easy, only requiring a manual insertion of the included water filter and a quick system clean before brewing. There's almost no learning curve to get over here before you're pulling high quality shots and topping them up with perfectly frothed milk - simply push a button and you're off. (Image credit: Future) Breville / Sage Bambino Plus: Ease of UseĬontrary to many mid-range espresso machines with this level of customization and additional features, the Breville Bambino Plus uses its simple design to offer an impressively straightforward operation. However, the option to brew from a single-walled standard basket will also allow the afficionados among us to tweak their grind size, tamping pressure, and portafilter load to produce a superior cup. The ability to lean on an easier dual-walled basket is appreciated here, as the additional pressure provided by the basket itself won't require too much precision grinding and attention to detail to produce a nice, strong espresso. However, all that perfectly steamed milk would be nothing without the rich espresso produced from any of the four included standard and dual-walled baskets. Plus, you can always steam the milk manually as well. I found the automatic cleaning system to be particularly helpful, as there's no need to wash through the steam wand either (though a wipe around the tip will still be necessary to keep things sparkling). The machine will automatically steam your milk to the optimum temperature, creating a velvety texture and even nailing thicker micro-foam on top. Perhaps the most exciting feature in the Breville Bambino Plus is the milk frothing system.
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