If you could buy one espresso machine... which would it be?!

I have bought the Bianca because of your earlier reviews. Keep going, I always enjoy your videos and added value to me.

Great followup Kyle, thanks! Just bought a Bianca based on your earlier glowing review and I'm really happy so far. The good news: Lelit actually includes 3 spare rubber dampers on the newer machines (taped under the drip-tray).

I just ordered one. Thanks for your reviews, they helped. Ended up finding myself comparing the Bianca to much more expensive machines often with less features. I was still tempted but couldn't justify spending almost twice the price for those diminishing gains. I'm looking forward to using the flow control on the Bianca, and purchasing a quality single dose grinder (maybe the upcoming Eureka Mignon single dose) and just getting into it all. I'm going from a Sunbeam Cafe Series (which I have kept going for years now with many repairs) and Breville grinder...so yeah, big upgrade.

I own the same machine and this review is spot on. Also the video editing is excellent and interesting and the lighting is as well. Some tips - if you lose the plastic nubs he mentioned, watch out. You can cut yourself very easily cleaning the inner drip tray holder, learned that the hard way. Also another downside is it takes 30 minutes to heat up. Buy a Wyze smart plug and problem solved. We have ours turn itself on from 7am to 1pm. Finally I’ve done back to back shots fine but I also have a single dose grinder and I measure so it gives the machine time to keep up. I also set the steam boiler to max and use the 2-hole steam tip. Finally, my favorite profile is starting 9 bar then gradually ending at 7 bar.

I've been using Bianca for a few months and its doing great. I haven't struggled any issue you mentioned except naked portafilter's splash problem (guess because of channeling). But I fix it by using WDT. Nice content, thanks for it. Don't forget there is bianca community cheering and supporting you :)

Man I love you hoodie YHWH shirt, I think it’s awesome you rep it!! I have one of their MRCY trucker hats and love it!

Thanks for taking the time to share these points Kyle. I have one on order and can't wait to get it. Your points allow me to think of how I might manage them when I do get the unit.

I got my Bianca 2 days ago. I guess I underestimated how difficult and messy esspresso making is. But I can't imagine having a better experience with a different machine. Your videos made it look very simple and clean haha.

I recently bought this machine - supported by some of the commentary you made. I love it. I have the same issue as you, though, with the bottomless portafilter. I found that it was predominantly my tamping technique. Too tight and it would fissure down the sides. I tamped less and made sure I tamped to the edges - plus pre-soak - and I get much less/ none on most extractions

i love how he wants people to make happy to other people, he is so kind and i love his smile ❤ you making other people happy too 😊

For those that don’t know - there are three spare plastic covers for the drip tray lugs that come with the Bianca. Look under the removable drip tray and you will see three of them supplied around the edge of the big hole to the left of the machine’s frame.

Looked very closely at this machine when upgrading my espresso machine because it's a great value, but ultimately couldn't pass up the 220V ECM Synchronika with flow control. It came down to ECM's superior build quality, fast recovery time, and my preference for classic aesthetics. I've had my Synchronika for a couple of years now and love it.

Hi Kyle. Very nice video as usual. Well for me Bianca so good, also if I came to change anything in this machine it would be a joystick instead of the rotating valve for steam and hot water. Also automatic backflush in the LCC would be awesome.

I bought got my Lelit Bianca over a month ago and love it! Upon first set up I got a pump error code. I was so worried that I had to get it service on day one. Nope. It was just 15 degrees fahrenheit, and had to warm up in the room before the system filled itself up! It does take a LOT of flushing to keep the shower head clean, but its worth doing in the long run. By the way, check the box for the other steam wand head. It has 4 holes instead of 2. It literally steams milk up to temp twice as fast!

As someone looking and weighing options for my first home espresso machine,this is a very good and helpful review. Now all I need is to save up. Thank you.

This review thoroughly convinced me that my decision to order the Synchronika was the right call.

Great shirt dude! Loving the content from a fellow Ontarian!

My hubs pulled the trigger for me and ordered a Bianca V3 today since I'm too frugal and freak at spending that much. But being my introvert self and the fact that only I drink coffee in our house....this machine will be the perfect fit! Thanks for the honest review, Im super excited!!

I've owned the Bianca since the day it was released. Mine has never leaked or rattled, but I hand wash the tray. 100% agree its messy with bottomless and switched to the spouted portafilter for this reason after a couple years. Overall great machine. Regarding servicing, unless you live in Seattle you're gonna have trouble finding anyone to service prosumer level machines. Ran into this same problem with other machines too.

You had me worried there for a minute and 29 seconds! I bought this machine about 6 weeks ago and it was actually your previous review that brought it to my attention. I had also looked at ECM/Profitec but to get the same features was going to take another 800 USD equivalent. I'm not a heavy user, 3 coffees a day, and I'm careful with machines so I decided I could manage with the slightly lower build quality. 6 weeks in I have no regrets. It has worked perfectly so far. Would be great to see a video of how you use the paddle. I find the response time makes it challenging to use! I also use the bottomless but place my cup on top of an upsidedown bowl to minimise the splatter. Getting into coffee is a oneway trip down a rabbit hole! Keep the videos coming...

From the beginning I can say: “AWESOME B ROLL”

Dude, you're really upping your content game!

Just discovered your videos and they're super informative, thank you! Question: where is that cup from with the "drip" ceramic coating?

I also bought the Bianca based on you review. I’d love to see more recipes with flow control and/or a simple calculation on how to use it more consistently. I.e. if I normally pull a shot in 28 seconds, how long would I pull a shot using flow control.

As a new MaraX owner I still love following all the tips and info for the Bianca since they share a lot in common (mine has the Lelit flow control installed as well). This is a huge upgrade from my 15 y/o Gaggia and I'm still learning a ton!

Kyle! Love your honesty about Linea Mini!! I ordered mine 4 weeks ago and still waiting for it. I am upgrading from ECM Classika single boiler to Linea Mini. Thanks for your opinion!

Great vid Kyle. I can relate to the annoyances you brought up. Just cleaning the drip tray is annoying, because the welds let water through. For such a great machine, it just feels weird that they forgot to polish that part of it.. I wish it would also let you know ahead of time when you're running out of water. It's very annoying to have everything heated up and you take some water out and then it tells you to fill up, before you can pull a shot :) I also enjoy using the bottomless portafilter and the cleanup is just annoying, but I guess it's the same for every machine. Could you make a video for the Bianca about your cleanup procedure? Like how often you clean the showerhead, how often you descale and what the process is like for you and what ever else you do as maintenance work for the machine?

I bought it last October. Because of your reviews as well And then it was great, did not disappoint.

I also use a bottomless portafilter and found the only time it’s messy is if the grind or tamp is off Try keeping the tamped puc level I use a leveler tamper combo love it 😍

Wow!!! That machine is aesthetically gorgeous!

This was an interesting video. I have an older Izzo Alex Duetto. Can you plumb your machine? And can your machine heat both boilers at the same time or does it have to pulse between the two? Plumbing my machine and changing to 20 amp service was a game changer for me. Fwiw I have noticed that if my bottomless portafilter is spitting a bit then my grind is off a bit.

Glad you are still enjoying the Bianca one year out! Especially since I bought one in January partially based on your first ringing endorsement. One nit... you can hardly blame the Bianca for a rattling drip tray if you lose the rubber dampers! Mine doesn’t rattle at all. Maybe you can convince Lelit to send you a few new dampers, especially since you have given them some free advertisement.

I've been using Lelit Elizabeth for a year and a half now and actually was quite surprised to hear about a problem with the Bianca's boiler heating🤔 I also pull a lot of back-to-back shots, however, most of them are intended for cappuccinos, maybe that's the reason I've never had a real issue with that. There's another one with Elizabeth though - Steam Boiler heating)) When you set pre-infusion, the steam pressure can drop while you're still working on your milk and that was quite annoying for a while, but I found a way around it and now working with it is nothing but pleasure )) Of course, I would love to be able to play with the flow profiling, but when buying ANYTHING, you should be ready to make compromises.. and for me it was quite easy to do for two reasons 1. Elisabeth is cheaper 2. (and the most important, probably) - Bianca is too big to fit into my kitchen🤗😁

Thank you very much for your honest longtime reaccions. I am planning getting this machine, but one question: How is it at breing as well Lungo Coffee? Could you recommend it as well for that?

hey, what do you think about the pl92t? For almost half the price of the bianca it seems very nice. Also i dont really like the E61 style. (Also my reason against the MaraX + dont want to temp-surf)

Thank you for the honest opinion. I am in the market for a new espresso machine and the Bianca is in the running. The "short cuts" should have been expected considering the Bianca's weight is 15 to 30 pounds lighter than comparable machines. That is why I am looking at an HX from Bezzera with their BZ group head. The heated group head will make the wait shorter. I don't make a lot of milk drinks so not having a dual boiler that weighs 80+ pounds is not an issue. Have you ever used a Bezzera?

You are da man for posting this Sir! Just placed my order with Clive coffee and read the review likely by the same person you mention with the parts issue. So glad to know about the boiler size /time between multiple shots issue. I have already bought some extra rubber pads for when I lose mine. I have had an Expobar E61 machine for over a decade. it finally died and parts to fix it would have been cost prohibitive to be worth it. Also, what better reason to upgrade to this sexy beast with the flow control paddle, wooden accents etc…. :) can’t wait to have a plumbed machine and not have to pull the thing out from under the cabinet to refill. Thanks again, I appreciate you!

Beautiful machine and fantastic shirt!

Thanks for your honest straightforward comments.

Another amazing video from the man himself

This is so helpful even though I’m not in the market for a new machine yet but these points are great to know ahead of time for any future machines I might buy. Thank you for your honesty. This is a true review with pros and cons! Much appreciated.

I really love the Bianca and all of it's features and am considering buying one since following you, quick question though. If you're feeling lazy one day and don't want to bother flow profiling, is there a position you can leave it in that still pulls good shots? Or should you always manually adjust the flow profile paddle with this machine?

The small screen is a UX/UI issue. They could take a page from what GoPro has done- similarly only two buttons but being able to easily navigate multiple control menus or even connect to the mobile app for additional control and remote capabilities.

Now I know what those bellows do. Fantastic.

Great video. Loved your sincerity. You mentioned you’d consider the LM given the budget... but the LM doesn’t come with flow control which u mentioned u cannot live without... so if u had the budget to get the LM... which would You go for?

14 moths with me. Love it!! Thanks for your video.

My Rocket machine also came with a real metal tamp which is alright nothing too fancy. The drip tray is tiny relatively but at least doesn't leak. That's probably something they'd send you a replacement for I'd think if you talked to Lelit or where you purchased it from. My machine also rattles sometimes it's more the top water resevoir cover that rattles so having a cup on top helps prevent that due to the extra weight.

You mention the mess generated... does this machine exhibit a lot of channelling? (I do know this is mainly due to the preparation of the puck, but I think some machines do channel more than others)

Great edits ~ you’ll have to do a behind the scenes how u did your shots. Btw which color La Marzocco Linea Mini do you see in your kitchen next year? 😅

Ive owned a Ranchillio Sylvia, La Spaziale (kinda regret selling this one...) , Izzo Alex Duetto & Rocket Appartmento then after a lot of ups and downs with my last 2 machines, I finally said screw it and went with a Linea Mini with the bluetooth upgrade. Ive had it for a year now and there is no going back. No regrets! All stainless steel parts (no plated brass, including the portafilter!), nice front loaded brew tray, very accurate temps and quick shots. It is built like a tank and makes great shots consistently. I think you are on the path to a Linea Mini from what I just heard for your comments. Its only a matter of time.... :-)

I have to agree with your pros and cons except the one about the wait for the boiler to heat up, maybe it's because you're using 110v ? The only complain I have is that sometime the lever is a bit tough to pull up and down, have you experienced that too ?

This is also stated in manual,home espresso machine ,which can produce 1-2 espresso cups at the time.with larger group of people ,time between preparations and getting another shots is good enough for Bianca to recover ,already tested and succeeded

Hi Kyle, I put my time on puck prep and once I have long preinfusion there is no mess due to bottomless portafilter. Even if I use extremely light roast and get bad results, the thin strong channeling disappears with puck prep+preinfusion. On the other side, the full wide open drip tray causes mess anyway on the shiny panel:) nothing to do:) Thanks for the video btw;)

Coming from a ECM e61 machine to the La Marzocco Linea Mini I can say it’s much easier to keep clean. And you can keep pulling shots despite the small brew boiler. But it comes at a price … For me the linea mini is divine. It isn’t cheap and some might want other features included. Furthermore I love the brand and the people from La Marzocco which I got to experience after the purchase.

I did not have any issues brewing back to back shots. If anything weighing beans for the niche was the thing holding me back. It might be the difference in heating elements. The 110V version only has a 1000W heater in the coffee boiler compared to the 1400W in the 230V model which i am using.

Kyle, love the t-shirt! Nice to know you’re a Brother! Shalom from Texas.

Currently looking for a new machine, the ecm boiler is slightly smaller and the chem one is 1.2 litres, interesting you say stainless Steel is thinner so question is as chem one is £700 more expensive, which one to go for, research continues

Fun to see folks thoughts on high end machines :) Recently got rid of my long time Elektra A3 :) loved it beast of a machine but 30 years into espresso and various high end machines along the way I now am on a Cafelat Robot and loving it for simplicity low maintenance and so much more still use my mazzer grinder some but Comandante is my main go to the manual everything feel and I mean the true feel of the beans cracking under pressure the pull on the robot feeling the shot come out etc... has brought me back to loving the art and feel of espresso again and I say again this is 30 years into espresso it just needed a change up big time for me Bummer to hear about the tray and clean up The less stuff you mention get into a robot for fun good thread on Home-Barista about them and you can decide I want to pull a shot and be clean and put away in minutes etc... I have no regrets getting rid of my Elektra A3 and going into manual lever setup and the taste in cup did not suffer ! Which if it did I would be into another high end machine

I considered this machine few years back JUST because aesthetic. True it's gorgeous. But I don't know about the quality so, forgot. Until I saw your video. And tbh seeing your love towards the machine. I think I will choose this one alright

Great shirt! And thank you for the review :-)

I own an Lelit Bianca too and I share the views in this video 100%: - love it (coffee, design, etc.) - small drawbacks (display, messy bottomless filter,...) - never had an issue - would buy it again One thing I wish would be available is some „how to“ tricks from lelit on exactly this machine. In particular helpful would be on how to fine tune the espresso shots and the options using the paddle as it provides a multitude of things that make this machine unique.

lelit bianca vs expobar crem one. any thoughts ?

One thing I question about the machine is the flow control. I have a Rocket with a Profitec flow control and it looks like I can flow way more water. With the stock E-61 valve in place, it looks like I can flow a lot more than the Bianca when the Bianca is set on full. With the Profitec flow control. I have to turn it way more than the Bianca' s handle would allow. 540 degrees from stop. The Bianca flow looks like my Profitec at about 230 degrees rotation when I see the flow. Coincidentally It looks like the knob only rotates that much on the Bianca. The shots taste different if I only go up to where the Bianca stops. The other day, I got schooled by my 11 year old Rancilio and then dialed up the flow on my Rocket. Perhaps it's time to change the knob and see what more there is left in it???

Love your videos but also love your shirt brother!

Your video are so good! I have bought an Elizabeth V3. Amazing machine for me but do you think that the bianca will be much more? I like the fact that the elizabeth can use timer on espresso. Is slim. is "ëasy to use"....what do you think?

Gear review.Kyle: Thinking the Bianca will be my next step after starting with the De'Longhi Dedica three years ago. Have ordered a bottomless PF for De'Longhi Dedica as step two and will work educating myself before treating my self to the Bianca. Randy

Hi kyle! Have you checked the profitec pro 700? Ive been torn between this two machines, lelit bianca and the profitec pro 700, do you have any toughts? Thanks btw!💪

i have the same machine and been using in for close 2 years daily just like you have. the only upgrades i went with are the shower screen to ims nano tech and ridgeless vst filter basket. never really have that issue with messy back splash and im using the naked portafilter as my go to daily. maybe you're getting channeling issue? puck prep?. was contemplating the same thing with the LM but basically the paddle on that is just an on off switch not the flow profile paddle like on the bianca. The price is also a huge difference here where im at. 3888$ for the bianca and 5k$ for the basic Linea Mini.

A quick fix for the "rubbers on the drip tray" would be to use a piece of shrink wrap tubing appropriately sized. it would go on very fast and is very cheap and easy to replace.

Does anyone recommend some accessories for the lelit bianca? Like vst baskets and such (and which volume + ridgeless or w ridge and so on)

I am currently waiting for my bianca, and your comment about the boiler got me curious. I think it might be just US/Canada issue due to 120v. Let’s see how it performs here in Europe on 230v.

Good day Kyle, May I asked how do you maintain/clean your internals lelit bianca ( descaling ) . Appreciate if you can give us tips and inputs on this.

I just ordered one and THEN went searching for reviews. Yeah, I know. However, I was pleased to hear that the things that you don't like are not likely to be a significant issue for me and that, overall, you love the machine. That makes me very confident that I've made a good choice.

Now that the Bianca is on sale for $2599 would you recommend purchasing or waiting for the V3 improvements to come out next month?

interesting, I have my machine for 11 month now. I lost no rubbers, and nothing is dripping out. no matter how full it is. the only thing that bothered me was that the cup lifter was totally crooked when the machine was delivered. I was able to straighten it out though.

After how many shots of espresso you have to wait few minutes? Is it after each shot? Or only after making few back-back shots?

Hi kyle! It's a good idea to upgrade from the elizabeth to the bianca?

I just bought one. It's great for playing around with origins that are not typically espresso. But it takes a lot of practice to find the sweet spot. That is most of the fun I guess isn't it

In lost one of my drip tray rubber pieces - I used some electrical tape to isolate. My drip tray has never once leaked, something is up with yours. I've never found myself waiting on the brew boiler.

I own the Lelit Bianca since December and totally can relate to what you say: Right after unpacking, I had to re-adjust the body a little bit because of some gaps between the body parts. It worked out, but I don't know if I want to re-adjust a 2000 € coffee machine. Also the experience with the rubber bobbles holding the grid - I lost one and (thank god) found it again after searching a few minutes. Since then, I always try to remove them before washing the tray. Third: Actually, I like the display. Most of the machines do have worse displays. But the buttons are a little annoying. For me, it's okay because I dont use them on da daily basis and I understand why they use this unit (water proof etc). But I wish they were better. But nevertheless: I totally love my Bianca and I don't regret buying it.. even if I'm still a beginner. It looks stunning, the espresso is great and It's fun brewing coffee with it.

Great videography again, Kyle! Intreresting thoughts on your Lelit Bianca!

I enjoyed this video. I do agree that the Bianca is one of the best looking machines on the market at that price range. Otherwise, I think in terms of features perhaps the decent stands out at a similar price range and offers a new range of experimentation and control. Whereas the Decent machine is very modern looking and very much computer centric, I feel the Bianca is really attractive to those consumers who want to still feel like they are operating an Italian espresso machine. I just got Bianca's little sister MARAX because of its aesthetics and somewhat friendly price tag (considering it is an espresso machine). I might try to some mods down the road, but heard they don't simulate the Bianca perfectly. For me, I'd likely purchase the Bianca over the ECM/Profitec luxury machines because it offers the profiling. Now my newest quest is trying to get a hold of a niche zero which is really hard to get. Thanks for the videos.

You mention that the flow paddle helps rescue shots that aren’t quite dialed in; can you talk about how? If there’s another video on the topic that’s great also. Thanks!

I am considering purchasing the Lelit Bianca. It has been two years since you made this video, have they made any improvements on the machine, fixed any of the negatives that you mentioned or, is everything the same Thx?

Thanks for the great Video. What is the true heat-up time of this mashine? Thanks a lot!

This is a beautiful machine!

I have the profitech pro 700 and I think you would have been more happy with that considering what you're saying in this video. I have the flow control and once you get that down you'll never have a problem making the mess as far as coffee on the machine.

how do you know if i need to wait before i brew another shot or steam a milk?

Honest video! But I wonder why you consider the LM linea mini when It does not have profiling tech. Doesn't It means a big download in espresso hobby?

Can you help me with my purchase Lelit bianca or Profitec 700? Or what do you can suggest in the same budget area??

Own both the Linea Mini and the Lelit Bianca, aesthetics goes to the LM Mini but if you are in pursuit of a good tasting espresso Lelit Bianca will give you that.

I have a feeling we will be seeing a Linea Mini on the coffee bar soon!

Suprised that you didnt mention steam performance at all (good or bad). Wouldve loved to hear your review/feedback on that.

Does it come in black accents instead of wood?

Using a bottomless portafilter is always the best way, you can see if you have any problems with trapping . I have a dual boiler machine, but it heats up very quick between, ie more or less straight away....

what do you think this one or Profitec Pro 700? they are same price ~

Could someone help me decide between lelit grace or rancilio Silvia? They cost around the same where I live Silvia 80 euros more but the machine looks rock solid. Lelit on the other hand has some nice features.. I would appreciate an unbiased opinion.

how does Bianca compare with Profitec 700 with flow control?

While I'd love to own a sexy machine like that, I'd have a really hard time justifying the expense over the PID Silvia I currently use. Does a fantastic job for the 2-3 shot a day I need.