Breville Bambino Plus Stainless Steel Espresso Maker Silver BES500BSS

This expresso machine is annoying beyond words. It spills water, grounds, and milk all over. I tried to follow the instructions every time, yet never got it to work correctly. The steamer either foamed all over, forcing milk out of the jug, or didn't foam enough. The instructions were obscure. Cleaning is labor intensive. Many other problems. Don't buy.

We’ve had the Bambino Plus for over a month and the quality of coffee has gone so far downhill to the point that it is a guaranteed frustrating way to start every day. This machine is so high maintenance and after many attempts for each shot, we eventually get a very lackluster shot of espresso at best. We have done a factory reset, changed grind and tamping pressure, and explored every other variable in the manual, but we still cannot draw a proper shot. To say this machine is more trouble than it’s worth is a gross understatement.

I got this Bambinoa little over a month ago! The coffee is top notch! I thought it was going to be difficult but it was not!

The Bambino is easy to use and makes a gret espresso!

Bought this as a gift for a friend who loved my Espresso Youch but didn’t want a machine that big in a smaller kitchen. Grinding her own wasn’t an issue and she loved the size and the quality of the product. Highly recommended.

I have had my Bambino Plus for a couple of weeks and I love it!!!! I have lattes everyday. The Bambino Plus pretty automated get the coffee grounds in place and press the button and the espresso comes out! What could be better and easier. Same with getting the foam pour the milk in the milk jug, put steam wand in the jug and press the steam button and you can choose how much foam you want. I mean this machine is so easy and gives me excellent latte’s everyday. I would highly recommend the Bambino Plus to anyone wanting latte’s everyday.

I purchased this appliance six months ago because, while my Gaggia Classic Pro is highly reviewed and considered a great machine, it has a steep learning curve and I never successfully got the results I wanted. The Bambino Plus is a delight to use. Everything is so simple and my wife and I consistently get great Capps and Flat Whites. It did purchase some upgrades. First, I purchased IMS filter baskets of various sizes, only to discover deep ones didn't fit because of the plastic insert in the stock portafilter and to remove the baskets, you had to pry them out with a tool. So I upgraded to a Pesado portafilter. A bit pricey but it holds all my baskets and I can easily remove them with my fingers. I purchased a scale to weigh my beans, already had a good grinder (Baratza Sette 270), a magnetic funnel for the portafilter, bought a distribution tool, a decent tamper, and Breville Knock Box (the grinds go into my garden), I only purchase freshly roasted beans, and store them in one of those cans where you push out the air. I typically use 12 grams and reprogramed the double shot for the volume I want. Making a Capp in the morning takes only minutes, and tastes as good as anything I get at a coffee shop. Remember to wipe your wand after each use. Highly recommend.

The coffee tastes great. Quality control has slipped. The filter baskets don't fit easily into the portafilter. I have to use a knife or screwdriver to remove filter basket to clean after use. I've used breville for many years and this never happened before.

I like my Bambino Plus and have figured out how to bend its will to mine. I like a large latte with several shots of espresso and in order to get the quantity I want, I have to run the machine twice, after having customized the brew time to the longest allowable time. Other than that, the nearly instantaneous heat-up time and automatic milk frothing features are great.

I bought the Bambino to replace my previous machine from another brand that was not giving me consistent results. The Bambino arrived and after a few adjustments on the size of the grind, it has been great. I need to grind the beans a little coarser than originally thought, but the coffee is delicious and has been one of the smoothest cups of coffee in a long time. The milk steamer is also great. I have tried the automatic setting and it works great, place the jug of milk under the steamer and on the sensor, push go, and it steams a perfect pot of milk. I will keep experimenting with the grind to see if I can get the coffee even better!

In the 2 years I’ve had this machine I’ve had to send it in for repair 3 times, most recently they sent me a new unit because they couldn’t even get it to work and now the new one is experiencing the same issues. Meanwhile AI models are telling me that the espresso machines that cost 1:4 of the price of this are more reliable and experience less issues. No one should buy this, it should be discontinued

I have been using these machines for the last 15 years and I'm very happy for their performance. Thank you for a great job well done.

The Bambino Plus is really a wonderful espresso machine. It makes consistently excellent espresso. The time it takes to heat up and switch from espresso to milk streaming is fantastic. I like that it has a PID for a stable brew temperature, and the automatic milk frothing is really something. The quality of the foam it produces is better than anything I could create, but I still have the option of manually streaming. The machine isn’t too big and pairs well with our burr grinder. I wish it were a little heavier, but again, it is compact, so really a none issue. The fit and finish are very nice. Again, an excellent machine. Now, the tamper…. It’s cheap. This machine deserves a higher quality piece.

I just got the Bambino Plus. I was making delicious cappuccino quickly and I haven't really even played with it yet to dial in settings. Actually, the first cup that I made was excellent. Works perfectly with my Breville Smart Grinder Pro. The auto steam wand works beautifully and worth the upgrade. I really like the foam!

Bought this machine about a year ago. Worked fine for about a month. Sent it out for repair, worked okay but now broken again. Will never buy another Breville machine again. Does not brew, water pours out of the bottom.

with purified water, constant cleaning, descaling cycles and around the clock care you MIGHT be able to get this thing to make you a cup of coffee. or it might schedule itself for another cleaning cycle and refuse... dont throw the manual away you're going to need it to decipher the 10+ different error messages its going to keep throwing at you

Machine is weak. I descale it once a month and it still has clogged up. It made bad espresso before the clog as well.

Broke after a year. Absolute waste of money

I've had this just under a year and it works great. Makes lovely expresso and the frother works well too. Just make sure that you clean and flush it well immediately after each use. Would buy again.

In short, I would not recommend the Bambino Plus. The automatic milk steaming temperature is all over the place. Sometimes it is fine, other times it boils over. Most of the time it is way too hot even on the lowest setting. I sent my original unit in for service and it came back and the issue was not fixed. Brevelle then sent me a new unit and it is still steaming the milk too hot on the lowest setting (190-200 degF). I don’t know what I could be doing wrong. I’m making sure the jug is touching the sensor and the sensor and the jug are dry. I use regular 2% milk and I fill it between the min and max line on the jug. I end up having to measure the temperature with a thermometer and stop it manually. Very disappointed with this considering the price. If I had known the auto steaming function wouldn’t work properly I would have just saved money and gotten the normal Bambino or spent the extra money and bought the barista touch. On the plus side, espresso extraction is great. It is very consistent with both volume and flavor. I make sure to use fresh beans, weigh and tamp the grounds consistently and the Bambino gives me an excellent espresso. the small form factor is good for my apartment, although I wish the drip tray was larger. The steam wand nearly fills it with every purge and since it is shallow, it splatters all over. It forces me to keep it clean that’s for sure.