Breville Bambino Plus vs Breville Barista Express Impress: Which Should You Buy in 2026?

Breville Bambino Plus vs Breville Barista Express Impress at a Glance

Breville builds two of the most popular semi automatic espresso machines on the market, and shoppers under $1,000 almost always end up comparing these two. They share the same 54mm portafilter, 1.9 liter water tank, and Breville pedigree, but they are designed for very different countertops and very different routines. The Bambino Plus is the small, fast, milk focused machine for people who already grind their beans. The Barista Express Impress is the bigger, slower, all in one workstation that does the entire pull from bean to cup.

Specs Side by Side

Specification	Breville Bambino Plus (BES500BSS)	Barista Express Impress (BES876BSS)
Price	$499.95	$899.95
Built in grinder	No	Yes, conical burr, 25 settings
Heating system	ThermoJet, 3 second heat up	ThermoCoil, 30 to 45 seconds
PID temperature control	Yes	Yes
Pre infusion	Yes, low pressure	Yes, low pressure
Steam wand	Auto, 3 milk temps and 3 textures	Manual, full control
Pressure gauge	No	Yes
Hot water spout	No	Yes
Water tank	1.9 L (64 oz)	2 L (67 oz)
Portafilter size	54mm	54mm
Pump pressure	15 bar Italian pump	15 bar Italian pump
Footprint (W x D x H)	7.7 x 12.6 x 12.2 in	13.9 x 14.2 x 16 in
Weight	11 lb	23 lb
Power	1560 W	1650 W
Warranty	2 years	2 years

Design and Build Quality

The Bambino Plus is engineered to be the smallest serious espresso machine Breville sells. It tucks into a 7.7 inch wide slot, which means it fits between a kitchen toaster and a coffee canister without crowding the counter. The brushed stainless steel housing feels solid for the price, but you can tell weight has been shaved everywhere. There is no drip tray pull out tool, the buttons are flush plastic, and the steam wand is shorter than what you find on its bigger sibling.

The Barista Express Impress is a different category of machine. It weighs more than twice as much, takes nearly twice the counter space, and feels closer to a commercial unit. The pressure gauge sits front and center, the bean hopper holds half a pound of whole beans, and the chrome accents make it look at home next to a pour over kettle and a burr grinder. If your kitchen has the room, the Impress simply looks more serious.

Espresso Pulling and Grinder Workflow

This is where the two machines split the most. The Bambino Plus has no grinder. You buy beans pre ground, or you buy a separate grinder. A good entry level burr grinder runs $200 to $300, and a step up to something like a Baratza Encore ESP runs $250. That cost has to be factored into the Bambino Plus equation if you want fresh beans, which is the whole point of owning an espresso machine.

The Barista Express Impress includes a 25 setting conical burr grinder built into the housing. The Impress puck system is the headline feature: it grinds, measures the dose to within a tenth of a gram, and gives you assisted tamping with a lever that applies the correct 22 lb of pressure every time. New owners find that the puck preparation guesswork basically disappears. For someone learning espresso, that is a huge advantage.

If you already own a grinder you love, that advantage flips. The Bambino Plus pulls beautiful shots when you feed it a properly dosed and tamped puck, and the ThermoJet heating system is genuinely faster than anything in this price tier.

Milk Texturing and Steam Wands

Counter intuitively, the cheaper machine has the more automatic steam wand. The Bambino Plus offers automatic milk steaming with three temperature settings and three texture levels. You insert the wand, push a button, and it stops at your chosen temperature with the foam consistency you set. For most home users making lattes and flat whites, this produces consistently good microfoam without any practice.

The Barista Express Impress uses a manual steam wand. You control the temperature, the swirl, and the duration yourself. There is a learning curve, but the ceiling is higher. A practiced user can pour latte art with the Impress that the Bambino Plus simply cannot match because automation always errs on the side of safety.

Heat Up Time and Daily Use

The Bambino Plus uses the ThermoJet heat exchanger, which Breville claims hits brewing temperature in 3 seconds. In real kitchens it lands closer to 5 seconds, which is still remarkable. You walk into the kitchen, press the power button, and the machine is ready before your milk is out of the fridge.

The Barista Express Impress uses the older ThermoCoil system. Heat up takes 30 to 45 seconds. That sounds fast, but if you also need to pull the grinder out of the bean hopper, weigh, and tamp, the total prep time is roughly 90 seconds versus 15 to 20 seconds on the Bambino Plus with pre ground beans.

Cleaning and Maintenance

Both machines auto purge after steam, both descale with the same Breville cleaning tablets, and both have removable drip trays. The Impress adds two extra cleaning steps because it has a built in grinder: weekly grinder burr cleaning with a brush, and monthly bean hopper wipe down to remove oils. None of this is hard, but it is real time you do not spend on the Bambino Plus.

Pros and Cons

Breville Bambino Plus

Pros: 3 second heat up, tiny 7.7 inch footprint, automatic milk steaming with three textures, $400 cheaper, very quiet operation, easy to clean.

Cons: No built in grinder, no pressure gauge, no hot water spout, manual steam control is limited, requires a separate grinder for fresh beans.

Breville Barista Express Impress

Pros: Integrated 25 setting conical burr grinder, Impress puck system with assisted tamping, full manual steam wand for latte art, pressure gauge for visual feedback, hot water spout for Americanos and tea, larger 2 L water tank.

Cons: Twice the footprint, twice the weight, slower heat up, $400 more expensive, more cleaning required, manual steam has a learning curve.

Best For Recommendations

Best for beginners who want one machine to do everything: Barista Express Impress. The Impress puck system fixes the two hardest things about espresso, dosing and tamping, and the integrated grinder means you do not have to research grinders.

Best for small kitchens or rental apartments: Bambino Plus. At 7.7 inches wide it fits where the Impress simply will not.

Best for milk drink lovers who do not want to learn microfoam: Bambino Plus. The automatic milk wand consistently produces good lattes.

Best for a couple who already owns a grinder: Bambino Plus. You save $400 and get most of the same espresso quality.

Best for someone planning to grow into latte art: Barista Express Impress. The manual wand has the headroom to keep improving.

Best for fastest morning routine: Bambino Plus. From cold to brewed in under 20 seconds.

Where to Buy

Check Barista Express Impress on Amazon
Check Bambino Plus on Amazon

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Breville Bambino Plus worth it without a grinder?

Only if you already own a burr grinder or are willing to buy one. Espresso quality depends heavily on a fresh, even grind. Pre ground supermarket coffee will pull weak, sour shots on either machine. Plan to spend $200 minimum on a grinder if you go Bambino Plus.

Can the Bambino Plus pull cafe quality espresso?

Yes. The Bambino Plus uses the same 54mm portafilter, the same 15 bar pump, and the same PID temperature control as machines twice its price. Pulling cafe quality shots is mostly about the puck preparation, which is your job on this machine.

Does the Barista Express Impress make better coffee than the Barista Express?

The Impress version produces more consistent shots because of the assisted tamping and dose measurement. The actual brew group is the same, so a skilled user can match the Impress on the original Barista Express. Beginners and infrequent users will see a real quality jump with the Impress.

How loud is the Bambino Plus?

It is one of the quieter espresso machines on the market because it has no grinder. Pump noise during extraction sits around 70 dB, which is similar to background office chatter.

What grinder pairs best with the Bambino Plus?

The Baratza Encore ESP and the Breville Smart Grinder Pro are the two most common pairings. Both produce a fine enough grind for espresso and have stepped settings that match Bambino Plus pucks well.

Can the Barista Express Impress make tea?

Yes. It has a dedicated hot water spout that dispenses near boiling water for tea, Americanos, or oatmeal. The Bambino Plus does not have this feature.

Which Breville is best for first time espresso owners?

The Barista Express Impress is the safer first machine because it removes guesswork. The Bambino Plus rewards a buyer who has done some research and is willing to invest in a separate grinder.

Final Verdict

For most home espresso shoppers, the Breville Barista Express Impress is the better single purchase. It bundles a great grinder, an assisted tamping system, a manual steam wand with real headroom, and a pressure gauge for visual feedback. By the time you add a grinder to the Bambino Plus, the prices are within $100 and the Impress comes out ahead on integration and feature count. The Bambino Plus wins decisively on footprint, speed, and automatic milk texturing. If counter space or a fast morning routine matters more than feature breadth, it is the smarter buy.

Either way, you are getting a Breville machine with a 2 year warranty, real PID control, and a 54mm portafilter that uses the same accessories. There is no wrong answer here, only a different fit for your kitchen.

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