Bambino Plus

Mine was the Bambino, I wold recommend still running strong. But I would not recommend the Breveille Smart Grinder to pair with it.

You will not beat a Nespresso for ease of use. They even make decent espresso. If you want to up your espresso game, however, within your price range it is easy to do and relatively hassle free and more cost effective than buying pods. An example starter system would be: Breville Bambino Plus DF54 or DF64 Grinder Accessories This can produce some great espresso. But it will require not just cleaning and maintenance, but there is a learning curve in producing quality coffee. That is your real time sink and effort - not cleaning, but learning how to dial in your espresso making rather than popping in a pod. Another route is buying a super automatic that automate most everything for you and have easy cleaning routines for the most part. A Kitchenaid KF7 is a highly rated model in your price range. It will not make nearly as good a cup of espresso as a separate machine and grinder, but it has ease of use, makes milk drinks automatically, and you can use real beans. It might be a reasonable compromise for you, although I doubt many on this forum (for expresso hobbyists mostly) would support the decision.

I personally love hand grinding and you can get a lot better bang for your buck as long as you don't mind putting in the work. There are a few combinations that would work for you and they are suggested over and over here: 1. Machine - either the Bambino/Bambino Pro or the Gaggia Classic. The Gaggia Classic can be modded if you really get into it. 2. Grinder - DF54 if you want electric and J-Ultra if you are willing to hand grind. With any two of these you can learn to make a great cup of espresso and/or espresso based drinks and hit your budget. Good luck.

This is the way

I disagree with “but once cry once” in most scenarios where you’re starting a new hobby. You might end up spending a couple thousand on a European machine just to learn you aren’t that seriously into espresso like you thought you’d be. And then you’d drop the machine, in like-new condition, on Facebook marketplace for half of what you spent on it just to free up counter space. Start with a Bambino, learn to use it, learn everything you can about coffee beans, puck prep, tools/accessories, milk steaming, how TIME CONSUMING making espresso can be, etc, and decide if this is a rabbit hole you really want to go down. And equally importantly, the bambino makes GOOD coffee. I recently upgraded from my Bambino after using it for 3 years and I can tell you with confidence the coffee taste has not dramatically changed. My new machine is mainly just more “satisfying” to operate.

Also curious about this topic. Have a Bambino which works well enough for me but curious what the next step up would be while maintaining semiautomatic function.

If you’re open to alternatives, the **Breville Bambino Plus** is honestly worth considering, especially if milk drinks and workflow matter to you. The fast heat-up and consistent steaming make a huge difference day to day, and you don’t have to fight temperature surfing between shots.

**the steam performance on the Breville Bambino Plus Espresso Machine is generally considered good for home use, including steaming several milk drinks in a session but it isn’t a commercial-grade steam system designed to crank out endless drinks back-to-back without a breather**

if you must have everything in one machine, i suggest breville barista pro. better grinder. same burr as esp. otherwise bambino plus and separate grinder is a better deal. don't get things with auto dose or auto tamping.

Was in a similar boat and recently got the Bambino Plus and Niche. Got a bunch of accessories too and was about £1100 all in and would recommend it

That's more to do with the Gaggia not having a PID than the dual boiler. I went from a Eureka Specialita and Bambino Plus to a Profitec Pro 600 dual boiler. Yes the consistency and shot quality improved somewhat due to adjustable PID so I could pick different temps and didn't have to temperature surf. When I upgraded the Specialita to a Philos the shot quality and consistency improved drastically. The Philos is a great grinder, rock solid consistent. I could dial in 3 beans at different grind settings and go back and forth and the shots would pull exactly the same. Switch to pour over and espresso and get exactly the same results at the exact grind setting. I logged every single shot with it on Beanconqueor using a group head pressure gauge and BT scale with flow rate. So it wasn't just in cup but also shot data telemetry that I could double check. I am not saying going from an entry level to a higher quality espresso machine won't make a difference. The difference will be a lot bigger with a better made grinder and burr combo. If you want to play go get a 1Zpresso K-Ultra or J series hand grinder and compare it to your Sette.