Hello all,

I recently purchased a Breville Bambino Plus and use a Baratza Encore grinder.

I have had several amazing and delicious shots with the Bambino, but I am starting to notice inconsistencies and was wondering if any other owners experience the same. It has to do with the programmable features of the machine. Whenever I get a new bean, I reprogram the machine. Lately, I've noticed that if I dial in a shot (for example, my most recent was dialed in at a ratio of 2.1:1 with a time of 28s), the output will vary greatly. This morning I pulled an ideal shot, just by pressing the button, at 16g in, 34g out in 28s as mentioned before (a little long, but I can forgive that).

Immediately after, I made another shot for my girlfriend by following the same steps. Same bean, same grind settings, same dose, same button push. Only the shot was greatly under-extracted and the output was 42g in the same time.

I'm fully willing to accept responsibility for all the things I've done wrong, but can't identify anything, so I turn to you.
Sage owners with similar issues, speak up!

I thought it may perhaps be a temperature inconsistency. I have read on here about the Bambino's necessity for a pressurized basket (which I do not use) to maintain consistency with the PID and thermoblock internally. Can anyone weigh in on the truth of this?

I did the styrofoam cup temperature check of the group head, and the hottest I could record was 160*F. Problem, I know. But I refuse to accept this immediately as the culprit as I have pulled delicious shots before.

Thanks for any and all help!

UPDATE:

Just spoke with Breville customer service and they were immensely un-helpful. Informed me that "this is not a commercial machine" and will "never give consistent results." Also was told "all our machines, from our cheapest to most expensive will not be that consistent."

So I informed that I'll be returning.
Guess it's time to try to Silvia Pro.

I'm in agreement that the grinder isn't suitable for espresso for any machine with a conventional basket. It is an entry-level brew grinder and lacks the adjustability and grind quality needed for espresso.

The Breville/Sage entry-level products have challenges with both shot quality and repeatability like any in that price range. The Breville Infuser has a couple features that make it a preferable machine for someone with espresso experience. The BDB continues to be one of the best choices under the $3,000-class machines.

For a large number of reasons, it's very hard for me to get excited about the Silvia Pro, especially at its $1,700 price point.

You'd be much better off with a BDB and a mid-range electric grinder (~$300-700) than the Encore and a Silvia Pro. The same goes for the Infuser and a mid-range grinder, based on what I've read about it from an experienced member here paired with a Niche Zero (a ~$700 grinder).

Hand-grinders, suitable for espresso, start just under $200, if your budget is tight or you only make a cup or two at a time.

You shouldn't expect timed or volume-controlled shots to be consistent in resulting mass on any machine under around $3,000. It's just the reality of the physics of the situation. Best to set it long and cut manually when the shot is done.

I had consistency problems with my bambino also until I bit the bullet and got an espresso grinder. I went sette 270 and it has been great since then. I think people sell the Bambino Short because it's a thermojet machine. I think it's a great entry level machine to see if you want to be a coffee drinker or a coffee hobbyist because once paired with a grinder even my kids pour decent lattes.

I actually decided on the sette 270wi which has been stellar.
Also, for my application (a coffee/espresso truck) I went much heftier, which is what I should've done in the first place, and got a Bezzera BZ13.
So far it's been a dream.

Best.

On yeah for commercial work I would definitely not go with a bambino. For my 2-4 a day it's great but I doubt it will have nearly the longevity of something like the Bezzera. Funny you went that way - I have been eyeing the bz13 as a good candidate for when I upgrade. Thinking that or Lelit Mara x.

These issues you're having is completely unrelated to the espresso machine but 1000% the cause of using a very mediocre brewed coffee grinder for espresso. The encore is not capable of providing a consistent grind for espresso.

As far as what you're discovering with temp, it's not that the machine requires a pressurized basket to meet brew temps. It's that it requires PRESSURE to meet brew temps because pressure = flow. So your styrofoam cup test is not replicating a shot.

The bambino's PID, and almost any other machine, is not going to be able to keep up temperature at full unrestricted flow. If you have coffee ground for espresso, tamp it, and run it on your machine that provides enough back pressure and thus slow enough water flow which allows the PID to operate efficiently and provide accurate brew temperature for the shot duration. If you want to verify temperature put the pressurized basket in and no coffee and run the machine in a styrofoam cup. That mimics the pressure and flow when using a non-pressurized basket with espresso ground coffee.

I was having issues with my Bambino Plus and a bottomless portafilter until I bought a LuxHaus calibrated tamper. Now I have consistent tamping and so all I need to do is adjust the grind time to 18 grams of output when I change beans with my Eureka grinder. The calibrated tamper made all the difference in the world.

After 11 months of daily use of the Bambino Plus I have learned that a 18.0 gram fine grind with a double shot bottomless portafilter provides consistent results and no problems. More than 18 grams and I would end up with a wet puck and reduced flow and a poorer cup of espresso. The 18 grams in the bottomless also provides the correct time from when the Bambino starts to add water to the portafilter and when it finishes.

When I switch to a different type of bean I use a scale to adjust the grinder time to get 18.0 grams of output. It is worth the effort and by the third grind I am dialed in with the grinder time needed.