It's like we were meant to be. I just brought out my Breville Bambino from it's box after having received it months ago from my wedding registry. I haven't steamed milk in almost a decade. I can confidently say your tips have me steaming microfoam better than I've ever had even in most of my local cafes. I can't wait to see more videos from you!
As such a passionate and experienced guy - i really like that you aprreciate such a entry level machine and accept that their is a market for those. Most „experts“ in online forums just do trash talk about everything below dual boiler.
Dual Boiler has better thermal stability, better temperature (no swings like with thermoblock), capability of changing temp from 195 to 205, preinfusion control, 90sec shots, etx
Great video! I've had this for over a year now (with a non-pressurised basket) and it's awesome, even for straight espressos. The only downside is the small capacity drip tray.
Yeah. Very small capacity. But helps with the tiny footprint. And non pressurized will allow lower pressure shots, which can actually be quite incredible since you can do coarser grinds (high extraction and less channels)
I have the dual boiler in my milk steaming video! Give it a watch. Will perfect your milk regardless of machines. And both the pro and dual boiler will make appearances in different videos! I've got a lot of equipment at home 😆😆😆
It was worth peeling my eyes hahaha! Great work, Lance! Would you recommend steaming first and extracting after or it doesn’t matter too much which order I apply? I was a bit surprised that you did the steaming first in this demo.
With this, because the ramp down time on the wand takes so long, I steamed first to maintain as much crema as possible. For the pro, you can do either way, though I typical extract first.
Absolutely. I do both ways with pro. If I steam first, while shot is pulling, I will transfer pitchers to groom. Then you have robust crema if wanting better latte art
Hey Lance, just came across your channel the other day and really love your content! Quick question about the bambino. What’s your experience with the temperature at the group? It’s supposed to have a PID built in for 200F but I’ve heard a lot of people say it comes out a lot cooler, like 140F. What’s your thoughts on this? And is there a way to improve this? Thanks again!
Also, if you do see this and respond to it, let me know how you think the Bambino does with lighter roast coffees. I’ve heard the pump pressure is a little weak so you have to grind coarser, which isn’t ideal for light roast coffees. What do you think?
Did you find the 54mm portafilter to be an issue? I was planning on getting the Niche grinder and the cup won't fit it nicely. Not sure if it's too small for other grinders as well.
No! The niche cup is made for 58mm so can't use it directly on the PF, but that's not an issue. Grab a 54mm shot collar and just dump it in. Then distribute. Easy peesy lemon squeezy
I own a breville barista express. Still trying to dial in the machine. Should you start counting the 20-30 seconds from pre-infusion or from when the espresso touches the cup?
From the time you hit the button! I'll do a dial in video next week. It'll be exhaustive, for sure. Haha keep your eyes peeled for it! Love teaching espresso. I'll also be doing latte art basics soon. Feel free to ask any questions you have!
@@LanceHedrick î'm rooting for you to have a very succesfull channel. Straight up a very nice guy and good quality tips and tricks. I look forward to seeing every video!
Thank you!!! Obviously, I hope so, too, but I know there are other great channels out there and a lot is luck, and lot support from awesome people! Thankfully, I've got the latter half with people like you. Appreciate it
You're very welcome! One more question 😅 does the cup really matter that much to get good latte art? I mean the shape like the loveramics egg cup for example?
I know this is old review but enjoyed it and to be honest glad you pointed out that its not for the snobs..as sometimes like wine, I feel what people say about espresso taste etc is something well beyond what people will normally experience.. I went to a well known coffee house in London to try real espresso to see if I could get the 'chocolate, sweetness etc etc' and nope was sour, all of us were very disappointed. So for me knowing that I can make great tasting espresso with a cheaper machine at home (and coming from a guy like you who knows his stuff) keeps me away from going down that coffee rabbit hole!
this makes me feel better about my smaller budget for an espresso machine lmao hallelujah i don't need to spend so much just make lattes for myself! thanks lance for this!
I recently purchased my bambino because i was tired of having bad tasting coffee of another generic brand machine. I changed grinding, beans, amout, monitored time of extraction and still bad coffee. I read the reviews and and were good based ob price point. However I could not make one good cup. After seen your video, i frothed the milk BEFORE brewing the coffee and used the frothing milk video you posted and wow you are awesome. THANK YOU. I am a rookie on this no experience whatsoever. Is not that I can make a latte art, which is a nice to have, but my coffee improved so much is unbeleavabke. My husband is not going to believe me. Waiting to keep seen more of you. Now my part is to keep practicing. GBU
I’m definitely a home brewing enthusiast, and this video was great! Thank you for pointing out that it’s a smaller basket & better for those who want more milk-based beverages. 🥛☕️
@@LanceHedrickIs that why my cappuccinos using my Bambino machine always taste so watered down?? Been doing some digging to find out why and came across this video. I've made about 20 cappuccinos so far and they all taste more like milk than coffee or a real cappuccino. I've tried medium dark, dark, and bold coffees and it still comes out tasting weak and plain. I would love some info on what to do about it using this machine. Thanks in advance!
I love that you didn't totally knock the cheaper machine. I have a $50 Mr Coffee espresso machine that I got like 5 years ago and have been able to make pretty good latte art with trial and error. Stretching the milk takes a little longer than a fancy machine and you've really got to hold the cup steady and lower it verrry slowly to stretch it (it only has one hole on the steam tip, and the pressure isn't as strong as an expensive machine), but it can be done. I'm really glad I found your channel today because my latte art has really not been very good due to technique. Also I tend to over-stretch, so I will take your tips and tricks for tomorrow when I make a cup. Thanks for the great and thorough videos! I always appreciate a detailed teacher.
Thank you miles! I really, truly appreciate that. Comments can be so hit or miss you this was certainly encouraging. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help!
Why has Lance only got 8.5K subscribers????? This content is excellent, with great quality videos! Also, I now need to go and buy an espresso machine...
Thank you! I have this machine and enjoy it. Still learning to dial the right grind. The milk is silky and lovely, but sometimes the thicker creamy is at the top (I do fold it in) but kinda glops out when I'm pouring and trying to practice basic latte art. Any tips? :)
I just uploaded a video on my channel with attempts of using botomless portafilter... disastrous is understatement haha watching your smoothness in doing this makes me jealous please do a bottomless tutorial for this machine!
Great video. I have the Bambino plus, and have really enjoyed using it for about two years now. During quarantine I finally started to focus on manual milk steaming. I’m getting decent with milk, I have the texturing down pretty well ( thanks In no small part to your recent video ), but really struggle with actually getting any decent art out of the nice milk that I have made. Will you have a video soon on actually creating hearts or tulips etc.?
I have it too, I have two main struggles: 1) Dialing in specialty coffee (lighter roast especially): comes out sour as hell 2) This probably because of my skills, but I only manage to have good microfoam for one cappuccino at a time only
Nice - Just purchased a Bambino mainly because of price and the desire to try something different from drip and K-Cups. Love my Keurig but not always. Question is "does the type of milk matter?" Whole, 2%, 1%, Skim, Half&Half, or Heavy Cream? Cows or Almond? Thanks!
I got this two years ago since we are working from home for making latte, I was actually quite impressed by it. I'm no professional, but we have a La Marzocco in the office that I missed a lot, so I at least know what a good machine can do. This is definitely enough for a decent latte.
Nice to see a well-known pro giving credit to a stock, cheaper machine. Internet coffee snobs are the worst. They don't leave it at "an expensive machine can make better coffee" but have to act like anything coming out of the sort of machine than most people might buy is undrinkable filth-water "oh god I couldn't possible drink coffee from a capsule/bean-to-cup/cheap espresso - it's completely disgusting...it's not even coffee". I like my coffee but I never want to get to the point where I can no longer drink about 90% of it. It's like becoming a wine connoisseur. I'm sure it's great but if you now can't enjoy any wine cheaper than 100 bucks a bottle....who's the mug?
If you look at the channel wineking they often give props to $20 bottles of wine. being more experianced should leave you with a better eye for what is worth the money and to who.
God sooooo much more refreshing than James Hoffman. 🤣 I love how he's like "some people drink pre ground coffee" nothing wrong with that and you don't need to spend $12,000 on a coffee grinder just to have a cup of coffee.
Love your videos. I was thinking of getting the lelit Anna 2. But I’m thinking maybe this is great for cappuccinos. And learn some latte art!!!! If you use it. It must be good enough. Your how to milk steaming video is the best one. Can’t wait to try it.
Thank you so much for this video! I just got this machine for my 40th birthday and there seem to be so many reviews for the Bambino Plus and hardly any for the regular Bambino. This was very helpful and informative!!
Thank you! I've been teaching online classes for Breville and williams sonoma all pandemic. I figured this would be a natural transition since I've been speaking to a camera for a year 😂😂 new to what the youtube community wants, so hopefully videos will improve as I keep doing them
Hey! I do not offer that right now. Just too difficult to juggle my full time job and this, which is turning into a second full time job lol. Thank you sincerely for the interest! If I open up to trainings, I'll post about it here on my community board and Instagram
Thanks so much! Putting out a latte art tutorial on the matter of hours, so stay tuned! Your milk will be killer on the express! Lovely machine Thanks for watching!
Subscribed! Man, I'm very happy I've stumbled across your videos. I've recently purchased a Breville Barista Express. I was having issues being consistent with pulling shots and milk steaming. You're videos are a major help to folks like myself who are starting out and I can now correct myself when mistakes are made thanks to you. I'm looking forward to getting the upload notifications, keep it up!
I recently purchased this machine, I am not sure if it’s because I’m in the EU but mine came with non pressurized baskets as well, I was curious to know how this machine performs with a grinder and the non pressurized one.
I just find you Lance Hedrick, wow! I'm a humble coffee barista coach to the Deaf students in the Philippines, Valenzuela City, Metro Manila. God bless you!
Watching from the Philippines and just purchased a Breville Pro. Great content with an underrated creator! Super helpful for someone who’s just learned abt coffee researching over the internet (me) - no commercial experience or whatsoever. Will wait for more of your videos as I’m a beginner in coffee making and would want to be educated on how to make a proper latte - i.e. proper espresso extraction and milk steaming, and a lot more abt coffee. Thanks!
Just found you Lance, love your presentations. I was just about to purchase an automatic Gaggia Magenta but luckily I found your video so I am now going to go for a manual Gaggia and just practice whilst watching your videos. I had a Bambina plus but sold it because I though it wasn't very good at doing the milk. I realise now the problem was not the machine but my technique. Still a good opportunity to purchase a decent dual boiler machine.
I currently own a delonghi ecp 3420. I use unpressurized baskets and a bottomless portafilter but even with the same puck prep i get wildly different extraction times depending on how long it's warmed up. Because of that, I'm looking to upgrade. I know they're not in the same category but am between this and the profitec go. Want something for mostly milk based beverages for 2 people. I enjoy the process of making it. Which do you suggest?
Hello lace! I recently got this machine and I've been using different coffees and grind, tools and stamps and portafilters. I still get sprayed with coffee allover. Any advice on that?
I use a bambino at home and did so much research and no one else told me you can use the same portafilter from the breville pro??! that is so helpful to know, that will definitely be my next upgrade.
Not sure if you're still monitoring this video. But I just got the bambino, first machine, had a Delonghi, but was not capable of much, so upgraded to this one. Much better honestly. But my issue, is the milk looks good while it's streaming, but once i turn off the stream wanted, there's like a pressurized effect right at the end that creates so much foam and then the milk is ruined. Any advice?
I love that you used this example specifically because I have the Bambino Plus myself. It was for my first ever venture into espresso, hoping to upgrade soon, I think I'm ready for a big boy machine now 😂
@@LanceHedrick the Bambino does make some excellent lattes, good Americanos, and decent espresso, but like you said to get better espresso and extract the intricate flavors gotta upgrade. And I use a naked portafilter and standard non-pressurized basket, so I can see if there is channeling etc.
It's an excellent review. What I was wondering though: if you say it's a downside to the aluminium portafilter that it doesn't retain temperature very well, doesn't it mean that it has an upside of heating up fast?
Google breville bambino and go to either brevilles website or williams sonoma. I just googled it and williams sonoma popped up. Clicked the link and the first listing is a bambino for 299.95! Give that a try and let me know! Happy to help however I can. Cheers!
Watched your milk foam video. Your tips made a difference for me and ive been at it 5 yrs at home. This is another interesting and fun informative video and im sure your channel will grow.
I just one and can not seem to make it right was wondering how many grams do you put in I tried 18g and it was overflowing then I moved to 16g and it still seemed like too much
hello lance - im new to espresso making but specific on espresso taste/acidity etc. i hear that the temperature control is bad on this one and not easy to achieve specific taste
Just bought a Bambino based on your review. Now I'm thinking about getting your signature portafilter! You should spotlight your new products some more.
So how fast does this steam 200ml of cold milk? I had an itop espresso machine (heating block) that usually takes 120 seconds 😅 Waiting this long for semi hot milk everyday eventually lead me to purchase a Nuova Simonelli musica...I am very satisfied now
The big difference between the basic Bambino and the Bambino Plus is that the Plus has an auto-foamer feature where it will foam your milk without you having to do anything. There is a temperature sensor underneath where the milk pitcher sits that turns off the steam when the milk has reached the proper temperature. I have the basic Bambino and as far as I can tell the two machines are otherwise pretty much the same. The coffee mechanism is the same and the steam output is the same. The steam output on the Bambino is incredible. It really foams the milk beautifully. Overall I would recommend the Bambino over the Plus unless you really want that auto-foam feature. If you can do without that you can get a smaller footprint of the Bambino which has mostly the same other features as the Plus for $150 less. Seems like a better deal to me.
Yes! It is the baratza 270. For espresso, it is one of the best bargains imo. Obviously much better grinders on the market, but at this price point? Not many. Thanks for watching!
Appreciate that! Perhaps in the future if my channel gets enough attention, I'll start a patreon to be able to buy machines for review. As of now, I'm just not financially able to afford machines for reviews haha! Appreciate the support and interest !
Greetings from Malaysia! Love this awesome video Lance, will defo check out a Breville Bambino near where I live! On a side note, do you have some recommendations of good and affordable coffee grinders for 1-2 pax use recommendations for newbs like me haha?
If focusing on espresso, the baratza sette 30 and virtuoso are good entry level grinders! Thanks so much for watching, friend! Humbled by the support all the way from Malaysia! 🤗
Hey! I have the barista express and generally cannot fault the machine for making a single cup of coffee. However I have issues when trying to make multiple cups of coffee, when I start trying to steam the second pitcher of milk the machine struggles to get up to temperature and doesn’t produce steam. It puts be off trying to make 2-3 cups of coffee at the one time and wondered if you had any suggestions or experience of this?
I have not! Are you clearing out the wand after you use it from the first? And have you tried getting a bigger pitcher to steam twice the volume at once so you don't need to steam twice?
This is great. I have loved coffee most of my life. Grew up drinking espresso from a Moka Pot and have been using a pressurized Cuisinart appliance. I'm ready to set up my new BBP and take my espresso to the next level. Thanks for making this information available to the masses.
I use the one without the scale. I always single dose my espresso, so never needed the scale. Plus, I had one before and if you're rough with it at all, the scale and miscalibrate.
Can you guide me on how to create milk foam with the 4-holes steam tip ? I owned the Breville barista pro and I’m having a hard time to make silky foam
Do you have any tips for who wants to use the non pressurised basket on this machine? I'm really struggling over here! (is it possible to get a nice crema with a single wall non pressurised on this machine?)
Do you think investing in a home espresso machine is worth it, considering the beans, syrups, cups, etc in the long run vs the 5$/cup a day + drive to the shop?
Oh absolutely. Especially if you're planning on doing it for more than a year. Pays for itself rather quickly. quick math- spend $1,000 on a grinder, machine, some mugs, some syrups up front, then essentially about $40 monthly on coffee vs $5/day (assuming just work week) for a month would be $100/month (excluding gas, tax, and tip). In 2 years, you would spend $2400. With the former, however, you'd spend $1960. So, more than pays for itself in 2 years using a really low number for the daily cup. Not to mention you'd be able to use your own cup daily, saving waste, etc. Definitely worth it. And you can make the intiial cost even less if you do a breville Bambino and grinder, which would make start up closer to maybe $600, meaning after two years it is moreso $1560 vs a 5 day per week coffee at $2400.
Fantastic channel! Thank you so much for your uploads and sharing your knowledge! Looking forward to seeing more content! New subscriber here and follower on insta! Cheers! ☕
My first coffee machine was Delonghi vintage icona. I've been learning how to do latte arts from yt for years but I couldn't make a decent pattern. I bought the Breville Express last year and immediately I could tell the quality difference. I can now steam silky milk for latte art, but every now and then when I go back to my Delonghi machine I fail. I know you said there was no bad steam wand in your last video so I m just wondering if there're some extra tips on steaming milk with a really fat plastic steam wand? My frd can't afford to upgrade her machine to Breville like I did so she had to stick with her Delonghi machine. The main problems I encountered were that I couldnt get the milk to swirled and the milk seemed to be too foamy.
You can still get the whirl with that wand. You just have to make sure you have the perfect position and VERY SLOWLY stretch over a long period. The spin won't be as aggressive, but is attainable. If needed for more spin, you can go a SMIDGE closer to the wall than a quarter, but not a lot.
Hey, I got this machine about a week ago and I’m really struggling to make latte art. I have the OXO conical burr grinder. Is this grinder good enough to make espresso or do I need to upgrade? When I run a double shot with 18g ground, it gives me about 45g output. The time from pressing the button to the first drip is 11 seconds. I don’t seem to be getting much crema. When I pour my steamed milk on top the milk just sinks. Hope someone can give me some tips please 😭 I’m new to coffee and I really want to get better at it.
It sounds like the water is passing through the coffee too fast. This would explain the lack of crema and relatively high output of your shots. If you're using an unpressurized basket you should try switching to pressurized. If you're already using a pressurized basket then try grinding more finely if possible. If you're already using the finest grind setting then you could try tamping the coffee more firmly. If you do all this and are still getting little crema and a more than 2 to 1 output ratio, try buying some coffee that is pre ground for espresso and see if that works better. If it does, then you probably do need to upgrade your grinder. Good luck🙂
So no bottomless portafilter with this machine? I recently got one to try and it's been a nightmare tbh. Spraying and making a mess, I went back to old portafilter and the coffee was fine. Feel like I might have wasted money on the bottomless now. Also you didn't specify how much coffee you used?
probably the grind isn't idea, or the basket is dirty. bottomless is a good way to check your puck prep and extraction is dialed in. if it is off, it makes a mess.
Nice channel, good info, I have a Breville Barista Express that I bought last Christmas, I wanted to go higher end machine with a grinder but it was much easier to talk wife into the Express and I make Latte's every morning for Wife and myself, now she is OK with the purchase. I think that getting local roasted coffee makes big difference plus I picked up a 54 mm 18-20 gm basket on Amazon by MacMaxe that holds more coffee than Breville stock basket, it's taken me around 3 month to get it where I pull some great shoots, great machine for beginners. :)
I know this is old but I just got this machine. I haven’t unboxed yet! How does this last now that it’s been out for 3 years? Should I return and save for the plus? I don’t care about the automatic milk frother. Also I did get a grinder that cost more than the machine
Hey dude, hope you don't mind another question. Do you adjust steaming technique at all on these lower power single hole? Anything different to get the whirlpool going to start? I really struggle to get it going with the half and a quarter. I've gotten it perfect once or twice but more often then not i can't seem to get it moving to start.
I do not. I've steamed on many single hole with this technique successfully. I'd be happy to check out a video of you doing it! Shoot me a DM of an overhead video on IG @lancehedrick Pressure doesn't matter. Just ensure you have wand position and pitcher angle all proper. And ensure you don't lose your angle as you stretch. Should all be fine.
To be completely honest, no. If you're willing to go to 499, I'd highly suggest doing the extra 300 for the barista pro. Otherwise, save your money and do the 299 bambino until willing to upgrade to something like the dual boiler at 1499.
It's like we were meant to be. I just brought out my Breville Bambino from it's box after having received it months ago from my wedding registry. I haven't steamed milk in almost a decade. I can confidently say your tips have me steaming microfoam better than I've ever had even in most of my local cafes. I can't wait to see more videos from you!
Oh yes! Love that! How to dial in and latte art basics coming soon 👀
As such a passionate and experienced guy - i really like that you aprreciate such a entry level machine and accept that their is a market for those. Most „experts“ in online forums just do trash talk about everything below dual boiler.
Yeah. Sadly coffee is a very gate kept thing. People get super high on their horse and it makes the hobby inaccessible. I'm not here to do that
Dual Boiler has better thermal stability, better temperature (no swings like with thermoblock), capability of changing temp from 195 to 205, preinfusion control, 90sec shots, etx
Lol I own one and use it frequently haha
Apologies. Thermojet. Mine does too..it has been tested and showed to go from 84C to 102C in massive fluctuations.
And 60sec is the max. Sadly the PID controller isn't good enough to stop those temp swings
Great video! I've had this for over a year now (with a non-pressurised basket) and it's awesome, even for straight espressos. The only downside is the small capacity drip tray.
Yeah. Very small capacity. But helps with the tiny footprint. And non pressurized will allow lower pressure shots, which can actually be quite incredible since you can do coarser grinds (high extraction and less channels)
Great video!! I hope you cover other breville lines like the pro and dual boiler
I have the dual boiler in my milk steaming video! Give it a watch. Will perfect your milk regardless of machines. And both the pro and dual boiler will make appearances in different videos! I've got a lot of equipment at home 😆😆😆
@@LanceHedrick Omg! I just realized that was the dual boiler. Idk why i saw the pressure gauge and assumed it was the express 🙈🙈
Hahaha you're good! No worries. Thanks for watching! Going to be doing espresso dial in and latte art basics soon!
It was worth peeling my eyes hahaha! Great work, Lance!
Would you recommend steaming first and extracting after or it doesn’t matter too much which order I apply? I was a bit surprised that you did the steaming first in this demo.
With this, because the ramp down time on the wand takes so long, I steamed first to maintain as much crema as possible. For the pro, you can do either way, though I typical extract first.
@@LanceHedrick ah got it. Thanks 😊 yep with the pro you can get to steaming really fast after extraction.
Absolutely. I do both ways with pro. If I steam first, while shot is pulling, I will transfer pitchers to groom. Then you have robust crema if wanting better latte art
@@LanceHedrick that sounds amazing already! Espresso in top condition to pour latte art with :D I’m giving it a try! :D
Excited to see it!
I know it has 2 programs setting 1 and 2 shots but how can I use manually I mean stop until I want it.
Hey Lance, just came across your channel the other day and really love your content! Quick question about the bambino. What’s your experience with the temperature at the group? It’s supposed to have a PID built in for 200F but I’ve heard a lot of people say it comes out a lot cooler, like 140F. What’s your thoughts on this? And is there a way to improve this? Thanks again!
Also, if you do see this and respond to it, let me know how you think the Bambino does with lighter roast coffees. I’ve heard the pump pressure is a little weak so you have to grind coarser, which isn’t ideal for light roast coffees. What do you think?
Temp is fine. Never had that 140 issue. And I've pulled 60sec shots.
As for light roasts, they're all I pull. And I think they do a great job!
Great video. Thanks.
thank you!
Did you find the 54mm portafilter to be an issue? I was planning on getting the Niche grinder and the cup won't fit it nicely. Not sure if it's too small for other grinders as well.
No! The niche cup is made for 58mm so can't use it directly on the PF, but that's not an issue. Grab a 54mm shot collar and just dump it in. Then distribute. Easy peesy lemon squeezy
Would you recommend this or a Cafelet Robot?
I own a breville barista express. Still trying to dial in the machine. Should you start counting the 20-30 seconds from pre-infusion or from when the espresso touches the cup?
From the time you hit the button! I'll do a dial in video next week. It'll be exhaustive, for sure. Haha keep your eyes peeled for it! Love teaching espresso. I'll also be doing latte art basics soon. Feel free to ask any questions you have!
@@LanceHedrick î'm rooting for you to have a very succesfull channel. Straight up a very nice guy and good quality tips and tricks. I look forward to seeing every video!
Thank you!!! Obviously, I hope so, too, but I know there are other great channels out there and a lot is luck, and lot support from awesome people! Thankfully, I've got the latter half with people like you. Appreciate it
You're very welcome!
One more question 😅 does the cup really matter that much to get good latte art? I mean the shape like the loveramics egg cup for example?
Egg cups are not ideal, but they work! Shape is important for sure. Lower profile and a bit wider mouth tend to work better. Bowl shaped for sure.
I know this is old review but enjoyed it and to be honest glad you pointed out that its not for the snobs..as sometimes like wine, I feel what people say about espresso taste etc is something well beyond what people will normally experience.. I went to a well known coffee house in London to try real espresso to see if I could get the 'chocolate, sweetness etc etc' and nope was sour, all of us were very disappointed. So for me knowing that I can make great tasting espresso with a cheaper machine at home (and coming from a guy like you who knows his stuff) keeps me away from going down that coffee rabbit hole!
it’s admirable that, to this day, you still respond to so many comments on an old video. i have great respect for you
SCA should consider your shake technique as a standard quality check 😁 Love the video. It's informative, it's funny and it's about coffee.
I'm all about that shake for texture checks. Should be a requirement in the milk course during the barista championship 😂
Sound effects included
Lol love it. We will see 👀
this makes me feel better about my smaller budget for an espresso machine lmao hallelujah i don't need to spend so much just make lattes for myself! thanks lance for this!
I recently purchased my bambino because i was tired of having bad tasting coffee of another generic brand machine. I changed grinding, beans, amout, monitored time of extraction and still bad coffee. I read the reviews and and were good based ob price point. However I could not make one good cup. After seen your video, i frothed the milk BEFORE brewing the coffee and used the frothing milk video you posted and wow you are awesome. THANK YOU. I am a rookie on this no experience whatsoever. Is not that I can make a latte art, which is a nice to have, but my coffee improved so much is unbeleavabke. My husband is not going to believe me. Waiting to keep seen more of you. Now my part is to keep practicing. GBU
I’m definitely a home brewing enthusiast, and this video was great! Thank you for pointing out that it’s a smaller basket & better for those who want more milk-based beverages. 🥛☕️
Absolutely! Next I'll be posting latte art basics and how to dial in like a pro!
@@LanceHedrickIs that why my cappuccinos using my Bambino machine always taste so watered down?? Been doing some digging to find out why and came across this video. I've made about 20 cappuccinos so far and they all taste more like milk than coffee or a real cappuccino. I've tried medium dark, dark, and bold coffees and it still comes out tasting weak and plain. I would love some info on what to do about it using this machine. Thanks in advance!
I love that you didn't totally knock the cheaper machine. I have a $50 Mr Coffee espresso machine that I got like 5 years ago and have been able to make pretty good latte art with trial and error. Stretching the milk takes a little longer than a fancy machine and you've really got to hold the cup steady and lower it verrry slowly to stretch it (it only has one hole on the steam tip, and the pressure isn't as strong as an expensive machine), but it can be done.
I'm really glad I found your channel today because my latte art has really not been very good due to technique. Also I tend to over-stretch, so I will take your tips and tricks for tomorrow when I make a cup.
Thanks for the great and thorough videos! I always appreciate a detailed teacher.
I love cheap equipment that is good! I really think you'll love my video this Friday. Cheap grinders that rock
❤ could you please do a video using a bottomless non-pressurised portifilter on bambino machine please ❤
LAAANCE! I could watch you alll day. Thank you so so much for putting some much love into all your videos, I can't wait for the next one
Thank you miles! I really, truly appreciate that. Comments can be so hit or miss you this was certainly encouraging. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help!
May I ask how long time you let air in for steaming milk for the breville bambino ?thanks
I can’t believe how much power that steam wand has! They’ve come a long way!
My friend, mentor, and industry colleague. Love you.
Why has Lance only got 8.5K subscribers????? This content is excellent, with great quality videos! Also, I now need to go and buy an espresso machine...
Wow thank you! Biggest compliment is someone buying a whole machine because I talked about espresso lol! Incredible. And thank you for the support!
Thank you! I have this machine and enjoy it. Still learning to dial the right grind. The milk is silky and lovely, but sometimes the thicker creamy is at the top (I do fold it in) but kinda glops out when I'm pouring and trying to practice basic latte art. Any tips? :)
I just uploaded a video on my channel with attempts of using botomless portafilter... disastrous is understatement haha
watching your smoothness in doing this makes me jealous
please do a bottomless tutorial for this machine!
Absolutely! Thank you for the suggestion! I will do a video on how to distribute and prepare espresso, which I think you'll find super useful
How did you know when to stop the espresso extraction? ❤
Great video. I have the Bambino plus, and have really enjoyed using it for about two years now. During quarantine I finally started to focus on manual milk steaming. I’m getting decent with milk, I have the texturing down pretty well ( thanks In no small part to your recent video ), but really struggle with actually getting any decent art out of the nice milk that I have made. Will you have a video soon on actually creating hearts or tulips etc.?
Yes! Filming latte art basics next week! Be on the lookout 👀👀👀
I have it too, I have two main struggles:
1) Dialing in specialty coffee (lighter roast especially): comes out sour as hell
2) This probably because of my skills, but I only manage to have good microfoam for one cappuccino at a time only
I’ve always said that great taste espresso is more of a grinder thing and latte art more of a technique thing. Loved the video!💪🏻💪🏻
Fantastic! Thanks so much for the comment and support
Nice - Just purchased a Bambino mainly because of price and the desire to try something different from drip and K-Cups. Love my Keurig but not always. Question is "does the type of milk matter?" Whole, 2%, 1%, Skim, Half&Half, or Heavy Cream? Cows or Almond?
Thanks!
Just say three-hundred
I got this two years ago since we are working from home for making latte, I was actually quite impressed by it.
I'm no professional, but we have a La Marzocco in the office that I missed a lot, so I at least know what a good machine can do. This is definitely enough for a decent latte.
Nice to see a well-known pro giving credit to a stock, cheaper machine. Internet coffee snobs are the worst. They don't leave it at "an expensive machine can make better coffee" but have to act like anything coming out of the sort of machine than most people might buy is undrinkable filth-water "oh god I couldn't possible drink coffee from a capsule/bean-to-cup/cheap espresso - it's completely disgusting...it's not even coffee".
I like my coffee but I never want to get to the point where I can no longer drink about 90% of it. It's like becoming a wine connoisseur. I'm sure it's great but if you now can't enjoy any wine cheaper than 100 bucks a bottle....who's the mug?
If you look at the channel wineking they often give props to $20 bottles of wine. being more experianced should leave you with a better eye for what is worth the money and to who.
love the shake test sfx 🤌🏼
Hahahaha I seriously don't mean to do it, but everytime, the noises escape my mouth 😂
A true "Barista"
It's not the equipment... it's how you use it... !
Absolutely. So many people blame equipment and not themselves. It's silly and off putting
I’m glad I found your channel through Instagram! Excited to learn more about coffee 🎉
Awesome! So happy you did, too. Excited to pump out more helpful content! How to dial in espresso and latte art basics coming up 👀
God sooooo much more refreshing than James Hoffman. 🤣 I love how he's like "some people drink pre ground coffee" nothing wrong with that and you don't need to spend $12,000 on a coffee grinder just to have a cup of coffee.
Love your videos. I was thinking of getting the lelit Anna 2. But I’m thinking maybe this is great for cappuccinos. And learn some latte art!!!! If you use it. It must be good enough. Your how to milk steaming video is the best one. Can’t wait to try it.
Thank you so much for this video! I just got this machine for my 40th birthday and there seem to be so many reviews for the Bambino Plus and hardly any for the regular Bambino. This was very helpful and informative!!
Good! So happy you enjoyed it! If you haven't already, check out the milk steaming tutorial so you can have perfect milk with that machine!
Oh! And happy birthday!
For being a new channel, I'm really impressed and learning so much
Thank you! I've been teaching online classes for Breville and williams sonoma all pandemic. I figured this would be a natural transition since I've been speaking to a camera for a year 😂😂 new to what the youtube community wants, so hopefully videos will improve as I keep doing them
Hey Lance,
Are you available for 1:1 "virtual" lessons? If so, how do I contact you?
Hey! I do not offer that right now. Just too difficult to juggle my full time job and this, which is turning into a second full time job lol. Thank you sincerely for the interest! If I open up to trainings, I'll post about it here on my community board and Instagram
Hi Lance, thanks for the video.
Do you feel that the Breville Smart Grinder Pro is decent enough for cappuccinos, using the Bambino or the plus?
Love these videos mate! I’m having trouble creating latte art with my breville barista express. Can’t wait to give this a go
Thanks so much! Putting out a latte art tutorial on the matter of hours, so stay tuned!
Your milk will be killer on the express! Lovely machine
Thanks for watching!
Impressed by the Breville every time!
Absolutely! Punches way above its weight class
@@LanceHedrick true! however, in Canada, spare parts are never to be seen. I have been waiting 10 months for a grouphead gasket. never available.....
This is interesting to hear! Wow. That is no good.
I’m starting to watch your videos… it’s my second one… YOU ARE AMAZING!!!! 🤩 so clear, so technical but in a good way! Wow!!!
Subscribed! Man, I'm very happy I've stumbled across your videos. I've recently purchased a Breville Barista Express. I was having issues being consistent with pulling shots and milk steaming. You're videos are a major help to folks like myself who are starting out and I can now correct myself when mistakes are made thanks to you. I'm looking forward to getting the upload notifications, keep it up!
I recently purchased this machine, I am not sure if it’s because I’m in the EU but mine came with non pressurized baskets as well, I was curious to know how this machine performs with a grinder and the non pressurized one.
I just find you Lance Hedrick, wow! I'm a humble coffee barista coach to the Deaf students in the Philippines, Valenzuela City, Metro Manila. God bless you!
Incredible! Thank you for the kindness. You are certainly doing incredible things! cheers
Watching from the Philippines and just purchased a Breville Pro. Great content with an underrated creator! Super helpful for someone who’s just learned abt coffee researching over the internet (me) - no commercial experience or whatsoever. Will wait for more of your videos as I’m a beginner in coffee making and would want to be educated on how to make a proper latte - i.e. proper espresso extraction and milk steaming, and a lot more abt coffee. Thanks!
Incredible! I'm so happy and humbled you're using my channel to learn. Thank you! Lattes art basics and how to dial in espresso coming next!
Just bought this before watching any reviews so I'm glad yours was glowing!
Just found you Lance, love your presentations. I was just about to purchase an automatic Gaggia Magenta but luckily I found your video so I am now going to go for a manual Gaggia and just practice whilst watching your videos. I had a Bambina plus but sold it because I though it wasn't very good at doing the milk. I realise now the problem was not the machine but my technique. Still a good opportunity to purchase a decent dual boiler machine.
I currently own a delonghi ecp 3420. I use unpressurized baskets and a bottomless portafilter but even with the same puck prep i get wildly different extraction times depending on how long it's warmed up. Because of that, I'm looking to upgrade. I know they're not in the same category but am between this and the profitec go. Want something for mostly milk based beverages for 2 people. I enjoy the process of making it. Which do you suggest?
Lance, what dose do you typically use with the Breville 54mm double shot basket?
Hello lace! I recently got this machine and I've been using different coffees and grind, tools and stamps and portafilters. I still get sprayed with coffee allover. Any advice on that?
I use a bambino at home and did so much research and no one else told me you can use the same portafilter from the breville pro??! that is so helpful to know, that will definitely be my next upgrade.
Absolutely! And grab an IMS screen for it, too 🤗
@@LanceHedrick any specific recommendation? i just ordered my bambino today.
yeah, major flaw. It will ask for descaling literally every 7-10 days. And you cant skip it. Piece of garbage.
MORE SOUND EFFECTS YEAH BABEY!!
Hahaha! Will keep in mind for future vids 🤣 appreciate you watching!
Not sure if you're still monitoring this video. But I just got the bambino, first machine, had a Delonghi, but was not capable of much, so upgraded to this one. Much better honestly. But my issue, is the milk looks good while it's streaming, but once i turn off the stream wanted, there's like a pressurized effect right at the end that creates so much foam and then the milk is ruined. Any advice?
Will any 54mm portafilter work or should it be Breville brand? Also will a bottomless filter be an upgrade on this machine?
I love that you used this example specifically because I have the Bambino Plus myself. It was for my first ever venture into espresso, hoping to upgrade soon, I think I'm ready for a big boy machine now 😂
I love that! Do it! Full support here.
@@LanceHedrick the Bambino does make some excellent lattes, good Americanos, and decent espresso, but like you said to get better espresso and extract the intricate flavors gotta upgrade. And I use a naked portafilter and standard non-pressurized basket, so I can see if there is channeling etc.
That's awesome! Excited to hear results if you upgrade!
Did you upgrade? How big is the difference?
the breville bambino’s now come with unpressurized baskets as well as pressurized
how to choose from impress and pro and this machine, for home use and a novice coffee lover, but really enjoyed making coffee
It's an excellent review. What I was wondering though: if you say it's a downside to the aluminium portafilter that it doesn't retain temperature very well, doesn't it mean that it has an upside of heating up fast?
Where can I find this machine? Searching turns up a Breville Bambino plus for $500- HELP!!
Google breville bambino and go to either brevilles website or williams sonoma. I just googled it and williams sonoma popped up. Clicked the link and the first listing is a bambino for 299.95! Give that a try and let me know! Happy to help however I can. Cheers!
Watched your milk foam video. Your tips made a difference for me and ive been at it 5 yrs at home. This is another interesting and fun informative video and im sure your channel will grow.
Thank you Todd! Appreciate the support. Means the world! And so happy it helped you, a veteran home barista! More to come soon
I just one and can not seem to make it right was wondering how many grams do you put in I tried 18g and it was overflowing then I moved to 16g and it still seemed like too much
mine makes a weird noise when I use the wand for milk :((( its like thumping,
First time watching your videos, really looking forward to the next one. Awesome work sir!
Thank you so much! Really appreciate it. Espresso dial in and latte art soon!
Thanks for reviewing this. I recommend this machine all the time to everyone starting out and don’t want to spend a lot of money.
hello lance - im new to espresso making but specific on espresso taste/acidity etc. i hear that the temperature control is bad on this one and not easy to achieve specific taste
Just bought a Bambino based on your review. Now I'm thinking about getting your signature portafilter! You should spotlight your new products some more.
Thank you! I will need to do that. Appreciate you support!
So how fast does this steam 200ml of cold milk?
I had an itop espresso machine (heating block) that usually takes 120 seconds 😅
Waiting this long for semi hot milk everyday eventually lead me to purchase a Nuova Simonelli musica...I am very satisfied now
Depends on volume, of course. More milk takes longer. I'd say 45sec for a latte
Do you recommend this over the bambino plus? I’ve read reviews that say it gets clogged easily and is harder to clean. Has this been your experience?
The big difference between the basic Bambino and the Bambino Plus is that the Plus has an auto-foamer feature where it will foam your milk without you having to do anything. There is a temperature sensor underneath where the milk pitcher sits that turns off the steam when the milk has reached the proper temperature. I have the basic Bambino and as far as I can tell the two machines are otherwise pretty much the same. The coffee mechanism is the same and the steam output is the same. The steam output on the Bambino is incredible. It really foams the milk beautifully. Overall I would recommend the Bambino over the Plus unless you really want that auto-foam feature. If you can do without that you can get a smaller footprint of the Bambino which has mostly the same other features as the Plus for $150 less. Seems like a better deal to me.
Is grinder a stock Baratza Sette? And if so, how are you finding it? Would you recommend it?
Yes! It is the baratza 270. For espresso, it is one of the best bargains imo. Obviously much better grinders on the market, but at this price point? Not many. Thanks for watching!
Hi. Can you do a review on DeLonghi EC685, please? Really love your work☺️
Appreciate that! Perhaps in the future if my channel gets enough attention, I'll start a patreon to be able to buy machines for review. As of now, I'm just not financially able to afford machines for reviews haha! Appreciate the support and interest !
Greetings from Malaysia! Love this awesome video Lance, will defo check out a Breville Bambino near where I live! On a side note, do you have some recommendations of good and affordable coffee grinders for 1-2 pax use recommendations for newbs like me haha?
If focusing on espresso, the baratza sette 30 and virtuoso are good entry level grinders! Thanks so much for watching, friend! Humbled by the support all the way from Malaysia! 🤗
What machine would be the next step up other than the bambino plus?
Hey Lance, how many grams of espresso do you grind into a 54 mm basket?
Typically 15-17 depending on coffee
@@LanceHedrick Thanks so much!
Absolutely, friend!
Hey! I have the barista express and generally cannot fault the machine for making a single cup of coffee. However I have issues when trying to make multiple cups of coffee, when I start trying to steam the second pitcher of milk the machine struggles to get up to temperature and doesn’t produce steam. It puts be off trying to make 2-3 cups of coffee at the one time and wondered if you had any suggestions or experience of this?
I have not! Are you clearing out the wand after you use it from the first? And have you tried getting a bigger pitcher to steam twice the volume at once so you don't need to steam twice?
This is great. I have loved coffee most of my life. Grew up drinking espresso from a Moka Pot and have been using a pressurized Cuisinart appliance.
I'm ready to set up my new BBP and take my espresso to the next level.
Thanks for making this information available to the masses.
Heck yes! Incredible! Planning on doing an espresso dial in video soon! Excited for your new set up 🔥
Thank you. I like the Baratza Sette 270. Do you have a preference of the standard or the WI model with the scale. I'd like to see a comparison.
I use the one without the scale. I always single dose my espresso, so never needed the scale. Plus, I had one before and if you're rough with it at all, the scale and miscalibrate.
Can you guide me on how to create milk foam with the 4-holes steam tip ? I owned the Breville barista pro and I’m having a hard time to make silky foam
Have you watched my milk steaming video? Give it a look! It works with all machines
Is it worth it to replace the wand with a rancillio Silva wand? And if so, how?
Do you have any tips for who wants to use the non pressurised basket on this machine? I'm really struggling over here! (is it possible to get a nice crema with a single wall non pressurised on this machine?)
Yes! Easily possible! Just ensure you have the grind size correct! I use a non pressurized at home. I just used pressurized for the video
Love your videos, great explanations, thanks !
Thank you! Really appreciate the kindness. More to come 👀
Holy shit I just got this n was so dam confused
@ 8:00, nice meniscus ? nice knee joints ?
Lol! Meniscus referring to liquid. 🤣
“Such a cheap machine!”
Me, a broke college student: 😐😐
Hahahaha! Well, relatively speaking. There are $9k home machines lol
Do you recommend the Breville smart grinder
Keep going - I have binge your channel haha. Honestly the best explanation on coffee and late art!
Thank you so much! Will do. Filming again Thursday for a hopeful Friday release 🤗
Do you think investing in a home espresso machine is worth it, considering the beans, syrups, cups, etc in the long run vs the 5$/cup a day + drive to the shop?
Oh absolutely. Especially if you're planning on doing it for more than a year. Pays for itself rather quickly. quick math- spend $1,000 on a grinder, machine, some mugs, some syrups up front, then essentially about $40 monthly on coffee vs $5/day (assuming just work week) for a month would be $100/month (excluding gas, tax, and tip). In 2 years, you would spend $2400. With the former, however, you'd spend $1960. So, more than pays for itself in 2 years using a really low number for the daily cup. Not to mention you'd be able to use your own cup daily, saving waste, etc. Definitely worth it. And you can make the intiial cost even less if you do a breville Bambino and grinder, which would make start up closer to maybe $600, meaning after two years it is moreso $1560 vs a 5 day per week coffee at $2400.
Fantastic channel! Thank you so much for your uploads and sharing your knowledge! Looking forward to seeing more content! New subscriber here and follower on insta! Cheers! ☕
Thank you so much for the support! I'll try my best to keep up the content with helpful videos. Appreciate the support!
My first coffee machine was Delonghi vintage icona. I've been learning how to do latte arts from yt for years but I couldn't make a decent pattern. I bought the Breville Express last year and immediately I could tell the quality difference. I can now steam silky milk for latte art, but every now and then when I go back to my Delonghi machine I fail. I know you said there was no bad steam wand in your last video so I m just wondering if there're some extra tips on steaming milk with a really fat plastic steam wand? My frd can't afford to upgrade her machine to Breville like I did so she had to stick with her Delonghi machine. The main problems I encountered were that I couldnt get the milk to swirled and the milk seemed to be too foamy.
You can still get the whirl with that wand. You just have to make sure you have the perfect position and VERY SLOWLY stretch over a long period. The spin won't be as aggressive, but is attainable. If needed for more spin, you can go a SMIDGE closer to the wall than a quarter, but not a lot.
Hey, I got this machine about a week ago and I’m really struggling to make latte art. I have the OXO conical burr grinder. Is this grinder good enough to make espresso or do I need to upgrade? When I run a double shot with 18g ground, it gives me about 45g output. The time from pressing the button to the first drip is 11 seconds. I don’t seem to be getting much crema. When I pour my steamed milk on top the milk just sinks.
Hope someone can give me some tips please 😭 I’m new to coffee and I really want to get better at it.
It sounds like the water is passing through the coffee too fast. This would explain the lack of crema and relatively high output of your shots. If you're using an unpressurized basket you should try switching to pressurized. If you're already using a pressurized basket then try grinding more finely if possible. If you're already using the finest grind setting then you could try tamping the coffee more firmly. If you do all this and are still getting little crema and a more than 2 to 1 output ratio, try buying some coffee that is pre ground for espresso and see if that works better. If it does, then you probably do need to upgrade your grinder. Good luck🙂
@@melvintwemlow6709 thank you so much for the reply!!
So no bottomless portafilter with this machine? I recently got one to try and it's been a nightmare tbh. Spraying and making a mess, I went back to old portafilter and the coffee was fine. Feel like I might have wasted money on the bottomless now. Also you didn't specify how much coffee you used?
probably the grind isn't idea, or the basket is dirty. bottomless is a good way to check your puck prep and extraction is dialed in. if it is off, it makes a mess.
That's what I'm talkin' 'bout!!!! Excellent work, Lance. Excited to watch this channel develop more.
Yessir! Thanks man! And for the comments haha! Algorithm booster 😉
What’s your thoughts on the smart grinder pro marched with the bambino? I notice you have a sette270?
With the bambino, the smart grinder will do just fine!
Just got this machine about a week ago and 1zpresso jx pro it pumps out excellent milk based drinks just gotta get my latte art skills up to par
Heck yeah! Posting a latte art basics tutorial tomorrow morning! Stay tuned, friend. We will get you in pouring shape!
Nice channel, good info, I have a Breville Barista Express that I bought last Christmas, I wanted to go higher end machine with a grinder but it was much easier to talk wife into the Express and I make Latte's every morning for Wife and myself, now she is OK with the purchase. I think that getting local roasted coffee makes big difference plus I picked up a 54 mm 18-20 gm basket on Amazon by MacMaxe that holds more coffee than Breville stock basket, it's taken me around 3 month to get it where I pull some great shoots, great machine for beginners. :)
Fantastic! And I agree. It is a solid machine for a good price. Thanks for commenting and watching!
@@LanceHedrickGreat video. Is the Bambino like an Express but without the grinder (in terms of quality)?
Not quite, no. The infuser is like the express with no grinder. The bambino is closer, tho not the same, to the pro with no grinder.
I know this is old but I just got this machine. I haven’t unboxed yet! How does this last now that it’s been out for 3 years? Should I return and save for the plus? I don’t care about the automatic milk frother. Also I did get a grinder that cost more than the machine
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Did you mess with it yet? I'm thinking about getting one of these...
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Hey dude, hope you don't mind another question. Do you adjust steaming technique at all on these lower power single hole? Anything different to get the whirlpool going to start? I really struggle to get it going with the half and a quarter. I've gotten it perfect once or twice but more often then not i can't seem to get it moving to start.
I do not. I've steamed on many single hole with this technique successfully. I'd be happy to check out a video of you doing it! Shoot me a DM of an overhead video on IG @lancehedrick
Pressure doesn't matter. Just ensure you have wand position and pitcher angle all proper. And ensure you don't lose your angle as you stretch. Should all be fine.
Question, what do you think about Bambino Plus? worth the money for home use?
To be completely honest, no. If you're willing to go to 499, I'd highly suggest doing the extra 300 for the barista pro. Otherwise, save your money and do the 299 bambino until willing to upgrade to something like the dual boiler at 1499.