Description
The Breville Bambino Plus BES500BSS is a compact semi automatic machine built around two things: the ThermoJet heating system, which Breville states reaches extraction temperature in three seconds, and an automatic steam wand that textures milk to a chosen temperature and foam level without operator input. It uses a 54 mm portafilter with a 19 gram dose, runs 1560 watts, and measures 7.6 inches deep, 12.5 inches wide and 12.2 inches tall at 11 pounds.
Breville describes the width as 7.7 inches, and that narrow face is the design premise. The Bambino Plus is aimed at someone who already owns a grinder, or is willing to buy one, and wants a serious brew and steam unit that occupies as little counter as possible. It deliberately omits the integrated grinder that makes the Barista series so large.
ThermoJet Heating and Extraction
The three second heat up figure is the headline and it is largely accurate in practice: a ThermoJet is a low mass heating element that brings only the water passing through it to temperature, so there is no boiler to warm. That makes the machine usable on the way out of the door in a way that no traditional espresso machine is.
The trade is thermal mass. A low mass heater has less stored heat to draw on, so temperature stability across a long sequence of shots depends on the PID loop rather than on a heavy brass boiler. Breville pairs the ThermoJet with digital PID temperature control and low pressure pre infusion, which ramps pressure gradually at the start of extraction so the puck wets evenly. Auto purge runs after steaming to bring the system back down to brew temperature, which on a single heater machine is what makes back to back espresso and milk workable.
The Automatic Steam Wand
This is what separates the Bambino Plus from the plain Bambino and from most machines at the price. The wand textures milk automatically to a selected temperature and texture level, using a temperature sensor to stop at the setpoint rather than relying on the operator’s hand on the jug.
For someone who does not want to learn milk steaming, this removes the hardest skill in home espresso. For someone who does want to learn, it is a limitation: the automatic routine produces a consistent result but not necessarily the result an experienced hand would choose, and the wand cannot be used freely in manual mode with the same control as a bare wand. If manual texturing is the goal, the Breville Infuser and the Barista Pro both use manual wands with more steam behind them.
Portafilter, Baskets and the Grinder Question
Breville supplies a 54 mm portafilter, dual wall filter baskets in one and two cup sizes, a 54 mm tamper, the Razor precision dosing tool, a 480 ml stainless jug and a cleaning tool and disc. The stated 19 gram dose is the reference point for the double basket.
Note that only dual wall baskets are included. Dual wall, or pressurised, baskets use a restrictor to generate back pressure and produce crema regardless of grind quality, which suits pre ground coffee. Single wall baskets, which is what a good grinder deserves, are sold separately. That is a meaningful omission on a machine whose whole premise is that you bring your own grinder, and anyone pairing this with a real burr grinder should budget for single wall baskets from the outset. A dedicated grinder from the burr grinder listings is the other half of this purchase.
Build, Footprint and Daily Handling
At 11 pounds the Bambino Plus is light for an espresso machine, which is a direct consequence of having no boiler and no grinder. Owner feedback consistently reports that the machine needs a hand on the body when locking the portafilter, because its weight is not sufficient to resist the twist on its own. That is worth expecting rather than treating as a fault.
The drip tray is small and fills quickly, which is the other recurring point in published feedback and again follows from the compact design. Neither issue affects the coffee. Breville states a two year limited warranty and a voltage range of 110 to 120 volts, which is more warranty detail than most listings on this site provide.
Pre Infusion and What 19 Grams Means
Breville quotes a 19 gram dose for the 54 mm double basket, and that number is more useful than it looks. Dose and yield together define the brew ratio, which is the single most reliable lever on the taste of a shot: 19 grams in and 38 grams out is a conventional 1 to 2 ratio, and knowing the reference dose tells you where to start rather than guessing. Machines that do not publish a dose leave the operator to work it out by weighing.
Low pressure pre infusion is the other extraction feature worth understanding here. Rather than hitting a dry puck at full pressure, the machine ramps pressure gradually so the coffee bed wets and settles evenly first. This reduces channelling, which is what happens when water finds a low resistance path through the puck and extracts unevenly around it. On a machine aimed at people still learning to grind and tamp, that forgiveness is worth more than a higher headline pressure figure. The Barista Express Impress applies the same principle with mechanised tamping added.
What the Specifications Do Not Settle
The water tank capacity is absent from the data, which matters on a machine this small; it is the constraint that decides how often you refill. Also missing are the pump pressure, the brew temperature setpoint, the steam boiler recovery time and the number of steam tip holes. The operation mode field reads fully automatic, which is incorrect: grinding, dosing, tamping and shot timing are all manual, and only the milk texturing is automated.
The listing also gives no guidance on descaling intervals, despite a low mass heating element being particularly sensitive to scale. Owner feedback notes that some of Breville’s documentation for this model is dated, which is a consequence of a machine that has been on sale since 2018 with running changes. Anyone buying should download the current manual rather than relying on the copy in the box.
Who It Suits
The Bambino Plus suits someone with a grinder already, limited counter width, and no interest in learning to steam milk by hand. Three second heat up genuinely changes how often a machine gets used, and the automatic wand produces a consistent flat white or latte without practice. As a machine for one or two drinks a day in a small kitchen it is hard to fault at its price.
It is the wrong machine for anyone without a grinder, since pre ground coffee wastes what the PID control offers, and for anyone who wants to learn manual milk texturing. It is also not the choice for high volume: the small drip tray and light body suit a couple of drinks, not a dinner party. Buyers wanting an integrated grinder should look at the Barista series in the espresso machine category instead.
