Why I switched from the Rancilio Silvia to the Lelit Bianca

About a month ago I switched from a very modded Rancilio Silvia to a Lelit Bianca. Find out my thoughts on why, and what's next.
Get more coffee content on my Instagram, / make_affogato
Music: "Dreams Electric", "After All", "Lightning Bugs" and "Weirder Stuff"; by Geographer

[@evancourtis3539]

just to clarify the gaggia classic pro does have an opv, a very common upgrade is that people will replace the spring to bring the opv pressure down to 9/10 bars

[@makeaffogato5608]

You’re entirely correct. I’ll add a correction to the video in a few hours.

[@evancourtis3539]

@@makeaffogato5608 Totally agree with you that it's really not the most elegant machine though, it's definitely function over form

[@catalinnicolae4443]

Wrong, you don't replace anything, just adjust spring pressure with an allen key and check pressure with an manometer attached to portafilter

[@evancourtis3539]

@@catalinnicolae4443 You can do that (what I did myself) but gaggia has said that loosening the screw isn't the safest/best way to do it. You can look up Mr shades Spring kit for more info on it

[@GMB_FPV]

Dude, my sentiments exactly, start to finish.........& thanks for sharing. Good luck with the Bianca and may you pull many a godly shot together 😇☕

[@patrickurey5939]

Great video! I have a Silvia with PID and considering the Bianca as well, even though I love my Silvia. Which I proudly own for over 6 years, a hell of a machine for the price.

[@judiththomps]

Thank you for posting this review. I am new to brewing espresso at home and after viewing numerous KZbin videos, I ordered and got a Niche Zero first. I picked up a Flair Pro to try to manually learn what pulling a good shot entails. Controlling the head temp and its challenges has now brought me to the Decent vs Lelit Bianca decision. Your video spoke on point to all the factors which make this such a tough decision. Tech vs traditional looks/sounds. Your video (coupled with Decent’s announcement to temporarily discontinue the DE1+ ) have me leaning towards the Bianca since the DE-XL is extremely expensive and waiting to see if the DE1+ will ever be in production again will drive me crazy. It appears Decent has opted to focus on its commercial vs home brewing market. If I can just get past how enormous the Bianca seems, I’m there. Thanks again!

[@norge7528]

Video like "Why did I change my Volkswagen for a Mercedes Benz"

[@ElBoyoElectronico]

Haha, so true

[@Alexchannel122]

more like Polo to 911

[@xPentag0n]

Have you driven a VW Phaeton? 😬😂

[@chookchack]

Merc is like a decent. All computerized.

[@dreamlee4505]

Why？Cuz I have more money lol

[@kevinking1391]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Bianca.

[@wernerhp]

Awesome vid. Please post some videos on your Rancillio mods. I'm a developer myself and really interested in how you integrated it with your home automation system (I'm into HA too). The Rancillio was on my list, but after tons of research the Lelit Bianca + Niche Zero came out on top for me. Now saving up.

[@billinrio]

An excellent presentation, admirably explained. Just as you, I purchased a Rancilio "package", with the Silvia v.3 and the Rocky doserless grinder. As for the latter, I see that you removed the chute, something I might try. But there's nothing I can do about the Rocky's lack of micro adjustments. I went through some upgrades of the Silvia - installing a PID and wrapping the boiler with the company's "blanket". I also adjusted the pressure down to 9 bars. You show some fantastic pours from your naked porta filter. The Bianca is a beautiful machine, and I'm not surprised that you are pleased with it.

[@thomass1620]

Wow that’s my dream setup... literally, now I have a gaggia classic (2017 model) & a ROK manual hand grinder w/ 2020 upgraded burr set and internals! I’m trying to wait until the niche goes mainstream and becomes cheaper too👍🏼😏😁

[@eikarumba429]

Totally agree - the Bianca was my first (and recent a June 2020) home machine as I’ve always been a mocha pot home coffee drinker before that. I chose the Bianca for similar reasons, hands on, me and the machine rather that the machine and a microcontroller. I love the whole process of making and then enjoying the consistently great coffee and milk frothing that the Bianca is capable of and yes I also agree i feel there is still much more to grow into, learn and enjoy with this machine. Amazing value for money too.

[@allayth3247]

Such an insightful and wonderful vlog of your thoughts. Why no more youtube videos? I pray you and your family are doing great.

[@bilinguliar]

I had no idea that Edward Snowden is into the coffee.

[@Zippan89]

It's fun when someone reviews the same upgrade that you're thinking about. I went from a Rocky to an Eureka Atom. A fellow swede as well so we have access to the same beans. Will keep an eye on your channels. :) Think I will keep my Silvia for a while longer unless the Bianca has some drastic rebate.

[@makeaffogato5608]

I do plan to review some local beans, so keep an eye out for that :)

[@cahePL]

Exactly :D

[@evakeizers9670]

Bianca is 6 times the price of a Silvia. In that price range there are lots of nice choices. I don't see the use of this clp. Only talking about general aspects.

[@eriklundqvist4221]

Let's start the first Swedish espresso machine manufacturing company!

[@QuinCarter]

Awesome video! Thanks for going in depth!

[@tihsetihw75]

Great video explaining your thought process! Thanks for that! Looking foward to that video showing your controller. I have modded my Silvia with a custom controller as well, on a Teensy board, although I stopped after programming the PID. I did not go as far as slowly cycling the pump to produce a correct flow for preinfusion. I preinfuse manually through a on/off/on of the pump. Was that feature a breakthrough in terms of extraction quality? I used the exact same OLED display as you did, funny coincidence! Where did you find your small convex mirror for your Bianca? Been looking for one ;) What is the purpose of the tray under your Silvia? I have been thinking about creative ways to increase the size of my drip tray... but no elegant solution found so far Cheers from Canada!

[@diegogarber1]

I’d love to hear how you modded the silvia :) great video!

[@thru_and_thru]

I completely agree. It’s craft v automation in some way. The descent is like a super high end Nespresso machine but with a built in app to play with. Each to their own but as a former barista I love the work flow of a classic espresso machine and the skill required to get consistently good quality espresso.

[@therandomizedassasin]

Wish there were more videos, great content

[@LightZone9]

More art than science.

[@AzizIzgin]

why am I watching this now that I have decided to order the Mara x ? :) . I just can't justify the price ... but it is a dream really. I am planning to add a flow control mod to it. Hope just that I don't get to a "sweet spot price point " where I feel that the price difference between Mara and Bianca so little that I'd be forced to buy it anyways haha. Also, did I really hear you say Kaffecompagniet?! :) Have been talking to them for a while now for when doing research of which one to pick. Nice place. Lastly, I reciently bought a Eureka Specialita from them also, now that I see so many buying the Niche instead I almost regrett not buy the Niche :(

[@frazhussain2211]

Your review is right on with my experience. I own a niche and a La Pavoni manual. whilst a beautiful machine which pays homage to espresso of old its limitations are what drew me towards Profitech machines. However i know such machines lack true build quality and a lack of flow control would make me regretful. I think the decision is clear for me that to upgrade from a La Pavoni i will have to go all in. This machine is perfect and i think an order is imminent

[@rolandlickert2904]

Profit Machines have one of the best build qualities on the market and you can up grate the PRO400/500/600/700 with flow control

[@frazhussain2211]

@@rolandlickert2904 Since my post a year ago iv upgraded to the lelit Bianca v3 and never looked back. No need to upgrade anything it was fully kitted out right out the box and my coffee drink quality has grown immensely. Profitechs have their place but to me Lelit is the smarter choice.

[@rolandlickert2904]

@@frazhussain2211 Agree I going for Elisabeth fits my needs

[@frazhussain2211]

​@@rolandlickert2904 fantastic. This is a first world issue and were fortunate enough that we have the privilege to be able to afford and enjoy these things. Neither Lelit nor Proitech make good coffees because theyre both busy making great ones. If you own one there's no need to 'upgrade' to the other and if you don't have flow control don't sweat it. Enjoy your Elizabeth and when you're in the swing of things drop me a reply with how awesome it is 😊

[@chadgregory9037]

people - "why did you upgrade" me - "I had the money, so I did it"

[@mystikmeg]

What a brilliant video 👍🏻

[@josephoutram3019]

Seems logical enough...

[@hussainmahmoud7881]

I am down this road, now my choice between this one and Profitec 700 with Flow control.

[@rolandlickert2904]

Good quality Machine has excellent reviews

[@vpandey0]

Very interesting video. You seem very knowledgeable and looks like you have spent a good amount of time researching your options. What's your opinion been of the Niche so far? I also have a Silvia+Rocky and have acquired a Niche as well. I have spent some time trying to align the Rocky, not sure if successful or not :| What has been surprising and disappointing is that I can't get as satisfying results from Niche as I get from the Rocky. Niche's taste profile is 'weak', blended, and smooth while the Rocky produces something stronger and more defined. These are all for espressos. I would thing this is probably a flat vs conical burr difference! What's your experience been?

[@VernHowChan]

thank you for this. Please you mentioned that you are a developer and if you have some tutorials on coding / programming - thanks to include the link :)

[@tzehuan]

Right now is September 2021, I ordered my Niche in July and still waiting for it, and I'm also debating on upgrading my machine to a Lelit Bianca from my Breville Barista Express, but also thinking I should wait for the Niche to arrive before upgrading. I am literally going through the exact same thought process as you, just one year later lol.

[@antonchigurh4125]

Do you still own the Express? I'm looking at the Pro and wondered if you're still happy with your machine..

[@tzehuan]

@@antonchigurh4125 Yeap I still have it and I do still like it. As far as the pro goes, the improved steaming power is the main strength for me over the Express. On average it will take about a min to whip up one serving of milk for latte. It's just painfully slow. If you won't be whipping up a lot of milk everyday I think you would be happy with the express. Or, toss a coin, heads for Express tails for Pro (this is a homage to your screen name lol). What's the most you've ever loss on a coin toss? Haha

[@antonchigurh4125]

@@tzehuan Thanks for the detailed reply. Great info. Thank you. Hahaha! Great spot on my username!

[@tzehuan]

@@antonchigurh4125 lol no problem. Anton is one of the most memorable character ever appeared on screen so it's hard to miss. You can't go wrong with either machine. Hopefully you find a good price for it!

[@lessmith3799]

Re:Flow profiling on the Silvia. Why can't you rapidly duty-cycle the pump to control the pressure?

[@Nizamm1]

my God your voice is a gift👍😊😊😊

[@oskarjbau]

Nice video!!! I want a mirror like yours for my Lelit Marax!! hahaha... where I can buy?? thank so much!

[@jccc-ly9oy]

As a current Silvia owner (V3 with PID) who have looked into both DE1+ and the Bianca, your comparison of the two are dead on, at least in terms of where I am at. Both are intriguing machines but the way I see it, one is about "programming" your shot and the other is "crafting" your shot. My coffee of choice is Americano which without being too fancy about it, is a diluted espresso shot. I do taste my shots but only as feedback on my technique. Even the tastiest shot that I've consumed in its entirety whether at home or in a cafe, I would never give it up for a well made Americano. And herein lies the mental roadblock I have in upgrading from my Siliva - Will the cup quality be enough of a difference/improvement in justifying the upgrade where I'm essentially diluting the shot with water (and milk for that matter)? Perhaps this is just my way of fighting upgraditius... Incidentally I do plan on upgrading the grinder to NZ (from a Preciso) ... that is if I can actually order it

[@beachdays561]

Very deep.. hope you achieve your dream :)

[@BelovedNL]

I hope you’re able to follow up on the custom controller, interested in the possibilities!

[@makeaffogato5608]

I did a Reddit post about that a couple of weeks back, feel free to check it out: www.reddit.com/r/espresso/comments/q3inl0/smart_home_connected_lelit_bianca/

[@orthonima]

Great video! I am torn between Decent and Bianca as well.

[@kondko]

I’d say the bianca is more practical for everyday use. Unless you drink mostly straight shots.

[@havenbanks5778]

cool machine

[@nbomernesto8460]

how many mg caffeine do u consume a day? thinking bout upgrading from my 6cup bialetti.

[@gb2983]

I'm also a developer... I have a modded Silvia (Arduino for PID/raspberry pi touch/logging/temp graphs...), Just bought a Bianca... Interested to see if you will chuck an esp32 inside. I'm planning not to touch the Bianca, but I know that won't last long 🤣

[@makeaffogato5608]

Yeah, we’ll see. The plan is to get a broken/discarded LCC and take a look at the internals before I proceed with opening my machine up. I have a suspicion that the LCC and the Gicar might communicate over serial, in which case I’ll try to sniff the protocol with a logic analyzer.

[@woerniew8925]

And did you also modify the Lelit with the ESP32 MC?

[@the_viper_leo]

Do you think one could upgrade the LCC/ extend it to another screen?

[@jackieliu1232]

if decent and Bianca were the same price, which would you pick?

[@suppersday]

Interesting video, your voice is very relaxing.

[@tTalay]

Thanks for the great Video! I was looking everywear for this dosing cup - where is it from?

[@michaelsomoza4517]

What dosing cup is that?

[@sunnydays1238]

Which scale are you using?

[@MorningNapalm]

You mentioned Stockholm, but you sound more Danish to me? Very nice machine, maybe clean it once in a while :)

[@makeaffogato5608]

Haha, no, I am indeed Swedish. Also, yeah, the camera has a way of showing every last speck of dust or spot 😅

[@MorningNapalm]

Interesting, I don't usually make this mistake with languages. Your English is very good and you don't seem to make the classic Swedish mistakes, like pronouncing j like y. Anyway, nice video, nice choices of equipment!

[@coffeeauthority]

Great video.. Did you consider the Profitec or ECM espresso machines?

[@makeaffogato5608]

I did briefly consider them, but the Bianca much more competitively priced (at least in Sweden), so that category pretty quickly boiled down to the Bianca.

[@renomarioni]

I agree - ecm synchronika w flow control is a €1000 more. Niche zero or the new eureka mignon xl (65mm burrs) w Bianca is what I’m going with next month

[@peterpan69]

could you tell me why you chose Lelit over Rocket or Profitec?

[@makeaffogato5608]

Price mainly. A Bianca is a lot cheaper for what you’re getting.

[@Flonkation]

What do you think of the more entry level lelit glenda 41 with pid , in case you checked that on your start espresso journey.. I'm thinking of starting it now myself

[@rolandlickert2904]

Better the Grace

[@Walaby50]

If you look at the Silvia Pro now and compare it to the Bianca and you could get both at simolar prices, which one would you rather get?

[@Dus3826]

Bianca if you want flow profiling possibility

[@ghas4151]

Where I live the Bianca costs quite a bit more than the Silvia Pro. I have the Silvia Pro and it produces very consistent good tasting espresso and steams very well.

[@alextube1099]

Bianca is in a different class.

[@artemisfowlthe3]

Is the lelit bianca a good choice for a small restaurant/cafe? Say like 30-40 shots a day

[@makeaffogato5608]

Lelit themselves specify in the manual that “ This espresso machine is suitable for the preparation of 1 or 2 cups of coffee” and that “The machine is designed for domestic use and is not suitable for continuous professional use.” In real life, you’ll probably be fine for some time, the machine *is* likely to require being serviced more often than a commercially speced machine, but at the end of the day it is a domestic machine, not a commercial one.

[@alextube1099]

I don’t think it’s about the number of shots, I’m sure it can do 40-60 per day. It’s an up time that I don’t think it’s designed for. The steam is endless and recovery time is very good too.

[@kondko]

Sir that dosing funnel looks perfect for the niche! Where’d ya get it?? Any flow profile recipes you recommend?.

[@makeaffogato5608]

That dosing funnel is the 60 mm tall version of the Motta dosing funnel. More recently I’ve been using the Decent dosing funnel. As for flow profiles, recently I’ve been experimenting a lot with 6 bar extractions, either keeping it at 6 bar during the entire extraction or by setting the paddle to about 6 o’clock so that it starts fairly high and then drops to 6 bar.

[@dwaynesbadchemicals]

When you plumbed your machine, is it on an RO filter? If so, how do you get the minerals in?

[@makeaffogato5608]

Not an RO filter, but a BWT Bestmax filter. Stockholm (where I'm located) has pretty good water. Really, the only difference from the SCAE water standards is that it's about 10% too hard and slightly too high pH, so it doesn't need that much treatment to get it in the range.

[@grilljones]

How did you do gravimetric shots? Did you make your own scale from a load cell?

[@makeaffogato5608]

I bought an Acaia Lunar, and communicated with that over Bluetooth.

[@grilljones]

@@makeaffogato5608 wow cool

[@cmelak2011]

The same set up (Rocky & Silvia), waiting for Niche and when that happens, already chosen Bianca . Interesting how the reasoning can be identical. Well, maybe not that amazing if we consider the number of humans involved; still... If I made this video, the difference would be just a face.

[@kosiekoos9408]

Too many men make decisions based on looks and then try and fix the situation after making the commitment. Some machines wont give you multiple cappacinos they might just give you one good one; and when your friends come over you realise that your machine is not gonna serve up multiple shots its just not that type. Do research before swiping that card

[@rolandlickert2904]

Agree I did the research for over two months and every Machine has plus and minus. Eventually, I went for the Lelit Elisabeth which does not look fantastic but has some features which even Bianca does not have. You can have several settings for Pre-infusion the most interesting is the steam pre-infusion and blooming. The machine is straightforward to keep clean and easy to clean, quiet pomp (same as Mariax) and affordable. Settings are many perhaps you don't need all of them but they are helpful for example cleaning programs which are convenient. I considered Bianca as well but for me, Elisabeth fits all my needs and I can play around with espressos shots till I like them.

[@francochan]

Wait wait wait... I loved this video, yes. But wait... you removed the chute from your Rocky, and you single dose with it. PLEASE tell me if this trick works with retention! Please! I single dose, and still have my chute, and I have to use a curved brush and spend an extra 3 mins just trying to brush (more like scrape) off as much of the grounds from that chute. Please shed some light my way! 🙏

[@ghas4151]

Did you not consider the Silvia Pro?

[@makeaffogato5608]

The Silvia Pro wasn't out at the time.

[@emreisiklar]

Well deserved upgrade:) la Marzocco mini next year?:)))

[@makeaffogato5608]

I mean, why not go for a GS/3 or a Strada 1 group in that case? 😛

[@emreisiklar]

@@makeaffogato5608 step by step:))

[@emreisiklar]

@@makeaffogato5608 I am using Mara X and Lelit Fred as a grinder, unfortunately Niche is not available in Turkey, any good espresso grider suggestions other than Niche? Caedo, Eureka are available

[@makeaffogato5608]

I don’t have personal experience with either, but I hear Eureka makes some nice grinders. Supposedly anything from the Atom and up is quite good. The big drawback from my perspective would be the retention, though compared to the Niche pretty much everything is high retention.

[@ElBoyoElectronico]

@@emreisiklar the Mignon Specialita is veeery good for espresso: quick, quiet and precise

[@Element9846]

What scale are you using? Thanks

[@makeaffogato5608]

An Acaia Lunar

[@aljames7082]

I had no idea how complicated a cup of f***ing coffee could be! I mean we are talking about coffee right? Or did I miss something? I better stick with my Keurig! 🤣

[@rolandlickert2904]

Coffee is like Wine you acquire a taste for it over time and eventually, you get picky about what type of coffee beans you prefer they so many, to choose from light, medium or dark roast (In fact the description on the packing reads like a wine description in some way)water quality and you need a machine that has heat stability and consistency and a few settings were you can explore on which setting /dial in you like your espresso or American best! It's a journey which is fun, rewarding and has endless tasting options.

[@DanielBlomqvist]

I single dose with a V5 Silvia and Sette 270 (bought at Kaffecompagniet). Had a meCoffee PID, but it failed so I returned the Silvia to stock. Recently started a DYI PID with ESP32 and micropython. Have you published any code or other details of your Silvia PID?

[@makeaffogato5608]

The code is available at github.com/magnusnordlander/silvia-pi but engineering details are intentionally sparse (I don’t want people without both electrical engineering knowledge and programming knowledge using it, espresso machines are dangerous)

[@DanielBlomqvist]

@@makeaffogato5608 Thanks! Where\how do you attach the temp sensor to the group head?

[@layas8690]

I wonder why synchronika with flow control was not on your list

[@makeaffogato5608]

Price mostly. I know the price difference varies by region, but here the Synchronika is about $500 more expensive, and that’s without a flow control valve. It’s a good machine, but over here I think the Bianca is a lot better value for money.

[@layas8690]

@@makeaffogato5608 true in Canada its almost a thousand Canadian difference.

[@renomarioni]

€1000 more here in Berlin - Bianca all the way

[@dehCremus]

Where does opv stand for?

[@davtona]

Over Pressure Valve, adjusted on most good espresso machines to 9-10bar. Some machines like the Gaggia Classic Pro come with a non-adjustable OPV set higher (12-15bar) for use with pressurised baskets and ESE pods, these require user modification or adjustment for use with normal baskets and freshly ground coffee.

[@dehCremus]

@@davtona Thanks man! Also really nice example on the Gaggia Classic Pro

[@robleo69]

Man, I thought I was an espresso aficionado. But this nerd, holy Caliente leche, what a muy grande cafe' Nerdoso..

[@gioiosa54]

you're opinion of the Bianca is not reality ,, the E61 was never meant to run as a two boiler set up , the E61 needs a very hot environment like a HX design with a massive boiler of many liters of super hot steam - to function properly . The E61 is meant to act as a radiator giving up its heat to arrive at proper temperature for brewing ! The E61 in a dual boiler set up ends up brewing at a slurry temp of about 86 celsius and there is no way of improving on that. Also It is unfortunate that there are no manufacturers at the prosumer level that can afford to design their own machine but more so to design their own group! Most e61 machine manufacturers are but assemblers nothing more ! I have owned a myriad of machines with E61s and i can safely say none produce exceptional espresso, they simply cannot , not even the 3 Biancas I have owned ( the last two were version 2 s) , - the physics does not permit it .

[@Tech-fh7fc]

Interesting points. So which machine do you suggest with a budget up to $3000 USD?

[@alextube1099]

For $3k it’s as good as it gets. I don’t think you can do better for a home setup.

[@UncleSkiBum]

Oh man you've started my upgraditis again. I own a 7 year old Rocket Giotto with no PID and even with the thermometer it's still a lot of temp surfing. Thinking I will sell mine and upgrade to this as has all the features I want under 2,000 euros. Paired with my Sette 270Wi will make for an amazing work flow

[@grilljones]

Wheww mouth sounds

[@AuslanderRaus1488]

your rolls are showing brother, lets get more fit together

[@makeaffogato5608]

They’re showing because I lost about 180 lb a couple of years ago, so now I have loose skin. My fitness is pretty good 😛

[@AuslanderRaus1488]

@@makeaffogato5608 well man, I have to say, you are very handsome, and articulate and smart. Your parents must be proud. Bless you brother.

[@jamesk7777]

"Knee-itch" Zero. Yikes, that pronunciation of it!!

[@rsk5216]

You poor dear !!!

[@WebberAerialImaging]

Right...1st world problem

[@AuslanderRaus1488]

@@WebberAerialImaging in 1st world countries we have different standards, the way our ancestors worked hard to create prosperous societies for us

[@eltonnoway7864]

WARNING - LOVE HANDLE ALERT starting at 3:56

[@makeaffogato5608]

I mean, kinda. I’ve lost about 180 lb, so I’ve got a bit of loose skin around the abdomen.

[@eltonnoway7864]

@@makeaffogato5608 Dude... Please accept my apology. The loss of 180lbs is great! I've also lost a lot of weight so I know it's not any easy battle. Keep up the good work.

[@makeaffogato5608]

No worries. I also lost most of that whole “being ashamed of my body” thing, so no offense taken.

[@franksantos3418]

Congratulations on your serious weight loss. Very happy for you and I hope to do the same in 2021. Cheers🍷

[@duncanbrodie1]

Other than the back fat thing (congratulations on your weight loss, seriously) I am surprised during the editing process you decided to keep going back to this shot. I can clearly see how the frame looked when you set up the camera, but once you realized that your body completely blocks what we're meant to me looking at (the espresso machine) I'm amazed that you didn't either re-shoot it or simply drop that shot on the floor. Just a bit of film making criticism. Great video otherwise, and seriously nice coffee setup. But ya, the audience is basically forced to just examine how poorly your shirt fits for minutes on end. From a filmmaking perspective you could say this shot fails to communicate what its intended to.