Sage the Bambino Plus (SES500)

The Bambino Plus is the pick we would steer most UK buyers to first. It packs Sage's ThermoJet heating and 9-bar extraction — the same core brewing hardware as pricier Sage machines — into a body just 19.4cm wide, reaching brew temperature in about 3 seconds through a 54mm stainless portafilter dosed at 18g. Its stand-out is the Auto MilQ steam wand: hands-free microfoam with adjustable temperature and texture, so milk drinks come out consistently even before you have learned to steam by ear. It runs low-pressure pre-infusion then a 9 bar extraction from a 15-bar Italian pump. The catch is there is no built-in grinder, so you must budget for a separate burr grinder (roughly £100-200) to get the best from it — but you can pair it with a good standalone grinder for similar total money to the all-in-one Barista Express, while saving counter space. Official RRP is around £399.95; treat that as indicative and re-check at purchase.