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Bellezza Francesca review

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  • noidle22
    commented on 's reply
    Lelit appear to have done away with the infusion chamber on their model, possibly the same has been done on the Bellaza. I'd be interested to see a scace test which will show what's really happening, or a pressure gauge on the group itself.

  • EspressoAdventurer
    replied
    With regards to the 'Prog LCC' feature ....what the LCC acronym stand for?

    Ive done extensive searches And Nearly every result spurts forth the 5 worded LCC statement...Obv originates from the Manufacturer.
    However nil discussion or explanation to date from Lelit or other sites.

    Note a new member Tunglw who posted theyre one and only post on here Aug21 2020 asked the same question / detailed the OEM blurb.

    This is from a member with an E61 Gh who has 're-timed' the manual cam / electronic flow of water to the puck to allow wetting / maybe even 'bloom' ......
    AKA variable valve timing Re: Internal combustion motors of recent decades!

    Leave a comment:


  • flatwhite
    replied
    Originally posted by noidle22 View Post
    ...seems a bit of a gimmick due to the inherent ability of the E61 to pre-infuse..
    The Francesca is not the only E61 that has pre-infusion. The Lelit Bianca, for example, boasts "Programmable pre-infusion parameters through LCC". The Oscar II has "Soft Infusion System: This is an initial phase of brewing that promotes even extraction, nice crema, and enhanced flavor". And the Rocket R58 has a "dual pre-infusion system automatically saturates every coffee particle to create a richly flavored, creamy espresso."
    ​The machine sends through a stream of water (under lower pressure) before the pressure is fully ramped up. Is it a gimmick? Not sure how it can be if there's a wet puck before the pressure is ramped up.

    Leave a comment:


  • noidle22
    replied
    It's a fully mechanical E61 group and there's no ability to plumb the machine into the mains water supply. I would be interested to see how the claimed pre-infusion works, they will have had to modify the E61 group or the infusion valve/chamber in one way or another to achieve this I would think, seems a bit of a gimmick due to the inherent ability of the E61 to pre-infuse.

    I also note the lack of Australian electrical safety certification on the machine rating label, par for the course then for these types of machine.

    Speaking of the label, it looks to me that it says 2900W although the specifications claim 2000W. How have they got that wrong? It's not possible to have a 2900W machine on a 10A supply.

    Leave a comment:


  • flatwhite
    started a topic Bellezza Francesca review

    Bellezza Francesca review

    The Bellezza Francesca is the latest twin-boiler espresso machine from Germanys Bellezza Heidelberg, a brand that has a relatively short history, dating back to 2017. However, the company traces its lineage back to 1975, through Berberich Kaffeemaschinen.
    Since 2021, Bellezza has been part of the VEA group, joining fellow coffee equipment brands Carimali, Elektra and Slingshot.
    Given the absence of reviews of the Francesca, I put one through its paces, paired with a Mahlkönig X54 grinder.

    Unboxing
    The Francesca is delivered double-boxed and the machine itself and all the components are individually bagged in cloth draw-string bags. The accessories are packed at the top of the main carton, in a separate box, and consist of single and double portafilters, a pretty serious metal tamper, a cleaning brush and a backflush disc. There are also a couple of extra steam nozzles (two- and three-hole) which can be used to replace the four-hole version fitted to the steam wand. Not listed in the contents but very important is the metal catheter (they really should find a more appealing name for that) which youll need for the water tank.
    The main unit is packed in very tightly and a bit tricky to remove from the box.
    Nestled under the brewhead, theres a separate box containing the glass water tank.

    Appearance and build quality
    As with most higher-end machines, the Francesca is clad in mirror stainless steel. In keeping with the contemporary move to more compact espresso machines, its a slim, stylish machine with elegant lines and attractive proportions. Its daintyappearance belies some serious weight, and, overall, the Francesca looks well constructed, with its panels all fitting snugly and no sharp edges or misaligned parts.
    The most notable feature is the compact footprint, achieved partly by omitting an internal water tank. However, the external glass jug needs to be positioned somewhere - either behind the machine or next to it, close to the back. While its neater to hide the tank behind the machine, that extends the footprint forward by about 10 cm and makes it harder to monitor the water level (theres no low-level warning) and to refill.
    The review model was the Leva, which has two levers instead of the more common rotary valves for the water and steam, and while these are said to be longer-lasting, they do take some getting used to, especially after decades of rotary valve use.
    Because you dont need access to an internal water tank, the cup warmer is always accessible, and its surrounded by a stainless steel cup rail to prevent cups from being knocked off.
    The two display dials – pump pressure and steam pressure – are easily visible and clear, and the control panel is accessible and also clearly visible, with a large, bright display.
    The brew head is a little lower than other machines, but accommodates most drinkware.
    The accessories are pretty impressive. The two portafilters (single- and double-spout) are elegant but sturdy, with attractive steel end caps on the black handles. The custom steel tamper is not only hefty and comfortable in the hand, it is also height-adjustable, with a couple of metal spacer rings that allow you to lengthen or shorten the shaft.
    The cleaner cover, a plastic disc which inserts into the portafilter, is a little out of keeping with the other accessories. While perfectly functional, it seems like a cheap alternative to the solid basket blind filter most commonly found in prosumer machines. But if you really want a metal blind filter, theyre cheap and easy to find.

    Setting up
    The first thing youll need to do is connect the machine to the supplied glass 1.8 litre tank. A rubber hose is supplied and this needs to be connected to the metal catheter and inserted into the tank.
    Then the machine needs to be plugged in and switched on. This lights up the PID controller on the front of the machine, and you need to program the pre-infusion time, the steam boiler temperature, the water boiler temperature and the shut-off time for the ECO mode. This mode switches the machine into stand-by after varying periods of non-use, ranging from 28 minutes to 180 minutes. To wake it, just hit the setbutton and it starts to heat up instantly.
    When its out of programming mode, the LCD acts as a boiler temperature gauge – and a shot timer when youre pulling a shot.
    While set-up is fairly intuitive, for once, theres a manual that explains the process fairly clearly, in good English.
    And on that score, there is a bit of linguistic obfuscation surrounding the machine. Firstly, it has an Italian name. Then the badge says progettato in Heidelberg” (designed in Heidelberg – in Italian!). Nowhere does it actually reveal that the machine is made in China. Not that this should be a deal-breaker, but I think buyers deserve to know the provenance. If it helps, the Australian importer insists that all the internals are European and only the steel enclosure (and assembly) are Chinese.

    In action
    The Francesca is a dual-boiler, so the heat-up time is much shorter than a heat exchange machine. In fact, the Francesca is super-quick, and I was able to start pulling shots within 10 minutes of switching on. (The official initial heating time is 12 minutes.)
    For the uninitiated, the main advantage of a dual-boiler is the ability to make steam and pull shots at the same time – something you cant do with a single-boiler machine. While you can run both lines simultaneously with a heat exchange machine, you have precise control of both temperatures with two boilers – in this case, both 1 litre steel boilers.
    On paper, the machine ticks many boxes – its PID temperature control of both boilers, programmable pre-infusion and shot timer features are not found on many of its rivals at the lower end of the dual-boiler market and certainly none at its pricepoint.
    But do those features translate into what appears in the cup?
    The manual suggests light doses – 7 g of ground coffee for a single shot and 14 g for a double. Thats a bit less than Im used to dosing – and I realised something was amiss when I couldnt get a normally dosed” portafilter into the brew head. It looks like the machine needs a bit of headroom so you cant dose right to the top of the basket – and that means youll almost always end up with sloppy pucks.
    But its not whats in the knockbox that counts; its whats in the cup.
    All machines take some dialling in – calibrating the grind, dose and tamp for the peculiarities of the individual espresso machine. Coming from a Rocket Giotto, I didnt have to change much to get treacle-like shots from the Bellezza. The big difference was dosing, and, as mentioned, I was unable to get the portafilter to fit in the brewhead with my usual dose, so I had to cut back and leave a few millimetres of headroom.
    The pump is surprisingly quiet for a vibration pump. Theres a bit of noise when you first switch the machine on, but when its pumping a shot, its more of a gentle purr – much like a rotary pump.
    The automatic pre-infusion is a very useful feature. You set the desired pre-infusion duration (0 to 30 seconds) and the brew head gets a shot of hot water to moisten the puck. Then, theres a slight delay as the pressure ramps up and the full pressure is applied. This worked well to add depth to lighter roasts, but I had to dial it back for strong Italian-roast beans to avoid over-extraction and bitterness.
    At first, I struggled with milk heating, finding that the milk reached 60 deg really fast – before it had stretched sufficiently. But when I switched the steam tip to a two-hole version (as I am used to), the end result was immeasurably better - maybe not quite as silky as my usual output, but improving each time I tried.
    The steam arm is a standard cool-touch steel tube with an elaborate (and largely unnecessary) plastic grip. While it is mounted on a flexible joint, I found the angle of the steam wand just a tad off and had to slightly adjust the angle of the milk jug from its usualposition.
    In terms of steaming power, theres plenty of dry steam and it took less than a minute to heat 200 ml from room temp to 70 degrees.
    As mentioned, the review model was fitted with levers instead of rotary dials, and these were easy to operate after a bit of getting used to. They can be pushed in any direction and locked into place for full openoperation. They are responsive and effective and certainly do the job.
    Hot water is similarly delivered via a lever on the right-hand side, and the angle of the wand is very convenient for pouring into cups. There is a good even flow which is easily regulated with the lever controller.
    The external water tank needs some discussion. In theory, its good to have the reservoir outside the machine. I had a slow leak in a past machine which only became evident at a service, when the tech removed the internal water tank and noted some rust inside the chassis. Obviously, theres no risk of this with an external tank – although a glass jug on the bench does have its own inherent risks.
    The other big advantage is that you dont have to remove cups from the cup warmer to access the water reservoir for refilling.
    On that note, the big drawback is the lack of a low-level warning. This is even more of an issue if you hide the water tank behind the machine. So, you either need to keep the water tank in sight – and pay attention to it, or you need to follow a disciplined refilling regime.
    One thing which really impressed me was the drip tray. In design, its one of the best I have seen. It slips in under the front panel, so theres no gap where it meets the machine. It sits in a fully encased shelf, reducing the risk of leakages onto your bench. The tray is very solid and even the cup shelf is more robust than most others out there. But, the tray is relatively small (just over a litre), so you do need to keep an eye on the contents level and empty it regularly.

    Overall
    The Francesca is a good-looking, well-specced machine with a modest footprint.
    It is extremely well-priced for a dual boiler, with a street price of around $3,700 (and an RRP of $4,175).
    Its strong points include the multi-function PID, pre-infusion and shot timer. Canadian buyers can add wireless programming via the Bellezza app (other markets will have this option later in the year when the initial production run makes way for an unofficial Mk 2 model).
    The external water jug is either an advantage or an irritation, depending on your personal viewpoint. I like the ease of refilling, but not having to work out where to position an extra bit of gear and also miss having a low-level warning.
    The machine is perfectly capable of producing excellent shots and silky microfoamed milk – subject to the skills, experience and consistency of the operator. It heats up super-fast, has no problem steaming and pulling shots at the same time and can produce drink after drink, provided you keep the water jug filled.
    But there are some issues which may concern potential buyers. Firstly, the brand is still relatively unknown and does not have the cache of its better-known competitors. So, it doesnt quite have the snob factorof the big names. Then, there will be doubts about its build quality and reliability because it is made in China. I havent come across any cause for concern, but understand that some potential buyers may have doubts. Personally, if I were at head office, I would counter these reservations with a generous warranty, but as it turns out, Bellezza products come with one year of cover – the same as most products but only half of what youd get from ECM or Lelit, for example.
    And while the machine uses mostly common components and any competent repairer should be able to find his or her way around any E61 machine, theres no doubt that some technicians will never have seen a Francesca before. This is not a big deal, but something to keep in mind.
    The Francesca is imported in Australia by Di Pacci Coffee Company and retails for around A$3,700 (although the RRP is $4,175).

    SPECIFICATIONS
    Machine type Dual Boiler
    Pump type Vibration
    Boiler material Stainless steel
    Pressure gauge Pump & Steam Pressure Gauges
    PID control Yes
    Valves Steam & Hot Water Flick Levers
    Water supply External tank ( 2 litre capacity)
    Boiler volume 1-litre Steam / 1 litre Brew
    Weight 25 kg
    Power 2,000 W / 220 V
    Dimensions (HxWxD) mm 380 x 285 x 435 mm without portafilter
    380 x 285 x 545 mm with portafilter
    Attached Files
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