What a starter espresso setup needs
Last checked 2026-10-03.
Per each maker's US manual, all three machines here take pre-ground coffee, so a complete starter setup can be the machine alone. To grind fresh, add a grinder such as the Baratza Encore ESP. Tampers and baskets come with every machine, so they are never added again.
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What each setup needs
| Machine | Pre-ground coffee | Fresh-ground coffee | Milk jug |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breville Bambino BES450 | the machine alone | the machine and the Encore ESP | milk jug included |
| Breville Bambino Plus BES500 | the machine alone | the machine and the Encore ESP | milk jug included |
| Gaggia Classic E24 | the machine alone | the machine and the Encore ESP | no milk jug listed in the box |
The grinder's own box includes a dosing cup for espresso (Baratza manual). No prices are shown: the calculator totals the prices you enter.
Gaggia Classic E24: Amazon's listing B07RQ3NL76 (RI9380/46, sold by Amazon.com, read 2026-10-03) is titled “Gaggia RI9380/46 E24”, but its Model Name field and its product description both say “Gaggia Classic Evo Pro”, the earlier generation sold under the same RI9380/46 code. Which generation that offer ships cannot be settled from the listing, so it is not linked.
The grinder: Baratza Encore ESP ZCG495BLK (Black), Sold by Amazon.com; Baratza Encore ESP operations manual (v1.0). Amazon ›
Kinds of claim on this page: ratings, tank sizes, portafilters and box contents are product evidence from each maker's US manual or, where a cell says so, the maker's own product page; how a feature is described (for example automatic milk texturing) is the manufacturer's claim; anything neither the exact-model manual nor the maker's product page read here states is unknown and marked as not stated; where a manual is silent but the maker's page gives a figure, the cell says so. Dimensions are each maker's own figures, quoted as listed. Sellers are from the Amazon US listings, read 2026-10-03. No prices are shown: check the current price at the retailer.
Calculator
Without JavaScript the calculator does not update; the table above is complete. Every price here is yours, not a sourced offer, and a blank extra adds nothing rather than a guess.
We tested nothing: no taste, pressure, temperature or shot-time claims, and nothing here says one machine makes better espresso. A basket or portafilter of the same nominal size is not claimed to fit another brand.
The machines themselves: Breville Bambino alternatives and Bambino Plus vs Gaggia Classic E24.