Breville Bambino vs Gaggia Anima Automatic

It'll be a pain in the butt if you don't like the ritual of it. If you don't want manual, it's probably around $600 for true quality espresso with a Breville Bambino and Eureka Notte or Sette 270. That will give you good shots and also has the milk frother if you ever want it. A good chunk of change though

The machine will tell you when it's time to empty that and then get these bevels in here. Yeah so when you're walking with a drip tray, you don't spil...

It's pretty easy after some practice and there's plenty of video tutorials so definitely give it a try. - Big water tank, easy to remove and fill - High clearance lets me easily fit my cup and scales directly under the portafilter - Simple to use. Dials and stuff would be cool but honestly so long as it pumps out adequate pressure and maintains a consistent temperature between shots, being able to monitor those variables is nice but redundant. Use a timer and cheap scales to dial-in shots, then taste, adjust grind/dose as needed, and you're all set

so you push these buttons in to pull it off and then we'll take a look inside. So here's the drip tray. It's it's all one drip tray. and you also real...

54mm bottomless portafilter (with non pressurized basket) ~ $60 CDN (Amazon). Normcore Leveling Tamper ~ $60 CDN (Normcore site).

You'll find that what you can make in your jammies at home is superior to what you can buy at coffee shops.

But having already returned one machine (the pathetic De Longhi Dedica) I simply was too demoralized by the experience, and, so far, my friend and I have simply tried to adapt to the inferior Bambino. Perhaps we'll change our minds, but I honestly suspect that the problem with the Bambino, as probably with the De Longhi Dedica, is that smaller machines simply DO NOT WORK due to a basic design problem: they end up being structurally incapable of generating the kind of steam pressure required. At least, this is what I suspect. Perhaps far more expensive, smaller machines don't have this problem

I thought the design of the machine and the firmware was quite good. It's hard to beat this device for convenience but I did find a machine that makes a better cappuccino, the Breville Barista Express BES870XL. The Breville took a few tries to dial in the grind, dose, and tamping pressure, but the final result was a couple of steps up in aroma and taste from this Gaggia machine. The frothing attachment is far superior on the Breville once you get the technique down

You can definitely find a less expensive unit, but you'll be compromising in key performance and construction areas, something I just wasn't willing to do. So, if you're looking for an aesthetically attractive, small-footprint, well-constructed machine that is simple to use and creates exceptional Espresso and Cappuccino, you will be truly pleased with this unit.

I decided to go with the Anima as a 'replacement' as WLL had a sale on so it only cost another $75 and it is way better looking, narrower and most of all, it will take a taller cup under the spout.