Product test
Sage Barista «Express Impress»: a clean entrance into the barista world
by Simon Balissat
Is Lelit Bianca really just for baristas?
19.11.2018
Translation: machine translated
Video: Stephanie Tresch
They are complex, take a very long time to heat up, and you have to readjust the settings as soon as you buy another coffee. Lelit Bianca' has even made this its advertising slogan. Will I still manage to get it to work?
"If you are not a real barista, keep away from me!", reads the large print on the Lelit website. I'm not a barista. In my life, I've had to make coffee ten times with a sieve-holder machine, knowing that the grind was already perfectly set. So I'm left with a machine that looks like the driving position of a steam locomotive with only a vague idea of all it's capable of doing in theory.
Two boilers and a miracle of precision
Lelit has thought of everything. Thanks to the small on-board computer, the temperature can be set to the nearest degree. You can also set the pre-infusion time electronically. All you have to do is indicate in seconds how long the coffee should be wet in the sieve and how long it should 'swell'. On other machines, these operations are carried out manually. Practical detail: the total extraction time is displayed at the same time.
Man versus machine
Let's face it, I'm not a barista. No wonder the first espresso was a complete failure. The coffee is too diluted, I put too little powder in the machine. Next try. This time, the coffee was too bitter and the crema lacked thickness. I tried using a slightly finer grind. The espresso improves, the crema gradually appears, but I'm not really satisfied...
250 grams of coffee later...
Next time I test a coffee machine, I'll ask the experts for help. Lelit is decidedly right: this machine should be reserved for baristas. Or as this anonymous user said here in his comment: "You're going to have to do a training course. Extraction is getting more complex... I need this machine."
Overview
Simon Balissat
Teamleader Editorial
Simon.Balissat@digitecgalaxus.chWhen I flew the family nest over 15 years ago, I suddenly had to cook for myself. But it wasn’t long until this necessity became a virtue. Today, rattling those pots and pans is a fundamental part of my life. I’m a true foodie and devour everything from junk food to star-awarded cuisine. Literally. I eat way too fast.
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