Breville Bambino Plus Espresso Machine BES500BSS, Brushed Stainless Steel

I’m 3 months in and I love the machine. Like you, I read all the reviews because I want the best but don’t want to pay for garbage. For context, I used a fully automatic (competitor brand) unit for years, but downgraded to a manual (same competitor brand) because I grew up with Cuban coffee and it took forever to make 4 shots. If you are upgrading from a manual, this will feel natural. The only thing I have can comment on is the one or two shot settings are based on time not flow, so because us humans can’t get exactly the same amount of grind in the cup every time, I may have to push the buttons once more to top it off. I have changed the timing settings now that I have my grind texture dialed in, and it works perfect.Things I have noticed that many others have complained about; the whole issue with the wand wanting to do a flush, not sure why everyone is making a big deal. Just use the same cup you frothed your milk with to catch the water and it’s a done deal. It does use a lot of water, so if for some reason it stops halfway through a cycle or refuses to make more after you press the button, check the water level, because there is no indication that it’s empty even though it has a float sensor.Also, I chose this brand because the other manual cup only had a single pin hole to make pressure and routinely clogged. This one comes with many cups for both pre-grind or home grind, and the cup has all the holes so clogging won’t be an issue, although if you overstuff the grinds it will have difficulty pumping through and end up purging into the tray.It has heat settings for both steam and brew temperature, and because it is an instant-heat machine, you’ll have consistent brew temps and won’t have hot-then-cold like those with a tank. The auto froth feature works perfect. It recommends purging it right before you steam, and I agree. It’ll push out a bunch of water before it starts to steam.Speaking of brew quality, it’s perfect. I have no complaints on the actual taste. Once you learn how to work the machine and get your grind texture down, you’ll be well on your way to a happy morning. Quality seems fine, it has enough metal where it matters and the trim plastic seems durable enough to last. I love the dark red and chrome design, it goes well with my black and stainless kitchen.If I had any complaints, I wish the pump was a little stronger to be able to push through finer grind without bogging down, but I like my espresso extra thick, so if you’re fine with anything finer than the coarse texture with pre-ground, you’ll be fine. Also, the controls are simple yet intuitive, but like I said I wish it had an indication for an empty tank besides just sitting there staring at me staring at it.

I spent 15 years burning through a series of $150 -$300 dollar espresso makers, a nice used Saeco, a couple DeLonghis) and recently a Delonghi that had a pump failure after three weeks. I was so upset about the DeLonghi failing that I impulsively bought this machine, which with accessories alwas about twice what I wanted to pay after reading reviews that made it clear that in this price range, for the best quality non-automatic machines, it's between this and a Gaggia Classic Pro. I went with the Breville as the reviews indicated it may not be easily hacked, but it works consistently and very well out of the box.Well, now I am kicking myself for not having bought this machine a decade earlier. It produces amazing shots reliably, every time. I use the stock basket, about 19 grams of espresso.grounds, tamp it with moderate pressure, and let the pour run about 14-15 seconds. I use top quality beans from a local roaster and grind to the second most fine setting on my Capresso Infinity grinder.The shots are superb without going down the obsessive espresso geek path of modifying the heater, the pump etc. I can't say anything more about that. It heats quickly (5 seconds) and has an auto shutoff, though it's smart to warm the portafilter by running a shot of just water through it, and it's easy enough to shut off with a simultaneous press of the single shot and the milk frother buttons.There are a few key accessories that make it more convenient. A cheap knock box helps unload the portafilter quicker and make it more convenient to pull multiple shots -imoortant if this high quality coffee accidentally turns your spouse and kid into espresso junkies. A magnetic portafilter funnel helps make it easy to get the grounds in, evenly distributed and tamped. A nice little stainless putcher for steaming milk helps with making A+ lattes and cappuccinos. And an open faced basket produces some interesting flavor variations though I have not mastered it well enough to produce consistent excellent taste.You will need to get really good quality beans and should have at least a decent low speed burr grinder to get best results, though foreground beans do alright if they are fresh enough - the Illy brand grounds produce a very nice flavorful shot and the Lavazza beans produce a great, traditional strong Italian type shot but fresh local beans may give a much nicer flavor.I've had it for about two months so far and have pulled at least four or five shots daily between Americanos for my wife and double shots for myself. The taste is great, the shots have a lovely smooth crema, and I am incredibly happy with it. This machine gets criticized as it's not a soulful Italian machine with endless hacking and customization opportunities, it is just a turnkey appliance that makes great espresso with no muss, no fuss. Look, I've owned an MGB and an old Plymouth muscle car, and fussy Italian espresso makers. I loved them and I loved tinkering. But I have a Toyota 4 Runner now that "lacks soul" but it is as reliable as a stone axe, I never worry about it starting when I get in, it's good in all conditions. It doesn't lose its lights in the rain (MGB) and it doesn't have weird features like reverse threaded lug nuts and this oddball relay that fails at weird times leaving me stranded unless I can install the spare (Plymouth). It just works right every dang time. You might be able to find a better machine that takes your espresso shots from a 99 grade to 100 but I doubt it. Once in a while my local roaster - which has won national competitions - pulls off a 100 shot. But usually they are 99's. Using the same beans this Breville is always a 99, no hassles.The only downside is we are drinking more coffee because this machine makes such tasty shots. It has eliminated coffee stops on the way to work and maybe in the long run pays for itself. But the real reason to buy is that life is too short to drink bad coffee. You are going to drink coffee anyhow; you might as well drink coffee that astounds you and puts a smile on your face every morning. Buy once, cry once.