New Espresso Machine First Week: A Small-Kitchen Setup Checklist

Beginners who want a compact machine with a manual steam wandAmazon data

Breville BES450BSS Bambino Espresso Machine, Brushed Stainless Steel | Make café-quality espresso, lattes and cappuccinos at home with this compact, manual coffee maker | Beginner-friendly

A compact Breville espresso machine with ThermoJet heating, a 54 mm portafilter, and a manual steam wand. Breville's current US product page lists 11.9 x 6.1 x 13.5 in, so measure against your own counter and cabinet space. The manual lists a 47 fl oz (1.4 L) removable water tank.

Price$299.95

AvailabilityIn Stock

A small-footprint machine for people who want to learn espresso and hand-steamed milk without a large appliance. Breville says ThermoJet reaches extraction temperature in 3 seconds. No grinder is included, so plan on a separate espresso-capable grinder, or start with the dual-wall baskets, which Breville recommends for pre-ground coffee.

Pros

ThermoJet heating reaches extraction temperature in 3 seconds, per Breville
Compact body; check Breville's listed dimensions against your counter and cabinet gap
54 mm portafilter with single-wall and dual-wall baskets in 1-cup and 2-cup sizes
Manual steam wand for microfoam, plus hot water through the wand for Americanos

Watch-outs

No grinder included; Breville's single-wall baskets are meant for freshly ground beans
Milk texturing is fully manual, with no automatic milk setting
54 mm baskets and tampers mean accessories have to match that size
Check the height against the clearance under your upper cabinets

MICROFOAM MILK TEXTURING: Cappuccino maker and latte machine has an automatic steam wand allowing you to adjust milk temperature and texture, creating barista-quality microfoam for latte art at homeFASTER HEAT UP TIME: Espresso maker includes innovative ThermoJet heating system that achieves optimum extraction temperature in 3 seconds; Make your own cappuccinos and lattes at home without waitingBALANCED-TASTING CUP: Manual espresso machine features low pressure pre infusion that gradually increases pressure at the start; All flavors are drawn out evenly during the extraction

Product data checked Oct 22, 2026, 3:28 AM UTC. Price and availability are accurate as of that time and may change. The price and availability shown on www.amazon.com at purchase time will apply to this product.

Quick Answer

The first week with a new espresso machine goes more smoothly if you take the steps in order instead of jumping straight to your first latte. Here is the timeline this checklist follows:

Unboxing: remove packaging and labels, keep every part, and wash the parts that touch coffee.
First rinse cycle: run the manufacturer's first-use cycle before you make any coffee.
Placement: give the machine one spot near an outlet with room to work around it.
Filling water: use the type of water the manual asks for, filled to the marked line.
First shots: expect the first few shots to be practice while you adjust your grind.
Daily wrap-up: a short end-of-day routine, with deep cleaning and descaling on their own schedule.

This is a setup checklist, not a ranking. The step-by-step quotes come from Breville's Bambino (BES450) instruction book, because it is a common first machine for small kitchens. If you own a different machine, follow your own manual where it differs.

Evidence in this guide: Manufacturer-researched (Breville's BES450 instruction book) and forum discussion (Reddit r/espresso). Apartment Barista did not test this machine.

Apartment Barista uses Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, this site earns from qualifying purchases. Prices and availability can change at any time and should be checked on Amazon before buying.

Before You Start: Which Manual Applies

Every machine has its own first-use routine, so treat your manual as the final word. The steps quoted below are from the Breville Bambino (BES450) instruction book only.

If you bought a De'Longhi Stilosa, we did not obtain its first-use instructions for this guide, so we have not listed them here. Don't borrow the Bambino steps for it. Use the instructions in De'Longhi's manual that came with the machine. For more on that machine, see De'Longhi Stilosa for Apartments.

Step 1: Unboxing

Clear a patch of counter or table before you open the box, because the machine, the accessories, and the packing material all need space at once.

Breville's instructions for the Bambino start with the packaging:

"Remove and discard all labels and packaging materials attached to your machine. Ensure you have removed all parts and accessories before discarding the packaging."

Small parts such as filter baskets can hide in packing inserts, so check each layer before anything goes in the recycling.

Next, Breville asks you to wash the parts that will touch coffee and water:

"Clean the drip tray, drip tray grid, portafilter, filter baskets using warm water and a gentle dish washing liquid. Rinse well and dry thoroughly before use."

If you are still deciding which accessories you actually need beyond what came in the box, see What Do You Need for a Beginner Espresso Setup?.

Step 2: The First Rinse Cycle

Before your first coffee, run the machine's first-use cycle. On the Bambino, Breville lists these steps in order: fill the water tank to the MAX line, make sure the drip tray is firmly in place, set a container under the spouts, plug the machine in, and press the 1 Cup button.

The container step, word for word:

"Place a 17 fl. oz (500ml) container under the portafilter and steam wand for the water drips for this first cycle."

Then:

"Press the 1 Cup button to begin the first use cycle."

Breville explains what the cycle is for:

"The first use cycle is to rinse the machine and prime the heating system."

Breville does not say how long the cycle takes or ask you to repeat it a set number of times, so we don't give a time or a count here. Have the container in place before you press the button, and empty it afterward.

Step 3: Placement

Pick one permanent spot before you start making coffee every day. Moving a machine with a full water tank and drip tray tends to cause spills.

A few things to check:

An outlet within reach, so the cord does not cross the area where you work.
Room to lift the water tank out. On the Bambino, the water tank lifts out of the machine to be filled, so leave space for that.
A clear top. In its storage section, Breville's manual says: "Do not place anything on top of machine."
A landing area for the portafilter, a cup, and a cloth.

For measuring your counter and the space under your cabinets, use the Espresso Machine Size Guide. If the machine has to go back in a cabinet after each use, see How to Build a Stow-Away Espresso Setup for a Small Apartment.

Step 4: Filling the Water Tank

Breville lists the Bambino's removable water tank as 47 fl. oz (1.4 L). The fill instructions ask you to add water "to the MAX marking indicated."

On water type, the BES450 manual is specific:

"Do not use any other liquid apart from cold mains/tap water. We do not recommend the use of highly filtered, de-mineralized or distilled water as this may affect the taste of the coffee and how the espresso machine is designed to function."

Water quality also affects how often you'll need to descale, which is a bigger topic than the first week. For filters, pitchers, and hard-water questions, see Best Water Setup for Espresso Machines in Apartments.

Step 5: Your First Shots

Plan for the first several shots to be practice. Most of the first week goes into adjusting grind size until shots taste right, not into milk drinks.

Two things from the Bambino manual help here:

Pick the right basket. Breville says to "Use Single Wall filter baskets if grinding fresh whole coffee beans," and to use the Dual Wall baskets "if using pre-ground coffee."
Grind setting comes first. If you bought a grinder along with the machine, set it up before you adjust anything else. Our Setting Up a New Coffee Grinder in a Small Apartment: Your First-Week Checklist covers starting settings and adjusting in small steps.

New owners on Reddit describe the same priority. One r/espresso member, posting on October 12, 2026 about a Breville Barista Express (a different Breville machine from the Bambino), wrote: "So I just got my first espresso machine, a Breville barista express." They added: "for the new person here, I think it's vastly more important to dial in grind size, extraction time and water temperature." (Reddit, "Good espresso")

Another beginner, posting on October 4, 2026 with a Breville Bambino and a Baratza Encore ESP, wrote: "I'm trying to dial in my first decent shot and eventually make cappuccinos." Their question was: "Does this sound too fast, and should I go finer than 16?" (Reddit, "Help dialing in my first espresso shot [Breville Bambino + Baratza Encore ESP]")

These are individual posts, not measurements. They show that the first shots are where beginners tend to get stuck. If you haven't chosen beans yet, see How to Choose Your First Espresso Beans for a Small Apartment.

Step 6: Daily Wrap-Up

A short routine at the end of each coffee session keeps a small counter from getting messy. From the Bambino manual:

Portafilter and baskets: "The filter baskets and portafilter should be rinsed under hot water directly after use to remove all residual coffee oils." Breville also warns: "Do not put portafilter in dishwasher."
Steam wand: "The steam wand should always be cleaned after texturing milk. Wipe the steam wand with a damp cloth."
Drip tray: "The drip tray should be removed, emptied and cleaned after each use or when the drip tray indicator rises through the drip tray grid."
Shower screen: Breville says the group head interior and shower screen "should be wiped with a damp cloth to remove any ground coffee particles."

The Bambino also enters standby mode on its own after 10 minutes without use, according to the manual.

Deep cleaning and descaling are separate jobs with their own schedules. For those, see How to Clean an Espresso Machine in a Small Kitchen and Best Descaling Solutions for Espresso Machines.

First-Week Checklist

Packaging and labels removed; all parts and accessories found
Drip tray, grid, portafilter, and baskets washed, rinsed, and dried
First-use rinse cycle run with a container in place
Permanent spot chosen near an outlet, with nothing on top of the machine
Tank filled with the type of water your manual specifies
Correct basket chosen for fresh-ground or pre-ground coffee
Grinder set up and first shots used as practice
Daily wrap-up routine started

Machine in This Checklist

The Breville Bambino (BES450) is the machine whose instruction book this checklist quotes. It is a compact machine with a removable 47 fl. oz (1.4 L) water tank, single-wall and dual-wall filter baskets, and a manual steam wand. For a fuller look at living with it in a small kitchen, see Breville Bambino for Apartments.

Bottom Line

Do the first week in order: unbox and wash, run the first-use rinse cycle, choose a permanent spot, fill the tank with the water your manual asks for, treat your first shots as practice, and start a short daily wrap-up. Follow your own machine's manual for the details, and use the linked guides for cleaning, descaling, water, grinders, and storage.

First Week With a New Espresso Machine in a Small Apartment: A Setup Checklist

Set up a new espresso machine in a small apartment during the first week

Compare the shortlist, then confirm the latest details on Amazon.