Zella gets so angry at people when they don’t subscribe lol

Totally agree with you. At some point it’s really the experience of using it and not necessarily how much better the end product is…. There is a certain joy factor out of using a machine like the Bianca

Yea I totally agree with your assessment. It would have been nice if gaggia would have just given you a readout of the boiler temp to gauge where your at but honestly it’s a great machine for what it was I really only added the pid to show others how to do it. I did a very well structured how to video on installing a pid

Thanks 🙏 yeah I like the gaggia a lot as well the lelit is amazing but a ton of money

Honestly not that far considering the gaggia is still very Relevant… the biggest changes really came from decent

I 100 percent agree. At the very beginning I even say this is slightly idiotic lol

Yeah I agree just good enough is a good way of putting it. I will say though that the gaggia is much more likely to channel then the Bianca just because the pump and pre infusion

@@JoeyVaracalli haha, I guess it wasn't built for that. There is a way to roughly simulate flow control and do a pre-infusion on the Gaggia though, by opening the steam line and diverting some water pressure out of the steam wand!

@@sAmiZZle82 yeah I know about that trick the only downside is you shouldn’t really go past 3 seconds because of how small the water tank is on the gaggia you will loose temp stability. But it’s a nice trick to get the job done

@@JoeyVaracalli Oh true, that's a good point! Ahhhh the little Gaggia... a great machine for the price, but if the factory just made a couple of minor improvements, it really could have been an even better machine for not much more money!!

@@sAmiZZle82 yeah I mean just a few small tweaks that I don’t think would cost them much would make this a show stopper in many ways

I used the same grinder for both also plenty of people love conical burr grinders such as the niche zero or other higher end commercial grinders. Right now I’m using a df64 and a eureka mignon libra. It’s all personal preference though between flat burr taste and conical taste in my opinion

You are absolutely welcome for the videos!!! I think high volume the linea would be nice but I think the overall espresso quality is more then likely better on the Bianca because of flow control

looking forward to that

@@jieguo thanks stay tuned :)!

Yeah that might be a fun one to shoot

Very true it could be ramped up if I increased the temp on the lelit but I mostly use it for the hot water

I bought the Shades of Coffee one hole steam tip for the GCP and love it.

Yeah I’m thinking a lower temp would be better cause it seems to run hot

Depends what beans and roasts you use too. Light roasts need the higher temps to get a good extraction. Darker roasts don't require it to be as hot to extract the solubles from the coffee.

yeah i agree, i found the temp reading to be deceiving at some point because 212 is boiling and that cant be happening in the tank before reaching my puck at steam instead of water. I know it uses estimates on actual brew head temp and internal differences but ive been skeptical. i was using 208 and 209 on light roasts and was getting good results. also i think when changing the temp, there has to be a time period for "true" stability; and also not to mention the constant drop when brewing starts.

You nailed it.

Yeah unfortunately the machine needs modding to be great but if you do it and you can get great shots even without the pid really the big thing is changing the spring. The pid definitely helps though for sure

Did you get the Lelit? Can you tell us more about it?

@@showmak I actually made some POV vids on my KZfaq if you want to watch! I'll type something up tomorrow though. It's been a great machine. Definitely my favorite.

@@QuinCarter So are you still using you GCP?

@@showmak not at all. I don't even have it anymore

What grinder are you using if you don’t mind me asking

@@JoeyVaracalli a DF 64 with stock italmill burrs that as far as I can tell with the marker test are correctly aligned. I removed the declumper altogether and use RTD with no static issues

Thanks j2 really appreciate the kind comments

@@JoeyVaracalli you deserve a much bigger following, can't wait for more!

Yeah the pre infusion is super nice it really minimizes channeling and makes for a pretty even extraction

If you you're ok with modding ( you already have the PID), i would say lower your OPV spring setting and your will fine with your GCP forever. if you think you're missing something you can always purchase up later with all the money you would have saved. But those are just my thoughts. I moved to a BDB for its far better temp control at the group and also flow control with very easy mods. I still use my GCP from time to time. But i couldnt see going any higher if the machine isnt a dual boiler with PID, flow control, and have a pressure gauge.

@@dirkl216 totally agree and I also have a video showing how to lower the OPV

@@dirkl216 Thanks for being so helpful! I also have 7 bar OPV pressure and updated shower screen. Let's hone my skills with the Gaggia and use it till it breaks.

@@joostwestra Honestly, i modded my GCP out: PID, 9 then 6bar OPV, IMS shower screen, brass shower plate, IMS and VST baskets with bottomless protafilter...consistency is much improved with the temp stability of the brass plate. With this set up it was very easy for me to see the differences in VST and IMS baskets especially with roasts "above" the dark to medium range. I don't think i would have learned as much if I had jumped into a more higher end machine. i can really appreciate quality hardware, roasters' skills, and process brewing options at shot time. Although this video was a wide range comparison, it was so on point for a look at a quality product to start a love with espresso and then progress to a great dream machine with the ultimate in features for price.

Yeah single boilers are a huge pain. I think if you get a nice e61 machine you will be happy

@@JoeyVaracalli Ordered Bianca today, so i will see in couple of weeks :)

@ How is your experience with Bianca now?

​@@showmak I only have few small nitpicks (apart of waiting for it for a lot more than i expected). Drip tray is hard to clean - it has a lot of bends and overhang and the machine could have been a bit wider. Hot water spout is always in a way and i need to move it away every time i want to start the shot. Steam wand gets hot, but still OK to touch for a short moment after/during steaming. I made about 160 shots and i have new grinder, which is on the bitter side, so that is something i will fix with SSP burrs and BWT water filter (hopefuly). So i cannot comment on the taste that much, because that is something driven mostly by the grinder and water. As for the actual bianca, its v2 (there is new v3 now) and im very happy with it. I dont see myself upgrading or changing perhaps ever, or at least until i get filthy rich :) It makes great espresso and it gives a lot of control for the pressure(flow) to correct shots on the go. I like the experience of using the paddle, its fun. Using naked portafilter has been great validation and with WDT i 3d printed, shots are coming out very nice. It makes great foam in my larger pitcher(steaming ~300g of milk), but i wasnt able to make great foam in my smaller pitcher(steaming ~150g of milk). I am testing default 2 hole tip, i might try 4 hole later. The smaller pitcher is 2 euro random pitcher i bought long time ago, so it might be just bad geometry. I cannot comment on the heating up speed, i think its improved with v3, but i have wifi smartplug, so i start the machine whenever and just let it heat up for 30 minutes. When i compare Bianca to my Anna, its a insane usability improvement. I just hated pulling shots and then steaming milk with Anna. And as mentioned before, we mostly dring milk drinks. I can also reliably repeat shot taste on Bianca, something that was totally random on Anna. But lets not forget about the price, which is insane (at least compared to my country average salary etc). But hey, gotta Treat Yo Self sometimes.

Yeah are u looking for bottomless or spouted

@@JoeyVaracalli Hi Joe, thank you for your review. I have the same question as Gianni while looking for a bottomless portafilter.

@@showmak amzn.to/3LplphO this is the one I’d go with

Thanks really appreciate it.

Yeah I’m a fan of micro roasters light to medium roasts. I used equator coffee for this review

@@JoeyVaracalli I see Equator marks it’s espresso from med-light to dark. Do you recall which one you used for the review?

@@matthewhoffman6868 I’m doing a review of it later. It’s the Brazilian

Yeah, the gaggia can struggle to give consistent shots with the light roasts, including being more prone to channeling.

@@rudevectors8018 yes this is very true

I do both I like the layers of flavor some times other times I like the stir just depends how I’m feeling and what kind of coffe

I do I actually did weigh these after but because I forgot to tare in my cups I didn’t think it was worth showing. I got ruffly 35 grams in each cup

@@JoeyVaracalli Gotcha, great video tho.

Absolutely this was more for fun to show the difference from one of the most expensive machines to one of the least expensive

I can pull a shot directly after each other without even a degree of difference mostly because the broiler is just so much bigger then the gaggia. Also the pid will show you the temp so sometimes if it just got up to heat and I pull a shot you will see it change and go back up normally when that happens it’s just a few minutes to maybe 5 minutes

I did both with the exact same workflow demonstrating that less work is needed to produce a better shot with less channeling on the lelit Bianca

@@JoeyVaracalli How much more often does channeling happen with the Gaggia compared to the Lelit?

@@stinkybips the lelit if your grind size is right and you know how to do a nice preinfusion u almost never get it. On the gaggia you get is way more frequently

Yeah definitely a better value proposition for sure

I mean that’s a great deal. If you have the money it’s an amazing machine. As far as the gcp is concerned try lowering the temp to maybe 210 or lower and make sure the beans are fresh roasted 10 days old. If your doing all that and it’s not working we will have to go down a deeper rabbit hole

@@JoeyVaracalli Checkmark. I have done so many more than those actually:) I did temperature accuracy test for my PID kit (you may see from the video in my channel). I have a bottomless portafilter to check channeling, a gauge installed portafilter to check pressure (shades 10 bar spring shows 8,5 bars). But I never got a quality shot like from a coffee shop. I accept that my expectation is high but as I want to have more options than milky drinks I am searching for another option. Bianca will probably change the game however I can't decide if the difference is worth 1200 € without having the chance to compare both next to each other.

@@muratozt Try 6.5 Bar spring. You`ll get a bit more watery shot but it will be without chanalling at all. Taste will be softer and well balanced.

What grinder are you using?

@@sAmiZZle82 Thanks for asking. It is Mignon Specialita

Bottomless or not it doesn’t make a difference for filtration.

@@JoeyVaracalli what do you mean it doesn't make a difference?

@@jakobw135 the ports filter basket is what makes the difference whether there is spouts or no spouts doesn’t make much of a difference in the extraction

@@JoeyVaracalli What are SPOUTS in this context? Doesn't removing the BOTTOM of the basket take away one of the filtration screens, and therefore, make it MORE likely that coffee grounds get into your cup?

@@jakobw135 no there is no extra filtration screen on a single or double spout compared to a bottomless

Yeah I’m loving my it’s a very nice stunning machine

Yeah I didn’t notice it before but now looking at the video it’s noticeable. It could be that one sat for about a minut

@@JoeyVaracalli No...it is something else. I noticed it from the extraction moment since you put them in the same time. Surprisingly the gaggia has a nicer crema than the lelit. I think is the vibration pump vs the rotary

@@plinius33 yeah could be idk though but I think you are right.

Are you asking cabinet above height or something else

Yeah I love my Bianca still daily it but if your on a budget the gaggia is good

Nope haven’t yet. We go through a hopper in about a weeek or less

Yes it does but because the boiler is so small you will inevitably loose temp as you pull a shot or steam milk

@@JoeyVaracalli this setup seems simple. I've seen some that require 2 relays, one of them for steaming. What temperature do you set for the steam?

@@KFChan some people say 280 other say 297 but it’s really personal pref

@@JoeyVaracalli thanks. I may wanna give it a try

@@KFChan yeah go for it :)

I think that would be an intresting thing to compare honestly. Base model Kia stinger vs base model boxster….. how much more car do you get for almost double the price. My thought honestly would be even less of a difference than these two espresso machines. In some cases it would surprise me if you get more features on the kia

Yeah I guess shipping and import duty adds ip

Not sure what that means but I like it lol upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Belvedere_Apollo_Pio-Clementino_Inv1015_n5.jpg