Breville Bambino Plus vs De'Longhi Dedica | Bean & Burr

Both of these live on the "small espresso machine" shortlist, but they got there differently. The Bambino Plus is a full-capability machine shrunk: proper 54mm portafilter, three-second ThermoJet heat-up, and automatic milk texturing that produces real microfoam. The Dedica is a machine engineered around one number — under six inches of width — and priced meaningfully lower.

The capability gap is honest and one-directional. The Bambino steams silkier milk (auto or manual wand vs the Dedica's bubbly panarello), heats faster, and its 54mm ecosystem sits closer to the accessory mainstream than the Dedica's 51mm. On straight shot quality with fresh beans, a good grinderand single-wall baskets, the two are closer than the price gap implies — the Dedica's ceiling is genuinely decent.

So the decision is about your constraint. If it's width— a galley strip of counter, an office shelf — the Dedica wins by existing; nothing this narrow competes. If it's overall footprintbut a normal-shaped space, the Bambino's few extra inches buy the better machine, especially for milk drinks. If it's price, the Dedica starts you honestly, with a clear upgrade path later.

The short answer

Quick picks

#	Product	Best for	Score	Price
01	Breville Bambino Plus (BES500) The one to buy if you already have a grinder. Tiny, fast to heat, and it auto-steams milk.	People who already own a grinder	8.2	$498.49Amazon
02	De'Longhi Dedica Deluxe (EC685) The slimmest real machine here — barely wider than a wine bottle, and it works.	The narrowest counters	7.0	$229.99Amazon

#ad · Live prices from the Amazon Product API, as of Jul 26, 2026. Where we have no verified live price, we show none — we would rather leave a gap than print a number that has rotted.

In detail

The picks, in full

People who already own a grinder

Breville Bambino Plus (BES500)

No built-in grinder54mm portafilter3-second heat-upAutomatic milk texturing

8.2/10

The one to buy if you already have a grinder. Tiny, fast to heat, and it auto-steams milk.

Shot quality: 8
Steam & milk: 8
Ease of use: 9
Build quality: 7
Value: 9

Pros

Breville rates it at a 3-second heat-up — you genuinely can go from cold to a shot faster than a kettle boils
The automatic milk-texturing wand froths to a set temperature and texture with no technique required, which is the feature beginners actually benefit from
A tiny footprint that fits a cramped counter where the Barista Express won't

Cons

No grinder, so you must own or buy one — factor that into the real price
Small water tank means frequent refills if you make several drinks a day

Don't buy this if…

…you don't have a grinder and don't want to buy one. Pre-ground coffee makes bad espresso in any machine, and this one gives you nowhere to grind — get the Barista Express instead.

$498.49View on Amazon

Price as of Jul 26, 2026. Prices change — Amazon's is the one that counts.

#ad · we may earn a commission from this link to Breville Bambino Plus (BES500)

The narrowest counters

De'Longhi Dedica Deluxe (EC685)

4.9-inch wide15-bar pumpManual milk frotherFast pre-heat

7.0/10

The slimmest real machine here — barely wider than a wine bottle, and it works.

Shot quality: 7
Steam & milk: 6
Ease of use: 8
Build quality: 6
Value: 8

Pros

De'Longhi lists it at under five inches wide, which genuinely solves the 'no counter space' problem better than anything else here
Heats quickly and pulls a respectable shot for the size and price
Manual frother lets you learn milk texturing properly

Cons

The small stature means a small boiler and tank — it's built for one or two drinks at a time
No grinder, and the pressurized basket flatters mediocre grinding rather than rewarding good grinding

Don't buy this if…

…counter space isn't your constraint. You're paying a slight premium for slimness — a Stilosa or a Bambino Plus gives you more machine for the footprint you'd otherwise use.

$229.99View on Amazon

Price as of Jul 26, 2026. Prices change — Amazon's is the one that counts.

#ad · we may earn a commission from this link to De'Longhi Dedica Deluxe (EC685)

Match the machine to the constraint

Milk drinks daily? Bambino Plus, no hesitation — the auto-texturing wand against a panarello is the biggest quality gap between these machines, and you will taste it in every latte.

Espresso mostly black? The gap narrows a lot. A Dedica with fresh beans, a real grinder and the unpressurized basket makes a legitimately good shot for less money — put the difference toward the grinder, which moves the cup more.

Genuinely six inches of counter? There is no decision; the Dedica is the category. Just buy it knowing the panarello is the trade, not a defect.

How we picked

We do not run a testing lab

We compiled published manufacturer specifications, computed what each option costs to run where relevant, and cross-referenced aggregated owner reviews, then scored each product against a published rubric. The scores are judgments from documented research — they are not measurements we took, because we do not have a lab and we are not going to pretend we do. Where a number came from a manufacturer or a standard, we name it in Sources.

Questions

Frequently asked

Is the Bambino Plus worth the extra money over the Dedica?

For milk-drink households, clearly yes — the wand difference alone (true microfoam vs panarello foam) justifies it, and the 3-second heat-up compounds daily. For black-espresso drinkers on a budget, the Dedica plus a better grinder is the smarter allocation of the same total.

Do both need a separate grinder?

For real espresso, yes — neither has one built in, and both ship with pressurized baskets that tolerate pre-ground at the cost of the ceiling. The two-piece rule applies to each: machine plus burr grinderis the setup. If a built-in grinder is the priority, that's the Barista Express conversation instead.

Which is easier for a total beginner?

The Bambino Plus — the automatic milk texturing removes the hardest skill entirely, and the machine's feedback is clearer. The Dedica is simple to operate but its milk results depend on wrestling the panarello, and its narrow drip area is less forgiving of prep mess.

Keep reading

Receipts

Sources

We do not run a testing lab, and we do not pretend to. Where a measured number came from a manufacturer spec sheet or a published standard, we name it and link it. Where we could not verify something, we say so on the page rather than quietly leaving it out. Read our full method.