When considering the Barista Touch vs Bambino Plus, folks might choose one or the other for a variety of reasons. But if you’re asking for my personal take, I’d go with the Barista Touch all the way!
With the Barista Touch, you get a built-in grinder with 30 settings so you don’t need to spend extra money for one. It also has a one-touch drink menu and allows up to eight personalized recipes to be saved.
If you’re on a tighter budget, you can also get good results with the Bambino Plus and a standalone grinder. Sure, you won’t have all the fancy features and the high level of adjustability that the Barista Touch offers, but you’ll definitely get your money’s worth in good, quality espresso.
Barista Touch Vs Bambino Plus: Specs & Features Comparison Chart
Last update on 2024-04-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Barista Touch Vs Bambino Plus: Differences
The Barista Touch defeated the Bambino Plus with a score of 4-2. It just goes to show, like the old saying goes, “You get what you pay for!”
Coffee Flavor & Brewing System
Winner: Breville Barista Touch
Built-in Grinder
The Barista Touch is designed with a built-in burr coffee grinder with up to 30 grind adjustment settings. Sure, this makes it a bit tall, but at least you won’t have to worry about finding space for a separate grinder. It’s all there, integrated, and ready to go.
Overall, the Barista Touch’s grinder is incredibly responsive and churns out consistent grinds every time. And that’s a big deal, especially since a lot of hybrid machines tend to drop the ball when it comes to their built-in grinders. But not this one.
The Bambino Plus doesn’t have any built-in grinder, which totally fits with its compact design and wallet-friendly price. So, you’ll need to budget a bit extra for a standalone grinder like the Smart Grinder Pro to go with it and watch it shine.
Dosing & Tamping
The Barista Touch includes a solid 54mm portafilter and both single-wall and double-wall filter baskets. Double-wall baskets are a good choice to start with because they are pretty forgiving, but over time, you’ll want to switch to the single-wall baskets for that top-notch, barista-level coffee.
The Bambino Plus is also equipped with a standard-size 54mm portafilter, but it feels a bit less premium, kind of amateurish. But only single-wall baskets are included, so you’ll have to grab some dual-wall baskets separately to use pre-ground coffee.
The Barista Touch has an automatic dosing function. So you just need to attach the portafilter to the grinder station, and the machine grinds and doses the exact amount you’ve “timed” on the screen. The whole process is not as sealed as the Oracle, but the included portafilter collar ensures it is super clean, leaving hardly any stray coffee grounds on the counter.
Heating System
Both the Barista Touch and the Bambino Plus come equipped with a single ThermoJet heating system that’s seriously speedy, taking just three seconds to heat up. That means they heat up a lot faster than driving to your local coffee shop for a cup.
So even though they can’t multitask, I don’t think their lonely boiler is going to bother you. In addition, they also have a PID controller that’s so precise to fret about cross-contamination.
The Achilles heel of the ThermoJet system is that it doesn’t heat up the group head during the first heating cycle. So, you will need to pull a blank shot or two with the portafilter mounted in the group head to bring them up to the proper temperature.
Brewing System
Pre-infusion is a cool feature that both machines share, and trust me, it’s a solid starting point. If you’re just dipping your toes into the world of espresso machines, you might be scratching your head about what pre-infusion is. Well, let me break it down for you!
Pre-infusion is where the coffee grounds get gently moistened under low pressure. This step is key for letting the carbon dioxide escape and for the rich, complex aromas to start unfolding. Then, after just a few seconds, the 15-bar pump jumps into action, ramping up the pressure for the actual extraction.
The Breville Barista Touch Impress comes with an automatic pre-infusion function, meaning you don’t get to tweak the duration of this step, but the Bambino Plus does. This probably won’t be a big deal to most folks, but more seasoned baristas love having the ability to play around and experiment with their brews.
Design & Convenience
Winner: Tie
Dimensions & User Interface
| Barista Touch | Bambino Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 16 x 12.5 x 12.7 inches | 7.7 x 12.7 x 12.3 inches |
| Weight | 26.8 lbs | 12.3 lbs |
The Bambino Plus is one of the most compact and light Breville machines, and that is how it got its name – “Bambino” means “child” in Italian. But because it is so compact and light, you need to give it a firm hold while attaching the portafilter. In addition, you also need to prepare extra space for an independent grinder.
The Barista Touch is a bit larger but still not too bulky. If you’re thinking of tucking it under your upper cupboards, just ensure there’s some space above since you’ll need easy access to its bean hopper and water tank pretty regularly.
The exterior of both is stainless steel, and they’re also available in Breville-style classic brushed stainless or several other color options. The Barista Touch features a touchscreen, giving it a more premium look than the Bambino Plus with its simple button-operated interface.
Spout Type & Cup Clearance
| Barista Touch | Bambino Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Spout Type | Dual | Dual |
| Cup Clearance | 4 inches | 4.5 inches |
Both machines offer a good amount of space under the portafilter, so you won’t have any trouble fitting in an espresso cup or a regular mug there. But if you’re thinking about brewing directly into a taller travel mug or a latte macchiato glass, sliding out the drip tray will do the trick.
Water Reservoir & Bean Hopper
| Barista Touch | Bambino Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Water Reservoir | 2 liter | 1.9 liters |
| Bean Hopper | 0.25 kilogram | N/A |
Their tanks are well-built, removable, and quite spacious, so the only thing I don’t like about them is the rear placement. If you’ve ever used machines where the tank slides out from the front, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.
The Barista Touch has the option to install a water filter in their tank. It’s a game changer if you brew with tap water, especially if you live in a hard-water area. This helps in keeping your coffee tasting its best and your machine running smoothly.
Milk Frothing System
Winner: Tie
Now is when things get interesting. They are equipped with automatic steam wands to froth milk without the need for babysitting. Right here, I also give a big shoutout to Breville for equipping a stainless steel milk jug instead of selling it separately like some brands.
Their wands automatically introduce air into your milk to froth it, and you even get to choose the temperature and texture beforehand. Both have a temperature sensor on the drip tray to monitor the frothing process closely and pause automatically once the milk foam hits your set temperature.
The results are reliably delicious and frothy for milky drinks and even latte art. But if you’re feeling like a pro and want to take control, their wands can switch to manual mode too. By the way, they can also clean themselves after each milk-steaming cycle. Convenience and quality in one package!
Drink Options & Programmability
Winner: Breville Barista Touch
Drink Options
| Barista Touch | Bambino Plus |
|---|---|
| Espresso Latte Flat White Cappuccino Americano Hot Chocolate Tea Milk | Espresso |
The Barista Touch comes with a menu of several one-touch drinks. Yes, you’ll need to put in a bit of effort, like pouring the drink yourself, since it straddles that fine line between fully automatic and semi-automatic machines. Plus, it comes with a separate hot water tap and eight slots to save your personal drink creations.
The Bambino Plus, on the other hand, offers nothing more than one-touch espresso. It doesn’t even have a hot water function like the Bambino original version. See? There are always trade-offs here and there when sticking with a budget-oriented model.
Programmability
| Adjustable Settings | Barista Touch | Bambino Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Coffee Strength | Yes | No |
| Coffee Temperature | Yes | No |
| Milk Foam Temperature | Yes | Yes |
| Milk Foam Texture | Yes | Yes |
Both the Barista Touch and Bambino Plus allow you to play around with the temperature and texture of milk foam. The Bambino Plus is limited to only 3 levels for each setting, while the Barista Touch offers a broader range with a couple of sliders on the touchscreen.
What’s more, the Barista Touch allows you to time the dose, time the shot, and adjust the brewing temperature. I’m not really a fan of its dose-timing function and I highly recommend buying a coffee scale to make things more convenient and accurate.
Quick Rundown Of Breville Barista Touch
- Earn up to $200 cashback with a Beanz coffee subscription when you purchase a selected Breville espresso machine. Valid Aug 1, 2023 until Jun 30, 2024
- The Breville Barista Touch delivers third wave specialty coffee at home using the 4 keys formula and is part of the Barista Series that offers all in one espresso machines with integrated grinder to go from beans to espresso in under one minute
- DOSE CONTROL GRINDING: With a single touch, the integrated precision conical burr grinder with dose control delivers the right amount of coffee on demand, for maximum flavor
- OPTIMAL WATER PRESSURE: Low pressure pre-infusion gradually increases pressure at the start and helps ensure all the flavors are drawn out evenly during the extraction for a balanced tasting cup
- FASTER HEAT UP TIME: Innovative ThermoJet heating system achieves the optimum extraction temperature in 3 seconds
Last update on 2024-04-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Quick Rundown Of Breville Bambino Plus
- Earn up to $200 cashback with a Beanz coffee subscription when you purchase a selected Breville espresso machine. Valid Aug 1, 2023 until Jun 30, 2024
- The Breville Bambino Plus delivers third wave specialty coffee at home using the 4 keys formula and is part of the Bambino Series that offers the faster way to professional results at home in a compact footprint: serious espresso, serious value
- DOSE CONTROL GRINDING: Achieve a consistent and balanced espresso using the right amount of ground coffee; The 54mm porta-filter with 19 grams is the key for full flavor and cafe quality coffee
- OPTIMAL WATER PRESSURE: Low pressure pre-infusion gradually increases pressure at the start and helps ensure all the flavors are drawn out evenly during the extraction for a balanced tasting cup
- FASTER HEAT UP TIME: Innovative ThermoJet heating system achieves the optimum extraction temperature in 3 seconds
Last update on 2024-04-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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References
- Breville Barista Touch: https://www.breville.com/us/en/products/espresso/bes880.html
- Breville Bambino Plus: https://www.breville.com/us/en/products/espresso/bes500.html
Felix Hendricks is a skilled barista with over 12 years of experience. He excels in crafting coffee and has a strong foundation in coffee machine mechanics. Felix holds a Coffee Machine Maintenance Certification from the Coffee Equipment Technical Institute, showcasing his ability to diagnose and repair coffee machines. He’s also worked as a quality control specialist, selecting premium coffee beans for optimal flavor. Felix has a diverse work history, including stints at renowned coffee spots like Café Euphoria & Starbucks. His expertise in both brewing and machine maintenance makes him a respected figure in the coffee industry.