Coffee Forums banner

Lelit

3K views 39 replies 16 participants last post by  DavecUK 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
I'm considering buying a Lelit machine and would like to canvass opinion of Lelit as a maker of espresso machines.

It appears not many folk have their machines so I'm wondering if they have a bad reputation or something.

I am looking at one of their machines as it seems to be smaller than others of the same type. This is important as I have a small kitchen.

I would be grateful for opinions on the good/bad aspects of Lelit as a whole rather than of the machine I am considering.

Thank you.
 
#5 ·
Thank you.

I had looked at the review before but took a second look at both. I've been reading up on the site so they made a bit more sense this time around.

I'll be graduating from a pod machine (so,so sorry to horrify you) so lots to learn.

I'm not, and don't think I ever will be, a coffee fanatic. I'm after a decent machine that will last, I'm pretty confident the Mara will make better coffee than I can and this will probably always be the case , I'm getting on a bit and my tastebuds aren't what they used to be ?.

I think I've made a decent choice of machine for my needs, just wanted to gauge the company's reputation. I don't intend to upgrade so want to get longevity and a bit of room for me to improve.

I probably would have tried to pick up an older Gaggia Classic but there are a couple of things against this. As already said, I don't want to have to upgrade and, I'm a cappuccino drinker rather than espresso so the milk steaming ability was important.

Again, thanks very much for your help. Please feel free to add further comments - the more opinions there are the better informed I can be.
 
#7 ·
Mmmmmmm, I've just had a quick look at your machine (slim version I assume), looks very nice to my untrained eye.

When I'm ready to buy I think I'll make for BellaBarista and put myself into their hands.

I would really like to keep the price to £1000 or under but slightly over isn't out of the question. I was intending to buy next year but might have to bring it forward a tad, who knows what effect B*****/or not will have on the price of European goods.
 
#10 ·
I'm thinking a Niche zero.
I'm off to BellaBarista for a little look around and a chat to some knowledgable folk. I hope to have a much clearer idea of what machine to set my sights on.
Good decisions......

Good luck trying to avoid walking out of BB with an ECM....... fantastic machines, all of them

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
  • Like
Reactions: catpuccino
#13 ·
I looked at a lot of Lelit machines recently. They all seemed to be very good. BB has the Mara for an extremely good price. There is one other (or at least one other that is affiliated with Lelit) which has all the others, https://www.lelit-uk.co.uk/. I checked with Lelit to make sure it's a legitimate website and it is. The Mara is more expensive on this website compared to BB (so you can see how cheap BB sell the Mara for!).
 
#14 ·
I bought the Mara 62 from BB after reading@DaveCuk reviews. BB were brilliant and I really enjoy the machine. It does everything I want it to, takes up little room, produces a better flat white than I can buy in the majority of coffee shops around me and it just makes me smile seeing it there in all it's small shinyness.

I did a half day home barista course at BB too which I can thoroughly recommend.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#15 ·
That's what I'm hoping for ashcroc - genuinely good advice from BB.

Did you buy a Lelit ref?

Glad to hear you're happy with your machine salty. I'd love to do a home barista course, maybe I'll be able to arrange to do one sometime whilst I'm there.
 
#16 ·
That's what I'm hoping for ashcroc - genuinely good advice from BB.

Did you buy a Lelit ref?

Glad to hear you're happy with your machine salty. I'd love to do a home barista course, maybe I'll be able to arrange to do one sometime whilst I'm there.
Not just yet, I was about to get a Mara but I'm moving house so want to get that out of the way before dumping a (heavy) machine in then having to move it.
 
#17 ·
Well, went to BB today. I'm now the proud owner of a Mara deluxe and a Mignon grinder. I've got a couple of diferent sized jugs, 2 shot glasses, 2 bags of beans, a big bag of QC failed beans to season the grinder, along with the bits and bobs that came with the machine.

I went for the Mignon for a couple of reasons.

1) I could have it there and then!

2) I think I was perhaps being a bit anal about having a Niche to start with. I don't expect or want to upgrade espresso machine so it leaves room to upgrade the grinder (a girls gotta have something to aim for ?).

3) I want to see how the Niche performs over a longer period, there could be further models to come or teething troubles.

4) Plenty of people are/have been happy with Mignon for years. Well tried and tested can be a good thing.

I'm really glad I went to BB. The service was great. I had instruction in the use of both coffee machine and grinder and didn't feel pushed into anything. I went with a slightly open mind re machine, there were a couple of others in the same sort of ball park, allbeit slightly more expensive, but there was no pressure to go for a more expensive one.

Everything is unpacked, the bottled water has been purchased and I'm ready for the off - pretty tired now so tomorrow will be the day. I'm looking forward to having a good play and some nice cappuccinos into the bargain.

Thank you to all for your help and advice.
 
#20 ·
Well, went to BB today. I'm now the proud owner of a Mara deluxe and a Mignon grinder. I've got a couple of diferent sized jugs, 2 shot glasses, 2 bags of beans, a big bag of QC failed beans to season the grinder, along with the bits and bobs that came with the machine.

I went for the Mignon for a couple of reasons.

1) I could have it there and then!

2) I think I was perhaps being a bit anal about having a Niche to start with. I don't expect or want to upgrade espresso machine so it leaves room to upgrade the grinder (a girls gotta have something to aim for ?).

3) I want to see how the Niche performs over a longer period, there could be further models to come or teething troubles.

4) Plenty of people are/have been happy with Mignon for years. Well tried and tested can be a good thing.

I'm really glad I went to BB. The service was great. I had instruction in the use of both coffee machine and grinder and didn't feel pushed into anything. I went with a slightly open mind re machine, there were a couple of others in the same sort of ball park, allbeit slightly more expensive, but there was no pressure to go for a more expensive one.

Everything is unpacked, the bottled water has been purchased and I'm ready for the off - pretty tired now so tomorrow will be the day. I'm looking forward to having a good play and some nice cappuccinos into the bargain.

Thank you to all for your help and advice.
Whooop! Congratulations on your new set up ?

Have fun tomorrow and take pics if you get time!
 
#21 ·
Thanks guys.

You know what Del boy used to say, he (or she) who dares wins. I really was going for a look but couldn't resist the shiny objects

I have a bag of each Milk Buster and Gaslight, don't know much about either but sure I'll enjoy myself with it. I doubt I pull great shots to begin with anyway ?.

We must have spent a good hour and a half or so with the guy at BB (should have asked his name, my bad, but think I heard someone call him Marco?). He was really good, taking time to walk me through the options, showing me how to make a shot and foam milk and then let me loose to have a go myself.

I think I'm going to enjoy myself!
 
#22 ·
Thanks guys.
You know what Del boy used to say, he (or she) who dares wins. I really was going for a look but couldn't resist the shiny objects
I have a bag of each Milk Buster and Gaslight, don't know much about either but sure I'll enjoy myself with it. I doubt I pull great shots to begin with anyway [emoji6].
We must have spent a good hour and a half or so with the guy at BB (should have asked his name, my bad, but think I heard someone call him Marco?). He was really good, taking time to walk me through the options, showing me how to make a shot and foam milk and then let me loose to have a go myself.
I think I'm going to enjoy myself!
Brilliant - well done. I'm sure you're going to love the Mara. Marco sold me mine too - top man [emoji1303]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#23 ·
In amongst rearranging the kitchen and it's storage overspill area, putting the machine and grinder in place, driving to buy strawberries and preparing dinner I have had a play.

The Mara has been turned on and put through the water flushing (Waitrose own brand). I put the best part of the bag of QC fail beans through the grinder and have dialed it in (more or less). A good few shots have been pulled and the timings, pre infusion and shot, are about right. I finished my playtime with a cappuccino, to my untrained tastebuds it tasted pretty nice, the milk could have been better foamed but more practice will improve that.

Here they are, in place but not been switched on yet. Just above the top of the machine the milk jugs, 35 & 50cl, are hanging on hooks under the cupboard. I've yet to get a knock box, a plastic food tub is currently fulfilling that purpose.

Engineering Gas Machine Service Table
 

Attachments

#29 ·
Very jealous, although I hope to get exactly the same machine in a couple months. I already have the grinder though (unfortunately coffee has recently been upsetting my stomach again so I'm treading carefully....)

I have a tip for the grinder: If you have a small set of kitchen scales (you can buy some 500g/0.01g resolution scales on amazon for about £10, or use any scales which can fit near enough the grinder) you can put a small bowl (I use a metal bowl) on top of the scales, and grind coffee directly in to the bowl. You can then easily time exactly how long it takes for you to get the required amount you wish to have in the portafilter (by pressing both 1 cup and 2 cup button to switch to demand, pressing the button, then pressing it again just before your scales reach the required weight, the grinder will show the elapsed time), then you just plug that time in.

I hope that makes sense...

(In short, scales easily fit under the grinder, so it's easy to calculate how many seconds you need to grind for!)
 
#30 ·
Cheers ref, I might just give that a go. I'm happy enough giving it a set time at the moment, can't overload the little grey cells all at once.

Will the Mara be your 1st machine, I'm guessing not as you already have a grinder.

I feel your pain with the stomach issue, I have a similar thing (mostly alleviated now) hence the only having coffee a few times a week. This is why when I drink coffee I want it to be a good 'un.
 
#34 ·
Cheers ref, I might just give that a go. I'm happy enough giving it a set time at the moment, can't overload the little grey cells all at once.

Will the Mara be your 1st machine, I'm guessing not as you already have a grinder.

I feel your pain with the stomach issue, I have a similar thing (mostly alleviated now) hence the only having coffee a few times a week. This is why when I drink coffee I want it to be a good 'un.
No, I went:

delonghi + bodum burr grinder -> barista express -> gave away the first two and sold the BE due to stomach issues, that was 3 years ago, and I started drinking coffee again recently. Digestive system has gone through significant changes since then so I'm going slowly...

Yup, but I mean you don't have to weigh it every time, but just a method to work out how much time to set initially.
 
#32 ·
#35 ·
Thought I'd add to this thread rather than starting a new one.

I was looking at a Rocket for my next machine however I've now come across Lelit and the bianca has caught my attention. I'd never really come across Lelit before, can anyone compare them to Rocket in terms of build quality and how they will last over the years?
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top