# Barista Express versus Smart Grinder Pro plus Bambino Plus



## TheHeff (May 17, 2020)

Title says it all. I'm interested in creating a coffee setup at home. I've always liked the idea of having a separate grinder / coffee machine setup. My preferred option was to go for the Sage Bambino Plus (about £330) plus the Sage Smart Grinder Pro (£200) - so about £530.

I then realised that the very-well regarded Barista Express is 'only' £550 - so not much difference.

Purely from a performance standpoint (for someone looking to make daily cappuccinos and lattes) what do people think I should get: Bambino Plus + Smart Grinder Pro versus just the Barista Express? Thoughts really appreciated as its a fair chunk of change and want all the info I can get before making a decision.


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## Harvey (Apr 27, 2020)

I'm sure you are going to get lots of advice and options on this. But these are my thoughts.

From my experience so far, having a stand alone grinder is a better option. You will soon discover that a better grinder will give you more than a better espresso machine. I do have the smart grinder pro, and so far it has been really good, but now im getting more experienced, it's something im wanting to change. The stand alone grinder does give you the option to make other coffees as well, like a french press or V60 if you like those. I think the BE is just espresso grinds.

As for the machine, I would recomend the Sage Dual Temp Pro. Its a little cheaper and a very good package as a beginner. I think it comes with a little more out the box.

This forum is a treasure chest of information, so maybe have a browse in the grinders section, as their are lots of other options available. The same with machines.


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## Kannan (Mar 28, 2020)

If you are looking at Sage, then the DTP and probably a Eureka (or similar grinder) would probably be a better bet... As @Harvey says, better to have separate components for many reasons (If anything goes wrong, when you want to upgrade etc) except of course if space is a concern or you want a pseudo bean to cup like one of the Oracles...

The Sage grinders are well known for being OK but not amazing and if you get a BE you are pretty much stuck with a Sage grinder. Even if you do then get a better grinder later (which I did with my Oracle), you won't want the redundant grinder sitting around for too long, which will then mean you will end up changing the BE too... This way you can upgrade one of the components at a later date if you so choose and not have to worry about the other necessarily...


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## Alan94 (May 15, 2020)

If the Bambino Plus and the DTP were at the same price, would there be any reason to choose the DTP over the Bambino?


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## Kannan (Mar 28, 2020)

The DTP has PID, pre-infusion and a few other bits as far as I know that make it quite good for the money (not sure about the bambino but presumably it is a lower specced machine...) There are some posts here or on Home-Barista that compare the two...


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## Alan94 (May 15, 2020)

I am sure the Bambino Plus has all that plus some temperature control, i.e can set the temperature of how hot you want it to steam your milk, that's why I was asking unless there was something I was missing since it is older. Looking online just now they both seem to be around similar price, in some cases the DTP being more expensive.


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## Harvey (Apr 27, 2020)

I think the bambino as far as I'm aware doesn't come with the non-pressurised baskets and the milk steaming is automatic, so you can't control the texture. I guess it's less of a learning tool. If you're not bothered with making latte art it's probably fine. If you are, you will probably find you won't get the right consistency.


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## TheHeff (May 17, 2020)

@Harvey from reviews I've watched I think Sage have started including the non-pressurised basket in with the machine so should get that (but will check). And it's possible to manually steam - though may enjoy the option to cheat for a while ...


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## MediumRoastSteam (Jul 7, 2015)

Just for awareness, the bambino plus were being sold for £199 back in February.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Harvey (Apr 27, 2020)

If the automatic thing is what you are after then you will be better off with a bambino.

The DTP is a little more 'hands on''. 🙂


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## Scwheeler (Jan 13, 2020)

When I researched this a couple of months ago I could not find anything the the DTP offered "manual" or otherwise that wasn't offered by the Bambino. Plus the Bambino has the auto milk steaming from the Touch which you may or may not choose to use and the Thermojet from the Pro. I bought the Bambino and am happy with it however without trying side to side it's difficult to say if one makes better coffee.At £199 (I got mine for £150 open box) it seemed excellent value for money.


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## Kensf2 (May 18, 2020)

I recently bought a Sage Grinder Pro and I'm really liking it. It's very easy to use and it's good to have to variety of grind settings. I've been experimenting with espresso, Moka pot and French press. I know it's in now way a great grinder but as a beginner it's hard to justify shelling out over £500 on a grinder alone. I'm planning on learning on this machine and moving on in the future when my skill level has increased.


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## Billybob (May 6, 2020)

I've fairly recently bought a Sage BE and, while it's still very early days for me, I think the grinder is the definite weak spot. To the point where I'm now wishing I bought the bambino and a 'non-Sage' separate grinder.

i should have realised, in my youth I was a bit of a hi-if geek and hated all in one midi/mini systems and had some awesome separates. Sound was way way better. I guess it's true with coffee... who knew?? (Reading these forums it seems a lot of people knew 😄 )..


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