The Profitec Go and the Breville Bambino Plus are both compact espresso machines, but they are built for fundamentally different users. The Go, from German brand Profitec, is a semi-automatic machine designed for enthusiasts, offering precise manual control and professional-grade internal components. In contrast, the Breville Bambino Plus is an automatic machine focused on speed and convenience, making it popular with beginners who want great espresso with minimal effort.
Here’s everything you need to know to decide which of these excellent machines is right for your home coffee setup.
Profitec Go
The Profitec Go is a high-performance single-boiler espresso machine that packs commercial-grade features into a minimalist, compact frame. It’s designed for the home barista who is serious about the craft of making espresso and wants complete control over the brewing process, from temperature to pressure. Its robust build quality and precision engineering make it a durable, long-term investment for coffee hobbyists.
- What it is: A premium, semi-automatic single-boiler espresso machine aimed at enthusiasts.
- Key features: PID controller for precise brew temperature stability, an external pressure gauge for monitoring extraction, a dedicated expansion valve to adjust brew pressure, and a fast heat-up time of around 5-7 minutes.
- Price: Approximately $1,200 - $1,400
- Dimensions: 9" x 8" x 14", making it compact for its feature set.
- Materials/Construction: Features a stainless steel body and high-quality internal components made of brass for superior thermal stability and longevity.
- Style: Minimalist and industrial, with clean lines and a functional aesthetic available in multiple colors.
- Pros: Professional-level brew control (PID, pressure adjustability). Exceptional build quality ensures durability and consistency. Excellent thermal stability for back-to-back shots. Provides the tools for a hands-on, rewarding espresso-making process.
- Cons: Much higher price point. Steep learning curve for beginners. Requires a high-quality grinder to see its full potential. Manual steaming takes practice to master.
The Profitec Go is for the aspiring or experienced home barista who prioritizes build quality and manual control over automation and wants a machine that will last for years.
Shop this product: wholelattelove.com/products/profitec-go-single-boiler-espresso-machine
Breville Bambino Plus
The Breville Bambino Plus has become a go-to recommendation for beginners for good reason. It’s an incredibly fast, stylish, and user-friendly machine that automates the most difficult parts of making espresso drinks, particularly frothing milk. Its tiny footprint and affordable price make it an accessible entry point into home espresso without sacrificing the quality of the final drink.
- What it is: A compact, entry-level automatic espresso machine focused on ease of use and speed.
- Key features: A ThermoJet heating system with a 3-second heat-up time, automatic milk frothing with adjustable temperature and texture controls, and preset brew volumes.
- Price: Typically priced around $600 - $700
- Dimensions: 7.7" x 12.6" x 12.2", one of the smallest espresso machines on the market.
- Materials/Construction: A polished stainless steel exterior covers a body with some plastic internal components, designed for light to moderate home use.
- Style: Sleek, modern, and stylishly designed to complement contemporary kitchens.
- Pros: Incredibly fast 3-second heat-up. Automatic milk frothing is foolproof and produces excellent results. Very easy for beginners to learn and use. Affordable price point for the features it offers. Tiny footprint saves counter space.
- Cons: Construction feels less robust compared to the Profitec Go. Limited manual control over brewing variables. Plastic components may reduce long-term durability. More focused on convenience than brew perfection.
The Bambino Plus is the ideal machine for anyone new to espresso or those who value speed and convenience for their daily latte or cappuccino.
Shop this product: https://www.breville.com/us/en/products/espresso/bes500.html
Profitec Go vs. Breville Bambino Plus Comparison
Build Quality & Materials
There's a significant difference here, a testament to their different target audiences and price points. The Profitec Go is built like a small tank, using commercial-grade materials like a stainless steel body and a brass brew group and boiler. This provides excellent temperature stability and a level of durability designed to last a decade or more with proper care. It is a machine made to be repaired, not replaced.
The Breville Bambino Plus, while stylish with its stainless steel finish, uses more consumer-grade components internally, including plastic elements. It's well-built for its price and for daily home use, but it's not engineered for the same lifespan or intense use as the Go. For many users, this trade-off for convenience and a lower price is perfectly acceptable.
Brewing Control & Features
The Profitec Go puts the user in the driver's seat. Its PID controller allows you to set the brew temperature to the exact degree for different coffee beans, and the manometer (pressure gauge) gives you real-time feedback on your extraction. This level of control is essential for learning how to pull the perfect shot and grow as a barista.
The Bambino Plus takes the opposite approach by simplifying the process. It features volumetric controls for single and double shots and a low-pressure pre-infusion, but there's little ability to fine-tune variables like temperature. It excels at delivering consistent, good results with minimal input from the user.
Milk Frothing
This is arguably the Bambino Plus's biggest advantage for beginners. Its automatic steam wand is class-leading, you simply place the milk jug on a sensor, select your desired temperature and texture, and it creates perfectly frothed microfoam for lattes and cappuccinos every time. It’s almost completely hands-free and foolproof.
The Profitec Go features a traditional manual steam wand powered by a single boiler. It requires you to learn how to texture and heat the milk yourself. While this has a significant learning curve, once mastered, it gives you complete creative control to produce true latte art-quality microfoam. It takes more time and skill but offers a higher ceiling for quality.
Price & Value
With the Profitec Go costing roughly double the price of the Breville Bambino Plus, they sit in different value categories. The Bambino Plus offers incredible value for money, packing quick heating and automatic features into an accessible package that makes satisfying espresso drinks. It's an excellent value proposition for getting started.
The Profitec Go's value lies in its longevity and performance. It is a long-term investment in a hobby. Its superior build quality and professional feature set mean you are less likely to feel the need to upgrade down the line as your skills improve.
Which One Should You Choose?
Both machines are champions in their respective categories, but they cater to very different needs and priorities.
Choose the Profitec Go if:
- You view making coffee as a rewarding hobby and want to learn the art of espresso.
- You prioritize machines with exceptional, long-lasting build quality and repairability.
- You want precise, manual control over brew temperature, pressure, and steaming.
- You are willing to invest in a high-quality grinder to unlock the machine's full potential.
Choose the Breville Bambino Plus if:
- You want consistently good espresso drinks quickly, conveniently, and with minimal fuss.
- You are new to espresso and want a machine with a very low learning curve.
- Automatic milk frothing for easy lattes and cappuccinos is a top priority.
- You're working with a smaller budget or limited counter space.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the main difference between the Profitec Go and Breville Bambino Plus?
The main difference is control versus convenience. The Profitec Go is a high-end, semi-automatic machine designed for enthusiasts who want detailed manual control over the entire brewing process. The Breville Bambino Plus is an automatic machine focused on speed and simplicity, ideal for beginners or those who want a cappuccino at the press of a button.
Is the Profitec Go worth the extra money?
For a serious coffee enthusiast who values longevity and performance, yes. The investment gets you commercial-grade internal components, precise temperature control (PID), and a machine built to last for many years. If your priority is quick, easy, and affordable espresso, the extra cost is likely not worth it.
How long does each machine take to heat up?
The Breville Bambino Plus has a massive advantage here, with its ThermoJet system heating up and ready to brew in just 3 seconds. The Profitec Go's single boiler needs about 5-7 minutes to fully heat and stabilize.
Which machine makes better milk foam for lattes?
The Bambino Plus makes perfectly good, consistent foam for lattes automatically, making it foolproof for beginners. A skilled user on the Profitec Go can create superior, latte art-quality microfoam, but it requires practice and a learning curve with its manual steam wand.
Do I need a separate grinder for these machines?
Yes, both machines perform best with a good burr grinder. However, it's non-negotiable for the Profitec Go, which requires a fine, consistent grind to produce proper espresso. The Bambino Plus is more forgiving, coming with both pressurized and non-pressurized filter baskets, allowing beginners to get started with pre-ground coffee (using the pressurized basket).
Which espresso machine is easier to use for a beginner?
The Breville Bambino Plus is significantly easier for a beginner. Its simple interface, quick start-up time, and especially its automatic milk frothing feature remove almost all of the typical espresso-making learning curve.
How do the build materials differ?
The Profitec Go is built with a heavy-duty stainless steel frame and brass components in the boiler and brew group, which are excellent for heat stability and durability. The Bambino Plus has a stainless steel finish but more plastic internal parts, reflecting its consumer-focused design and lower price point.
Can you make back-to-back drinks on these machines?
Yes, but both have limitations as single-boiler machines. You'll need to wait for the machine to switch between brewing temperature and steam temperature. The Profitec Go is likely more robust and can recover faster between multiple shots, whereas the Bambino's ThermoJet system alters its temperature a lot quicker (so can switch from brewing to steaming and back quite quickly).
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