Which espresso machine should I choose for milk drinks and a built-in grinder?

The advantages and the compromises

The key details

Model covered

BES500BSS

Milk steaming

Automatic + manual

Grinder

Separate grinder

Standout feature

3-second heat-up¹

¹ Heat-up refers to the heating system, not a finished drink.

The buyer this machine makes sense for

The Bambino Plus makes the most sense for someone who wants to prepare espresso but would welcome help with the milk. Think of a household that makes cappuccinos most mornings, already has a grinder or is willing to buy one, and wants fewer decisions at the steam wand. Our view is that the purchase should start with that routine. A machine can be an excellent fit for milk drinks without being the right answer for a shopper who needs all the equipment in one appliance.

Automatic milk helps with one demanding step

Breville documents automatic steaming with three temperature settings and three texture settings, as well as a manual option. That gives you a useful choice: let the machine handle steaming on a busy morning, or work on your own technique when you have time.

There is still a milk jug to fill, position and clean, and espresso to prepare. We would not buy this expecting the experience of pressing a latte button and walking away. The useful benefit is reducing the attention demanded by one part of the drink, while keeping a traditional espresso workflow.

A separate grinder is both freedom and another purchase

There is no integrated grinder. If you start with whole beans, plan the grinder purchase alongside the machine rather than treating it as a minor accessory. If you already have an espresso-capable grinder you enjoy using, this arrangement avoids buying a second one inside the machine.

For a first setup, write down the cost and space requirements of both appliances before comparing it with the Barista Express. Our preference would be to choose a separate setup when independent upgrades matter to you. Choose an integrated arrangement when keeping the equipment together matters more.

The warm-up claim is not your morning routine

Breville’s three-second claim describes its heating system reaching readiness. It does not describe the time from opening the cupboard to sitting down with a latte. Grinding, preparing the portafilter, brewing, steaming and putting things away remain separate tasks.

A useful buying exercise is to imagine those tasks in your kitchen. Where will the beans sit? Can you reach the sink without carrying a full tray across the room? A quick heating system is attractive, but an awkward workstation can still make a short coffee break feel like a project.

Daily ownership includes cleaning

The instruction manual separates routine cleaning, the cleaning cycle and descaling. It also covers care for the steam wand and filter baskets. Automatic milk preparation should therefore be understood as help with steaming, not automatic ownership. Follow the manual for the exact maintenance procedure.

Before buying, decide where the jug and cleaning tools will dry. Our advice is to value a routine you can repeat comfortably over an accessory collection that looks impressive. Someone happy to rinse and reset after each drink is a more convincing match than someone looking for a maintenance-free appliance.

How we would make the final choice

Choose the Bambino Plus when easier milk preparation is the benefit you will use repeatedly and the separate-grinder arrangement works for you. Choose the Barista Express when an integrated grinder is a requirement. Consider the Dedica Arte when its documented narrow body is decisive and you are comfortable steaming manually.

For a strict width limit, confirm the Bambino’s exact body dimensions and working clearances with the seller. We currently leave that measurement unconfirmed in the matcher; a compact description alone does not establish that it fits your particular opening.

How the alternatives change the decision

The Barista Express moves grinding into the machine and leaves milk steaming to you. The Dedica Arte offers a documented narrow body with manual steaming. Those are different answers to the equipment and milk questions; neither change is automatically an upgrade for your routine.

Before you decide

The advantages and the compromises

The key details

Model covered

BES870XL

Milk steaming

Manual

Grinder

Built-in burr grinder

Standout feature

16 grind settings

¹ Heat-up refers to the heating system, not a finished drink.

An integrated starting point for a hands-on hobby

The original Barista Express BES870 family suits a buyer who wants grinding and espresso preparation in one central appliance and is interested in learning the process. That could be someone building a first setup and wanting a clear place to start, or someone who values keeping their equipment together. We would be less enthusiastic if the main goal were to remove every decision from breakfast. Having the tools in one machine makes equipment planning simpler; it does not turn espresso into a fully automatic routine.

What the built-in grinder actually changes

Breville specifies a conical burr grinder with sixteen grind settings. The practical advantage is a combined workstation: your grinder sits alongside the brewing controls rather than elsewhere on the counter. You still need to adjust the setup for your beans and recipe.

The manual describes grind-size and dose adjustments and advises changing the setup when extraction is unsuitable. Our advice is to give yourself time to learn those adjustments. If experimenting sounds enjoyable, the integrated design has a clear appeal. If you expect every bag of beans to behave identically, reconsider the workflow before buying.

Milk steaming remains your job

This model uses manual milk steaming. That is a meaningful distinction from the Bambino Plus, whose automatic milk function answers a different need. Manual control can be appealing if you want to practice and influence the texture yourself, but it also asks you to develop another skill alongside brewing.

Imagine a busy weekday rather than a leisurely weekend demonstration. Would you still want that involvement? We would choose this machine for someone who accepts the learning curve. If automatic steaming is essential, our questionnaire excludes it rather than allowing the grinder to outweigh that requirement.

Plan the counter around the full machine

An integrated layout combines the main equipment, but it does not eliminate the space needed for cups, a jug, beans and cleaning. Leave room to work, not only room to park the appliance. Access around and above a machine can be as important as the area directly beneath it.

We do not currently have an unambiguous width value in the matching profile. A strict width answer therefore requires confirmation for this model. Before purchasing, use the exact seller’s dimensions and the manufacturer’s installation instructions to plan your station, especially if it must sit between other appliances.

The trade-off of integrating two appliances

Buying the grinder and machine together can remove a shopping decision at the start. Later, a separate grinder upgrade would introduce another appliance while the built-in grinder remains part of the original machine. That does not make the integrated design wrong; it means the useful life of the arrangement depends on how you expect your preferences to develop.

For a buyer who simply wants a repeatable home routine, we would not overcomplicate that question. For someone already comparing dedicated grinders and planning frequent upgrades, an independent grinder-and-machine setup may be the more natural starting point.

Choose the original model deliberately

This review covers the original BES870 Barista Express, not the Express Impress or another model with a similar name. Confirm the model and included accessories before comparing offers. Use the manual for cleaning and maintenance rather than assuming that a combined appliance looks after both systems automatically.

Our decision would come down to two questions: do you want a built-in grinder, and do you accept manual milk steaming? If both answers are yes, this is a coherent option. If one answer is a firm no, the appeal of an all-in-one counter setup should not override it.

How the alternatives change the decision

The Bambino Plus is the alternative for automatic milk steaming with a separately chosen grinder. The Dedica Arte is the alternative to investigate when a narrow machine body matters more than integrated grinding. Compare the complete equipment setup rather than only the machine’s appearance.

Before you decide

The advantages and the compromises

The key details

Model covered

EC885M

Milk steaming

Manual

Grinder

Separate grinder

Standout feature

15 cm body width

¹ Heat-up refers to the heating system, not a finished drink.

A specific answer to a crowded counter

The Dedica Arte EC885 is worth investigating when the available width is the first thing you measure. De’Longhi describes a body around fifteen centimeters wide, and that is the concrete feature behind its place in our narrow-counter shortlist. The other part of the decision is your willingness to prepare coffee and steam milk manually.

We would approach it as a compact starting point for a hands-on station. If the wish is simply to do less work each morning, a small body alone does not settle which machine will feel convenient.

Body width is only the first measurement

A narrow appliance can leave a useful strip of counter free, but the way you use the surrounding space matters. You will need somewhere to prepare coffee, put a cup, handle the milk jug and clean up. If you intend to grind whole beans, include that equipment in the layout.

Our practical suggestion is to outline the proposed station on the counter before ordering. Make sure drawers and cupboard doors remain useful and that access feels natural. A model passing the questionnaire’s body-width limit does not certify all of those working clearances.

The milk wand rewards involvement

The My LatteArt wand is a manual milk-steaming feature. It gives you a way to work on milk texture yourself, rather than selecting an automatic texture and letting the machine manage that step. Whether that is an advantage depends on what you want to do.

If you mainly drink espresso, automatic milk preparation might not deserve much weight at all. If your household makes milk drinks every morning and wants help with that step, compare the Bambino Plus. We would make this decision from your routine rather than from the promise of café-style drinks in a product description.

Decide how your coffee will reach the portafilter

The EC885 does not include a grinder. Whole-bean preparation therefore involves another piece of equipment, even if the machine itself looks small. You may already have a suitable grinder, or you may be planning a setup around prepared ground coffee. Clarifying that first makes the purchase easier to judge.

If a built-in grinder is a firm requirement, the Dedica is not a match. We would compare the Barista Express instead. If independent grinder choice is appealing, the separate layout is a reason to keep the Dedica on the list, provided the complete station fits.

Small appliances still need an ownership routine

The instruction manual covers preparation, milk frothing, cleaning and descaling. Those tasks are part of choosing a manual espresso machine, regardless of its size. Follow the instructions for your exact model and region, particularly for setup and maintenance.

Before buying, picture finishing a drink and leaving the counter ready for the next person. Where will wet accessories go? Can you access water and cleaning supplies comfortably? We would favor a station that is easy to reset over one that only fits when every accessory is packed away.

When we would choose something else

An automatic-milk requirement points away from this machine. An integrated-grinder requirement does too. It is more convincing when your priorities are a narrow body, independent grinder choice and willingness to steam manually. That combination explains the recommendation without claiming that it produces better espresso than larger models.

Check that the offer is specifically the Dedica Arte EC885 or EC885M covered here. Other Dedica names can look similar while describing different equipment. The buying decision should be about the actual model and workflow, not the family name or a photograph that happens to look familiar.

How the alternatives change the decision

The Bambino Plus adds automatic milk preparation to a separate-grinder setup. The Barista Express integrates the grinder but keeps milk steaming manual. For a strict width limit, verify each alternative’s dimensions rather than assuming that all domestic espresso machines are similarly compact.

Before you decide