This machine also comes with two sets of unpressurised and pressurised (or dual wall) baskets – two for single shot and two for doubles. Use the dual wall pressurised baskets for pre-ground coffee that isn’t necessarily as finely ground as it should be and the single-wall unpressurised baskets when using a grinder and fresh-roasted beans to produce coffee of powder-like consistency. 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. 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. Breville / Sage Bambino Plus: Performance Overall, Breville isn’t too popular among espresso purists and hardcore enthusiasts. Still, the brand keeps growing in the home market, year after year. One of the keys to their success is building affordable products for home use, which are relatively easy to use. Moreover, they offer good customer service and technical support. The Sage Bambino Plus is a great machine for those wanting to start brewing espresso at home. Delivering quality performance, the 54mm portafilter can extract 19 grams of ground coffee when used. Overall, the main issue for most advanced users is that they prefer to adjust the settings for a single and double espresso. Still, following the steps in their tutorials and manuals is pretty easy, and it doesn’t take too long to get a good shot of espresso.

If you’re looking for a manual machine that you can pair with your own grinder or even pre-ground beans, the Sage The Bambino Plus is an excellent choice. This model is simple to use and lets you choose from manual or automatic milk frothing, giving you control when you need it and simplicity when you don’t.

The water reservoir is easy to remove, though the tamper is a little stiff with the group holder at first Unlike many domestic manual machines which boast 15 bar pressure, this one runs at 9 bars. However, according to my favourite UK-based espresso expert at coffeeblog.co.uk, ‘the marketing blurb of many low cost espresso machines will try to give the impression that higher pressure is better, but this isn't the case at all. Nine bars of pressure is still universally accepted as the perfect pressure for proper extraction’. In fact, ‘ever since the introduction of Gaggia’s espresso machines, 9 bars has been the industry standard for espresso making’. So there you go. The portafilter capacity and design, combined with Breville’s espresso extraction technology, deliver pretty good espresso. Bear in mind that producing a beautiful, delicious shot depends more on the coffee beans, water, and grinder than on the espresso machine.

Sage is well known for its high-quality appliances, and this espresso machine is no different. The tough-feeling stainless-steel finish has all of the hallmarks of a quality product. The Bambino Plus is also nice and small at 195 x 320 x 310mm, so it won’t take up much room on your kitchen counter. That said, the results are great for both machines. And, in terms of speed and convenience, they are ready to make espresso in seconds. Considering that most commercial and prosumer espresso machines take minutes to prepare, this is quite a feat. The Bambino and the Bambino Plus coffee machines come with a good range of accessories without any meaningful difference. Just recently, in 2013, Breville launched its first dual-boiler espresso machine for home use. Soon after that, in 2016, Breville partnered with Nespresso and started selling several Nespresso machines with great success. Then, Breville placed itself as one of the home espresso market leaders in America and other markets.Each machine also has a low-pressure pre-infusion feature that ensures maximum flavor extraction. The Bambino Plus even has a feature that dampens coffee grounds before pulling the espresso shot, which is usually only found on more expensive espresso machines.

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. 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. Digital Temperature Control (PID) delivers water at precisely the right temperature, ensuring optimal espresso extractionThey both have pre-programmed settings and are easy to use, making them perfect for espresso novices. However, a few key differences may make one machine better for your needs than the other. Considering the water capacity in the Breville Bambino Plus and the Breville Bambino, you can easily prepare dozens of shots without filling the tank. And although the Breville Bambino Plus has more water capacity, that doesn’t seem to be that important in a home setting.

Overall, the Breville Bambino Plus has a better milk frothing performance. I would say thathere is where the price difference becomes more evident between the Breville Bambino and the Bambino Plus.

Want barista-style coffee? Breville has the perfect solution

At the rear, an amply-sized 1.9l water tank clips easily and securely into place. Unlike some machines that require you insert the tank from above, the Sage’s design hinges from the bottom so you can remove and refill it without having to slide the machine out from underneath a kitchen cabinet. That’s a huge help in smaller kitchens. As you may imagine, it’s easy to upgrade all these accessories, but they aren’t indispensable. Most users claim that using the plastic tamper is good enough. Moreover, you can get good espresso using the default portafilter.