Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Grinder for a Lelit Bianca

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Grinder for a Lelit Bianca

    Hi all. First Post.
    I have been laid up and researching and I think I'm finally settling on a Lelit Bianca to put into our Office (small business, about 20 people in the office at a time max.) So, most of these will have at least one coffee a day.
    We currently have a de longhi automatic machine, but we are keen to get cafe quality coffee in house, and are willing to acquire a few skills to earn it.
    So I need a grinder to go along with it.
    I would have bought the Barrazza Sette 270wi, but the noise is a deal breaker in an office environment.
    Instead, I'm looking at the Eureka Mignon Specialita.
    We do like lighter roasts as well as mid.
    I would like the machine to have relatively low retention so we can choose to experiment and dose with different beans without too much wastage, but if experimenting I don't mind wasting a bit to purge the machine of the previous bean. Most of the time it will run one bean - we've tended to settle on something we like for a while.
    So do you folks think the Specialita is a good pairing?
    Is there something else under a thousand that I should look at?
    Thanks in advance,

    George.

  • #2
    That many coffees and that format I think you would be better off with a commercial grinder with doser.
    There seem to be quite a few for sale second hand what with Covid shutdowns and high quality designs for home use becoming available.
    I’ve never sat in a cafe and noticed the noise of their grinder so it shouldn’t be a problem for an office.
    I’m also not sure if the Bianca is the right machine for that situation.
    Again there are lots of used small commercial machines on the market fairly cheap.
    There are far more experienced folks here who should be able to help with advice.
    I love the Bianca, I’ve got one.
    I also have a Silenzio and like it a lot but I don’t know how they would cope with 40-60 cups a day 5-6 days a week.

    Comment


    • FNQ
      FNQ commented
      Editing a comment
      Not trying to be a party pooper either here Yorg ( welcome by the way), but as the two wise gents above or below ( i haven't quite mastered where comments get put) are pointing out, there is a good deal of thinking out to go along with such a enterprising plan. I am still falling over backwards at you finding 20 people who like their coffees the same way ( joke intended) I have seen a cunning plan as above in a largish solicitors office once_ end result the machine ( a very nice one) ended up at home on one of the partners kitchen bench- maybe that was always in the grand scheme???

    • Caffeinator
      Caffeinator commented
      Editing a comment
      Anybody going to do any work or will you all be d!cking around single dosing with a small domestic grinder? For mine, the choice of machine is also inappropriate for an office of this size. You should be at minimum plumbing in and draining the drip tray in an environment this size.

    • Dimal
      Dimal commented
      Editing a comment
      Isn’t that an issue with that many coffees no matter what machine Mal?
      That was my point actually. That many people all wanting a coffee will make a mess of of everything pretty quickly, to say nothing about the loss of productivity while each and every one waits to make their coffee...

  • #3
    Oh, OK. I have not even thought to look at a commercial machine second hand.
    Where should I look - any suggestions would be welcome.

    Comment


    • Caffeinator
      Caffeinator commented
      Editing a comment
      I'd be looking for a plumbable 1 group prosumer machine from one of the well known brands (the Bianca would be ok- I didn't realise it was rotary) rather than a potentially clapped out commercial machine of questionable heritage. I'd seriously doubt you need a dual boiler. A good HX will be fine unless everyone is into light roast, fruity espresso.

      Be aware also that the smaller grinders may have a duty cycle in kg/week which is too low for your weekly use of coffee. If it's a Mignon, you should probably be looking at the XL, not the Specialita. Purchase inappropriate for your planned usage and your warranty likely no longer exists.

      Let's assume you "cost" a coffee at $2... Conservatively, 15 users, 30 coffees/day. 40 weeks a year represents $12k p/a. Your current budget allows less that half that. Looks like you're looking for a break even in 3 months.

      Why is it that every second office seems to want coffee for everyone, cheap as? It's like the after work G&T but the gin bottle is diluted into 4 bottles instead. Why bother? You'd just go to a good bar...
      Last edited by Caffeinator; 15 June 2021, 08:44 PM.

  • #4
    BTW, the automatic machines we've had clap out after 15K or 20K coffees over 3 or 4 years. So, that's only about 15-20 coffees a day now that I apply some arithmetic.
    It hasn't been a pain to top up water or empty drip tray - someone or other does it a couple of times a day into the adjacent sink and bin.
    They like their coffees, but they are not officionados. They just want something better than those fully automatics provide.

    Comment


    • flynnaus
      flynnaus commented
      Editing a comment
      If your new equipment provides better coffee than the old auto (likely), you might find that coffee consumption increases.

  • #5
    Hi Yorg, what are the autos you have used and would like to improve upon?
    That should give an idea what would be an upgrade.
    Depending on your location the list of CS sponsors at the bottom of the page would be a starting point.
    They are the pros and should be able to advise you well.
    You are probably going to want a servicing plan of some sort(either the photocopy boy/girl/? who is handy with tools and under utilised, the senior partner who can’t be trusted with briefs anymore or a professional provider)
    Buying a used commercial machine through a dealer should give you better back up and warrantee (if you pay for it).

    On the other hand it could be worthwhile to subcontract with a mobile espresso van for a couple of visits per day to satisfy the masses and go with your original plan for the fusspots like me.

    Comment


    • #6
      Great advice, thank you, I'll check out the sponsors.

      The automatics we've had most recently are this de longhi https://www.delonghi.com/en-au/produ...60b-0132215210
      and this gaggia
      https://www.gaggia.com/automatic-machines/babila/
      The gaggia was utterly disappointing - kinda first gen, an ergonomic nightmare for something whose core design principle is 'automatic'. Bought it before I realised that to buy another milk carafe (plastic 'chromed' plastic) was priced at $300 In fact, despite it looking great on paper - I despised it so much I sold it off at 60% of what it cost
      The current machine is new, and it is a de longhi primadonna soul. It makes coffee a little better than the others, but the pressures on these machines are very low.
      The resulting cup is relatively thin, baby bottle warm, and pissy crema. There isn't really that much depth of flavour and texture.

      I'm not looking to cheap out, but 20 coffees a day I had thought is not too much to ask of a Bianca - these semi autos seem to be built like brick shithouses.

      And I can't justify $7,000+ to a machine and grinder combo - my business partner is also my wife!

      So any further thoughts are welcome.

      Comment


      • amberale
        amberale commented
        Editing a comment
        Listen to Caffeinator, they have much more experience with a vast range of machines than me.
        I’m happy that they think my Bianca could cope.

        It is very quiet, can be plumbed in and out and is a double boiler.
        These and the price were the reasons I bought it, I don’t really care about the wood and I can grow into the profiling but that wasn’t a big plus at the time.
        A good inline water filter will help keep your maintenance costs down.

        I do think that a commercial dosing grinder is ideal for you.
        Throw half a kg of beans in the hopper each morning, dial it in and there’s your ground coffee sorted for the day.
        Standardise the workflow print and laminate it and it should be done.

    • #7
      Yeh good idea about the workflow sheet.
      OK, so any recommendations on a commercial dosing grinder?

      Comment


      • roosterben
        roosterben commented
        Editing a comment
        Mazzer Super Jolly Automatic, old school, built like a tank and run forever. Bonus is they are always around second hand for around $500, can be had as cheap as $300 odd if you are lucky.

    • #8
      Oh, yes, noting the mention of the XL.
      Quiet is key though. Would the Eureka Atom be suitable? (It has the same focus on quiet as the specialita) Noise really is a deal breaker.

      Comment


      • bernardd
        bernardd commented
        Editing a comment
        The Eureka XL is quieter and much faster than the Specialita or any of the other "mignon" models. Beside better damping of the internal pieces, it comes with a more powerful motor and larger burrs (65mm). I'm not sure how it compares against the Atom though.

      • roosterben
        roosterben commented
        Editing a comment
        Eureka Atom is very quiet and would work fairly well with a preset timed double shot dose. They are going for a little over a grand though new.

      • Kymbolino
        Kymbolino commented
        Editing a comment
        I have the Atom 65 paired with my Bianca, and they complement each other very well.

    • #9
      It might be worth talking to a Roaster you like and seeing if you can arrange a deal by subscribing to their coffee weekly and getting a machine and grinder setup from them. Might work out more affordable and having some type of support along with it would be beneficial going forward.

      Comment

      Working...
      X