Six months, a year from now, there's going to be a lot of very happy Lelit Bianca owners who will be bragging about the crazy deal they got on their machines. $2,400 is a TON of money for many. But considering that is a full $1,000 cheaper than the Bianca was a year ago... This sale's on till May 13.

#lelit #lelitbianca #espresso @espresso

https://coffeegeek.com/blog/lelit-espresso-machines-at-their-lowest-prices-ever/

As for the Lelit Bianca being the Best Espresso Machine available today, I give my reasons.

#espresso #lelit #lelitbianca cc @espresso

https://coffeegeek.com/opinions/state-of-coffee/the-best-espresso-machine/

All Lelit machines are on sale right now at 20% off (authorized by Lelit USA), which means "The Best Espresso Machine of All Time" (see my next post), the Lelit Bianca is at $2,399 at all authorized vendors.

This is an insane deal. Essentially, the machine is $1,000 cheaper than it was just 1.5yr ago, when it was $3,400 because of the previous importer.

It's an investment, but quite literally, the best. I recommend buying it from 1st in Coffee.

#espresso #lelit #lelitbianca cc @espresso
https://www.1stincoffee.com/lelit-bianca.htm

Right now seems like a really good time if you want to get a premier espresso machine. A machine filled with all the latest tech and parts. A machine that could easily serve for decades on your kitchen counter as long as you do regular maintenance and are religious about using good filtered water. 

That’s because for the first time ever, and part of Breville’s full push of a brand they recently bought and have completed the transfer of, Lelit espresso machines are on sale across the board, for 20% off their list price. But you need to hurry if you want one, because the sale ends on May 13, 2024.

NB – none of the links below are affiliate links. This is not a paid product announcement. We make no income from this post. The post exists to inform our readers about a fantastic short term sale on great products.

Lelit Bianca V3

This 20% off sale includes the Best Espresso Machine (yes, very subjective), the Lelit Bianca V3 machine. 

In fact, because of this sale, the Bianca, brand new, and in black or white (or the original brushed steel) is a full $1,000 cheaper than it was just a year ago. $3,000 might seem like a lot to drop on an espresso machine, but what do you think about spending $2,399 on one of the best machines ever built for the home? ‘

To be frank, $2,400 for the Lelit Bianca V3–a machine that in many ways puts the $9,000 La Marzocco GS3 MP to shame–is an unbelievable bargain.

Everything about this machine is amazing, from the built in rotary pump and dual boilers, to how it manages 110V power more efficiently than almost any other machine in its class. The wealth of preinfusion, low flow, and manually controlled pressure options are staggering. The machine can even be plumbed in, and doing so opens up even more brewing options. 

This machine is available from two of our sponsors:

• Lelit Bianca V3 at 1st in Coffee
• Lelit Bianca V3 at Whole Latte Love

Entry Point Lelit Anna

If $2,400 is crazy to you, how does $559 sound? Because that’s how much the full PID equipped Lelit Anna is right now. We’re just starting our full review process on this machine (First Look expected in early summer); the build quality is excellent, and overall functionality leaves machines like the Rancilio Silvia in the dust.

The Anna has all the premium bells and whistles you’d want, including a 3 way solenoid valve, a pressure gauge, full PID controls up front, a stainless steel outer body, and top grade parts inside. The only slight knock is the portafilter is a 57mm version, which means 3rd party accessories are a bit more limited, compared to 58mm and 54mm equipped machines.

This machine is available from one of CoffeeGeek’s Sponsors:

• Lelit Anna at Whole Latte Love

The Premium Single Boiler Lelit Victoria

We are also in the process right now of reviewing the Lelit Victora, and at $1,000, it truly gives the Profitec GO, (also $1,000) a run for its money. But at the sale price of $799? It’s nearly a steal.

There’s a lot going on with the Victoria. 58mm portafilter with Lelit’s uber premium wrap around spout system. Full advanced PID controls and programmable preinfusion (something the Profitec doesn’t have). Fill and level sensors in the boiler so it never runs dry. The machine even has an auto-flush system to cool down the boiler after steaming milk so you can steam, then pull shots almost back to back. The Victoria even comes with a proper water filter system, something the Profitec GO does not.

In a lot of ways, this machine is the natural successor to the Rancilio Silvia… or what the Silvia should have become after 20 years on the market. 

This machine is available at two of CoffeeGeek’s sponsors:

• Lelit Victoria at 1st in Coffee
• Lelit Victoria at Whole Latte Love

Advanced E61 at an Entry Point Price: Lelit Mara X

If you want a very compact machine that punches entirely above its weight class, and want to get into the world of E61 groups (including the ability to modify them down the road to include a pressure profiling lever), a machine that’s well loved is the Lelit Mara X.

At $1,700, this E61 equipped, PID controlled machine based around a ginormous 1.8litre single boiler is absolutely state of the art, and well worth the price. During this sale, the Mara X is down to $1,359, which kind of boggles the mind. And that includes the premium painted white or black models, both of which feature premium wood accents.

We do not have one of these machines for review… yet (that’s planned for this fall). But I have worked on one. The first thing you note is just how “pro” every single thing about this tiny machine seems to say. Build quality is through the roof. Everything fits nicely together and looks polished and finished. Then you realise this machine has a lot of tech inside. There’s three settings for brew temperatures, a steam priority mode, and even if you have it brew priority mode, there’s a kick on super heater when you activate the steam function. The machine is also so quiet, I thought perhaps they had a rotary pump inside (it’s a vibration pump, but well insulated). 

This machine is available from two of CoffeeGeek’s sponsors:

• Lelit Mara X (in white with wood accents) from Whole Latte Love
• Lelit Mara X (in polished steel) from 1st in Coffee

Other Choices in the Lelit Line

Of course, there are other machines in the Lelit line to consider, from the Kate (a Victoria with a built in grinder), to the Elizabeth machines. Both are also 20% off at every official vendor in the US of Lelit products. 

Lelit also makes grinders; in fact, we’ll be getting one to review later this year. They have the budget friendly Fred Grinder (just $207 during this sale), and the advanced William Grinder (that’s the one we’re reviewing, it is $480 during the sale period). Both also have the 20% discount applied.

Every authorised vendor of Lelit products in the USA is offering these discounts, so you can pick and choose where you want to buy them. We ask you to consider one of CoffeeGeek’s sponsors if you are in the market for one of these machines.

• Lelit Products at Whole Latte Love
• Lelit Products at 1st in Coffee

Without their support, our website would not exist. If you do buy from one of them, please let them know where you heard about them. The links above are not affiliate links. We make absolutely no income from this post or the links.

https://coffeegeek.com/blog/lelit-espresso-machines-at-their-lowest-prices-ever/

#deals #espressoDeals #espressoMachines #lelit #lelitBianca

For the entire time I’ve run CoffeeGeek, this is one of the top questions from our readers and members, and via social media. It’s even more common than “hey, have you heard of that cat poop coffee?” or “what’s the best coffee in the world”.

What is the best espresso machine of all time, for consumers? 

The answer, of course, is entirely subjective. Based as much on opinion and personal preferences as it is on technology, ability and reliability of the machine. Because of this, I usually try to avoid answering this question, often deflecting it or redirecting the conversation to what’s really important in a home espresso setup (the grinder).

The Speedster

If I were put on the spot, my go to answer for a long time was always the same: the Kees van der Westen Speedster. Not only is that machine capable of producing five star espresso shots all day long, but it actually makes you feel kind of awesome while you’re doing it. You feel part of the process, but the machine’s unique ability and engineering deliver the goods as well. It is the true ultimate in a hand crafted, unique and individual espresso machine with character to spare.

After owning the machine for a few months, I paired it up with a Verslab M3 grinder. This may be a boast, but I knew I was pulling better shots on the Speedster and Versalab than the finalist baristas at the World Barista Championship were doing in competition. This wasn’t because of my own skill. It’s because I had an espresso machine better than the WBC machine of the era. Ditto on the grinder. They were that good together.

You don’t see a lot of influencers online talking about the Speedster because, to be honest, Kees don’t got time for influencers. He very rarely sends out test machines for people to try and blog or youtube about. I suppose if Hoff asked him, he’d send him one (Jim does own a KvdW machine, just not a Speedster).

I owned and used a Speedster for a decade (yup, I bought one of the first ones ever sold in North America), and that gave me the background and experience to label it the best machine of all time. But there is a caveat. Not only is the Speedster obscenely expensive (landed cost in the US is around $15–$16K now, incl taxes and shipping); it is one of the most expensive machines to own and maintain in a home environment.

In my 10 years of ownership, I spent, on service and maintenance, more than what I paid for the machine initially. A lot of stuff on that machine broke down and needed replacing, from the SSRs to the PIDs, and most of the 7(!!!) Parker solenoids. I even had to replace the preinfusion piston assembly at one point.

And therein lies the rub. If you factor in literally everything about an espresso machine, including initial cost, ability, mechanics, reputation, features, build quality, how it makes you feel operating it, and operational cost, maintenance and service, well, the Speedster is not the best espresso machine in the world.

To this day, it pains me to say that. I sold the machine three years ago, and I still miss it. A lot.

The La Marzocco GS3

Then there’s the La Marzocco GS3, which would normally be my very close second choice as the best in home espresso machine in the world after the Speedster. But sadly, when all things are factored in, it too is not the best machine you can buy today.

The GS3 is an absolutely landmark, ground breaking, standards setting machine. It was the first machine developed (not sold, but developed) with PID controls. It was the first true dual boiler machine to run on 110V with no real compromises. It was the first successful home machine to have a rotary pump running on a 110V setup.

The GS3 also has La Mazocco’s unique saturated group design (KvdW machines sort of copy it, to be fair). The steam ability is off the chart. It had the ability to run on an economy mode (which still seemed like full power) on 110V 15A, but if you plugged it into a 110V 20A circuit (most kitchens have this), it would go into full throttle mode. 

And it produces absolutely amazing, super consistent and temperature stable shots of espresso. All day long.

I was involved in the development of the GS3 machine; indeed, I still own one of the late prototype versions. It’s sitting on a workbench in our basement, and I still fire it up once in a while. Here’s what it looks like:

I’m on my third production La Marzocco GS3, and it sits in our kitchen as I type this.

Third? Yup, because like the Speedster, the GS3 is finicky, had some early build issues, and continues to be a machine that requires a lot of expensive service. Let me walk you through my own history with the GS3.

I bought, at a discounted price, a very early production unit back in 2007 (no, La Marzocco did not give me a free one, despite me being involved in the development); that machine lasted about 4 years with me spending about $2,000 on service calls on it past the one year initial warranty. It was a problem machine with a lot of early build quality issues.

La Marzocco USA agreed to swap it for a paddle version around 2011 (which wasn’t available in 2007) though I was charged a one time $1,000 premium to get the GS3 MP variant. That unit also turned out to be really bad (basically a dud, but I won’t go into all its issues with leaks, failing parts, pressure issues, etc), so La Marzocco swapped that one for another model in 2014-2015, provided I drove the dud one down to Seattle, to pick up the new unit to bring back to Vancouver.

I did that. And since then, that 2015 MP GS3 machine has seen about $2,400 in service maintenance, and a one time $2,000 cost to upgrade it to the new Strada pressure control paddle group (which comes standard with the current GS3 MP models). All told, my ownership of a La Marzocco GS3 has cost me an initial investment of $6,800 (that’s $10K in todays’ dollars), and another $7,500+ in service, maintenance and upgrades.

In good faith, I cannot ‘proclaim’ a $7,500-$9,000 machine as the best in the world in the consumer espresso space if the maintenance, service, and parts prices end up costing as much as the initial machine purchase inside of a decade. I mean, La Marzocco charges $400 just for the drip tray pan on the GS3 (which is just plastic wrapped with thin steel, and a few screw on lock claps). And $250 for the drip tray cover! Don’t ask what the replacement tray for the Speedster costs: you cannot afford it.

As a side note, I suggested to La Marzocco, way back in 2004 when I was involved in the development, that they include an AppleCare+ like package for GS3 owners. Pay a yearly fee (I suggested $150 back then, though I guess $250 today would be more appropriate), and get unlimited service and support on the machine. Caveat is, owners can only buy into it within the first year of ownership, then keep paying it every year to stay in the program.

I feel this would make La Marzocco a ton of money, but also save SOME GS3 owners from a lot of repair, maintenance, and service costs. Of course, La Marzocco did not do this. Perhaps because they were aware of the service LM GS3s require a few years down the road.

But I digress. We were talking about the Best Espresso Machines in the World.

The Best Espresso Machine Today

If we are to pick the best espresso machine in the world, every factor about the machine is equally important. I listed most in the Speedster section above, but to reiterate, it includes: the quality of the materials and parts used in the machine; the build quality; the usability factors; the featureset overall; the noise it makes; the machine’s aesthetics; how it makes you feel in ownership; and of course the drinks it outputs. Equally important are the various cost of ownership categories: bang for buck, service costs, after sales service and support from the vendor or manufacturer, parts costs down the road, and resale value. 

With all these factors in mind, there’s two machines that I think stand out as the best machines in the world, in the consumer espresso space.

One is the Lelit Bianca V3 espresso machine. The other may surprise you. It’s the Breville Bambino Plus.

The Lelit Bianca V3: The Best Espresso Machine of All Time

We are midway through our full review process on the Lelit Bianca, and every single day I become more and more impressed with this $3,000 machine. I don’t like the phrase “end game” and how it is so casually used in coffee influencer circles, but I recently learned something about the Lelit product lineup as a whole, and the Bianca in particular that have pushed it over the top into what I think is a true end game machine. 

First of all, pretty much everything the La Marzocco GS3 paddle group machine can do, the Bianca can do in a package costing almost 2/3rds less. And even more so. The Bianca has three independent pressure modification systems on it; two are programmed automatic modes, and the third is a completely manual control. The Bianca’s PID system isn’t as granular as the GS3 is (which can go down to 0.3F adjustments), but it is smarter and more modern than the GS3. The Bianca, like the GS3, can be plumbed in, and attaching this machine to your home water line increases the ways you can play with pressure profiling, more so than the GS3 allows.

Then there’s what comes with the machine. The only thing missing is a steam pitcher, a scale, and cups. The Bianca comes with wood accents and parts and knobs and feet (that can cost you up to $500 more on the GS3); it comes with the complete direct plumbed in parts (so does the GS3); it comes with four IMS filter baskets. It comes with two portafilters: the beautiful spouted model, and a chopped unit (the GS3 comes with only one PF). The Bianca also comes with a very high end tamper, matched to your machine’s wood accents (La Marzocco gives a stock tamper with the GS3; fancy matched wood is extra).

To get a similar package with all the extras when buying a La Marzocco GS3, you would spend about $10,250 ($9,500 plus another $750 for the extra stuff), making the Bianca close to 1/4 the cost.

Things I learned about Lelit this year really push the Bianca to the top. You may know that Breville bought Lelit recently. Starting in January, they revoked the (previous) sole importer’s exclusive control over the brand in the USA, and are now directly handling distribution, sales, service and support. Even better, they are migrating Lelit’s after sales service and support to the Baratza team (which Breville also owns), and bringing Baratza’s parts availability and pricing system to Lelit. 

That means if you buy a Lelit machine today or in the future, you will get Baratza style after sales service, support, and parts pricing. Absolute game changer. LM may charge you $250 for a drip tray cover, but if you want a new one for your Bianca, my guess is you’ll probably pay a fraction of that cost for it. New solenoid valve? Cost plus small handling charge. I bet they’ll even have new body panels available for the machine, at a very reasonable cost.

And one more thing happened. With most companies of high end espresso machines, the painted or limited edition colours are a premium price on top of the base models. La Marzocco charges $450 for custom colour choices on the GS3 (plus another $500 if you want upgraded side panels). Lelit was that way with the Bianca: the base steel unit was $3,000, and the premium white or black models were $200 more.

Breville decided to make them all $3,000 as of January of this year. (they also reduced the price on all other Lelit espresso machines, sold through their website).

For $3,000, you are getting an incredibly advanced, extremely high end, generational machine that is absolutely state of the art. It isn’t perfect (we noticed more than a few things we’d like to see updated in the Bianca, which I’ll save for our review). But in terms of ability, engineering, robustness, parts used, features available, consistency in the cup, steaming ability, recovery times, pressure controls, accessories included, technology inside, parts availability, maintenance costs (yes, all of this), there is literally not a better machine available today for the home espresso enthusiast. 

Unless of course $3,000 is just an unfathomable number for you for a home espresso machine.

Which brings us to…

The Breville Bambino Plus: The Best Espresso Machine of All Time

I know, crazy right? But when you think about it, for about $450 or less, (sometimes way less), the Breville Bambino Plus gives you a machine with the following:

• PID stable temperature controls (200F, non changeable) at the grouphead
• instant on ability, meaning you can pull a shot 3 seconds after turning on the machine
• instant steam ability, meaning you can start frothing milk about 3-4 seconds after turning the machine on, or after completing a shot pull
• automatic milk frothing ability via its early version of the MilQ system Breville keeps evolving. It produces authentic, high quality microfoam, completely hands off
• can still steam manually with the machine (and it’s powerful)
• full 9 bar at the grouphead thanks to a tuned OPV valve
• 3 way solenoid pressure relief after shot
• volumetric shot controls with preinfusion as well as a manual brew mode
• Extremely low power draw overall thanks to its heating system design
• hot water delivery built in (a surprising number of machines under $1000 do not have this, including the Profitec Go, or Turin Legato)
• Lots of parts available for the machine from Breville at very economical prices. The water reservoir, last I checked, is $35
• Can be serviced / modified by end user (OPV valve, dimmer mod, pump replacement, etc.
• Minimal scale issues (there’s no boiler to scale up). 

Sure, the Bambino Plus has plenty of issues (the cup tray never heats up, the drip tray is pitifully tiny, the grouphead doesn’t heat up, necessitating a couple of blank flushes before a shot pull), but when you factor in the machine’s ability, consistency between shot pulls, instant on ability, steaming ability, temperature stability, parts availability and the absolute massive bang for the buck it delivers…

This is a candidate for the best espresso machine of all time. Because you could easily spend double the amount, buying a Profitec (Go), or Lelit (Victoria), as just two examples, and not get better espresso. You’ll get more robust, less plastic machines, but they also don’t have the technology the Bambino Plus does. I’d argue both machines don’t even steam nearly as well as the Bambino Plus does, automatically.

At the standard $500 price point, this is an excellent machine. If you can get it on sale for $450 or less, it is “the best” by a stretch in this price range.

Best is Subjective but Price / Service Must be a Factor

As you can guess, this is all subjective. I’m sure my picks for the best espresso machines in the world won’t match what others pick. I always feel dollars play a very important part of the equation. 

I owned two of the machines that most pundits would pick as the best consumer espresso machines ever made (and continue to own one of them). I absolutely loved working on the Speedster. It made me feel very different from how I feel pulling a shot on a Bambino Plus. But that machine was a serious financial black hole. The GS3 is as well. 

Time will tell if the Lelit stands up to decades and decades of use where the overall service and maintenance is under $150 a year, averaged out over a decade or two. I think that’s a reasonable price to pay. Think of it as the strata fees you’d pay for a condo. The news I heard about Lelit going forward, following the Baratza after sales service model really pushed it over the top for me. 

This is also why I haven’t mentioned the Decent Espresso machine yet. Many would pick that as the epitome – the toppermost of the poppermost – in espresso machines. I cannot. Though it is clearly one of the most advanced espresso machines you can buy today, it is also the most complex espresso machine available today. A gazillion parts inside, all needing to function correctly for the machine to work at full potential. 

Decent is a tiny, almost cottage industry company. I’d make the guess that La Marzocco sells more GS3s in a year than Decent has sold in their lifetime. Service and support is really good, right now, but if the company dissolves down the road, owners of Decent machines might be left with an extremely expensive brick at some point.

For that main reason, and the potential for the machine to be an even more expensive money pit than a Speedster or GS3, I cannot consider it as the best machine you should buy. 

Lelit is a massive company by comparison, and has a nationwide (in the US) service and support infrastructure being built right now, which will be as good as the service in Europe already is. They also have 35 years of sales and support to stand on.

And the Bambino Plus? I dare you to find another machine anywhere near its price point with its ability and tech inside. If it’s not the best espresso machine of all time, it’s certainly the best bang for the buck machine that’s ever existed. And for many, that also makes it the best, overall.

https://coffeegeek.com/opinions/state-of-coffee/the-best-espresso-machine/

#bambinoPlus #best #espressoMachine #laMarzocco #lelit #lelitBianca #speedster

Massive 2 day photo session finally wrapped up in my home, with shoots for 3 machines, four how tos. Today I was doing some "filler" photos we missed yesterday and this morning.

And for some reason, my latte art game was on today (it's more off than on most days). Also, I feel the need to brag: that cappuccino has a solid inch of foam (it's harder to pour latte art with a lot of foam mixture).

Two shots from the Lelit Bianca series (raw, from camera).

#espresso #coffee #coffeegeek #lelit #lelitbianca

cc @espresso

Stunning.

And even more of a surprise: this was literally the second ever shot pull I did on the #Lelit #Bianca when I received the machine for reviewing on CoffeeGeek, back in November. Since then, I've been testing the Bianca very heavily. Our First Look is going up soon on CG.

#lelitbianca #espresso #shotpull

cc @espresso