Bambino vs Bambino Plus
Same 54mm portafilter, same three-second ThermoJet heat-up, same shot quality — these two differ in exactly one meaningful way: who steams the milk. Live UK prices and ratings below come from today's scan; the judgement rows are ours.
By Rael Cline
The short answer: the espresso is identical — pay the Plus premium only if you want automatic milk texturing instead of learning to steam. Full verdict ↓
Live UK prices right now: Breville Bambino from £329.95 at Redber Coffee · Breville Bambino Plus from £349.00 at Harvey Norman — as of 27 Aug 2026, 17:01, from extracted.coffee’s live scan of sellers shipping to the UK.
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Where they differ
| Dimension | Breville Bambino | Breville Bambino Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | Breville Bambino:Manual steam wand — you texture the milk, and learn to | Breville Bambino Plus:Automatic milk texturing — set temperature and froth level, it does the rest |
| Shot quality | Breville Bambino:Identical hardware where it counts — 54mm portafilter, ThermoJet heating | Breville Bambino Plus:Identical — the espresso side is the same machine |
| Learning curve | Breville Bambino:Steaming milk well takes practice; that's the fun or the friction, depending on you | Breville Bambino Plus:Flat-white-ready from day one |
| Typical price gap | Breville Bambino:The cheaper of the two — the saving buys a lot of beans | Breville Bambino Plus:A premium for the auto-milk hardware (live prices above tell today's truth) |
The honest verdict
Decide by milk: if learning to steam sounds like a hobby, buy the Bambino and pocket the difference; if you just want silky flat whites every morning with zero technique, the Plus's auto-texturing is the entire premium and worth it. The espresso is the same either way — and neither placement here is paid.
The questions everyone asks
- Is the espresso different between them?
- No — same 54mm portafilter, same heating system, same pump. Blind-tasted straight espresso, they're the same machine.
- Can the Plus still steam manually?
- Yes — the auto-texturing is optional, so you can learn manual steaming on it too. The base Bambino can't do it the other way around.
- Which holds value better?
- Both are sealed appliances rather than tinker platforms — buy for the milk workflow you want, not resale.
Either way, it needs a grinder
The builder pairs whichever machine you lean towards with a grinder that fits the rest of your budget — priced by the cup.