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When I started drinking coffee as a teenager, I thought the highest level of sophistication one could achieve in adult life was to own an espresso machine. I also thought this was completely out of reach for me personally. Espresso machines, I believed, cost multiple thousands of dollars and were only for houses in glossy magazines or a particularly classy episode of MTV Cribs.
Luckily, like other kitchen tools that were once only for restaurants (the sous vide machine or the Paco Jet, for example), espresso machine technology has filtered down into more affordable machines, and become available to a wider audience of home coffee drinkers. Case in point: I own the Breville Bambino Plus espresso machine, and I own it despite having amassed no great wealth, nor selling my soul to Howard Schultz for a lifetime supply of espresso.
The Breville Bambino Plus wins a top spot in our product reviews for a few reasons: It's the absolute best machine for beginners (provided you don't want to go the pod route with a Nespresso). And it's extremely fairly priced.
It's not that the Bambino isn't an investment. The machine retails for $500 full price, which is nothing to sneeze at. For Black Friday, it's on sale for $100 off, making now the actual best time to buy it. "Pro-sumer†espresso machines from high end manufacturers like Lelit and Rancilio Silvia can easily cost more than triple that price, and the Breville Bambino Plus produces a comparatively impressive espresso product. But here's the real kicker: It probably produces a better espresso product than those fancier machines if you, like me, are the kind of home barista that lacks expertise.
You see, if you love espresso drinks and you overspend on them at your local coffee shop, or you dream of offering dinner party guests a perfectly balanced shot with their dessert, it's tempting to think that owning an espresso machine will unlock a whole world of cost-saving cappuccinos and awe-inspiring shots. But the fancy machines you've seen at retailers like Seattle Coffee Gear or the ones actually used at your local coffee shop require a fair bit of expertise to operate.
If you're new to making espresso, the Breville Bambino is the perfect machine for learning the ropes. It has a few hands-off features that allow even beginners (or, in my case, lazy people) to pull robust, crema-topped shots. First, the machine is calibrated to pull a shot at the right pressure and time for you. You don't have to worry about these factors. You simply push a button for a single or double shot, and the machine pulls a really nice shot for you. It also comes with a double-walled filter basket (which regulates the pressure by forcing the coffee out through a small hole), making it fool-proof to pull a shot with a nice layer of crema on top.
But, unlike a Nespresso machine, which does an impressive version of an espresso shot with minimal effort, the Breville Bambino Plus allows you to grow with it as a barista. Once you're really comfortable on the machine, you can replace the double-walled filter basket with a regular one, and since you're still grinding your own beans, you can experiment with different coffee flavor profiles and grinds. Not to mention the fact that coffee is always going to be better when it's coming from freshly ground beans. Yes, you'll eventually need to purchase one of those fancier, more expensive machines if you want to do things like tweak the temperature or pressur of your shot, but this trainer machine will get you there—and serve you many nice cups of coffee along the way.
The other crucial thing about the Breville Bambino is that it has an excellent milk frother. And the frothing is automated: Simply pour milk into the stainless steel jug that comes with the machine, place it on a weighted button on the machine's drip tray, and press the steaming button. The machine calibrates how much steam it needs for an optimal amount of froth. Still, you get a bit of the best of both worlds, with some customization options: a couple of buttons on the machine allow you to select from three different heat settings, and three different foam settings.
One thing I don't like about it (and this is true of most Breville machines actually) is that it doesn't come with a great tamper. I bought this spring loaded one from Normcore, which was recommended once when I interviewed a coffee expert. I love it, and it really helps me pack the coffee grounds tight for the best shot.
If you'd like to win awards and/or become a coffee influencer, that's fantastic, and I support you, but you're not going to magically become good at pulling shots by buying a machine that costs thousands of dollars. With one of those machines—which, by the way, we have tested and do absolutely recommend for the real espresso heads among us—you'll have to tinker and train yourself, monitoring factors like time, pressure, and temperature meticulously.
The fairly priced, high-quality Breville Bambino Plus is a great investment so that you can learn the art of espresso, but still drink really solid shots in the meantime. It's also great to keep as your forever machine if you want to be in the business of great espresso drinks with minimal effort—I've had mine for years, and I use it every day, multiple times a day. Buy one now when it's on sale, and reap years of coffee rewards.