The Sage The Bambino Plus is the smallest espresso machine from Sage. Sage? Yes, the company that markets identical machines under the name Breville in other parts of the world. The Sage Bambino Plus belongs to the class of thermoblock espresso machines. And, as expected, the Bambino Plus is relatively ready for operation in about 3 minutes. At around 330 Euros and Swiss Francs, the Sage Bambino Plus is in the field of cheaper thermoblocks in our test series.
However, like with all thermoblocks, some questions arise regarding the Sage Bambino Plus:
- How consistent is the temperature during espresso extraction?
- How does the machine perform in terms of milk foam? Especially since the Bambino Plus offers more than other machines in the same price segment. But is it any good?
- How is the overall craftsmanship and what about energy consumption?
Energy Consumption
If you want to buy an espresso machine based on energy consumption, the Sage Bambino Plus is an excellent choice. Our procedure for testing energy is always the same. We use an adapter from MyStrom.ch. After a five-minute heating time, we extracted 5 double espressos. After waiting for another two hours, we extracted another double espresso. The consumption at this point was 0.08 kWh hours. For comparison: the Ascaso Steel Duo PID, also a thermoblock, which goes into an Eco mode, had a consumption of 0.28 kWh hours at that time.
Compared to the heat exchanger espresso machines, this is also very little. The lowest consumption was recorded by the Xenia Espresso with 0.48 kWh and the Bezzere BZ10 with 0.48 kWh. The Bezzera Magica S was last with 0.72 kWh.
Small, compact, light and a lot of plastic
The Sage Bambino Plus is small and compact and, at 7kg, a real lightweight. Light doesn't have to be bad if a machine has suction cups or a floor fixation. Unfortunately, this is not the case with the Sage Bambino Plus. When trying to attach or detach the portafilter, the entire machine must be held with the arm. Very impractical, especially since the area on the machine, which is actually intended as a cup tray, cannot be used. Because you have to hold the device somewhere when clamping it in.
With a height of 31 cm, a depth of 32 cm, and a width of 19.50 cm, the espresso machine fits into any kitchen nook. But beware! The machine requires an external grinder to make coffee. This should be taken into account when calculating space.
The drip tray is also more of a small dish. We strongly recommend rinsing water after each espresso shot to clean the shower screen. After two to three espresso shots, the tray is already full. A small red float indicates the water level. But if it's always floating at the top, that's not very helpful.
The black parts of the Sage Bambino Plus are made of plastic. The plastic itself feels "high-quality", but it's still plastic. The advantage, unlike the stainless steel behemoths of the heat exchanger class, is that there are no sharp edges.
First-class milk foam performance
The Sage Bambino Plus has a real strength. The milk foam performance of this machine is unparalleled in this price range. With a lot of power, the small machine even froths a large 0.6l pitcher. Some dual-boiler machines have failed at this!
This is delightful. Also very practical for beginners and espresso starters: the milk doesn't heat up too quickly. This gives you plenty of time to circulate (rolling phase) and to really break down even the last few bubbles.
Another great feature: the Sage Bambino Plus has an Auto-Steam function. A temperature sensor in the drip tray not only measures the temperature but also sends control impulses to regulate the intensity of the automatic frother. The final temperature and milk foam density can also be pre-set. We recommend the medium setting for both. The milk foam produced is truly impressive.
Here, Sage demonstrates what is possible in terms of foam with a thermoblock. If only the same care had been taken with temperature consistency...
Espresso accident – when brewing temperature is not constant
It's a shame what comes out of the Sage Bambino Plus as espresso. Unfortunately, not much that's delicious. For one, the included double-walled basket prevents precise grinder adjustment. A double-walled basket is intended for brewing pre-ground, old coffee and not for brewing freshly ground coffee. From the inside, such a basket looks "normal." Many openings allow coffee to flow into an intermediate chamber. However, this, in turn, only has a tiny exit, a hole of approx. 0.3 mm. The espresso then squeezes through this hole, is inflated by the pressure (see also our blog post on crema). Precise grinder adjustment is just as impossible under these circumstances as even extraction.
Since we have other baskets in the coffee academy, we were also able to test the machine's extraction behavior with a single-walled basket. Unfortunately, this did not significantly improve the taste of the espresso. The main reason for this is the inconsistent temperature of the Sage Bambino Plus.
The average perfect brewing temperature for espresso is 93 degrees. Good espresso machines maintain the brewing temperature at this level for a long time. Not so the Sage Bambino Plus.
First, the temperature during extraction rises to at least 98 degrees. In some cases, we even measured temperatures of 102 degrees. Then the temperature drops below 85 degrees. This is intense and something we haven't seen often. Sensorially, this manifests in two extremes: the high temperatures contribute an unpleasantly harsh bitterness to the espresso and leave a dry mouthfeel. The low temperatures cause stinging acidity. Overall, the espresso is not extracted evenly.
It's a real shame, but we can't really recommend the machine for making espresso.
Export of the CSV temperature measurement
Conclusion on the Sage Bambino Plus
The Sage Bambino Plus is a good milk frother. Unfortunately, it doesn't convince us as an espresso machine. It's difficult to understand what Sage was trying to design there. Perhaps the focus on the truly outstanding milk foam performance is also a statement: milk on espresso neutralizes acidity and bitterness quite well, and the sweetness of the milk brings a nice balance.
What we would wish for: the milk performance of the Sage Bambino Plus in the outstanding espresso machine, the Ascaso Steel Duo PID. That would be our dream thermoblock.
