The Sage Bambino and Bambino Plus are an excellent entry level espresso and milk frothing coffee machine. Like any coffee machine, it requires as cleaning cycle. Rest assured, Sage's philosophy of practicality and simplicity carries over into a very straight forward cleaning cycle, keeping your machine future proof and effective for many years to come. For this guide, we'll be focus on the base model Sage Bambino. For the Bambino Plus, please visit our tutorial for cleaning that machine.
THE METHOD:
The Bambino needs frequent cleaning and descaling so it remains future proof and functions optimally.
1. When a cleaning cycling is required, the 2 cup button will continuously flash. Please note that if you press any button, this will cancel the indicator to clean the machine. We highly recommend you don't ignore this prompt, given that scaling and mineral buildup can damage components.
2. Make sure the drip tray is empty, and re-insert it back into the machine
3. Fill the water tank to the descale line, and add a descaling solution into the water
4. Place a container thats 2 litres in volume, underneath the group head and steam wand
5. Press both the 2 cup and steam buttons for 5 seconds to start the descaling. Please note the 2 cup button will flash throughout the cycle.
6. After the descale solution has been used up, the descale cycle will pause.
7. Take the water tank, and fill it all the way up to the max line. Also, empty the waste water container. Put both components back into the machine.
8. Press the 2 cup button to continue with the rinse cycle.
9. Once the rinse cycle is complete, the machine will go back to ready mode
10. Remove and rinse the waste water container. Remove, rinse, and dry the drip try and water tank before re-inserting them back into the machine.
Note: It is worth frequently flushing the group head and cleaning with damp cloth. To do this, simply press the two shot button to flush through with fresh water. After this clean inside with brush and damp cloth.
ADDITIONAL STEAM WAND CLEANING:
If any of the holes in the steam wand become blocked, it can reduce steam performance. Manually purge the steam to attempt to clear any holes. If the blockages and reduced steam performance persist, follow the steps below
1. Unscrew the steam wand tip with the steam tip cleaning tool.
2. Use the steam tip cleaning tool to unblock the holes in the steam wand.
3. Rinse clean the steam wand tip, dry, and screw back into the whole wand.
4. Turn on and purge the steam wand.