Description
This is the Damson Blue Bambino Plus, model BES500DBL1BUS1, and its listing includes something the sibling listing on this site leaves out: the full accessory list. A 54mm tamper, a Razor precision dosing tool, a 16 ounce stainless milk jug, single wall and dual wall filter baskets in one and two cup sizes, a cleaning tool and a cleaning disc. That list is a description of the workflow this machine expects, and it is worth reading closely before buying.
What it is and where it fits
A compact pump espresso machine at 14.25 inches deep by 7.5 inches wide by 12 inches high, weighing 11 pounds. Narrow at the front, deep from front to back, and it needs room in front for a cup and a milk jug.
This site files it in the semi automatic espresso machines section, which is the accurate label. The Black Truffle version of the same machine sits under coffee makers instead, which is a shelving inconsistency rather than a product difference.
Living with it day to day
The two basket types in the box are the single most useful thing on this listing, because they define two different ways of living with the machine. A dual wall or pressurized basket has a restricted outlet that creates back pressure artificially, which means it produces a passable shot with pre ground supermarket coffee and forgives an imprecise dose. A single wall basket does not compensate for anything, and it needs a proper adjustable grinder and a consistent dose to produce a shot at all.
Shipping both means a household can start with the dual wall baskets and pre ground coffee, then move to single wall and a grinder later. That is a real upgrade path rather than a marketing bullet, and it is the answer to the question of whether this machine is usable without buying a grinder first. It is, on the dual wall baskets, with a ceiling on how good the result gets.
The Razor dosing tool trims a tamped puck to a repeatable height, which removes one of the two variables beginners struggle with. The other is grind, and nothing in the box helps with that.
The automatic steam wand textures fresh milk in the included jug to a set temperature and froth level. It has to be purged and wiped straight after every drink or the residue bakes on, and that is the one non negotiable daily chore. The cleaning tool and cleaning disc in the box are for the group: the disc is used for backflushing, which is periodic maintenance that most owners skip and should not.
Noise is not published, and a vibration pump plus a steam wand is briefly loud.
Controls and connected features
Buttons, with PID temperature control and programmable shot volumes stored in the machine. There is no display, no app, no Wi Fi, no Bluetooth and no account, so nothing depends on a phone and no firmware change can alter the machine’s behavior.
The product copy claims a three second heat up from the ThermoJet system. That is a manufacturer figure, and it is the feature that determines whether a small espresso machine gets used on weekdays or only at weekends. The listing records the operation mode as manual, which is fair for the coffee half and wrong for the milk half, since the wand is automatic.
Running cost and upkeep
Voltage is recorded as 120 volts, correct for a North American machine. This is a corded countertop appliance with no water line, no drain, no gas and no venting. Wattage and amperage are not published, so the rating plate is the reference, and a fast heating espresso machine is not a light load on a shared kitchen circuit.
The running cost is coffee and nothing else. No pods, no capsules, no paper and no cartridges, which over a few years is the cheapest way to drink espresso at home by a wide margin compared with anything in the single serve brewers range.
The maintenance is the trade. Backflushing with the supplied disc keeps the group clear of coffee oils. The group seal hardens over years and is a replaceable wear part. The shower screen needs cleaning. Descaling is required on an interval set by local water hardness. None of those intervals are published on this listing, and the manual is the authority. What can be said is that all of these are standard espresso machine maintenance and all of them are things a capsule machine never asks for.
The listing gives a first availability date of September 8, 2022. The baskets, the jug and the tamper are all replaceable and widely available in 54mm, which is Breville’s standard size across several machines.
Highlights
- Single wall and dual wall baskets both included, so the machine works with pre ground coffee now and a grinder later.
- Razor dosing tool that makes a repeatable dose achievable without a scale.
- Automatic steam wand with a 16 ounce stainless jug included, capable of the microfoam latte art needs.
- PID temperature control and programmable shot volumes held in the machine.
- Cleaning tool and backflush disc included, so proper maintenance is possible from day one.
- Runs on any coffee, with no proprietary consumable of any kind.
Things To Consider
- No grinder is included, and single wall baskets need one to work properly.
- The steam wand must be purged and wiped after every milk drink.
- Backflushing, group seals, shower screens and descaling are all part of ownership.
- 14.25 inches deep before allowing room for a cup and a jug in front.
- The listing records the operation mode as manual on a machine with an automatic milk wand.
- The three second heat up is a manufacturer claim rather than a documented specification.
Who it is not for
Anyone who wants a mug of filter coffee should buy a drip machine, since espresso is a small concentrated drink and stretching it into a mug is not what this machine does. Anyone unwilling to clean a steam wand daily should look at a capsule machine with a milk tank, such as the Gran Lattissima. Anyone who wants the grinder built into the same body should look at the Barista Touch and accept the counter space. And anyone who wants strong coffee with no equipment at all is better served by a moka style maker or something from the coffee makers section.