Breville Bambino vs Bambino Plus: what differs

Short answer The Breville Bambino and Bambino Plus pull espresso the same way: 54 mm portafilter, ThermoJet heating that Breville says reaches extraction temperature in 3 seconds, low-pressure pre-infusion and 9 bar extraction from a 15 bar pump, at the same 1560 W rating. The Bambino Plus adds automatic milk texturing with 3 temperatures and 3 foam levels, a 64 fl oz tank instead of 47 fl oz, a stainless steel portafilter and the Razor dose trimming tool.

Breville itself frames the choice this way on the Bambino page: see the Bambino Plus if you like the Bambino but would like an automatic steam wand. If you make espresso and Americanos, or enjoy steaming milk by hand, the base model covers it; if you want milk drinks without learning manual texturing, the Plus is built for that.

• Same: espresso system, basket sizes, 1560 W rating, volumetric 1 and 2 shot buttons.
• Plus adds: automatic milk texturing with a jug temperature sensor and automatic wand purge.
• Plus adds: larger 64 fl oz (1.9 L) tank, stainless steel portafilter, Razor tool, cleaning disc.
• Bambino keeps: a dedicated hot water button and a smaller listed depth.

Breville’s product pages describe both machines around an 18 g dose, while both instruction books say the 2 cup basket is designed for 16 to 19 g; the manual range is the one to work within. For placement, compare the listed dimensions with the space you measured using our small-kitchen station guide.

On the Bambino you texture milk by hand: wand tip about 3/4 inch below the surface, a whirlpool, then heat until the jug is hot to touch at 140 to 149 °F, according to the manual. On the Bambino Plus you can do the same manually, or fill the supplied jug between MIN and MAX, rest it on the temperature sensor in the drip tray, choose Warm, Ideal or Hot and Low, Medium or High foam, and press STEAM; texturing stops when the selected temperature is reached.

The Plus manual adds conditions. Use only the supplied stainless steel jug, which Breville lists as 16 fl oz (480 ml); auto texturing and auto shut-off are disabled during manual texturing; and the wand must go back to the lowered position to purge automatically, or it may block. Breville’s Plus page quotes 266 °F steam. Our milk steaming guide covers pitchers and practice.

• Bambino: manual only; you control texture and temperature by feel.
• Bambino Plus, auto: jug on the sensor, pick temperature and foam, press STEAM.
• Bambino Plus, manual: available, with auto shut-off disabled.
• Either: wipe and purge the wand after every milk drink.

The shot side is nearly identical. Both manuals describe single wall baskets for freshly ground beans and dual wall baskets for pre-ground coffee, the same 8 to 11 g and 16 to 19 g basket doses, preset volumes of about 30 ml and 60 ml, and the same 8 to 12 second guide for when flow should start. The Plus manual also ties basket choice to freshness, with single wall for beans roasted less than 30 days ago.

Two details differ. The Bambino manual suggests tamping at about 30 to 40 lbs, the Bambino Plus manual about 22 to 33 lbs, though both stress consistency over force. And the Plus includes the Razor, which you twist in the basket after tamping to trim the puck to height. Our dialing-in guide applies equally to both, and the right grinder matters more than either detail; see the espresso grinder comparison.

Cleaning differs more than the spec sheet suggests. The Bambino flags a combined clean and descale cycle by continuously flashing the 2 Cup button, and Breville warns against ignoring it because hard water scale can reduce flow, temperature and taste. The Bambino Plus separates the jobs: after 200 extractions it asks for a cleaning cycle with the supplied cleaning disc and a cleaning tablet in the portafilter, which the manual says is separate from descaling, and it flags descaling on its own.

• Bambino box: baskets, milk jug, portafilter, tamper, steam wand tip cleaning tool, descaling powder.
• Bambino Plus box: tamper, Razor, 16 fl oz jug, baskets, cleaning tool, cleaning disc; the manual also lists cleaning tablets and descaling powder.
• Both: rinse baskets and portafilter right after use; no parts in the dishwasher.
• Both: empty the drip tray after each use.

Our water and scale guide and the cleaning product comparison help match supplies to the cycle your machine asks for.

The choice usually follows the drinks. Mostly espresso and Americanos, or an interest in learning milk texturing by hand, points to the Bambino and its dedicated hot water button. Daily lattes for people who would rather not learn the wand point to the Bambino Plus, along with the larger tank, fewer refills and the cleaning disc in the box. If you are still comparing beyond these two, our compact machine buying guide and the compact espresso machine comparison list the alternatives.