*SOLD!* – SIDEWALK SALE – Lelit Bianca Dual Boiler Espresso Machine V2 PID w/ Manual Brew Pressure Profiling DEMO MODEL

 Lelit Bianca Dual Boiler V2 PID Espresso Machine with Manual Brew Pressure Profiling through Flow Control with Grouphead Needle Valve and Paddle

Lelit Bianca Version 2  Changes, as of 6/3/2021! (2021.5)

Extended Steam Valve and Hot Water Valve

The steam valve and hot water valve have been extended in length to place them further away from the front panel of the machine.  This upgrade facilitates more side to side movement of the wands.

Water Tank

The water tank’s appearance has changed slightly and includes the new Lelit logo on the side of the tank.

Filter Baskets

The Bianca now includes the Lelit by IMS filter baskets.

Internal Changes

One of the two safety thermostats on the steam boiler has been updated.

Version 2 Upgraded Features, as of 1/20/2020!

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! In fact, the boiler and boiler safety valve for 3 bar allow increases on the version 1 espresso machines.

All about Bianca espresso machine!

The PL162T Bianca espresso machine from Lelit is their newest luxury dual boiler espresso machine. After over two years of studying with a well-known espresso school, many baristas, and professionals, the Lelit Bianca espresso machine was built from the ground up and designed for flow control through the brew pressure paddle. There are many secrets learned from the two years. Thus, we can certainly say that the Bianca is more than just a flow control device slapped on to an E61 espresso machine. Since September 2018, our customers started switching out their $8000 espresso machine for the Bianca!

With the Bianca, Lelit continues to outdo themselves and now leads the industry with the widest range of prosumer models. However, although the Lelit Bianca can be a beginner dual boiler espresso machine, it packs some of the best technology that will make any barista jump for joy. In other words, the Bianca has really disrupted the worldwide prosumer espresso machine market. This is all thanks to its manual brew pressure via flow control as well as its external reservoir!

Not only does the machine include a PID controlled dual boiler, for those who are looking to experiment with pressure profiling/flow control 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 (control the flow of water) as the espresso shot is extracting! All under 16″ height! 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!

Clean design inside and out! Nice curves make Bianca look super sexy! Unlike other machines with multiple body panels, the Bianca affords one easy wraparound body panel to gain inside access. Inside, all wiring and layout are superbly placed for performance and easy repair. Even 2 bottom port holes for access to both heating elements in the powerful boilers.

Finally, after working with Lelit for two years on features and design, we (as of March 2018) have the prototype in our showroom for testing and feedback to the manufacturer. We are running it 24/7 and trying to break it!  In addition, customers can make an appointment to see the machine in action in our Freehold, NJ location.

The Lelit Bianca Italian espresso machine is beautiful in design and proves to be awesome in what she produces in the cup! Light roast, no problem! City roast, no problem! Dark roast, definitely not a problem! The paddle on top of the grouphead allows on the fly brew pressure profiling while you are watching the extraction and brew pressure gauge.

With dark roasts, you can smooth out the flavor of a spring piston lever machine that starts off with high brew pressure, then diminishes throughout the shot. With city and full city roasts, use a low-pressure profile to extract pure sweetness. Moreover, on light roasts,  experiment with any of your imaginary brew pressure profiles to find the best flavor in the cup! On June 4th, 2019, a customer said the “Bianca makes stupid good coffee!” It is so true, with a good grinder, the espresso that comes out is amazing!

Another innovative design component! The external AND movable reservoir that does not heat when the machine operates for hours like other machines do. Furthermore, the Bianca has a water reservoir that can re-position on either side of the machine to suit your needs and your counter-top.  Don’t want a tank? No worries! The Bianca is directly plumb-able too, (even the drip tray is drainable!) All of these features are in a stainless steel body, with accents by wooden handles, feet, and lever.

Forget your shot timer! The Bianca has a shot timer in its LCC. The shot timer continues during the programmable pre-infusion and programmable soak time!

The Lelit Bianca was selected as one of the top 12 most innovative products at the 2019 Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show

• Furthermore, this was against not only espresso machines, but also various food and drink recipes and equipment as well! Thanks to the Bianca’s game-changing manual brew pressure profiling, the espresso came out as perfect as it can get!

Bianca won 3rd place Best New Non-consumable Product at Coffeefest NYC 2019

• This was impressive against all new products, not just espresso machines. The 1st E61 grouphead espresso machine with manual brew pressure profiling uses flow control during the extraction!

Do you want more information?  Please read an independent UK review made for the Bianca. However, although there are a lot of details, please keep in mind of differences in performance, like warm up times being faster under 220 volts, or other small differences that may be made for the UK market, or changes in packaging, etc by the manufacturer for the UK market.

If you wish to have your machine turn on and off automatically or have your phone control it, we strongly suggest using Wemo as the preferred smart plug (minimum 15 amp rating) from your favorite mass market retailers. Many of our Bianca customers have successfully used Wemo smart plugs without any incidences to date. We are glad Lelit did not program a built in timer because then there would be no phone control to turn the machine on.

UPDATE July 31, 2019!!!! We have now been shipping the Bianca for exactly 11 months, and with proof, the Bianca is our most reliable prosumer espresso machine! In fact, for a dual boiler espresso machine, this is an accomplishment for your investment! Also, noteworthy news: the prototype Bianca we received in March of 2018 has been running 24×7 in our showroom WITHOUT the filter (as it was never included with the prototype). Additionally, we are happy to report, there have been no issues. We have been unsuccessful in our attempts to break the Bianca with abuse, limescale, and heavy usage.

Update August 9, 2019! The Lelit Bianca dual boiler espresso machine has proven so reliable for the past 11 months that we are able to offer a 3 year warranty limited to manufacturer’s defects. In addition, Lelit now allows for UPS shipping rather than pallet shipping, which has been successful for the past 2 weeks. All we ask is that if the unit arrives wet from our testing, please allow it to air dry for 24 hours prior to plugging the electrical cord into the back of the machine.

Bianca’s Features

Steam power galore!

The Lelit Bianca powers some punch with steam power by programming the steam boiler up to 266 degrees Fahrenheit. In fact, two tips are available with the machine. The smaller 2 holes with 1mm openings were included for those who wanted to steam with less power.

Control Brew Pressure on the Fly! A 1st for any E61 Grouphead

The wooden paddle and brew pressure gauge on top of the grouphead allows full manual control over the brew pressure (through control over water flow) as you are pulling your shot of espresso. Create different flavor profiles to your heart’s content!

Reservoir: Pick a side, any side!

Have you ever seen an espresso machine that gives you a choice where to put the water reservoir? Well, the Lelit Bianca does! An even bigger benefit is that when the reservoir is on the outside, the heat built up on the inside of the machine is not heating the water in the plastic reservoir. The heated reservoir water on other machines can change the thermodynamics of the water entering the coffee boiler and thus the water going through the grouphead.

Even better, it also allows users to directly plumb it in, including the drip tray. When plumbed in, the reservoir assembly can be removed to save precious counter space.

Wooden Handled Bottomless Portafilter & Dual Spout Portafilter

3-cup bottomless portafilter with smooth wooden handle included with the machine. The 3 cup baskets can hold up to 22 grams of ground coffee (this depends upon the type of coffee and grind fineness as coarser grinds or lighter density coffees may less the 22-gram capability).

The dual spout portafilter also has a very nice wooden handle and two forward streaming spouts for easier espresso extraction viewing.

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 stay nice and hot, especially important to get a great 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 Lelit Bianca shines with stainless steel body polished to a mirror finish. Also, in the inside, it has two insulated stainless steel boilers with copper tubing connecting the boilers to the grouphead or valves. The 0.8-liter coffee boiler is matched to perform well with a 1000 watt heating element, and the steam boiler integrates very well with a 1400 heating element to pack a great punch of steam power!

Wooden Elements

Less plastic is always a bonus in our eyes. In addition to the portafilter handle wood crafted, the Lelit Bianca also has wooden accents on steam and hot water knobs, lever, wooden paddle, and feet! Furthermore, the wooden paddle on top of the grouphead diffuses the heat that builds upon the grouphead.

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. Moreover, the steam wand comes with a 2 hole steam tip (1.5mm holes). Hidden in the accessory box is a 2 hole tip with 1.0mm holes for those needing to froth fewer amounts of milk.

The wands are no-burn to the touch. Insulation on the inside allows you to move the wands easily to find the perfect angle you are seeking.

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 usually a dry puck of coffee which you knock 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 and much quieter than the ‘whiney’ gear driven pumps found on other brew pressure profiling espresso machines.  You can make adjustments underneath the espresso machine.

Additionally, the rotary vane pump is so much more reliable than gear driven pumps. Gear driven pumps have magnetic drives which tend to fail sometimes in the first 3 months of ownership.

OPV (Overpressure Valve)

Lelit sets the OPV to open at 11 bar of brew pressure. Although adjustable, we strongly recommend not to adjust the OPV. The paddle on the grouphead adjusts the pressure at the grouphead. In addition, it is set at 11 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. However, if you need to lower the maximum brew pressure, it is best to adjust 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.
• 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 – Steam tip with (2) 1.5mm holes, 2.5-liter removable water reservoir, stainless steel drip tray & grate.

For more Lelit equipment, please visit our Lelit brands page. If you have any questions, please reference the Q&A tab on each product page.