Breville Bambino BES450 vs Breville Barista Express Impress BES876

A first espresso machine: compact, a 3 second ThermoJet heat-up and a manual steam wand, no grinder

Scores higher on value for money.

The Barista Express with the tamping done for you, so the shot is repeatable from day one

Scores higher on build quality & durability, ease of use & learning curve, maintenance & cleaning.

• +Ready to brew in 3 seconds by Breville's figure, so there is no waiting for a boiler.
• +PID temperature control and low pressure pre-infusion at the entry price.
• +A 54 mm portafilter with both single wall and dual wall baskets in the box.
• +Four buttons and nothing to program: 1 Cup, 2 Cup, Hot Water and Steam.

• −No grinder, so you need pre-ground coffee or a separate burr grinder.
• −Milk is textured by hand; the automatic wand is on the dearer Bambino Plus.
• −A 1-year warranty, where some rivals give two.

• +Assisted tamping at a fixed pressure removes the step most beginners get wrong.
• +The machine reads each tamp and adjusts the next dose, so the puck is repeatable.
• +A built-in 25-setting conical burr grinder, so there is nothing else to buy.
• +A pressure gauge on the front, which shows whether a shot ran fast or slow.
• +Both pressurised and unpressurised baskets in the box.

• −Breville publishes no warranty term or weight for it, on the page or in the manual.
• −The manual allows up to 55 seconds to heat, against 3 seconds on the ThermoJet Breville machines.
• −The steam wand is manual, so milk is still a skill to learn.
• −A 54 mm basket, not the 58 mm most café accessories are made for.