De'Longhi Dedica vs Lelit Bianca

“FWIW, I've had my Bianca for 14 months and have used distilled water + 3rd wave packets since the start and I have no mineral buildup whatsoever and have never done any extensive cleaning other than regular back flushes with Cafiza. It seems that your water is harder than you think, especially if you're descaling that frequently. A TDS meter is about $10 and could tell you your TDS of the water you're using to give you an idea.”

“Welcome aboard! Pretty much the exact same we have, but we ended up getting an Encore ESP automatic grinder instead to save time. The Dedica is really a powerhouse for its price. My tips are: 1. Bottomless portafilter, IMS basket, WDT, good quality tamper. With a good grinder & beans, this will get you 80% of the way to a machine 2-3x as expensive as the Dedica. 2. Run a blank shot through the machine every time you turn it on, before you brew. It'll heat up the brew group, which will make your shot taste smoother/less acidic. More expensive machines typically have a preheating function, the Dedica doesn't, but doing this will accomplish the same result. 3. You can pull some pretty nice lungos I've found. I'm achieving \~17g in, \~60g out in 30-35s with the Colombian medium roast Arabicas we have in the house right now.”