LELIT BIANCA V3 - A Near Perfect Blend Of Technology & Tradition
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- Опубліковано 4 лип 2024
- I finally got my sticky barista paws on the Lelit Bianca, and this is their brand new V3. It comes stacked with endgame features like dual boilers, manual flow control, and a lot of unique tech. All of this comes in a package, that for a prosumer machine is bargain, but can its performance live up to the expectations.
↓CHAPTERS↓
[0:00] INTRO
[1:16] OVERVIEW & FEATURES
[4:01] PERFORMANCE OVERVIEW
[5:54] QUIRKS & DOWNSIDES
[7:18] FINAL THOUGHTS
↓LEARN MORE↓
- Lelit: lelit.com/product/bianca-pl162t/
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#lelitbianca #espresso #sprometheus
sweet merch my man!
hey chat
hi chat
Cheers dude, thanks for stopping by, an honor, and hello chat!
Wait wtf is Hasan doing in espresso videos haha
@@Briballdo the man’s got good taste and is looking to put a machine in his 3 million dollar mansion
Solid review. I've owned the a Lelit Bianca v2 for 1.5 years and I bought it from Clive Coffee. Agree a whole lot with everything in this video, especially about adjusting the pump pressure out of the box (mine was set to 10.5). Overall I've loved the machine and have been a "try hard" using the lever for "manual pre-infusion", HOWEVER, some downsides that I've noticed over the 1.5 years:
- Build Quality: overall the machine is great, but things got loose over time and I had to use a wrench to tighten up the knobs for steam and water when I noticed water leaking. Not a big deal, but having owned other machines, I never had to do that.
- Shower screen: I'm not sure if the shower screen degrades faster over time, or if it's due to the way the water flows out, but I've had to clean the shower screen more often than other machines (Rocket, ECM). I've actually replaced the shower screen with a IMS shower screen recently (and replaced the gasket as well with a Silicone gasket), but I don't understand why the shower screen starts to stream water unevenly after a week or so of use, while other machines will continue to do so for months at a time with simple back-flushing and purging.
Just my 2 cents. On papers when I was doing the research, this was THE BEST $3000 range machine. It's been great, but sometimes I'm disappointed a bit with the build quality, and mostly concerned with why the shower screen seems to stop evenly dispensing water after slight use.
Happy to hear any feedback or advice from others, but that's been my experience. I typically pull 3-4 espressos / day and have a Eureka Mignon Specialita grinder.
Finally a machine that looks old, new, odd and beautiful all in a good way.
That’s a good way to put it.
If they only made the display the same size as the manometers gauge on the other side.
Only then I would approve to 100% of the design, now it's only 90% 😅
Finally? This machine is around for a few years already.
@@joworx Guess I'm late to the nice-looking machine party
That digital guage and the way it's executed just turns me off, personally. For the money, how hard is it for these companies to do elegant and/or slick UI?
The new colors, though probably not as easy to restore it's appearance to the degree as polished stainless, are a good look for the machine imo.
Just got the v3 version. Can’t believe I spent so much but 3 days in I love it. Looking up different recipes and saw your video. The features this machine offers and the look can’t be beat for the price. Love the walnut handles. Cheers to lots of caffeine
I’ve had my Bianca since 2019, updated the PID to V2 and still love my machine. I use the paddle for pressure profiling, the automatic is turned off and absolutely love the machine. I just enjoy the tactical aspect of it and ability to change on the fly. It is definitely the best bang for my buck and I am sticking with it for a while.
As always, your videos are 100% on point. I have the lelit Bianca and everything you mentioned from only having this machine for a small amount of time? Were right on the money. I had my machine for 2 years now. Keep up the amazing work. I'm happy to be a part of this community you started and hope to see many more videos. Merry Xmas Spro!
Thank you my friend! I really do my best to cover all the things I can even in a slightly compressed timeframe. I know in a lot of ways being the first to talk about something is important, but I also feel I need to balance that with providing something with depth. Glad you’re enjoying yours after two years, and thank you for being a longtime part of this community! Merry Christmas and happy new year to you as well!
Have a V1 I've been using for about 2 years now and it's amazing! I did have one issue that became a repeat issue for me, and that was scale buildup from not flushing the steam boiler often enough... I only make a cortado a day, so the steam boiler doesn't get fresh water often. I heard for proper maintenance it's important to empty at least 4oz from the hot water spout each day, just so it draws in fresh water. Since it didn't do that, I think the constant reheating of the same water caused scale buildup in the steam boiler. Only had to get it serviced once at 1st Line here in NJ after 12 months of use, and since then I abandoned 3rd Wave Water (on 1st Line's rec) and just opted to use the Lelit in-tank water softener, and 'recharge' it every few weeks with a salt bath. I test the hardness from brew and steam boiler with strips every couple weeks, and when it starts to be hard again I just soak the filter in salt water for 30min and then reinstall it. Crazy how that works haha. My water here is hard though (use filtered Tap), it's about 200-250ppm... Lol, on that note! What Temp do you keep your Steam Boiler at when using the 4-hole tip? Awesome video, and the V3 looks like it has some worthwhile improvements for automation
I just got mine delivered this morning and I'm so excited to get it set up. This was just at the perfect spot of having enough features to give me endless options to tinker with espresso while looking stunning in context of the coffee station I already own. I've spent so much time making espresso at friends' and at work that I'm excited about having a machine of my own.
and how do you like it? Where did you get it and how much?
Decision made. This has got to be the best review I've ever watched on a coffee machine ever. Literally covered all bases
Such a solid machine man! Thanks for pointing out the issues with the settings. I have been interested in a E 61 for a while, and this one is near the top of my list.
Definitely a solid machine, the issues feel minor in comparison to how well it works and the functions it has. Definitely this is one to have on your list.
After a long process of reading everything about e61 group head machines I could, it's literally only yesterday since I got the black version delivered to my doorstep. I'm glad you liked it so much you can actually recommend it! I'll give an update once I get more familiar with the machine :)
Congrats on the new machine, and I’m confident you’ll enjoy it!
I'm an espresso machine mechanic. I first touched a dual boiler with flow control like 10 over years ago. It was interesting, it's been around and used by hobbist for a long time. The flow control could be installed in most E61. I will suggest only installing the kit to machines with rotary pump as users may tend to go beyond the vibration pumps's service limit. Good news is Vib pumps are not that expensive to replace.
I doubt that the Lelit's grouphead is fully warm and stabilize in 20 minutes.
Even HX with copper boilers and a stronger heating element won't heat up that fast. The Bianca is using a stainless steel boiler, which conducts much slower. 800ml brew boiler + 1300ml srevice boiler which i will explain why it's not a good idea. The total size of the two boilers is 2.3l. Some users once believed that stainless steel boilers are better in keeping limescale away, that's not true. Ask 1st-line or WLL. Also limescale has to stick somewhere, you will want them in the boiler than the tiny valves. Stainless steel boilers are stronger, greater for commercial capacities to take the weight. The caveat is if the safeties don't work and the machine overheat, copper boilers slowly rip apart, stainless steel may give a big explosion.
The reason why i doubt it's ready in 20 minutes is because the last time i measured a double boiler, with 2 highly conductive copper boilers, insulated and 2 litres in total, same E61 grouphead, it was only stable after 40 to 50 minutes. With the design, and going all copper, it should be much faster than the Bianca. Ambience temperature 25 degrees. Measured with scace + fluke. You can flush with hot water, but it's not going to help much. If you are located in the USA, it will be even slower due to the limit in the amount of watts it can pull, it can only activate one heating element at full at a time.
I will estimate that the actual time required to stabilise the Bianca's grouphead, is at least 40 to 60 minutes.
The number that many users see on the PID display, showing that the machine is hot enough, only represents that the boiler is hot enough. The grouphead is still cold and your espresso will be cooled down drastically during extraction. If you intend to go for E61, like the Bianca, it will rely on the thermosiphon system to circulate the hot water around the grouphead to gradually warm it up. That's a long and slow process.
As for why is a 800ml brew boiler not a good design for a home DB. Water in the brew boiler stays mostly stagnant. Everytime you activate the pump, it fills up with fresh water and push out the stale water from all the previous use. The larger the boiler, the more stale water can retain which affects the taste of your espresso. The reason why they designed a bigger boiler is for it to stabilize slightly better by i estimate 1 to 2 degrees max. If you have a huge turnover, like a cafe, or if you flush a lot from the brew boiler, then maybe it makes a little more sense. That's why La Marzocco mini home machine uses such a tiny boiler 170ml boiler for brew. Are you able to test the difference in 1 degree? I don't know but i can't. In exchange for espresso made with more stale water, a longer start up time, higher energy consumption, is it really worth it?
I honestly don't like the interior of the Bianca, coming from a mechanic POV. It is potentially more noisy and likely a PITA to service. Even the chassis removal part seems more troublesome than the usual. The placement of the electronics, where the silicone tubes are located, and where I know it will spray when things go wrong, or where the water from wet cups will drip. Has huge potential for a lot of damage. The Lelit exterior and some of the design resembles a China-made range i used to fix and it was really hell servicing it so services cost higher for the same job and we just hope that the customer gets another machine.
If you are going for the flow control, i suggest holding your horse and explore other machines that could install aftermarket kits.
If you are going for a double boiler, i suggest thinking carefully if you really need them, they are more superior in maintaining consistency but that is not evidence that the coffee tastes better. DB comes with more power consumption, cost more to fix, and more things to fail.
Any other manufacturers you would suggest? Ecm/profitec, quick mill makes the LUCCA M58 with flow control, etc. Bezzera?
How about GS3 MP?
@@ThunderRunner@ MA I don't handle a lot of Quickmill as I heard they are priced higher for an unknown reason, but I took a quick look at the internals, and they share more similarities to Lelit.
Bezzera is alright if you are aiming for a faster start-up; it has fresher water for a brew, something more energy efficient. I forgot to mention that Bezzera has two types of grouphead, with their BZ grouphead that has an even faster start-up time.
These benefits make more sense for a home user imho.
You can also consider Spring piston HX/DB machines, Londinium, Bezzera Strega, etc.
These have flow control and has surprisingly good repeatability in shots.
The pressure profiling is done with the spring rather than any solenoids or valve controls, this makes them extremely durable.
@@metatwo I think the Mini from LM makes more sense for a home user, with its smaller brew boiler. The GS3 is probably more suitable for smaller coffee corners or restaurants.
@@qwe7410 aaah I see, what about if the price of LM is similar to the GS3? LM here about aud$7k and I have a seller wanting to get rid of GS3 MP (2019 or 2020 built I think) for around $7k too
Have had my V2 for a bit over a year, and LOVE it. Don't really think the new features are of much interest to me, but nice to see them offer another color. Looks cool!
I love my V2 and made me fall in love with coffee and playing, searching, experimenting. Now I'm upgrading from Niche Zero to Lagom P64 so I'm excited about the endless possibilities.
Such a beautiful machine. Thanks for the review, man!
You have one of the best channels around for us coffee nerds. Thank you.
I absolutely love my Bianca!!! It makes espresso making fun, adventurous and it is delicious!!! Thank you for your wonderful utubes! I am new to your channel and enjoy your thoughts and teachings!! Have a blessed new year!
Congrats on the new machine and thanks for the video.
Thank you, and thanks for watching.
Using the Bianca V2 now for more than a year I can agree to the comments: a very reliable and outperforming machine for a very good price. The PID could of course be more modern but at least it is fulfilling the job. Would buy it again because absolutely no problems and a wide range of possible brewings with the paddle.
I have a LELIT Bianca v3 that I bought for my birthday - next April... So it will sit in a box until then... But great to know I made the right decision! Thanks for the video!
Hi. Thanks for another great video. Had my Bianca V2 for 2 years now. It's a great machine which I am no where near outgrowing. Regarding the heat-up time, I find it will heat up in 10 minutes if you switch of the steam boiler, which I usually do when I'm having espresso. It also comes with a naked portafilter and a solid steel tamper which is a good plus. I make 3 cups a day and have had no issues in the 2 years I have used it. I do open and lube the group head with silicon gel after back flushing with cleaner, and I decalc once a year, but that is the only maintenance I have done.
thanks
very pleased with by Bianca V2. two years of excellent service and fine coffee
Love my Bianca (v2?). It's my first espresso machine so we have been through a lot together. We sprayed, spritzed and paddled our way to great espresso shots with light roasts, full city roasts and everything in between. We went through many different kinds of dairy to learn the difference between micro foam with whole milk and cappuccino foam with 1%. Every once in awhile I look around at other machines and think it would be nice to have a more compact or more sophisticated machine, but ultimately it's a fantastic machine that does the job every day. My one and only complaint is warm up time. Coming out of standby or starting from cold are both slow, so you have to get accustomed to the warm up time and factor that into your coffee schedule.
Use sleep mode or get a wifi socket
I like this a lot better than the old version, the fit and finish issues look like they have been fixed which is why I passed on the previous version when I got my current setup. Now I'm proud to say when my current machine dies this may be a contender.
Bianca has been making 3 cups of coffee every day since 2 years ago.
Each coffee has different characteristics, depending on the time passed after roasting, and the degree of grinding, so I personally have a slightly different coffee beans, such as pre-infusion pressure, pre-infusion flow rate, rest time, pressure maintenance, and extraction amount. There's a sense of pleasure to create a better taste by continuously manipulating the paddle just like when you're brewing.
It gives me a lot of freedom, so I use with satisfaction every time.
Thank you for your kind review and please recommend an appropriate recipe.
I live in China and I just got my Bianca v3 3 days ago, still adjusting it but so far i like it a lot. Not to mention the price of this machine in China is less than 1800 US dollars ( 12500 chinese yuan current with a holiday discount, 14500 for black/white version) which makes it a no brainer. the mini sells at 35000 Chinese yuan which triple the price.
The only two flaws I have this is one lack of savable preset like this video mentioned. Second the max flowrate is still a bit low for darker roast, fortunately the second one can be fix by manually change the pad position. So really lack of preset it the only real problem i have with it.
Nice! Congrats on the new machine! And yeah, the flow does seem a little light, but honestly I prefer that, and like you mentioned it’s a relatively easy fix. The presets would make this machine workflow perfection.
I really like it, seems like a great value per your excellent review, nicely done
Excellent review. Thanks.
Great Review! I came from a Rocket Mazzafiato and upgraded to Lelit V3 4 months back. I absolutely love the machine and I feel like I have unlimited options available to me to be able to dial in my shots just the way I want them. I paired this with a Lagom P64 and between these two pieces of kit I feel like i cant ever see a need to upgrade my setup.
How long to heat it up for first good coffee?
Thanks Chris! And yeah, with that pair you’re set!
Still love my Mozzafiato because the build quality and the design is in another league than the Bianca. Paired it with the Niche Zero. I don’t think the features of the Bianca will help much for a mainly Cappuccino drinker like me….
Great review. I love it. The oversight of not having the ability to save a few presets and no auto-on timer are the two things that bug me most. But feature for feature I am real close to pulling the trigger. Just wonder how soon Lelit will have the v4 that does the easy lifting of incorporating those changes.
I bought a Bianca v2 in June. It’s my first espresso machine ever and I learned how to use it watching endless hours of coffee UA-cam including your channel (thanks!). I was looking at a much cheaper model, the Elizabeth, but found an open box Bianca for about $400 more and sixish months in feel like I won the lottery. At first I used it like a regular machine and noticed I’d have to adjust the grind every three days or so to keep the shot running in the right timeframe, but after a while of using the paddles I found I’ve almost stopped having to do that much tweaking to the grind settings at all, which seems crazy to me, once you master the paddle it makes getting great shots…. really really easy? I’ve also been very curious because it seemed like it marched up with way more expensive machines like an R91 or gs3 but never really heard reviewers confirm that. I also completely agree that it needs a profile switching option to disable the pre-infusion and now on the v3 low flow options. Personally I really want them to add a Wi-Fi module to the lcc and an app and then it would be just perfect. Sorry for the long winded comment and thanks for the video!
The problem with what you want in an app etc is it needlessly complicates a simple process. Also $$$$ . If you really wanted that why not just get a decent? You might read Decent forums tho, lots of problems with the electronics. I have the V2 Lelit and looked at the Decent. Glad I chose the Lelit. Adjusting the grind depending on the coffee age is what I do, otherwise, the flavour of the shot is impacted. No amount of adjusting the flow can really change that too much but if you're enjoying it? awesome!
Ive owned the Bianca v2 for over 2 years. I absolutely love this machine and honestly think it's the best machine at this price point. I have no desire to upgrade to v3 as none of the new features really matter to me. I start the machine remotely each morning using a smart plug so its ready to roll when i wake up.
Awesome video! Would be curious to see it head to head with GS3.
Also would like to see how you approach some of your different espresso anatomy videos except on the Bianca.
And lastly - a specific question - when you do the low flow on at 10 seconds and on again at 20 seconds are you just leaving your paddle in max flow position?
Hi Spro. Another great video. Thanks. It would be great to see a bunch of different recipes/profiles. A bit like Kyle did but new or different ones. Also your last video on pressure was awesome. I immediately dropped my opv to 7 bar and it's made a huge difference. Your videos really do help my espresso obsession. BTW who's ponyboy?
Thanks Ben, I appreciate the kind words. Pony boy is a character from The Outsiders, but it’s also just a term of endearment haha.
@@SprometheusStay Gold Ponyboy!
Just bought a 2nd hand v2 Bianca. Can’t wait to try it
i've been pulling luongo shots out of my bianca for a year now, and it's paired with a niche grinder, and roast my own beans around FullCity to FullCity+. the following works well on my bianca, independent of the beans i put in (lighter or darker).
1. adjust the niche grind setting on the beans darkness (lighter needs 1 notch larger grind).
2. on the bianca: 205C, preinfusion, adjust paddle to keep pressure around 9bars. pull until cup is 80% full. i used to make americanos by stopping short and adding hot water, but found it's just as good to keep the water going through the puck for a luongo.
Great video! Do you set your pump pressure to 9 bar or look for 9 bar at the group?
Edit: at 15s, it looks like pressure on the pump is set to about 9.5 bar.
That’s great feedback on having some presets to go to the all manual mode/reset all the preinfusion settings !!! Making me rethink about purchasing this in the near future unless this is something that could be made possible by updating the firmware on the LCC.
@Spro what would be awesome is it a bit of a combo between this and your anatomy video. Basically a step-by-step on your perfect shot on this machine…how you changed the rotary pump to 6 bars, what settings you engaged etc. Even if you could list it out here it would be immensely helpful. Thanks!
Im a lil bit early on bianca's party as i have the v2. Thanks spro for reviewing this man. Its cool as hell, aint it? Cant wait for flow profiles comin soon i hope!
I bought the Bianca three months ago (together with a Eureka Mignon Oro XL) and I can only echo what Spro has to say. The machine is incredible! Would love to see you pull some recipes with it. I have watched your video on how to pull the Slayer shot and I have been using it for a few weeks now. I still wouldn't mind seeing you do it properly! Love the channel, keep up the great work!
Thank you Spyros! I appreciate the kind words. It seems some folks want to see some flow profiles from on it so I may get something together in the future.
I have recently started my coffee journey and watch your channel with pleasure. I had sort of settled for the decent as my upgrade machine from a Sage Touch, since none of ECM, Rocket, Profitec machines sort of matched the features I want, but I think now the V3 is the highest on the list. It is significantly cheaper than the decent, and while I would miss the data driven approach of the Decent, I think this would make and excellent daily driver. The new LM Micra is looking sweet as well, but price point is an issue. Disregard the grinder, But for a choice of machine where LMLM and G3 range is out of scope, would this serve? I think that would be the Ultimate test to do, what other machines at this price point is actually worth a comparison, or what machine do you need to look at, to get comparable features!
Regardless, thank you for both biased and un-biased content, it is well worth watching!
I loved my Bianca V2. Loved it so much that it made me want more. Ended up with a Slayer. Not sure how that happens but either way the Bianca is kickass.
finally bro - after almost 2 years of badgering. i knew you'd like Bianca if you only tried it. it's a fantastic machine. the cost comparison to the mini is exactly what i said when you reviewed the lmlm. i never understood the value of that machine.
Looks like it took Lelit themselves to properly badger by just sending a damn machine 🤣
@@error.418 Yeah it's a pretty convincing argument to be sure!
I have had mine for two years, and it's been rock solid. I did choose to install a filtered drinking water spout on my sink. I used to fill the reservoir of my Bianca, so i didn't use the included water softener. My area's water happens to be pretty soft, with a good amount of magnesium, I just needed to remove excess calcium, choline, and iron, which my everpure filter does for me. I have found that the paddle is handy, but in the beginning, it can get you a bit confused. My suggestion to any new owners is to pull your shots with the paddle fully open. Dial to this, and THEN use the flow paddle to optimize the shot. This makes the shot run longer but can really enhance the notes in the cup.
Question for Spro: If I'm steaming 2-4 ounces of milk/oat milk, should I bother with the 4-hole tip?
Great video. You said that you are using low flow for 10s-20s aiming for 25s. Is that total time? Or you mean after full pressure is applied hence 35s
Thank you my friend.
Of course! Thank you for the continued support my friend!
Great review! I would like to see it head to head vs the GS3 in terms of stability throughout multiple shots
Thanks Oren! And ask and you shall receive! A full head to head with the GS3 is already in the works.
@@Sprometheus Hurray! I can’t plumb so the AV version of GS3 is my main alternative, but I probably will buy either that or this machine so VERY interested
Yes, this was such a good review with only minor flaws that a comparison with the GS3 and Linea Mini is in order.
Great video,love your content thank you for the detailed review…im starting a small cafe like a mini cafe and im considering buying this machine would you recommend this machine for a small cafe are there any cons using this machine as commercial
I currently have the flu and this is making my day. Thank you
Happy to be of assistance! Get well soon!
Thanks for this video. I own the Bianca V2 since more than 2 years now and thinking about updating to V3. So what do you think, does it make sence to invest about 500€ to update from V2 to V3 or is it just wasting money?
Thanks a lot
Did you experiment with the brew temperature offset? Curious to hear your thoughts (if any) on that feature. Thanks for your videos.
Hi!
I just bought this machine! Questions:
For light roasts which temp are you using?
My pump pressure is around 9.5 bar but on the group head the pressure goes up to 11 bar. Which should I set to 9, pump or group head? 🤔
Thanks!
I love my Bianca...its well thought out, worth the price and just gets the job done without fuzz. It has small things that shows that the designers have really thought about making every day use easier...like the tank filling counter or the tank that keeps the water cool, storage under the drip tray...
I have a Biancafied Mara X (wooden knobs, feet from Etsy, and flow profiling). I don't take coffee with milk, so for me it does everything the Bianca does except I need to use my watch to time the shot.
It seems like a simple mod to the paddle would add more resistance. The Lelit Bianca could be a Mini-Slayer. It's a great machine. Love the white too.
Did you have to adjust the flow paddle at all? Mine doesn't fully go to no flow at the far left. Perhaps I need to adjust.
Jokes aside - it is wonderful to see it, that white matte version looks amazing. It is clear favorite to be my next machine.
I’m sure you’ll be plenty happy if that’s the one you end you getting! Cheers!
Thanks for the review! can you share the information about your bar cabinet(or a sideboard/buffet table)? it looks like a perfect coffee station!
Hi! I have a Lelit Anna 2 pid. To speed up the group set warm up, I pull shoots (3) of water through the portafilter. Mush faster that 20 minutes.
This is mine now. Damn. Good perks good perks
Hello, i got confused about the pressure. Should the 9 bar be on the pump or on the coffee puck. If pump has 9 par pressure, the group head should be about 8?
I love the machine. I started with a Lelit Mara X V1 which I already have and love. But I'm thinking about maybe upgrade it to the Bianca
I still don’t get the difference between low flow mode and pre infusion. I get it at the end of the shot, but in the beginning it is basically the same thing, right? At what pressure the machine runs in low flow mode in the beginning of the shot?
looks good...like our lelit machine
That white color version is just beautiful
I knew it … I’ve always been a Lelit admirer but I didn’t like the chrome fingerprint friendly look (I have a La Pavoni for that) or the limited PID interface (I like measurements, gauges etc but I have enough tablets and PDAs). The Ascaso looks interesting but then the Lelit has more chops.
And then here you come, and you like the coffee it makes and your negatives are limited to the manual and … to a very apt observation about resetting parameters which we could hope could be sorted by a software upgrade at a later date.
Now I need to sell the LP. Thank you!
I love the mugs you used in this video. Are they available online somewhere?
Great video! I totally agree with you on basically everything. I own v2 of the bianca and a Linea Mini. The LCC's handling is a bit finicky, but the options are great especially for the money. But I feel the steam power could be better. When pullling back to back shots, it might need some time to be ready to steam the next pitcher of milk. I love the bianca as well as the Mini.
Is there any difference in the cup between the two
@@brettb1 As far as I have tested - yes. The bianca's profiling feature offers a whole new world of try and tune opportunities. The Mini does its one job great and consistently. If I was to choose today I might decide based on the question about how many guests I usually need to prepare coffee for. The more - the Linea Mini :)
@@fresh80able If you were deciding between the Bianca V3 and the Micra, and you were making coffee for two, which machine would you take home?
@@strouth64 I'll skip the "both are excellent machines" part. It really depends on what you are into. If you plan to change the coffee beans a lot (dark to light roasts and back) and want to be able to experiment to get each espresso's sweet spot, then the bianca's flow control feature might be besser suitable. If experimentation is not as important as consistency, then I'd go for the micra. Depending on where you plan to put the machine on, it might be worth considering where the machine's water tank is. If you don't have much space above the machine, then I'd go for the Micra. The Micra's steam wand looks a little odd to me (though I'm sure it work's great). If you'd need to put the wand's tip deeper into the pitcher it might need some getting used to. I never tried it because I have the Mini, not the Micra. Obviously the Bianca is less expensive...
Ah - one last thing: I'm pretty sure the Micra heats up faster than the Bianca. Then again, the Micra needs a bluetooth enabled device to adjust basic settings, whereas on the Bianca you can do it directly via the LCC (which is no fun, but it works).
I don't know if this was helpful. Be assured that you will enjoy great espresso, no matter which you choose.
Oh man I feel like I need a chart on the low flow mode and pre infusion. Is it referenced to time 0. Or from each other. ? If I set pre infusion to 5 sec then off for 7 Then low flow mode start at 10. When I pull the lever does it pre infused for 5 sec then off for 7 sec then low flow mode for 10 sec or will low flow mode start 10 sec from pulling the paddle ?
Thank you Sprometheus. You convinced me to buy one
As someone in the market for a new machine I've been heavily leaning in the direction of the Synchronika because a big deal is made about both the build / finish quality and the layout of the internals. Supposedly it's also among the easiest repair. Can you comment on any of these three aspects versus the Lelit Bianca V3?
There’s only made a big deal out of it because it is the only thing that ECM is doing better than Lelit.
Also this was mainly true on V1, a lot of the quirks in terms of finish has been addressed in v2 and further improved for v3.
The internals of the Bianca does indeed look a bit more messy than the Synchronika, but you also have to take into account that the ECM has a larger footprint and thus more space to fit things nicely.
If you know what you are doing, it won’t be any more difficult to repair an ECM than a Lelit.
LOL at almost breaking up with La Marzocco ! long time Silvia user here, I upgraded to the pro X. One thing I dont like about it was the same problem the Bianca has: auto turn off [standby] but its needed because the old silvia would wreck boilers if left on "steam" and left on for hours. I replaced 3 boilers in 10 years until I figured that out like a genius. On the pro x I can push it to like 2 hours which works for me... also the Silvia PRO X doesn't END the brew time on the PID you can only hit the off switch wtf. So I have to stand there and watch even when dialed in. The Bianca PID looks far superior but almost $1500 more than the Silvia pro X.
If you can check out the new Bezzera Aria. It comes in 2 versions: a basic one , without Flow control and pid and an advanced one with flow control and pid. Dual bolier, rotary pump made in Italy. It's an amazing machine, especially the version with pid and flow control. Don't know why almost nobody have reviewed this machine 🤷
The message to La Marzocco at the end 😂
Hi, can you please specify where to find the external pump adjustment and how to adjust it?
thanks so much!
"Just as good if not better than LM Linea Mini". That is a very interesting statement because, in terms of functionality, the Bianca is identical (or almost identical) to the LM GS3.
So it would be very interesting to me to know in Your future comparisons and reviews, how Bianca compared to the GS3? Especially in terms of quality. As they are very similar in functionality, would be very interesting to know more about their thermal stability in short and long shots, or a few back-to-back shots, PID accuracy, maybe how they are "User friendly", what information they are able to show to the owner (pump pressure, real group pressure, temp, maybe something more?), what of the above mentioned can be changed or adjusted by owner and etc.
Steaming probably should not be compared, it is clear that Bianca steaming abilities are more than enough and she is very good at it, but LM is always on the other planet in this ;D
Hey quick question. I was considering this machine or the Profitec Pro 600. Both gorgeous machines. I am not plumbing in so rotary pump isn’t completely necessary. But I do like the fact that it is quiet. Which would you recommend? I love the joysticks on the 600 but the Bianca v3 is a nice looking machine as well. I know you speak very highly of this machine in your review. Was just wondering your two cents. Thank you in advance
Hey man..Out of interest do you find a major difference turning it down to 9 bar from 10?
A comparison to the Micra for home use would be very nice. Especially comparing the heat up speed. :)
Very nice video! Would like to see what different kind of shots you can get by just using the different features on this machine.
Thank you! And yeah it seems a lot of folks are interested in seeing some shot profiles on this machine so I may do that in the future.
@@Sprometheus Personally much more interested in that than seeing comparisons to other machines.
I have the Bianca, would like to know how the default PID offset works, like testing it with a scace
I did not think I would use the paddle much, but I use it every shot, if only just to introduce the water slowly.
It is plumbed in with a BWT Bestprotect, but I will shift over to tank use with an RO to make my own water.
I love it, it is paired with an Atom 75, and it makes me hate the elevated prices on electricity.... I want to drink too much coffee, and uses too much power to be on all day
Hello! Sorry for my question... After watching this video, i now have doubts about which coffee machine i should buy, as the price is not very different, difference in cost 500-600 euros, but is the result worth it?.. Rancilio silvia pro x or Lelit Bianca? ...Could you help me please?
I've had my V3 for about 3 months. It's such a beautiful machine. I love it, but now my old grinder is lacking. Just ordered a Niche Zero. I would love another video on good recipes, as I've not had much luck with flow profiling yet.
Feels like the Niche Zero is falling out of favor as the market has changed. What made you choose it?
For real though @Sprometheus, forgetting about the flow control for a second, which would you pick, Bianca or LMLu?
I steam a lot of milk drinks (lattes and capps). How do you think the steam power (and dryness) between the Bianca compares with the Linea Mini? I have a 9 year old Quick Mill Vetrano V2b (original version) and it doesn't get milk as silky/microfoam-y as when I'm at my friend's coffee shop where he lets me use his commercial 2-group La Marzocco machine.
Tip for espresso setting on the Niche Zero? I’m getting watery fast shots. Just cleaned my Niche incidentally and it was like 6 months of use so…maybe that was an issue v
How about a video for flow control recipes 😍😍😍 that would be an awesome one… and by the way, I wanna say thank you so much, as I have gotten the Bianca V3 (in white of course 😉 ) as I was debating it against the Linea Mini and you gave me the confidence to go with the Bianca when I reached out on Instagram. It has been so much fun experimenting with flow control… ❤❤❤ your content…
I'm a happy Lelit Bianca owner since Black Friday! Here in Europe you can get the Machine for around 1700 euros if you are lucky! It's a bargain for that price compared to what it offers 😍
I need to play a little more with low flow mode and ajusting my pump pressure. This machine really has soooo much to offer 👌🏻
Bianca cost over $4000 here in Australia. Where can I buy in Europe who will ship to Australia??
I am from Europe too. Where did you buu the Bianca? It is almost black friday.
@@NovolavaBeamish no idea if any shop is interested in doing that, I can imagine there is a reason for it beeing so expensive over in Australia 😅
Where in europe u can get the bianca in color for 1700e?
beautiful color.. this will be my next upgrade from Breville (Sage) Pro..
I own it and enjoy it the last 9 months. One complain from my side is on the design of double spout. I love using double spout, but I would prefer it more simple - straightforward guiding to my cup
I have the double spout but have been using it as my backflush portafilter. I did see the path of the coffee is different than standard. I feel like the only issue I foresee with that is making cleaning a little tricky.
I have a Bianca v2 and I love it.
Just got one for momma! Haven’t received it yet. Do I need to shut off that standby mode out of the box? Thanks Spro. You da man
Congrats! And yeah, that standby mode was on as stock so I had to shut it off out of the box.
Can you explain a little more in details what’s the best way to dial in my grinder using the lelit Bianca, is it using the flow control and how or leave the flow control opened all the way, 15gm in 30 gm out within 30 seconds?
Can you make a video with a recipe that’s easy to follow
Thanking you in advance
This sounds to be an excellent machine. Did you hear about the Bravilor SPRSO? It’s a bean to cup machine. These types of machines are typically frowned on, but this one is different. It’s designed up for both commercial use and for those who want a robust machine in their homes. It’s built like a tank and espresso is said to be about as good as any high end machine, and costs much less than the one showcased here.
No one should be frowning upon anything, everyone has different preferences. That said, it's meant for a totally different market. With bean-to-cup, you aren't doing any puck prep, so you lose out on control of building a nice bed. You just get the bed it makes. And that puck prep is where a lot of quality is gained/lost. In comparison to the Lelit Bianca, you're also missing out on steamed milk control, pressure control, and several other variables that lead to control over quality. If what the bean-to-cup makes brings you pleasure, then it doesn't matter. But if not, then maybe you're looking for more control like you can get from the Lelit Bianca or other similar machines. But at the end of the day, it's comparing apples and oranges. You're talking about different market segments.
How is the steam power compare to the linea mini?
Pro tip. Any e61 can do a type of “low flow” mode at the end of a shot by putting the lever into the middle position and switching off the pump.
The middle position on this machine doesn’t work the same way as other E61s I’ve used. There is no middle position, at least when you’re using the tank.
“Italian version of Mambo No. 5…” I’m watching this at 5AM half asleep and that still got me 😂😂😂
What bar pressure did you change it to? From the out of the box 10 bar? 9?
I’d love to hear your thoughts about linea mini after the new update of the app!!
So, if I want change my Bianca v2 to the new micra, I should wait?