Breville Bambino Plus Espresso Machine

I’m 3 months in and I love the machine. Like you, I read all the reviews because I want the best but don’t want to pay for garbage. For context, I used a fully automatic (competitor brand) unit for years, but downgraded to a manual (same competitor brand) because I grew up with Cuban coffee and it took forever to make 4 shots. If you are upgrading from a manual, this will feel natural. The only thing I have can comment on is the one or two shot settings are based on time not flow, so because us humans can’t get exactly the same amount of grind in the cup every time, I may have to push the buttons once more to top it off. I have changed the timing settings now that I have my grind texture dialed in, and it works perfect. Things I have noticed that many others have complained about; the whole issue with the wand wanting to do a flush, not sure why everyone is making a big deal. Just use the same cup you frothed your milk with to catch the water and it’s a done deal. It does use a lot of water, so if for some reason it stops halfway through a cycle or refuses to make more after you press the button, check the water level, because there is no indication that it’s empty even though it has a float sensor. Also, I chose this brand because the other manual cup only had a single pin hole to make pressure and routinely clogged. This one comes with many cups for both pre-grind or home grind, and the cup has all the holes so clogging won’t be an issue, although if you overstuff the grinds it will have difficulty pumping through and end up purging into the tray. It has heat settings for both steam and brew temperature, and because it is an instant-heat machine, you’ll have consistent brew temps and won’t have hot-then-cold like those with a tank. The auto froth feature works perfect. It recommends purging it right before you steam, and I agree. It’ll push out a bunch of water before it starts to steam. Speaking of brew quality, it’s perfect. I have no complaints on the actual taste. Once you learn how to work the machine and get your grind texture down, you’ll be well on your way to a happy morning. Quality seems fine, it has enough metal where it matters and the trim plastic seems durable enough to last. I love the dark red and chrome design, it goes well with my black and stainless kitchen. If I had any complaints, I wish the pump was a little stronger to be able to push through finer grind without bogging down, but I like my espresso extra thick, so if you’re fine with anything finer than the coarse texture with pre-ground, you’ll be fine. Also, the controls are simple yet intuitive, but like I said I wish it had an indication for an empty tank besides just sitting there staring at me staring at it.