Maintenance
EssentialDescaler
Limescale is what most machines die of, and vinegar attacks the seals. A liquid descaler declared suitable for espresso machines does the same job as the maker’s own branded fluid, usually for less.
€15.90
Go to bol
Sage
Bambino Plus
A small portafilter machine that froths the milk by itself
€419.00 in Brushed Stainless Steel
Price verdict from 5 DecWe have measured this price since 5 November (5 days). Lowest measured: €401.40 on 5 November. A price verdict follows on 5 December at the earliest, and only after 2 more readings.
Where to buy
Updated on 10 November 2026Updated on 10 November 2026
Daily price history
Last 6 days
Lowest €401.40Now €419.00
5 Nov7 Nov8 Nov10 Nov
View as a table
| Date | Lowest price that day |
|---|---|
| 10 November 2026 | €419.00 |
| 9 November 2026 | €419.00 |
| 8 November 2026 | €419.00 |
| 7 November 2026 | €419.00 |
| 6 November 2026 | €419.00 |
| 5 November 2026 | €401.40 |
Price alert
When the Bambino Plus drops
Espresso machines drop hardest around Black Friday and in the weeks before Christmas. Leave your email address and pick below what you want to hear about.
The Bambino Plus is the Bambino with a steam wand that works by itself: you put the milk jug under it and choose the temperature and the foam, and the machine does the rest. Sage gives a heat-up time of 3 seconds, and the portafilter is 54 millimetres.
There is no grinder. You feed it ground coffee or stand a separate grinder next to it; for espresso from fresh beans the latter is the way.
Who for: Anyone who wants a compact portafilter machine and does not want to froth milk by hand.
Compared with similar machines
Against 23 other manual espresso machines between €299.99 and €626.00, on the specifications the maker publishes.
On the measured specifications, this machine does not stand out from similar machines.
Specifications
Making coffee
- Type
- Portafilter
- Grinder
- None, separate grinder needed
- Portafilter
- 54 mm
Capacity
- Water tank
- 1.9 litres
Technical
- Pump pressure
- 15 bar
- Power
- 1300–1600 watt
Model
- Material
- Stainless steel
- Warranty
- 2 years
- Model number
- SES500BSS
This is what we know for certain. Dimensions and capacities the manufacturer or the shop does not state are left out rather than estimated. A measurement or a tank volume that is not there is one we do not have.
What does it cost a year to maintain?
A worked example, not a specification: 2 cups a day (730 a year), the intervals from the maker's manual, with the water filter the maker recommends, and the lowest price in our catalog today.
- Water filter · 4 a year
- Not in our catalog
- Sage: replace the water filter after 3 months. Sage's filter is not in our catalog.
- Descaler · about 4 a year
- Not in our catalog
- Sage: descale every 90 days at water hardness 4, every 60 days at hardness 6. Counted as every 90 days. Sage does not say how much descaler one cycle takes, so we put no price on it.
- Cleaning tablets
- Not stated
- The machine says when, after 200 shots. Sage gives no interval in time.
We cannot price anything for this machine: what the maker requires is not in our catalog, or the maker gives no interval.
How often you descale depends on your water hardness. Where the maker gives no interval for it, we leave it out rather than estimate it.
Beans, counted separately
6.57 kilos a year at 9 grams a cup: €108.34 with the cheapest kilo in our catalog, €445.45 with the dearest.
Frequently asked about the Bambino Plus
- Is the Bambino Plus a bean-to-cup or a portafilter machine?
- The Bambino Plus is a portafilter machine.
- Does the Bambino Plus have a built-in grinder?
- No, the Bambino Plus has no grinder. You grind your own or buy it ground.
- How does the Bambino Plus froth milk?
- The Bambino Plus froths milk: with a steam wand that froths on its own.
- How much water does the Bambino Plus hold?
- The Bambino Plus's water tank holds 1.9 litres.
- What is the Bambino Plus's model number?
- Each colour has its own model number: SES500BSS in Brushed Stainless Steel and SES500BTR in Black Truffle. Compare on that rather than the name: makers sell near-identically named versions side by side, and the prices differ.
In the box
- 54 mm portafilter
- 54 mm tamper
- Razor dosing tool
- Claro water filter
- 480 ml milk jug
- Single- and dual-wall baskets for 1 and 2 cups
- Cleaning tool and cleaning disc
As the manufacturer states it. What a shop ships may differ.
Accessories that fit this machine
Picked on what this machine does and does not do itself
Grinding
EssentialCoffee grinder
Without a grinder in the machine this is not an accessory but a second purchase. Budget something close to the machine itself. On pre-ground coffee no portafilter machine gives you what it can do.
€204.00
Go to Coolblue
Maintenance
RecommendedGroup Head Cleaner, 6 sachets (Sage)
Sage's cleaning powder for backflushing the group head, in single-dose sachets. On daily use Sage recommends a flush every 2 to 4 weeks.
€12.95
Go to Expert
Brewing
RecommendedTamper and distributor (Sage)
The tamper Sage includes is light and plastic. A heavy one with a distributor gives a flatter bed and a more even extraction, the step that most often goes wrong when brewing by hand.
€39.95
Go to bol
Brewing
RecommendedKnock box
The puck has to go somewhere, and the bin clogs with wet coffee within a week. A box with a rubber bar is quieter than it sounds.
€21.95
Go to bol
Maintenance
Can waitGroup Head Cleaner, 12 sachets (Sage)
The same Sage cleaning powder for the group head, in a pack of twelve sachets. At one flush every 2 to 4 weeks, as Sage recommends, that is six months or more.
€21.90
Go to bol
Brewing
Can waitCoffee scale
Dosing by eye is why the same machine tastes better on one day than the next. A scale accurate to a tenth of a gram, with a timer, turns pulling espresso into something repeatable.
€44.95
Go to bolBeans for this machine
Every bean fits every machine. What differs is the order: on a bean-to-cup the 100% arabica beans come first, because dark-roasted blends carrying robusta give off more oil and that clogs a built-in grinder sooner.
Segafredo
Segafredo Intermezzo
€16.49per kilo
Lowest price we have seen€16.49 · 1 kg bag
A blend with robusta, made for the Italian bar. Full and bittersweet, and the kind of bean a bean-to-cup grinder gets through without complaint.
- Blend with robusta
- Blend
Segafredo
Segafredo Espresso Casa
€18.45per kilo
Lowest price we have seen€18.45 · 1 kg bag
Segafredo’s house blend, for anyone who also drinks their espresso with milk.
- Blend with robusta
- Blend
Lavazza
Lavazza Crema e Aroma
€19.99per kilo
Keenly priced€19.99 · 1 kg bag
The classic Italian bar blend: arabica with a good deal of robusta, which is where the thick crema espresso is known for comes from. Robusta is a cheaper bean than arabica, and that usually shows in the price per kilo.
- Blend with robusta
- Blend
Lavazza
Lavazza Espresso Italiano Classico
€23.99per kilo
Keenly priced€23.99 · 1 kg bag
All arabica as well, like the Oro. The middle path between the soft arabica blends and the firm bar blends.
- 100% arabica
- Blend
What differs
Often compared with
€262.27 in Brushed Stainless Steel
Keenly pricedW 19.5 x H 31 cm · 1.4 l tank
With essential accessories€495.12
machine + descaler, milk jug, coffee grinder
€459.00 in Black Truffle
Price verdict from 11 NovW 31.8 x H 40.4 cm · 2 l tank
With essential accessories€487.85
machine + descaler, milk jug