We have an in depth review of this machine with additional videos and photos here.
Reviewer Videos
First Look Into Lelit Bianca First Impressions - Dylans
Lelit Bianca Review - Joe Varacalli
Lelit Bianca Review - Is This the Best Home Espresso Machine?
Lelit Bianca in 2022 - Still Worth it? Truth About Ownership
Lelit Bianca v3 (coming June / July 2022) Unboxing and New Feature Review
1st Day with Lelit Bianca V2 Espresso Machine
Lelit Bianca Espresso Machine - Pulling a Shot
How to Flow Profile Espresso
How to Backflush the Lelit Bianca
Lelit Bianca vs Gaggia Classic Pro
Lelit Bianca vs Quick Mill Silvano
Unboxing the Lelit Bianca and First Look
Lelit Bianca vs Breville Barista Express
How to Dial In Espresso on the Lelit Bianca Espresso Machine
Lelit Bianca and Atom 75 Grinder Workflow
Lelit Bianca Unboxing & Initial Setup - Water Tank Installation
Lelit Bianca vs Quick Mill Vetrano Double Boiler
Lelit Bianca & DF64 Grinder
Lelit Bianca and Option O P64 Single Dose Grinder
First Look Into Lelit Bianca - Dylan
Flair 58 vs Lelit Bianca Espresso Machine
The Truth About the Lelit Bianca
Instant Stand-By Sleep Mode
By holding the plus and minus button simultaneously for three seconds on the LCC display, the machine will go into sleep mode. Please note the LCC must have sleep mode turned ‘on’ in the menu for 30, 60…up to 540 minutes. This is just a quick way to get the machine into standby mode where the coffee boiler is maintained at 80 degrees C and the steam boiler is turned off.
Reserve Mode for Water Reservoir
The machine can perform the espresso extraction while the water level is low in the reservoir. Also, if the water level in the reservoir is just above the low water indicator, the extraction will continue for 60 seconds after the LCC indicator shows low water. Thus, this will save the espresso shot!
Instant Economy Mode for Powering Coffee Boiler Only
By holding the minus button for three seconds, users can deactivate the steam boiler and maintain the programmed temperature of the coffee boiler.
Actual Boiler Temperature Display
Press the LCC plus button on the right side ONCE quickly and hold to see the current coffee boiler temperature. Press the LCC plus button TWICE and hold quickly to see the actual steam temperature.
Shot Clock Timer Display Delay
At the end of extraction, the shot clock time will continue to show on the LCC for 20 seconds.
Steam Temperature
- The maximum steam boiler temperature increased from 125 degrees C to 135 degrees C (266 degrees F to 275 degrees F).
- The minimum steam boiler temperature on both V1 and V2 are consistently 115 degrees C (239 degrees F).
- No change is necessary for the safety valve on the steam boiler!
All About Bianca!
Bianca is beautiful in design and what she produces!
Introducing the PL162T Bianca from Lelit, their newest, dual boiler machine. With the Bianca, Lelit continues to outdo themselves and now lead the industry with the widest range of prosumer models. It packs some of the best technology that will make any barista jump for joy.
Not only does the machine include a PID dual boiler, for those who are looking to experiment with pressure profiling seeking the Holy Grail; but, sitting on top of the legendary E61 grouphead is a wooden paddle that allows the user to manually adjust the brew pressure as the espresso shot is extracting! No need to pre-program it with fingers-crossed that your flavor profile will be to your liking. You have the control, right at your fingertips with a brew pressure readout at the group!
The Bianca has a water reservoir that can be re-positioned on either side of the machine to suit your needs and your counter-top. Don’t want a tank? No worries! The Bianca can be directly plumbed in too (even the drip tray can be drained!) All of these features are encased in a stainless steel body, accented by wooden handles, feet, and lever.
Bianca’s Features
Control Brew Pressure on the Fly!
The wooden paddle and brew pressure gauge mounted on top of the grouphead allows full manual control over the brew pressure as you are pulling your shot of espresso. Play with flavor profiles to your hearts content!
Pick a side, any side!
Have you ever seen an espresso machine that gives you a choice where to put the water reservoir? The Bianca does! Even better, it also has the option to be directly plumbed in, including the drip tray.
Wooden Handled Bottomless Portafilter
3-cup bottomless portafilter with smooth wooden handle included with the machine.
E61 Grouphead
The E61 grouphead ensures consistent water stability. Hot water circulates from the boiler through the grouphead and back. The result? The grouphead and your portafilter stays nice and hot, especially important to get a nice shot of espresso. A lever next to the grouphead easily activates the pump to draw water through the coffee grinds.
Built with Quality Materials
On the outside, the Bianca shines with stainless steel body polished to a mirror finish (subject to change on final version). And on the inside, it has two insulated stainless steel boilers with copper tubing connecting the boilers to the grouphead or valves.
Wooden Elements
Less plastic is always a bonus in our eyes. In addition to the portafilter handle being crafted out of wood, the Bianca also has wooden accents on steam / hot water knobs, lever, wooden paddle, and feet!
PID and Dual Pressure Gauge
Lelit adds their sophisticated PID system, that allows timed preinfusion, a reference timer, and a low-water level alert. A dual-pressure gauge on the other side of the machine measures both the boiler pressure (0-4 bar) on top and pump pressure (0-16 bar) on the bottom.
Multi Directional Steam and Hot Water Wand
Allows for more flexibility. Rosette-style knobs control the separate steam and hot water wands, which are multi directional. The steam wand comes with a 2 hole steam tip.
Quick Portafilter Removal
With the lever on the side of the grouphead brought to the down position, the brew pressure is relieved in the portafilter so it can be quickly removed and refilled. The result is a usually a dry puck of coffee to be knocked out. If not, there may be too much space (too little coffee) in the basket, or an inconsistent/too fine a coffee grind.
Rotary Vane Pump and Motor
Produces a quieter extraction than a vibratory vane pump. Situated underneath tank / reservoir, so adjustments can be made from underneath the espresso machine.
OPV (Overpressure Valve)
The OPV is set by Lelit to open at 12 bar of brew pressure. Although adjustable, it is strongly recommended not to adjust the OPV because the paddle on the grouphead is adjusting the pressure at the grouphead. In addition, it is set at 12 bar so as to not allow the water if the coffee boiler to exit and cause potential damage to the heating element from a lack of water. If the maximum brew pressure needs to be lowered, it is best to adjust the adjustment screw on the rotary vane pump.
A Whirlwind of Accessories!
It’s AMAZING how much Lelit packed into their accessory box!
- Instructional manual – Please read this manual first!
- Stainless steel inlet water hose – ~4’10” L. Also comes with adapter fitting and gasket. If you are plumbing, please use only cold water with a backflow preventer and pressure regulator set to 35 psi.
- Vinyl waste drain hose – ~4’8″ L x 3/4″ OD x 1/2″ ID.
- Heavy stainless steel cup warmer grate – Sits above the top panel to prevent cup marks.
- Rechargeable water softener filter – Good for up to 70 liters of water before recharge. Replace once a year.
- Cleaning cloth – Nonabrasive antibacterial microfiber. Helps to remove smudges and stains on the body panel.
- Stainless steel cover – For the water tank.
- 58mm stainless steel tamper – No need to purchase a new one.
- Extra steam tip – With 2 holes. Each hole measures ~1.0 mm.
- Bottomless portafilter – Wood handle and stainless steel 3
- -cup filter basket.
- Dual spout portafilter – Wood handle and stainless steel 1-cup filter basket and 2-cup filter basket.
- Stainless steel blind filter basket – For backflushing. Effective March 30, 2020, a blind filter holder slot is built into the frame below the drip tray.
- Plastic grouphead cleaning brush – With nylon bristles to clean grouphead gasket.
- Plastic scoop – If you are using ground coffee.
- Stainless grate platform – Place over drip tray grate if you are using espresso cups or shot glass.
- Accessories on the machine – 2.5-liter removable water reservoir, stainless steel drip tray & grate, and effective March 30, 2020, the four-hole steam tip replaces the two 1mm holes steam tip.
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- You will find the nozzle with two holes at 30° and 1mm of diameter (22/100) directly assembled on the machine. The nozzle with four holes at 60° and 1mm of diameter (22/108) will be positioned in the supply box.
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Espresso Machine Warning:
- ELECTRICAL WARNING: To avoid electrical damage to this espresso machine which is not considered a manufacturer's defect, please acquire and install a single-outlet surge suppressor rated at 1080 joules or higher. the lack of the recommended surge suppressor, the espresso machine can be damaged at the power switch, the electronics, the heating element, the pressurstat or the wiring inside.
- WATER WARNING: To increase the useful life of and not damage your espresso machine, please use softened water. Softened water is water without calcium and without magnesium, but still has other minerals for espresso extraction. Do not use distilled water, purified water, nor reverse osmosis water as these types of water create oxidation with the metals and cause the same damaging effects as limescale.
- DESCALING WARNING: We do not recommend descaling unless there is an issue with the espresso machine. The reason is that too much descaling can eat away at the metals and gaskets inside an espresso machine.
Heavy Metals Migration:
The Bianca machine is assembled with a rotary FULID-O-TECH pump, NSF approved.
The pump is realized in CW510L /OT57 (brass), an alloy with max lead content 0,2%, allows the respect of
the most restrictive laws in US.
The E61 brewer is made of brass (OT58 – “CW617N”), but a surface coating process (Stecrhome type- NSF
regulation conformity) is performed to reduce the lead migration.
The same coating process is performed also for the steam and hot water taps.
Some fittings and the expansion valve are made of brass (OT58 – “CW617N”).
UPC: 8009437000555
Specifications
| Brand |
Lelit |
|---|---|
| Height (inches) |
16.5, approximate |
| Width (inches) |
+3.5 For Movable Tank, 11.5, approximate |
| Depth (inches) |
+3.5 For Movable Tank, 17, approximate |
| Weight (pounds) |
49 |
| Wattage (watts) |
Coffee – 1000, Steam – 1400 |
| Voltage (volts) |
110-120 |
| Boiler capacity (liters) |
Coffee – 0.8, Steam – 1.5 |
| Portafilter size (mm) |
58 |
| Tank capacity (liters) |
2.5 |
| Country of manufacture |
Italy |