Hi!
I recently obtained a Breville Bambino Plus Espresso Maker and I am looking to find beans and a grinder and anything else I need. Very excited about this!
Thank you for responding or pointing me in the right direction!

Vincent

Welcome! Hey, that's a cool little machine...never seen one and had to look it up. Off the top of my head, it reminds me of some Breville cafe Romas I had way back when, but with some cool automated features. I've never seen an automated steam wand before. It's nice to see that they built in the ability to do it all manually too.

Okay, so what do you need. Well, nothing major really. Some espresso glasses/cups/mugs if you like shots. Some 6 to 8 ounce cappuccino cups if you like cap. Maybe some 10-ounce bowls for latte (bowls as opposed to cups/mugs open up a whole world of possibilities for latte art).

I gather that it comes with the foaming jug; if not, then you'll need one of those. If you get one without the inbuilt thermometer then be sure to also get a thermometer if you are going to manually steam. You need this at least until you get a feel for manually judging the temperature. Frankly, after years of making milk-based espresso drinks every day I still use a thermometer every time. Consistency is everything...especially when learning.

Because this is a thermoblock machine (as opposed to a boiler), you won't need any other fancy gadgets.

You should buy a scale capable of measuring in 1/10th of an gram increments. Measure your coffee every time (consistency is... ). A quick search of this site will turn up many possibilities. You don't need a fancy one intended for espresso making, although if you do get one of those it would be useful when/if you upgrade to a boiler machine.

My Brevilles all came with a small supply of cleaner tablets. When you replenish these, be sure to get the same thing, not "descaler".

Turning to the grinder, I note that this is a machine with only pressurized baskets (i'e', double-wall). As such, nearly any espresso capable grinder will do; the Breville Smart Grinder would work fine. Note, however, if you do plan to upgrade later, a better grinder than the Breville would be advisable if it's within your budget. I have a Baratza Sette, which would work as well as or better than the Breville, especially after upgrading the machine (if you do). There are many others!

I can't comment on commercial beans, as I roast and blend my own. That said, there's no such thing as "espresso beans" or "espresso roast". Find a bean that you like and give it a try. Try a bunch of them! Machines such as yours are very tolerant of type of bean and grind. Traditional espresso, if there is any such thing anymore is usually made with a dark roast. These days, though many favor medium roast. When choosing, if it's cheap coffee, then as a rule of thumb go darker (more roast flavor). If it's expensive go lighter (more bean flavor).

That's about all I have to offer. I've been where you are. Make a bunch of coffee and adjust whatever you can until you find what you like. The cardinal rule when doing this is to adjust only one variable at a time. After a while, you'll get a feel for what you're doing. Also, on this site there are a lot of primers. I suggest you go through those, even though they may not be for your type of machine. Each will contain some nuggets of good information.

Enjoy!

Welcome to HB,

I would also recommend picking up non pressurized baskets (54mm ones) from Breville. The ones that are made for Breville infuser and Barista Express. They will allow you to make really good espresso, which you will need a good grinder, like the Sette. Meanwhile with the pressurized baskets you can even try the pre-ground coffee.

Have fun with your new hobby!

Maurice, thanks so much for the thorough reply. It may be quite funny that the only steam wand I have ever known is automated and you have never seen one and you have probably been doing this for years. I really liked the auto steam thingy. It came out perfect and I didn't have to do anything. Is that like a baby being born with an iPhone in their hand?
Also, you roast your own beans???!!! Now this is why I am here. I am going from a lame $10 French press to my new espresso hobby. I would LOVE for you to send me some of your beans, man!

Julie,
I will attempt to figure out what pressurized and non pressurized means for baskets and how and why that will make better espresso than with what I already have. I honestly thought I already had what I need to make great espresso. Also where can I test the difference between good espresso and bad espresso and do I just taste the naked shots by themselves? Thank you.

The grinder I was planning on getting is called Baratza Encore. Why would I get the Sette instead?

Also, nobody told me that this was a super expensive hobby. I got my Breville negotiated down to $180 slightly used. I am hoping to be able to have everything I need for amazing espresso for about $300 out the door total.

Thanks so much,
Vincent

Oh my gosh I just noticed that your name is JULIA, not Julie. This phone is so small. I truly apologize for the error. That would totally bug me if someone called me Victor instead of Vincent.

I second Julia's recommendation to eventually move up to normal baskets. As for the difference, if you look at your pressurized baskets from the top, you'll see dozens of tiny holes on the bottom. But if you hold it up to the light, you'll not see any light coming through. Now, if you look at the bottom of your baskets, you'll notice that there's only one tiny hole there. This does two things. First, it helps set up pressure in the basket, even if you don't have the grind just right. Secondly, imagine the flow of coffee being pressed at 9-bar through the many little holes in the inside all having to go through that one little hole on the bottom. This creates a forceful stream of coffee that helps create a kind of crema.

On regular baskets, this additional bottom with the one little hole is not there. One then must grind and tamp the coffee precisely to achieve the 9-bar pressure, as the single tiny hole is not there to help do it for you. The effect is that the coffee oils emulsify with the water, creating true crema. This crema is longer lasting, has a creamier mouth feel and us usually present in greater volume (this last one depends a lot on the quality of the coffee).

This goes to the need for a good grinder. If you use pressurized baskets, the precision of the grind is much less important than it is for normal baskets. With normal baskets, a precision grinder and good technique is essential.

You can still produce some decent espresso with your machine; I did it with my lowly Breville Cafe Roma. But with a better grinder and regular baskets one stands at least a chance of producing what some call god-shots.

As for the bean roasting, I only do it for myself, despite many requests from friends and neighbours. I got into this because the need for fresh coffee is essential to producing great espresso. You can do it too, on the cheap even, with a small air roaster such as the Freshroast SR500 (or the newer version...540??). Green beans are available by mail order. There's tonnes of info on this aspect of the hobby here on H-B. But, I suggest you just get some beans and a grinder and have a go with what you've got for now.

voicesandbeyond wrote:Oh my gosh I just noticed that your name is JULIA, not Julie. This phone is so small. I truly apologize for the error. That would totally bug me if someone called me Victor instead of Vincent.

No worries at all, Vincent. I answer to both. lol

I would visit a few of your local shops and try their espresso and cappuccinos to see what you enjoy. I live in S.F., so don't know any good local shops in your area. Any one?

You had me at "god shots". I could produce god shots with my little cute Bambino!!

More later. Thank you!!

voicesandbeyond wrote: Is that like a baby being born with an iPhone in their hand?

I'd hope not as if I had a child born with a duhPhone in hand I'd send the child and phone back. Android rules all things!

Now, back to the topic at hand...

Hahahahahahaha