While both espresso machines give excellent and rich espresso shots, the Nespresso Creatista offers more customization than the Breville Bambino. For someone looking for straightforward yet versatile performance, this is an excellent pick.
The Breville Bambino is good for espresso drinkers who would like more control without the extra features. So you can control the coffee volume per single/double espresso. And the Bambino offers 2 extra buttons for hot water and steam.
Though both Nespresso Creatista vs Breville Bambino are made up of stainless steel parts, the Nespresso Creatista offers more stability and long-lasting shelf life with its automatic cleaning features. Meanwhile, the Breville Bambino with its smaller drip tray is good for portability and lightweight use.
Nespresso Creatista vs Breville Bambino: Comparision Chart
Last update on 2023-03-03 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Nespresso Creatista vs Breville Bambino: Differences
The Nespresso Creatista is the better pick for most people who want a fast, efficient, sophisticated espresso machine. It wins against the Breville Bambino 4 – 2 on account of its one-touch programmability and automatic features.
The Bambino, on the other hand, I would recommend for its coffee ground and bar pump system. It’s straightforward to use with an easy-to-understand user manual and fast milk frothing system. But the Nespresso Creatista is better for customizations.
1. Type of Machine
The Winner: Breville Bambino
The Nespresso Creatista as you may have already guessed with a pod machine. It uses espresso (Nespresso) pods to brew coffee right away. The Breville Bambino uses coffee grounds only. You can either buy a separate coffee grinder to grind your own coffee beans to the perfect grind size or purchase freshly roasted pre-ground coffee to use.
Granted that a Nespresso Creatista does simplify the espresso brewing process. You don’t have to buy a grinder or buy packaged ground coffee every time you run out. Nespresso pods are available everywhere and you simply have to pop one pod in and it brews espresso straight away.
You can buy Nespresso pods in a variety of flavors and blends. They are compressed in airtight pods with a shelf life that’ll last for years. One Nespresso pod contains 5-7g of ground coffee. Compared to the 19g ground coffee per shot of the Bambino, it is bizarre how limited Nespresso pods are.
But, and here’s the catch, they charge 3x more than ground coffee. So, to sum up, you’ll be spending much less were you to buy pre-ground coffee 1-2 per week, depending on how many cups of coffee you drink per day.
2. Size
The Winner: Nespresso Creatista
The design of the Nespresso Creatista and the Breville Bambino are contrastingly dissimilar. To start off with the Nespresso Creatista is twice as long as the Bambino. This means that the Creatista has a longer drip tray as it accommodates an espresso cup and a stainless steel milk jug for frothing.
The 15.4-inch drip tray of the Nespresso Creatista is easy to clean and sturdy. You can keep the espresso cup or a standard mug on it with the stainless steel pitcher right by its side.
You can even increase the height of the drip tray in the Creatista to accommodate smaller espresso cups to prevent splatters.
On the Breville Bambino, the drip tray is 7.7 inches long which holds only a standard mug. It is not height adjustable so some splattering might be involved if you are using an espresso cup under the nozzle.
The height of both espresso machines is the same – 12.1 inches (Creatista) and 12.6 inches (Bambino). The Breville Bambino, consequently, comes with a wider frame (12.2 inches) than the Creatista (6.7 inches).
So where the Creatista is longer than the Bambino, the Bambino is thicker than the Creatista.
Another area where both machines are different is in their water tank capacities. The Creatista features a 1.5L water tank capacity while the Bambino has a 1.3L tank. The difference, in ounces, is around 2-3 ounces which is the portion size of 1-2 espresso shots, depending on the coffee volume you select.
From my calculations, while the Bambino is more compact and portable to use, the Creatista is compact yet it offers the complete brewing setup from pulling espresso shots to frothing milk.
3. One-Touch Buttons
The Winner: Nespresso Creatista
The customizations on the Nespresso Creatista are more intricate and, most importantly, versatile than the Bambino. The Breville Bambino features 4 one-touch buttons for single, double espresso, steam, and hot water.
You can easily press and hold the single or double shot espresso buttons to manually control the shot volume. But beyond that, there is no pre-programmed coffee drink in the Bambino.
That’s not the case with the Nespresso Creatista. You can select from a variety of drinks and size options. There are Ristretto 0.5 ounces, Espresso 1.35 ounces, and Lungo 5 ounces.
Moving on, you can select customized sizes such as cappuccino, café late, latte macchiato, flat white, and milk froth options to choose from. The frothing mechanism, fast heat-up time, and automatic features of the Creatista make it a better choice for coffee enthusiasts who prefer more automated and customizable drinks at home.
The Bambino is nice in that it allows you to brew a single and double shot espresso at one go. It delivers between 18g to 22g of ground coffee automatically. Although you can adjust the coffee volume I’ll discuss that in the next segment!
4. Programmability
The Winner: Nespresso Creatista
The difference between ‘One-Touch’ functionality and programmability is that with the latter you can adjust specific variables on brewing espresso and steaming milk.
And even for that, the Nespresso Creatista comes with better functionality and long-lasting performance. The ‘One-Touch’ functionality offers 8 beverage selections. But you can go a bit further, if you want more control, and adjust certain settings within those 8 beverage selections. This includes adjusting the coffee volume, the temperature of the milk, and the texture which refers to the thickness of the foam!
The Creatista also features automatic modes with automatic frothing at 4 pre-programmed textures and 5 milk temperatures. As you can see, it’s quite versatile, straightforward, and effective.
The Breville Bambino features 4 buttons out of which you can override two buttons for adjusting the coffee volume. The ThermoJet heating system automatically sets the right water and steam pressure for maximum flavor.
And speaking of control, both steam wands use a ThermoJet heating system. But the difference is that you can adjust the temperature and texture controls on the Creatista. The Bambino offers only automatic milk frothing at one temperature – 130-degrees Celsius.
With the Nespresso Creatista, you can adjust the texture and temperature from 55 – 76 degrees C and 133 to 169 degrees C. So clearly the Creatista produces hotter coffee.
5. 19 vs 9 Bar Pump System
The Winner: Breville Bambino
When talking about the proper brewing pressure, less is more. And the Breville Bambino offers a 9 bar pump system which is perfect for home brewing. The Creatista features a 19 bar pump system but research shows that 9 is better.
It allows low-pressure pre-infusion which maximizes the flavor and aroma of coffee.
A 19 bar pump system, on the other hand, is quick but can often result in watery coffee. It may also result in slightly weaker coffee but with a good layer of crema, that is rich and has a creamy and smooth texture.
Overall, I do prefer the 9 bar pump system of the Bambino over the Nespresso Creatista, it’s more authentic to the espresso brewing process of barista-grade machines.
6. Automatic Cleaning
The Winner: Nespresso Creatista
Automatic cleaning can really speed things up for you. Especially with features that are present in the Nespresso Creatista, you don’t have to worry about wasting minutes every day after brewing the first cup of coffee.
Creatista features an auto-purge steam wand with a faster automatic cleaning process. For hands-on cleaning, you simply have to wipe the drip tray and steam wand after using. The machine does the rest automatically. I mean, you don’t even have to be around for the machine to clean itself and auto shut-off after 9 minutes!
The Bambino comes with no such auto-purge steam wand. After using it, wipe the tip of the wand with a damp cloth. This should get rid of any milk stains from outside the wand. And let out some more steam, more like a second or two to clean the insides.
For the drip tray, wipe the area with the steam that you just let out of the wand a second ago. This will keep the surfaces clean, stain-less, and well-polished. This does add 1-2 minutes more after every shot.
Nespresso Creatista vs Breville Bambino: Similarities
For espresso enthusiasts who want to make the most of their home brewing time, both the Nespresso Creatista and the Breville Bambino are perfect. They are fun espresso machines with a fast brewing functionality and simple cleaning.
Speaking of similarities, the Breville Bambino is a simple touch-and-go espresso machine. So is the Nespresso Creatista. Both machines have automatic features that take less than a few minutes to make a delicious cup of coffee.
The Nespresso Creatista and Bambino feature automatic milk frothing wands. Easy to use and powerful, the milk frothing mechanism produces perfectly textured and smooth milk for lattes, flat whites, cappuccinos.
Both machines are also compact and sturdy, so they fit nicely in tight spaces. With only little practice, you can master the art of espresso brewing with both machines. The user manuals are easy to understand. And you can really capture the nuanced flavors of espresso, even though the Nespresso Creatista uses pods and the Bambino coffee grounds.
With removable water tanks, adjustable coffee volume, and bar pressure system, the Nespresso Creatista and Breville Bambino assist you in making rich espresso with perfectly textured milk at any time of day or night and as many cups you like.
Quick Rundown Of Breville Nespresso Creatista BNE600
- ESPRESSO MACHINE: Enjoy a full range of espresso coffee with Nespresso! Includes an integrated milk frother, 3 seconds heat up and energy saving automatic shut off.
- COFFEE SELECTIONS: Brew better coffee at home with three programmable coffee selections to create the perfect ristretto, expresso or lungo.
- SINGLE SERVE COFFEE AND ESPRESSO MACHINE: The Nespresso Creatista Plus offers freshly brewed coffee as well as delicious authentic espresso. The Creatista plus can turn into your personal latte maker with the attached milk frother allowing you to create top quality latte art in your kitchen. Pour over ice to create your favorite iced coffee drinks.
- INCLUDES: One Nespresso espresso maker with a sleek, stainless steel design that fits perfectly in any modern kitchen.
- COMPLIMENTARY GIFT: Each machine includes a complimentary starter set of Nespresso capsules (capsule assortment may vary from picture)
Last update on 2023-03-03 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Quick Rundown Of Breville Bambino BES450
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References
- Breville Bambino BES450 from Breville https://www.breville.com/us/en/products/espresso/bes450.html
I am a passionate coffee drinker. Since I left my job as a barista a few years back in 2012, I’ve been sharing my expertise on coffee and buying the best coffee equipment online. That’s how Wild Boar Coffee came to life.
I write about everything coffee-related under the sun. Where to buy the freshest coffee beans from? How to test coffee beans based on texture, aroma, and acidity?
I know all this from scratch – all thanks to my years and years of experience as a barista. So I’ve gotten real up-close-and-personal with coffee beans and different brewing techniques.