Lelit Bianca vs Decent Espresso - Page 6

Recommendations for buyers and upgraders from the site's members.
baristainzmking
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#51: Post by baristainzmking »

Last year, I was in the process of upgrading my espresso machine and the two contenders were Bianca and Decent. I went with Bianca, as I love the romance of the Classic Italian machine with an ability to profile on the fly. Decent just wasn't for me, as at the end of the day, I am really not that interested in chasing the god shot, I just want to drink tasty coffee. After owning a profiling machine for the last eight months, I have learned that I still prefer the classic Italian espresso and milk drinks. If/when I upgrade in the future, it will be a machine like Londinium. :)
Julia

DaveWCII
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#52: Post by DaveWCII »

Petrus wrote:The things I dislike about DE is that you have to pay for all the add-ons. For a machine that is advertised as having all the controls, why is the Skale not included. You end up having to buy the Skale, and the stand. And if you want to plumb, you have the get the refill kits, piece by piece...it just seems kinda ridiculous
There are 2 types of refill kits & a drain kit. I don't need a scale, don't plan to plumb so I wouldn't want those included in the price. I'd rather buy things a la carte & choose what I need.

JayBeck
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#53: Post by JayBeck »

baristainzmking wrote:Last year, I was in the process of upgrading my espresso machine and the two contenders were Bianca and Decent. I went with Bianca, as I love the romance of the Classic Italian machine with an ability to profile on the fly. Decent just wasn't for me, as at the end of the day, I am really not that interested in chasing the god shot, I just want to drink tasty coffee. After owning a profiling machine for the last eight months, I have learned that I still prefer the classic Italian espresso and milk drinks. If/when I upgrade in the future, it will be a machine like Londinium. :)
I agree with Julia here. If I get another chrome box, it will not be an E61. It will be a Londinium R.

baristainzmking
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#54: Post by baristainzmking replying to JayBeck »

Ha-ha! I love my shiny chrome boxes. :wink:
Julia

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Randy G.
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#55: Post by Randy G. replying to baristainzmking »

Those who know of my E-61 50th anniversary poster know of the personal feelings I have for the group, but in the end i felt that there was more to be had in terms of consistency. The Vibiemme also had wet steam which made it difficult to get really great microfoam (particularly with non-bovine products). After about 12 years with two consecutive E-61s (HX then DB), I needed more. And so I do not come across as a pre-purchase fanboy, the one negative I have about the DE is that it has no cup warmer. :wink:
EspressoMyEspresso.com - 2000-2023 - a good run, its time is done

baristainzmking
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#56: Post by baristainzmking »

Randy G. wrote:And so I do not come across as a pre-purchase fanboy, the one negative I have about the DE is that it has no cup warmer. :wink:
No cup warmer and no hot water spout...how do you warm up the cups?
Julia

BlueWater
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#57: Post by BlueWater replying to baristainzmking »

There is an aftermarket cup holder with a warmer option. The DE1 also has a water spout-low profile under the group.

caffeineme
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#58: Post by caffeineme replying to BlueWater »

That can be programmed with volume and temp to your liking.

JayBeck
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#59: Post by JayBeck replying to caffeineme »

Yes. And it is far superior for water than any other machine without a mixing valve. The only thing the E61 water spout is good for is heating a cup.

JayBeck
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#60: Post by JayBeck »

baristainzmking wrote:No cup warmer and no hot water spout...how do you warm up the cups?
Having used all the machines I think the is the only benefit of a machine with a boiler. Although if you leave the machine on more than an hour, the cups will actually over heat so you'll need to out a rag below the cups to dampen the heat.

On the DE1 if you place cups on top of the machine and cover them with a towel (something I do often) then the cups will warm some, enough to break the room chill and be sort of warm. You can also just flush some hot water into the cup as well.

To me, this one thing is minimal and the benefits of the DE1 are far greater when weighing pros and cons.